Johns Adams on HBO
Based on the Book by David McCullough
By: Charles Giuliano - Apr 09, 2008
John Adams
HBO
Producers: David Coatsworth, Steve Shareshian; Co-Executive Producers: Kirk Ellis, Frank Doegler; Executive Producers: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman; Screenplay: Kirk Ellis; Based on the Book by: David McCullough; Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Paul Giamatti- John Adams, Laura Linney- Abigail Adams, Stephen Dillane- Thomas Jefferson, Danny Huston- Sam Adams, David Morse-George Washington, Sarah Polley- Nabby Adams, Tom Wilkinson- Ben Franklin, Rufus Sewell- Alexander Hamilton
http://www.hbo.com/films/johnadams/
John Adams
By David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, 2001. 750 pages, illustrated with bibliography and index.
ISBN 0-684-81363-7
A year ago I purchased David McCullough's biography of John Adams and filed it away with other books. Shortly after viewing the first of seven installments of the John Adams series on HBO I opted to read the formidable and absorbing book with some 650 pages of text and a hundred more pages of acknowledgements, index and notes. It has been the intensive focus of the past two weeks and an evening diversion while traveling which is when one finds time for such reading.
Part of the motivation of this intense involvement with the life and times of the second President of the United States has been to keep up with the unfolding episodes of the HBO series. It has provided the opportunity to fact check, compare and contrast the abundant detail of the book, and just how that got interpreted into the popular entertainment required of a television mini series. I hope that the series will motivate others to seek out the wonderful book by McCullough, which, truth be told, also has its levels of disappointment and frustration.
Both the mini series and book, while successful in the ambition of acquainting us with a generally underappreciated founding father, makes us sense that we have just touched the surface of complex characters and issues. Too many of the events and colorful personalities of this remarkable era pass by all too quickly. We experience the age of revolution primarily through the love story of John and Abigail Adams. There is perhaps too much focus, particularly in the HBO series, on their heart wrenching separations of years and vast oceans. The collateral damage of revolution is conveyed by the mixed results of raising four children. The eldest, John Quincy, would also serve as President, while the youngest, Charles, would die at an early age of acute alcoholism. Their daughter Nabby endured a mediocre marriage and died young of breast cancer. While another son, Thomas, was less than distinguished in his career.
The other great characters of this age of revolution- Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, George lll and Louis XVl, come and go in the Adams biography. We find Adams forever riding through winter storms to and from the Continental Congress in Philadelphia or across the Atlantic at great peril. There are the constant letters back home to Abigail in Braintree and dispatches from the European courts in London, Paris and Amsterdam. Almost in passing, we learn of the defeat of General Burgoyne or the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Perhaps that was an appropriate literary device as we are seeing these events through the letters of Adams. And there could be intervals of months for the arrival of fresh news. Often we find Adams at wits ends, surviving on a meager stipend, suffering under the social and political domination of Franklin, while seeking clear mandates and authority from a distant Continental Congress.
There are the political struggles of the Federalists led by the brilliant and scheming Alexander Hamilton and the equally nasty and self serving maneuvers of Jefferson and the Republicans. Through it all John Adams, in his dogged and stubborn manner, appears to do the right thing with a firm hand on the tiller through storms that would readily capsize a man of lesser determination.
We get a strong sense of just how fragile and near to failure were both the revolution, impossible without the support of France negotiated by Franklin and to a lesser extent by Adams, and the precarious peace that followed. Adams was one of three who, in Paris, negotiated the terms of independence from Great Britain. But, in lieu of oustanding debts, the British opted not to respect its terms. It would take years for a complete withdrawal of troops and the British navy regularly stopped and conscripted American sailors. This persisted and intensified during the War of 1812. It was one thing to defeat the British and quite another to enforce the terms of peace. Adams, as the first American ambassador to the Court of Saint James, was in the thick of that ongoing struggle particularly for freedom of commerce and access to ports in Canada, Great Britain and the Carribean.
