The Passionate Empiricist: The Eloquence of John Quincy Adams in the Service of Science

Explores John Quincy Adams’s oratorical work in support of government-funded science.

This book introduces readers to the role that classical oratory played in changing early American attitudes about pure scientific research. Marlana Portolano investigates the impact of John Quincy Adams’s oratorical campaigns on the origins of government-funded science in America, with a special focus on his classical theory of rhetorical engagement and civic duty.

“In this age where so much government funding of science is based in the military-industrial complex, it is fascinating to look at arguments for and against government funding of science at a time when such funding was not a given.” — CHOICE