Americas Founding Son, Bob Crawford
Americas Founding Son, Bob Crawford
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America's Founding Son
John Quincy Adams, from President to Political Maverick

Author: Bob Crawford

Narrator: Bob Crawford

Unabridged: 9 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/10/2026


Synopsis

An accessible and entertaining biography of our nation’s greatest public servant and original political maverick John Quincy Adams, from the bassist of the Grammy-nominated band the Avett Brothers.

During the tumultuous period between the era of the Founding Fathers and the disunion of the Civil War, John Quincy Adams was the man standing in the breach. After an unsuccessful presidential reelection campaign, he was left reckoning with his political legacy. But Adams would be dragged back into the fray in ways he never expected, pitting him against the slavocracy and Southern congressmen and solidifying him as a key ally to the antislavery cause.

America’s Founding Son tells the tale of Adams’s turbulent government career and his evolving views on slavery. Adams, along with lesser-known abolitionists Benjamin Lundy and Theodore Weld, found himself at the center of the coalition that leveled the first blow against slave power in the United States. The battles they fought would be foundational in the push for emancipation to follow. An entertaining deep dive into an under explored period in American history, America’s Founding Son shows how John Quincy Adams and the grassroots activism of the 1830s and ’40s shifted American politics forever.

About The Author

Best known as the bassist for The Avett Brothers, Bob Crawford brings decades of musicality to his historical work, infusing it with rhythm, urgency, and heart. He is the host of American History Hotline on iHeartRadio and cohost of The Road to Now on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel, where he engages public figures and scholars in conversations that connect the past to the present. Crawford also serves as comanaging partner of the Press On Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing pediatric cancer research. Whether on stage, on air, or on the page, Crawford invites audiences to reckon with America’s unfinished story—and to find courage in those who speak truth to power.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Josh on March 13, 2026

NOT AN ADVANCE COPY. I BOUGHT AND READ THIS MYSELF WHEN IT CAME OUT FOR THE PUBLIC. Bob Crawford’s “America’s Founding Son” recounts the achievements of John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams and the inheritor of the Founding Father Generation’s dreams. This reader immediately finds themselves roo......more

Goodreads review by Jean on March 17, 2026

A consummate American, the sixth U.S. President, John Quincy Adams, for one term from 1825-1829, began when he was ten years old accompanying his father to various diplomatic postings to Europe leading up to two terms as Secretary of State before assuming the presidency. . It was sad to read that hi......more

Goodreads review by The History Mom on March 08, 2026

I was so excited to read this book by one of the members of a favorite band! Bob fell for John Quincy Adams much like I fell for Adams’ wife, Louisa, and I love when people follow their passions and write a book about them! Bob’s obvious admiration and respect for John Quincy Adams shines through as......more

Goodreads review by Carlie on March 13, 2026

I love Crawford's passion for this time period! I think this book would be best suited for someone who is really a history buff and wants to dive even deeper into this particular time period/person. As a casual history reader, the book sometimes assumed previous knowledge I didn't have/couldn't alwa......more

Goodreads review by C.M. on November 19, 2025

Interesting and well presented. A lesson for current leaders......more