HBO's "John Adams"

   The HBO mini-series "John Adams" is a fascinating look at a remarkable man.  Our founding fathers have become almost like marble statues to the average American.  We forget the courage that it took to stand up to the British crown and the powerful British military.  If members of the Continental Congress had been captured they would have been hanged for treason.  John Adams is portrayed in the series as a man who is committed to his belief in our fight for independence and who has a deep love and respect for his wife, Abigail.  The viewer is also shown the less flattering aspects of Adams' character: He is also seen as impatient, arrogant, and sometimes stubborn. His marriage to Abigail is truly unique in that she is able to give him frank advice and counsel that he would not have been able to accept from others.  The letters they exchanged over the course of their marriage demonstrate their love and respect for each other.  We also see how difficult it was for Abigail to be left alone for long periods of time while John was in Congress or overseas negotiating with France.  She had to raise three children and run the farm with little help from her husband.  The scene where she decided to have her children vaccinated for smallpox was difficult to watch.  It was also difficult to see the conditions that the soldiers under Washington's command had to endure. 

   One of the greatest lessons that I learned from "John Adams," which is based on the biography by David McCullough, is that our success in the Revolutionary War was not a foregone conclusion. Our soldiers were inexperienced, outnumbered, and faced terrible living conditions, yet because they were fighting for ideals that they cherished, they were ultimately able to prevail.