John Adams Miniseries- Part 2 - Independence

Just some quick thoughts on Part 2 of the HBO miniseries. HBO did run this back to back with Part 1 last week, luring people with the excitement of 2 full hours of drama.

Part 2, entitled Independence, picks up at the First Continental Congress. I'm paralleling my reading of McCullough's John Adams with the mini-series and notice that HBO has decided to take what Adams wrote in his journals and use it in the dialog in Adams' conversations. It's a much better strategy than that of a voice over, which to me can be a distraction.

Once again, many great events in American history are referenced and not highlighted, and for good reason. It must be noted that these are the trials and tribulations of John Adams and not an overview of the Revolution, and thus Lexington and Concord warrants only a mention in passing. So if you're wondering when you're going to see George Washington at Valley Forge, you won't.. but pay attention, it is alluded to.

Another observation I found curious was the editing of Jefferson's version of the Declaration of Independence. In the past, I've seen it as being picked apart by many of the Delegates in front of the entire Congress. Director, Tom Hooper, has decided that it was edited in private by Adams, Ben Franklin and Jefferson at Jefferson's apartment. Like the image to the left. This idea would fit to be more realistic as it was a document that had not yet been presented in any way, shape or form to the Congress, and it would seem that it should be perfected before doing so.

The final vote for Independence, which required a unanimous decision was very well done, though not as dramatic as the one I'm more familiar with in the musical 1776. But on that note, the reading of the Declaration of Independence is effectively passionate, as it starts with John Hancock, President of the Congress, and moves to Adams' daughter reading amongst Abigail and her siblings, and then to an assembly in front of the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall).

The voting and the reading of the Declaration of Independence can be effective if shown in class. Especially if followed with 'The Price They Paid', which is a reading about what happened to the 56 delegates after signing the Declaration. I also challenged my students to take it even a step further to see if they could prove if all the stories about the Delegates were true. They're not all true... See for yourself.

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John Adams Mini Series - Part 1 - Join or Die

HBO's John Adams debuted Sunday night, and I must say I was impressed. I worked with Comcast to finagle HBO for free for a 6 months. I had to buy all the channels in the 100s to do so, but I worked that to only be $4/month, and it includes the Do It Yourself (DIY) Network, which is well worth the $4 alone. All it took was to say NO to their first 3 offers.

Though I don't encourage showing an unguided movie in class, I do encourage the use of a film like John Adams to enhance the learning. That said, Part 1, entitled 'Join or Die' contains an excellent portrayal of the Boston Massacre and all of the indecision and doubt that surrounded the trial. For about minutes, HBO took you through the "riot", the reaction from the Colony, the decision for Adams to defend Captain Preston and the soldiers and finally the trial.

Done succinctly and with very little off topic tangents, it would be of good use in a US History class discussing the Boston Massacre and how it catapulted Adams into the spotlight and further ripped the seam between the Colonies and the King. It would also serve the purpose of a government class, exemplifying the "innocent until proven guilty" mantra as well as the emphasis of "facts and evidence" as clearly stated by Adams.

In addition to the Boston Massacre, part 1 alludes to the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts and concludes with Adams being selected to attend the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Here is HBO's recap of episode one: http://www.hbo.com/films/johnadams/. It's cool and interactive. Heck, use this in class. Then show bits of the film. If you've got a DVD recorder show it now... it's for education... copyright? bahumbug!!!

Laura Linney is great and the guy who plays John Dickinson is impressive as well. George Washington, is played by the usually familiar face of David Morse (Green Mile, Hack), who incidentally was born in Massachusetts, Adam's "country".

If this film does anything it changes my perception of John Adams only in as much as how he looks and talks. I'm a big fan of the movie 1776, where Adams is portrayed brilliantly by William Daniels (aka Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World, Dr. Craig from St. Elsewhere and of course... the voice of K.I.T.T from Knight Rider).

For your pleasure I've included an excerpt from 1776, to give you an idea of how I used to view John Adams... Paul Giamatti might just be good enough to change my mind. Can't wait for Sunday night.

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The Postal System:

On July 26, 1775 the Second Continental Congress established the postal system. Yes, this is the same Continental Congress who deliberated and debated about independence from Britain.

With the revolutionary war in full swing communication was vital to the success of the United States. Congress needed to find a way to expediently relay information to and from the army.

The delegates to decided to put Ben Franklin in charge of the postal system.

The delivery of the mail at this time was not an easy task. Cities and towns were few and far between and were often separated by dense forests. The mail was rarely delivered successfully and was often times returned.

Franklin's efforts however, did bring the nation together and it worked well enough that the United States decided to keep it, even after the war. It has been running ever since...

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night...stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

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