John Adams (miniseries)

2008 US television miniseries of President John Adams's adult life

John Adams

Television promotional poster

Based on| John Adams by
David McCullough
Written by| Kirk Ellis
Directed by| Tom Hooper
Starring|

* Paul Giamatti
* Laura Linney
* Stephen Dillane
* David Morse
* Tom Wilkinson
* Danny Huston
* Rufus Sewell
* Justin Theroux
* Guy Henry

Theme music composer|

* Robert Lane
* Joseph Vitarelli

Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of episodes| 7
Production
Executive producers|

* Tom Hanks
* Gary Goetzman

Producers|

* David Coatsworth
* Steve Shareshian

Running time| 501 minutes
Production companies|

* HBO Films
* High Noon Productions
* Playtone
* Mid Atlantic Films

Budget| $100 million[1]
Original release
Network| HBO
Release| March 16 (2008-03-16) –
April 27, 2008 (2008-04-27)

John Adams is a 2008 American television miniseries chronicling the political and family life of U.S. Founding Father and president John Adams, detailing his many roles in the founding of the United States. The miniseries is directed by Tom Hooper and stars Paul Giamatti in the title role. Kirk Ellis wrote the screenplay based on the 2001 biography John Adams by David McCullough.

The biopic of Adams and the story of the first 50 years of the United States was broadcast in seven parts by HBO between March 16 and April 27, 2008. John Adams received generally positive reviews and many prestigious awards. The show won four Golden Globe awards and thirteen Emmy awards, more than any other miniseries in history.

## Plot summary

[edit]

### Part I: Join or Die (1770–1774)

[edit]

In 1770 John Adams is a respected lawyer in his mid-30s known for his dedication to the law and justice. After the Boston Massacre happens, Adams arrives at the scene and is subsequently sought as a defense counsel for the soldiers involved by their commander, Captain Thomas Preston, who asks him to defend them in court. Reluctant at first, he agrees despite knowing this will antagonize his neighbors and friends. Adams is depicted to have taken the case because he believed everyone deserves a fair trial and he wanted to uphold the standard of justice.

Adams' cousin Samuel Adams is one of the main colonists opposed to the Intolerable Acts passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. He is one of the executive members of the Sons of Liberty, an organization dedicated to resisting the acts. Adams is depicted as a studious man doing his best to defend his clients. The show also illustrates Adams' appreciation and respect for his wife, Abigail. In one scene, Adams is shown having his wife proofread his summation as he takes her suggestions. After many sessions in court, the jury returns a verdict of not guilty of murder for each defendant, thanks to Adams' arguments. Additionally, the episode illustrates the growing tension over the Intolerable Acts, and Adams' election to the First Continental Congress.

### Part II: Independence (1774–1776)

[edit]

The second episode covers the disputes among the members of the Second Continental Congress toward declaring independence from Great Britain as well as the final drafting of the Declaration of Independence. At the Continental Congresses Adams is depicted as the lead advocate for independence. He is in the vanguard in establishing that there is no other option than to break off and declare independence. He is also instrumental in the selection of then-Colonel George Washington as the new head of the Continental Army.

However, in his zeal for immediate action, he manages to alienate many of the other Founding Fathers, going so far as to insult John Dickinson, who is for conciliation to the Crown, implying that the man suffers from a religiously based moral cowardice. Later, Benjamin Franklin quietly chastens Adams, saying it is "perfectly acceptable to insult a man in private. He may even thank you for it afterwards. But when you do it in public, they tend to think you are serious." This points out Adams' primary flaw: his bluntness and lack of gentility toward his political opponents, one that would make him many enemies and which would eventually plague his political career. It would also, eventually, contribute to historians' disregard for his many achievements. The episode also shows how Abigail copes with issues at home as her husband was away much of the time participating in the Continental Congress. She employs the use of then pioneer efforts in the field of preventative medicine and inoculation against smallpox for herself and the children.

