These are the rare original papers from that address printed by the House of Representatives in 1835. These I acquired a number of years ago. They are a proud part of my personal library.
The amazing history of Adams is one that is unlike almost any other American. He was by far the greatest, the smartest, and perhaps the best tutored President, Congressman, Ambassador, Secretary of State, Peace commissioner...
His teachers were Benj. Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and his father John Adams.. He knew all the heads of state throughout Europe. He was already his fathers personal secretary at the tender age of 10.
He was in France in the age of Voltaire ...And was given tours through France by Benj. Franklin....He spoke and read 7 languages fluently...He was a dear friend to Lafayette...And no one on earth at the time was better suited to speak on the merits of that great Frenchman, than the one of America's greatest..John Quincy Adams
Lafayette was a great French soldier who served under George Washington, A friend of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and so many others. He returned to the United States for the last time in 1824. He visited an aged Thomas Jefferson, visited Washington's grave, spoke before Congress, was awarded the title of Honorary American.
He finally traveled to Quincy to see the great sage John Adams. He spent quite a bit of time in the area with John Adams and John Quincy Adams. He was helped around by Joshua Quincy, who was the son of the Mayor of Boston, Mass, he would live into the 1880's and write much on this period of time.
When spending time with John Adams the old patriots talked for a long time. After it was all over John Adams said "Lafayette is not like the Lafayette I used to know"...When Lafayette left the old house at Quincy he remarked that "John Adams is not like the John Adams I used to know"...They were not the same Adams was almost 89 years of age and Lafayette was near 70....
He laid the corner stone for the Bunker Hill monument in 1824...John Adams, too ill to make the journey could hear the cannons from Bunker Hill as his son John Quincy had near 50 years earlier as he stood with his mother and watched the battle.
When it was all over Lafayette requested that a large case of American earth be sent to him. So his grave would be filled with American soil. He was paid by Congress for his services in the American Revolution to the amount of $200.000.
When he died in 1834, his friend John Quincy Adams spoke before Congress. The address was delivered before both houses of Congress on December 31, 1834.
The man who spoke had watched the battle of Bunker Hill as a boy in 1775. Now he spoke as the last of the great revolutionaries was remembered.
I always remember the great line said by General Pershing's aide, Charles E. Stanton. Who said during World War One as he walked on shore from the first troopship in 1917 to help France..
"Lafayette we are here"....Better words have never been said.
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