When John Quincy Adamsthe sixty-three-year-old former president, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and diplomatwas elected to the House of Representatives by his Massachusetts neighbors, he embarked on a spectacular late-life career.He became Congresss most acerbic and influential critic of slavery as well as a tireless proponent for human freedoms and First Amendment rights. This remarkable congressional career utterly transformed him, the publics perception of him, and his legacyin many ways redeeming his failed presidency. Mr. Adamss Last Crusade renders an insightful portrait of a man who placed his country above politics.