Neither seduced by the number nor quailing under the threats and violence of his assailants, he maintained the rights of his public station, and with silent dignity set at defiance their overbearing attempts to terrify, until they abandoned their purpose in despair, awed by the majestic power of principle.
Josiah Quincy praises John Quincy Adams for his steadfastness and dignity in the face of opposition.
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But, if we go to war, what must be the effect of the peace that follows?
That it has exposed in broad day the overruling influence of the institution of domestic slavery upon the history and policy of the Union.
Adams replied: "I well know this; but labor I shall not refuse so long as my hands, my eyes, and my brain, do not desert me.
I am determined to get my own living, and to be dependent upon no one.
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