In his several years as ambassador during the revolution, one of his most important accomplishments was the securing of loans from the Dutch. This occured only after indications of a possible victory. The shrewd Dutch bankers had no interest in backing a lost cause. It was essential to raise funds to sustain the rag tag American army as well as establish trade and status as a nation through loans and lines of credit. Later it was the concept of Hamilton to consolidate the debt through a Department of the Treasury. And to absorb the debt of the individual states therby strenghtening the power of the federal government. It was also essential to establish an American currency. The paper money produced by the Continetal Congress was initially virtually worthless.
It was during his extended years in the courts of Paris and Amsterdam that his teenage son, John Quincy, became fluent in those languages. This proved to be a great asset in his own career as a diplomat and eventually as President. John Quincy Adams would prove to be the most widely traveled President of those who preceeded him. While John Quincy greatly benefited from the close relationship with his father, the other sons, Thomas and Charles, for crucial years of their development, knew him only through letters.
In the McCullough book there are too many moments when we hunger for more detail and insight. The role of Hamilton and his intrigues prove to be fascinating. His sudden demise in a duel with Aaron Burr, then vice president under Jefferson, is dismissed in half a page. We get scant information on why they took to the field of honor. We know only that the brilliant and complex Hamilton, on several occasions, made every effort to undermine Adams. But exactly how and why is never entirely fleshed out.
We learn how Adams was the first to experience the political oblivion of serving as vice president. Washington had little need for his company or advice. Adams was not included in cabinet meetings and they met rarely. Adams attended Congress daily, compared to Jefferson, who, as Vice Presidents remained at Monticello and corresponded. Adams, it appears, cast more tie breaking votes than any other Vice President. Despite being largely snubbed by the President he served under, Adams opted to keep intact the cabinet of Washington, which proved to be a disaster as they were primarily loyal to Hamilton and other factions. He was also the first "lame duck" president who spent the final days in office making patronage appointments. One of these included John Marshall who served as Chief Justice for the next thirty-five years. McCullough describes Marshall as the greatest individual ever to hold that position.
There were significant differences of political philosophy between Adams and Jefferson. Adams labored to create a strong constitution (for Massachusetts a model for other states) and federal government. Jefferson, a romantic, believed that each generation should not be bound to the mandates (constitutions) of their elders. As a Republican, Jefferson advocated states' rights. He covertly supported rebellions against federal taxes which were crushed by Adams and seen as a great threat to the Union. Despite its atrocities Jefferson believed in and supported the French Revolution. We learn of their initial intimacy particularly between Thomas and Abigail when they spent time together in France. There was an abrupt coolness, never adequately explained by McCullough, perhaps due to their political divide, followed by years with no direct communication. Adams and Jefferson were on opposite ends of the political spectrum. There is an effort to portray the highly moral and conservative Adams in contrast to the libertine, amoral, and extravagant Jefferson.
The death of Jefferson's daughter, whom Abigail had known in Paris, prompted her to write a note of sympathy. By then, both Adams and Jefferson were retired from public life. It induced, if not a reconciliation of political differences, particularly on the issue of slavery, but a recognition that they had been colleagues and equals in great events. Adams, essentially, had ruined his chances for a second term by steering the nation away from a popular demand for war with France, or an alliance with Great Britain, against France, that was strongly pressed by Hamilton.
Adams insisted on neutrality from European conflicts and advocated a "wooden wall" in the form of strong navy and home defenses. He created a standing army and appointed Washington as its commander. But even given Washington's advanced age and declining health, Adams resisted elevating Hamilton to second in command. That would have handed Hamilton too much political as well as military authority. Adams did eventually succumbed to Washington's insistence on appointing Hamilton but then cleverly disbanded an expensive standing army while increasing the navy.
When Jefferson came to power, he dismantled the navy created by Adams. But his predecessor's tactic of avoiding war with France placed Jefferson in a position of strength in dealing with Napoleon. The French Emperor had seized the Louisiana Territory from Spain and had ambitions of establishing an Empire in North America. But the defeat of French troops by Toussaint L'Overture in Haiti, and reversals in Europe, made Napoleon amenable to selling this vast territory to the United States. Adams played an important and generally underappreciated role in these events.
