In 1828, John Quincy Adams was chosen by his party, now called the National Republicans, to run for reelection against Andrew Jackson. The campaign was more about mudslinging and less about the issues. The “corrupt bargain” charge resurfaced and dogged Adams throughout the campaign. In the end, Jackson won the election and Adams left to go back home to Massachusetts.

U.S. Representative

Adams's retirement from politics did not last long. He was elected to represent his district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1830. He was the only president to serve in Congress after being a president. He played an important role in the House for seventeen years. He was always true to his own beliefs, even when he was in the minority, as he was when he opposed the annexation of Texas.

Amistad Case

In 1841, Adams was part of the defense team for the slave mutineers in the Amistad case. In 1839, forty-nine Africans seized the Spanish ship Amistad off the coast of Cuba and tried to get two Cuban survivors to sail them back to Africa. However, they ended up in America where they were immediately seized. The Spanish demanded that the Americans deliver them to Cuba to stand trial. However, the mutineers's fates were eventually decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Adams threw himself into the defense and helped fellow attorney Roger Baldwin gain their freedom.

Death

On February 21, 1848, John Quincy Adams collapsed on the floor of the U.S House of Representatives. He had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He was taken to the Speaker of the House's private chamber where he died two days later on February 23. His last words are thought to have been, “This is the end of earth, I am content.”