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Primary sourceDocument1821

Report upon Weights and Measures

John Quincy Adams · 1821

A detailed 1821 report by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams to Congress on standardizing weights and measures.

Adams wrote this report himself as Secretary of State, showing his administrative and scientific interests before his presidency.

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Title page of the printed report. Large heading reads REPORT, then UPON, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES. Below: prepared in obedience to a resolution of the Senate of the third March, 1817. Washington: Printed by Gales & Seaton, 1821.
John Quincy Adams, Report upon Weights and Measures, 1821. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed report titled Report upon Weights and Measures, written by John Quincy Adams as Secretary of State and submitted to Congress in 1821, in response to a Senate resolution from 1817. It is held by the Library of Congress.

Why it matters

As Secretary of State, Adams took on detailed domestic duties including overseeing the 1820 census and preparing this extensive report. The document reflects his scientific interests and his belief in careful, standardized government administration. It shows a side of Adams less famous than his diplomacy or presidency: the painstaking administrator working on practical matters of national organization.

Look closer

  • Why might standardizing weights and measures have mattered to a growing nation?
  • What does the length and detail of this report suggest about Adams's working habits?
  • What kinds of problems might arise from inconsistent weights and measures across a country?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Quincy Adams on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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