### Part III: Don't Tread on Me (1777–1781)

[edit]

In Episode 3, Adams travels to Europe with his young son John Quincy during the Revolutionary War seeking alliances with foreign nations, during which the ship transporting them battles a British frigate. It first shows Adams' embassy with Benjamin Franklin in the court of Louis XVI of France. The old French nobility, who are in the last decade before being consumed by the French Revolution, are portrayed as effete and decadent. They meet cheerfully with Franklin, seeing him as a romantic figure, little noting the democratic infection he brings with him. Adams, on the other hand, is a plain spoken and faithful man, who finds himself out of his depth surrounded by an entertainment- and sex-driven culture among the French elite. Adams finds himself at sharp odds with Benjamin Franklin, who has adapted himself to the French, seeking to obtain by seduction what Adams would gain through histrionics. Franklin sharply rebukes Adams for his lack of diplomatic acumen, describing it as a "direct insult followed by a petulant whine". Franklin soon has Adams removed from any position of diplomatic authority in Paris. His approach is ultimately successful and was to result in the conclusive Franco-American victory at Yorktown.

Adams, chastened and dismayed but learning from his mistakes, then travels to the Dutch Republic to obtain monetary support for the Revolution. Although the Dutch agree with the American cause, they do not consider the new union a reliable and credit-worthy client. Adams ends his time in the Netherlands in a state of progressive illness, having sent his son away as a diplomatic secretary to the Russian Empire.

### Part IV: Reunion (1781–1789)

[edit]

The fourth episode shows John Adams being notified of the end of the Revolutionary War and the defeat of the British. He is then sent to Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783. While overseas, he spends time with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and Abigail visits him. Franklin informs John Adams that he was appointed as the first American Ambassador to Great Britain and thus has to relocate to London. John Adams is poorly received by the British during this time—he is the representative for a recently hostile power, and represents in his person what many British at the time regarded as a disastrous end to its early Empire. He meets with his former sovereign, George III, and while the meeting is not a disaster, he is excoriated in British newspapers. In 1789, he returns to Massachusetts for the first presidential election and he and Abigail are reunited with their children, now grown. George Washington is elected the first President of the United States and John Adams as the first Vice President.

Initially, Adams is disappointed and wishes to reject the post of Vice President because he feels there is a disproportionate number of electoral votes in favor of George Washington (Adams' number of votes pales in comparison to those garnered by Washington). In addition, John feels the position of Vice President is not a proper reflection of all the years of service he has dedicated to his nation. However, Abigail successfully influences him to accept the nomination.

### Part V: Unite or Die (1788–1797)

[edit]

The fifth episode begins with Vice President John Adams presiding over the Senate and the debate over what to call the new president. It depicts Adams as frustrated in this role: His opinions are ignored and he has no actual power, except in the case of a tied vote. He's excluded from George Washington's inner circle of cabinet members, and his relationships with Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton are strained. Even Washington himself gently rebukes him for his efforts to "royalize" the office of the Presidency, although Washington values Adams' counsel in other areas, considering him to be "reasonable company" when compared with Jefferson and Hamilton. A key event shown is the struggle to enact the Jay Treaty with Britain, which Adams himself must ratify before a deadlocked Senate (although historically his vote was not required). The episode concludes with his inauguration as the second president—and his subsequent arrival in a plundered executive mansion.

### Part VI: Unnecessary War (1797–1801)

[edit]

The sixth episode covers Adams's term as president and the rift between the Hamilton-led Federalists and Jefferson-led Republicans. Adams's neutrality pleases neither side and often angers both. His shaky relationship with Vice President Thomas Jefferson worsens after taking defensive actions against the French Republic because of failed diplomatic attempts and the signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Adams also alienates himself from the anti-French Alexander Hamilton after taking all actions possible to prevent a war with France. He disowns his son Charles, who soon dies as an alcoholic vagrant. Adams sees success late in his presidency with his campaign of preventing a war with France, but his success is clouded after losing the presidential election of 1800. After receiving so much bad publicity while in office, Adams loses the election against his vice-president, Thomas Jefferson, and runner-up Aaron Burr (both from the same party). Adams leaves the Presidential Palace (now known as the White House) in March 1801 and retires to his personal life in Massachusetts.

