Opinion

President John Quincy Adams knew one book people needed to read to become good citizens

In letters to his son, the sixth president argued Scripture was essential to raising good citizens

By Marissa Streit Fox News

Published September 17, 2026 7:00am EDT

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Too few American students know enough about our Constitution. Still, fewer know there is such a thing as "Constitution Day." But this year, it might be worth taking up an assignment our sixth president gave to his son in a remarkable series of letters written while President John Quincy Adams served as minister to Russia.

Adams did not focus on career advice for his son. He did not teach his son how to make money.

Instead, Adams insisted upon this: Read the Bible. Every day.

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Adams believed no education could be complete without it. He wrote to his son that when "duly read and meditated on," the Bible is "of all books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy."

Illustration depicting the birth of the Monroe Doctrine. James Monroe is shown standing beside a globe; John Quincy Adams is seated at left. From a painting by Clyde O. DeLand. (Getty Images)

And here’s where our Constitution comes in: Adams believed children formed by Scripture........

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