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John Adams

Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:46 pm
by f.Channell
Just wanted to recommend the new series John Adams on HBO.
Really well done.
Having visited his early farmhouse and later mansion this past summer I was real impressed with the historic accuracy of the program.
Truly a very amazing man.
Wish we had one like him today in Washington.
F.

Yeah/Also see if you can find

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:38 pm
by JOHN THURSTON
I am afraid that when they go to Washington now, every politician;s ain it to stay there.

Also, see if you cacn find the briefs and oral arguments entered thus far in the "Heler" case regarding the DC handgun ban.

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:57 pm
by Hugh
I don't get HBO so I haven't seen it but I understand that the show has whitewashed John Adams' rather testy nature and his famous temper tantrums. These are what led to his pushing for the Alien and Sedition Acts and what led to his having but one term as president.

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:43 pm
by f.Channell
I would say from the show it appears he lost reelection because of not declaring war with France. Of course I wouldn't base how I enjoyed the whole show on just that one episode. He clearly was an interesting, amazing man.

F.

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:03 pm
by Hugh
If I remember my history correctly, his support for the Alien and Sedition Acts were probably the biggest factors in his loss. They really angered the populace, and rightly so.

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:18 pm
by Gene DeMambro
SOme reports have it that Congress passed thre Alien and Sedition Acts. Adams did not push for their passage, but he signed them into law. His fiery temper came out in the series, believe you me.

I liked the series, but I was distraught over some of the historical inaccuracies. But my mother has a collegue who is a decendant of John Adams (don't know which child) and is President of the Adams Historical Society. She says it was one of the few accurate portrayals of John Adams.

Cheers,
Gene

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:11 pm
by f.Channell
I know the re-enactments of the scenes at home were amazing recreations of his Mansion in Quincy, as I drive by it frequently. Amazing to see it out of it's present urban setting and in a rural farm setting. Even the scenes in his study were totally accurate depictions of the room. As far as I know they were not filmed there. I doubt the U.S. parks department would allow it.

With the alien and sedetion acts one has to think back to the times when we were just coming out of a monarchy.
Public insults of politicians were an amazing insult to authority at the time.
200,000 french were in the U.S. at the time as we were very close to war with them. We were right on the brink.
Look at what we did to the Japanese 140-150 years later with the internment camps.
In the show Adams was portrayed as forced to sign it for political reasons.
I suppose a perusal of his 7 volumes he wrote on his presidency would answer the question. Based upon the other attentions to detail I would have to say it's accurate.

The place I teach Karate in was built in 1718 by the Thaxters. One of the later Thaxters was a secretary to Adams in Europe during the war. Abigail forced him to marry her maid after he put her in a family state!

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:27 pm
by Hugh
Please see this web site:
http://www.bartleby.com/65/al/AlienNSe.html

I would only note that the only enforcement of any of these acts was against newspaper editors who supported Jefferson's Republicans.

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 7:47 pm
by JaySal
Hi Fred Sensei.

I just finished watiching the John Adams mini series. It was outstaning. If everything I saw in it was based on truth, or historical fact. I learned many things about John Adams and the other founding farthers, that I never knew.

Take Care - Jay

Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 6:31 pm
by f.Channell
Hi Jay,
Yes interesting stuff.
Wish they did his son also. Another fascinating guy. After being President he still served in the House of Representatives.
Had a stroke in the house in his 80's arguing about what, I'll have to look up.

When I drive by Presidents church now I think of all they did for us.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ja6.html

F.