In their final years Jefferson and Adams enjoyed an extensive and cordial correspondence. Typically, Adams was aggressive in raising issues for debate. True to form, Jefferson avoided conflict, and was more guarded in expressing his views. Jefferson preferred to demure publicly in politics while engaging in dirty tricks, like leaking stories to the media, behind the scenes. Jefferson, overall, does not come out well in the McCullough biography.
Ironically, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Adams left an estate of some $100,000 and the homestead remained in the family for generations. While Jefferson left a similar amount in debt. His slaves and property were sold, including the beloved Monticello, to settle with creditors. Jefferson freed four members of the Hemmings family but not his alleged mistress, their mother, Sally. She was set free by the daughter of Jefferson.
While the face of Adams does not accompany that of Jefferson on Mount Rushmore, on many levels he was truly an equal and ultimately commanded higher moral ground. Unlike the life of Jefferson, there are few if any moral conundrums encountered in the biography of Adams. While Jefferson was remarkably brilliant and gifted, a true visionary, Adams was no less accomplished. They shared a love of books and learning. But Jefferson's adventures in architecture, arguably his greatest and more original contribution, also proved to be the folly of his ultimate ruin. Losses and extravagances, however remarkable, that were paid for in the labor of slaves. However, Jefferson did build and founded the University of Virginia. Adams detested slavery and predicted that it would be the issue that would spilt the fragile Union.
Yes, as usual, the book is better than the drama it has inspired. Overall the performance of Paul Giamatti is superb. One cannot imagine a better or more accurate John Adams. The Abigail of Laura Linney is far less adequate. While HBO has insisted as presenting this history as a love story her depiction of Abigail lacks range and nuance. She is depicted as the often left behind and long suffering wife. We see her less for her own unique qualities as a pioneer of feminism and a real partner in revolution. There is also very little sense of how their absorption in the struggles to found a nation came at the sacrifice and failures of the children. The son, John Quincy, who accompanied his father in Europe, thrived and grew into a man of great stature, while each of the two younger sons, who had less of their father, faltered tragically.
The greatest regret of the HBO series and the McCullough book inspired is that it seems far too brief. There is so much more that one wants to know about John Adams. Particularly, his remarkable son, John Quincy, who, as a teenager, on his own, accompanied an American ambassador to Russia because of his fluence in French and to act as an interpreter. There have been only three examples of father and son as presidents. The Adams presidents, William Henry and Benjamin Harrison, and the current Bush dynasty. Of these "dynasties" clearly the Adams family was by far the most remarkable.
When Jefferson came to power, he dismantled the navy created by Adams. But his predecessor's tactic of avoiding war with France placed Jefferson in a position of strength in dealing with Napoleon. The French Emperor had seized the Louisiana Territory from Spain and had ambitions of establishing an Empire in North America. But the defeat of French troops by Toussaint L'Overture in Haiti, and reversals in Europe, made Napoleon amenable to selling this vast territory to the United States. Adams played an important and generally underappreciated role in these events.
In their final years Jefferson and Adams enjoyed an extensive and cordial correspondence. Typically, Adams was aggressive in raising issues for debate. True to form, Jefferson avoided conflict, and was more guarded in expressing his views. Jefferson preferred to demure publicly in politics while engaging in dirty tricks, like leaking stories to the media, behind the scenes. Jefferson, overall, does not come out well in the McCullough biography.
Ironically, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Adams left an estate of some $100,000 and the homestead remained in the family for generations. While Jefferson left a similar amount in debt. His slaves and property were sold, including the beloved Monticello, to settle with creditors. Jefferson freed four members of the Hemmings family but not his alleged mistress, their mother, Sally. She was set free by the daughter of Jefferson.
While the face of Adams does not accompany that of Jefferson on Mount Rushmore, on many levels he was truly an equal and ultimately commanded higher moral ground. Unlike the life of Jefferson, there are few if any moral conundrums encountered in the biography of Adams. While Jefferson was remarkably brilliant and gifted, a true visionary, Adams was no less accomplished. They shared a love of books and learning. But Jefferson's adventures in architecture, arguably his greatest and more original contribution, also proved to be the folly of his ultimate ruin. Losses and extravagances, however remarkable, that were paid for in the labor of slaves. However, Jefferson did build and founded the University of Virginia. Adams detested slavery and predicted that it would be the issue that would spilt the fragile Union.
