DESCRIPTION:
Incredibly inspiring words by a former president, John Quincy Adams, that paved the way to ending slavery. We should also be looking to our past – our founders and the Constitution – to restore what they sought to protect from the ravages of political power and corruption. Then we indeed discover that, as a nation, "who we are is who we were."

SEARCH FOR WISDOM – THE AMISTAD CASE
In an 1840 case before the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams rebuked President Van Buren’s abuse of executive power in placing a treaty with a foreign country in conflict with U.S. principles of freedom and justice. In appeasing a foreign nation, Adams argued that the president committed "utter injustice."

When we are faced with politicians and ideologues who seek to sacrifice our principles, subvert our Constitution, or rewrite our heritage, we must look back to our founders for the truth. This brief and powerful portrayal of Adams in the Steven Spielberg film "Amistad" makes the point clear in an age-old and cross-cultural lesson. (–from actual text)