He favored the creation of a system of roads, canals, and highways that would make travel across the United States easier. He managed to pass a law that allowed the Cumberland Road to pass into Ohio and he funded a project that would create a canal from the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River. He also advocated the establishment of a uniform system of weights and measures—something akin to the metric system—which failed, even though Adams wrote a detailed report to Congress on the issue. In addition, he advocated for a national university and the creation of a naval academy.

Unfortunately, Adams had little success with most of his proposals. His presidency was doomed in part by the presence of so many Jacksonian Democrats in Congress, who adamantly believed that Jackson deserved the presidency.