### Part VII: Peacefield (1803–1826)

[edit]

The final episode covers Adams's retirement years. His home life at Peacefield is full of pain and sorrow as his daughter, Nabby, dies of breast cancer and Abigail succumbs to typhoid fever. Adams does live to see the election of his son, John Quincy, as president, but is too ill to attend the inauguration. Adams and Jefferson are reconciled through correspondence in their last years. Both die hours apart on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson and Adams were 83 and 90, respectively.

## Cast

[edit]

* Paul Giamatti as John Adams
* Laura Linney as Abigail Adams
* Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson
* David Morse as George Washington
* Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin
* Rufus Sewell as Alexander Hamilton
* Justin Theroux as John Hancock
* Danny Huston as Samuel Adams
* Sarah Polley as Abigail Adams Smith
* Andrew Scott as William S. Smith
* Željko Ivanek as John Dickinson
* Ebon Moss-Bachrach as John Quincy Adams
* John Dossett as Benjamin Rush
* Mamie Gummer as Sally Smith Adams
* Caroline Corrie as Louisa Adams
* Samuel Barnett as Thomas Adams
* Kevin Trainor as Charles Adams
* Tom Hollander as King George III
* Julian Firth as the Duke of Dorset
* Damien Jouillerot as King Louis XVI
* Clancy O'Connor as Edward Rutledge
* Guy Henry as Jonathan Sewall
* Brennan Brown as Robert Treat Paine
* Paul Fitzgerald as Richard Henry Lee
* Tom Beckett as Elbridge Gerry
* Del Pentecost as Henry Knox
* Tim Parati as Caesar Rodney
* John O'Creagh as Stephen Hopkins
* John Keating as Timothy Pickering
* Hugh O'Gorman as Thomas Pinckney
* Timmy Sherrill as Charles Lee
* Judith Magre as Madame Helvetius
* Jean-Hugues Anglade as Count of Vergennes
* Jean Brassard as Admiral d'Estaing
* Pip Carter as Francis Dana
* Sean McKenzie as Edward Bancroft
* Derek Milman as Lieutenant James Barron
* Patrice Valota as Jean-Antoine Houdon
* Nicolas Vaude as Chevalier de la Luzerne
* Bertie Carvel as Lord Carmarthen
* Alex Draper as Robert Livingston
* Cyril Descours as Edmond-Charles Genet
* Alan Cox as William Maclay
* Sean Mahan as Gen. Joseph Warren
* Eric Zuckerman as Thomas McKean
* Ed Jewett as James Duane
* Vincent Renart as Andrew Holmes
* Ritchie Coster as Captain Thomas Preston
* Lizan Mitchell as Sally Hemings
* Pamela Stewart as Patsy Jefferson
* Lucas N Hall as Continental Army Officer, New York light infantry battalion
* Steven Hinkle as Young John Quincy Adams
* Buzz Bovshow as John Trumbull

## Shooting locations

[edit]

The 110-day shoot took place from 23 February to August 2007 in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; Richmond, Virginia; and Budapest, Hungary.[2][3] Some European scenes were shot in Keszthely, Sóskút, Fertőd, and Kecskemét, Hungary.[4][5]

A Continental Army war room was filmed in the Robert Carter house in Virginia. Williamsburg's Public Hospital was in the background of the tent encampment of the Continental Army which Adams visited in the winter of 1776, which was replicated using special-effects snow. The College of William and Mary's Wren Building represented a Harvard interior. Scenes were also filmed at the Governor's Palace.[6]

Sets, stage space, backlot and production offices were housed in an old Mechanicsville AMF warehouse in Richmond, Virginia. Some street scenes with cobblestone pavements and colonial storefronts were shot in historic neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia. Countryside surrounding Richmond in Hanover County and Powhatan County was chosen to represent areas surrounding early Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.[7][8]

## Critical reception

[edit]