Yes, as usual, the book is better than the drama it has inspired. Overall the performance of Paul Giamatti is superb. One cannot imagine a better or more accurate John Adams. The Abigail of Laura Linney is far less adequate. While HBO has insisted as presenting this history as a love story her depiction of Abigail lacks range and nuance. She is depicted as the often left behind and long suffering wife. We see her less for her own unique qualities as a pioneer of feminism and a real partner in revolution. There is also very little sense of how their absorption in the struggles to found a nation came at the sacrifice and failures of the children. The son, John Quincy, who accompanied his father in Europe, thrived and grew into a man of great stature, while each of the two younger sons, who had less of their father, faltered tragically.
The greatest regret of the HBO series and the McCullough book inspired is that it seems far too brief. There is so much more that one wants to know about John Adams. Particularly, his remarkable son, John Quincy, who, as a teenager, on his own, accompanied an American ambassador to Russia because of his fluence in French and to act as an interpreter. There have been only three examples of father and son as presidents. The Adams presidents, William Henry and Benjamin Harrison, and the current Bush dynasty. Of these "dynasties" clearly the Adams family was by far the most remarkable.
When Jefferson came to power, he dismantled the navy created by Adams. But his predecessor's tactic of avoiding war with France placed Jefferson in a position of strength in dealing with Napoleon. The French Emperor had seized the Louisiana Territory from Spain and had ambitions of establishing an Empire in North America. But the defeat of French troops by Toussaint L'Overture in Haiti, and reversals in Europe, made Napoleon amenable to selling this vast territory to the United States. Adams played an important and generally underappreciated role in these events.
In their final years Jefferson and Adams enjoyed an extensive and cordial correspondence. Typically, Adams was aggressive in raising issues for debate. True to form, Jefferson avoided conflict, and was more guarded in expressing his views. Jefferson preferred to demure publicly in politics while engaging in dirty tricks, like leaking stories to the media, behind the scenes. Jefferson, overall, does not come out well in the McCullough biography.
Ironically, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Adams left an estate of some $100,000 and the homestead remained in the family for generations. While Jefferson left a similar amount in debt. His slaves and property were sold, including the beloved Monticello, to settle with creditors. Jefferson freed four members of the Hemmings family but not his alleged mistress, their mother, Sally. She was set free by the daughter of Jefferson.
While the face of Adams does not accompany that of Jefferson on Mount Rushmore, on many levels he was truly an equal and ultimately commanded higher moral ground. Unlike the life of Jefferson, there are few if any moral conundrums encountered in the biography of Adams. While Jefferson was remarkably brilliant and gifted, a true visionary, Adams was no less accomplished. They shared a love of books and learning. But Jefferson's adventures in architecture, arguably his greatest and more original contribution, also proved to be the folly of his ultimate ruin. Losses and extravagances, however remarkable, that were paid for in the labor of slaves. However, Jefferson did build and founded the University of Virginia. Adams detested slavery and predicted that it would be the issue that would spilt the fragile Union.
Yes, as usual, the book is better than the drama it has inspired. Overall the performance of Paul Giamatti is superb. One cannot imagine a better or more accurate John Adams. The Abigail of Laura Linney is far less adequate. While HBO has insisted as presenting this history as a love story her depiction of Abigail lacks range and nuance. She is depicted as the often left behind and long suffering wife. We see her less for her own unique qualities as a pioneer of feminism and a real partner in revolution. There is also very little sense of how their absorption in the struggles to found a nation came at the sacrifice and failures of the children. The son, John Quincy, who accompanied his father in Europe, thrived and grew into a man of great stature, while each of the two younger sons, who had less of their father, faltered tragically.
The greatest regret of the HBO series and the McCullough book inspired is that it seems far too brief. There is so much more that one wants to know about John Adams. Particularly, his remarkable son, John Quincy, who, as a teenager, on his own, accompanied an American ambassador to Russia because of his fluence in French and to act as an interpreter. There have been only three examples of father and son as presidents. The Adams presidents, William Henry and Benjamin Harrison, and the current Bush dynasty. Of these "dynasties" clearly the Adams family was by far the most remarkable.