Join or Die

Paul Giamatti as J.A.

We've been on a history kick recently. After uncovering the still-plastic-wrapped John Adams HBO miniseries at my parents' house, Cas and I decided to give it a go. It definitely lived up to the hype I had heard; although anything based on a David McCullough book can't go too wrong. I found the earlier episodes dealing with the Boston Massacre, Declaration of Independence, and early ambassadorships the most interesting. It's easy to forget that it was just a group of educated, principled colonists that got the ball rolling. At the time, it was treason and meant fighting the most powerful empire in the world.

David Morse as G.W.

Rather than just presenting history as it unfolded, the miniseries also illustrates John and Abigail's relationship, as well as down-to-earth representations of Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington [although it appears even back then G.W. was kind of a god-among-men due to his quiet humility and simple dedication to the principles of the new land]. Seeing Franklin as an Enlightened-Scientist/Ladies-Man gives hope for today's Nobel Prize winners.


Unlike most of today's blind 'Merica patriotism, John Adams presents a founding-fathers story that makes you appreciate and proud of the country we live in. It wasn't all perfect- people were vain, power-hungry, and jealous. John Adams clearly wasn't a perfect father figure. The Continental Congress danced around the issue of slavery, leaving it as something their descendants would have to figure out on their own time. Which is why it is not surprising we were soon watching Ken Burns' epic film series The Civil War. But I'll save that dispute for another day.