John Quincy Adams and Gerald Ford

John Quincy Adams was the U.S.'s 6th president. He however didn't get much done while he was in office. He, "had ambitious plans of government activity to foster internal improvements and promote the arts and sciences, but congressional obstructionism, combined with his own unwillingness or inability to play the role of a politician, resulted in little being accomplished," http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760591.html. However, when Adams was a US senator, and Secretary of State, he did have more of an affect on foreign policy and economics.

Adams foreign policy- While Adams was a senator he approved of the Louisiana Purchase. He also approved of the Embargo Act or 1807. The Embargo Act, "forbade all international trade to and from American ports, and Jefferson hoped that Britain and France would be persuaded of the value and the rights of a neutral commerce.' http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0817234.html The people did not like this however and Adams resigned. Later he became Secretary of State under James Monroe. Adams, most notably, was the architect of the Monroe Doctrine. "It initially called for an end to European intervention in the Americas, but it was later extended to justify U.S. imperialism in the Western Hemisphere." http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0833774.html. This was the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine. Adams did these things before becoming president.

Adams economics- Reading about John Quincy Adams, there's not much said about him. He wasn't very popular and he didn't get a lot done. Economics are not mentioned at all. But since he approved of the Embargo Act, this must have affected Americans economically, in a bad way. Because they lost money on trade with those countries. I think he also did care about the welfare of the US. He wanted to promote arts and sciences. This could have helped the economy in the long run. More people with knowledge in these subjects can help the country proceed into the future.

Gerald Ford was our 38th president. He was definitely more well-liked than Adams. However, Ford was also held back by congress.

Ford economy- "To fight inflation, the new president first proposed fiscal restraints and spending curbs and a 5% tax surcharge that got nowhere in the Senate and House. Congress again rebuffed Ford in the spring of 1975 when he appealed for emergency military aid to help the governments of South Vietnam and Cambodia resist massive Communist offensives" http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0760622.html Ford wanted to help the economy and foreign affairs but he was rebuffed. Ford vetoed spending bills that exceeded his budget. "Ford can be credited with bills involving energy decontrol, tax cuts, deregulation of the securities industries, and antitrust law reform." http://www.nndb.com/people/400/000022334/

Ford foreign policy- Like it says in the quote above, Ford also wanted to help the governments in South Vietnam and Cambodia but was rebuffed by congress. This is also what happened to Adams. Ford was a republican but congress was dominated by democrats. "Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement." http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html Ford had a lot on his plate with the weak economy and working for world peace.

Both of these presidents I'm sure worked hard. However Ford had a lot more to deal with and he had a lot of tough decisions to make during his presidency while Adams didn't have as much going on.