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Primary sourceSpeech30 April 1839

The Jubilee of the Constitution

John Quincy Adams · 30 April 1839

Adams's 1839 address to the New York Historical Society marking fifty years since the Constitution took effect.

This is Adams's own address, delivered by him in 1839 as a former president reflecting on the Constitution.

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About this source

What it is

This is the text of an address delivered by John Quincy Adams on April 30, 1839, before the New York Historical Society, marking the fiftieth anniversary of George Washington's inauguration under the Constitution. It opens with an imagined vision of Washington receiving guidance before taking his oath of office.

Why it matters

By 1839 Adams was a former president reflecting on the nation's founding and the Constitution's meaning fifty years on. The speech shows how he used history and memory, including reverence for Washington, to speak to later generations about the Constitution's importance.

Look closer

  • Why might Adams open with an imagined vision rather than plain historical facts?
  • What does the speech suggest about how Americans in 1839 thought about their founding?
  • What is Adams trying to persuade his audience to believe or do?

This speech 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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