Have now watched 5 of 7 episodes of this miniseries, and am loving it and highly recommend it. I love history, because I love understanding not only what happened, but the forces and individuals that combined to create events. History is the story of people, the great and the ordinary, and everyone in between.
The American Revolution is one of my favorite periods of history. An absolutely incredible group of people coelesced to do something so amazing. They gave voice to a set of ideals that I believe are among history's best. I don't believe we have ever yet fully lived up to those ideals, but great breakthroughs have been made that might never have happened without those men and the women who supported them. Their great tragedy was an inability to end slavery, and some of them knew it, but also knew it was beyond their ability to accomplish while being able to create the new nation.
The John Adams miniseries shows again HBO's commitment to quality programming. It is based on David McCullough's best-selling biography, and stars Paul Giamatti as John and Laura Linney as Abigai, both wonderful. A host of terrific actors play other roles, some of the most impressive being Tom Wilkinson as Franklin, David Morse as Washington, and Stephen Dillane as Jefferson.
At a time when faction is rife in our nation, I think it an excellent idea to look back and see what it was these men had in mind when our nation was founded, and to be reminded that even they did not agree on everything, and could not accomplish everything they wished. We should see that it is for us, their heirs, to strive to accomplish what they gave to us with their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor - the things they pledged to create this country.
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