Adams Papers Digital Edition

Diary of Charles Francis Adams, volume 1

6. IX. CFA

1820-02-06

 6. IX. CFA
6. IX.

George and John departed,1 arise, go to Church, Mr. Rice,2 Luke 8. 1 and 2, return, remainder of day at home.

 1.

CFA’s brothers, George Washington Adams (1801–1829) and John Adams 2d (1803–1834), referred to in this edition as GWA and JA2, respectively, 7were returning to Harvard College after six weeks of vacation (JQA, Diary, 6 Feb. 1820). See Adams Genealogy.

 2.

Luther Rice (1783–1836), a Baptist preacher in Washington who later helped establish Columbian College (Sprague, Annals Amer. Pulpit , 6:602–603).

 7. VIII:30. CFA

1820-02-07

 7. VIII:30. CFA
7. VIII:30.

Arise, go to School, Virgil, Minora, Cebes, home, return of John, unexpected, loss of his trunk.

 8. VIII:55. CFA

1820-02-08

 8. VIII:55. CFA
8. VIII:55.

Arise, go to School, Virgil. John left us again. Minora, Cebes, home, party in the evening.

 9. IX. CFA

1820-02-09

 9. IX. CFA
9. IX.

Arise, go to School, Virgil, Minora, Cebes, return home, my Mother, Drawing room.1

1.

President Monroe frequently held open house in the drawing room of the White House, and the Adamses often attended. See JQA, Diary, 9 Feb. 1820.

 10. VIII. CFA

1820-02-10

 10. VIII. CFA
10. VIII.

Arise, go to School, Virgil, Minora, Cebes, home, dine, evening, play Chess with my Mother.

 11. IX. CFA

1820-02-11

 11. IX. CFA
11. IX.

Arise, no School, to the Senate, Missouri Question, Mr. King of New York,1 crowd, home, evening, Cardelli.

 1.

Federalist Senator Rufus King (1775–1827) supported the right and the expediency of restricting slavery in Missouri as a condition for statehood ( Annals of Congress , 16 Cong., 1 sess., 1:372–373). Slaveholders who listened to him “gnawed their lips and clenched their fists” in anger (JQA, Diary, 11 Feb. 1820). In “Rufus King, Slavery, and the Missouri Crisis,” Robert Ernst has recently explained King’s not always well understood position on the “Missouri Question” (NYHS, Quart. , 46:357–382 [Oct. 1962]).

 12. IX. CFA

1820-02-12

 12. IX. CFA
12. IX.

Arise, no School, to the House of Representatives, Mr. Pindall of Virginia,1 return, evening at home.

 1.

James Pindall (1765–1825), a Federalist Congressman from what is now West Virginia, argued that Missouri ought to be admitted to the Union without any restriction on slavery ( Annals of Congress , 16 Cong., 1 sess., 1:1265–1279; 2:1282–1290).

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