The critical reception to the miniseries was predominantly positive. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 82% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 8.56/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Elegantly shot and relatively educational, John Adams is a worthy addition to the genre -- though its casting leaves something to be desired."[9] Metacritic assigned the series a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly rated the miniseries A−,[11] and Matt Roush of TV Guide praised the lead performances of Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.[12] David Hinckley of the New York Daily News felt John Adams "is, quite simply, as good as TV gets ... Best of all are two extraordinary performances at the center: Paul Giamatti as Adams and Laura Linney as his wife, Abigail ... To the extent that John Adams is a period piece, it isn't quite as lush as, say, some BBC productions. But it looks fine, and it feels right, and sometimes what's good for you can also be just plain good."[13]

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times had mixed feelings. She said the miniseries has "a Masterpiece Theatre gravity and takes a more somber, detailed and sepia-tinted look at the dawn of American democracy. It gives viewers a vivid sense of the isolation and physical hardships of the period, as well as the mores, but it does not offer significantly different or deeper insights into the personalities of the men — and at least one woman — who worked so hard for liberty ... [It] is certainly worthy and beautifully made, and it has many masterly touches at the edges, especially Laura Linney as Abigail. But Paul Giamatti is the wrong choice for the hero ... And that leaves the mini-series with a gaping hole at its center. What should be an exhilarating, absorbing ride across history alongside one of the least understood and most intriguing leaders of the American Revolution is instead a struggle."[14]

Among those unimpressed with the miniseries were Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times[15] and Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle.[16] Both cited poor casting and the favoring of style over storytelling.

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Nominee(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2008

| Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Mini Series  | Kathleen Chopin  | Won  | [17]
Golden Nymph Awards | Best Mini Series  | Won  | [18]
Outstanding Actor – Mini Series  | Paul Giamatti | Won
Danny Huston | Nominated
David Morse | Nominated
Tom Wilkinson | Nominated
Hollywood Post Alliance Awards | Outstanding Audio Post – Television | Marc Fishman, Tony Lamberti,
Stephen Hunter Flick, and Vanessa Lapato
(for "Don't Tread on Me) | Nominated  | [19]
Humanitas Prize | 60 Minute Network or Syndicated Television | Kirk Ellis (for "Join or Die") | Won  | [20]
International Film Music Critics Association Awards | Best Original Score for Television | Robert Lane and Joseph Vitarelli  | Won  | [21]
Online Film & Television Association Awards  | Best Miniseries  | Won  | [22]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Paul Giamatti  | Won
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Laura Linney | Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Stephen Dillane | Nominated
Željko Ivanek | Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Tom Hooper | Won
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Kirk Ellis and Michelle Ashford | Nominated
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Won
Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Nominated
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Won
Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Nominated
Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Won
Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Won
Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Nominated
Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Nominated
Best Visual Effects in a Motion Picture or Miniseries  | Won
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Miniseries | Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Kirk Ellis,
Frank Doelger, David Coatsworth, and
Steven Shareshian  | Won  | [23]
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Paul Giamatti  | Won
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Laura Linney  | Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Stephen Dillane  | Nominated
David Morse  | Nominated
Tom Wilkinson  | Won
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special | Tom Hooper  | Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special | Kirk Ellis (for "Independence") | Won
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie | Gemma Jackson, David Crank,
Christina Moore, Kathy Lucas, and
Sarah Whittle  | Won
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special | Kathleen Chopin, Nina Gold, and
Tracy Kilpatrick  | Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie | Tak Fujimoto (for "Independence") | Won
Tak Fujimoto and Danny Cohen
(for "Don't Tread on Me") | Nominated
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Donna Zakowska, Amy Andrews Harrell, and
Clare Spragge (for "Reunion") | Won
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie | Jan Archibald and Loulia Sheppard | Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic) | Trefor Proud and John R. Bayless  | Nominated
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Trefor Proud, John R. Bayless,
Christopher Burgoyne, and
Matthew W. Mungle | Won
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special
(Original Dramatic Score) | Robert Lane (for "Independence") | Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Melanie Oliver (for "Independence") | Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Stephen Hunter Flick, Vanessa Lapato,
Kira Roessler, Curt Schulkey, Randy Kelley,
Ken Johnson, Paul Berolzheimer,
Dean Beville, Bryan Bowen,
Patricio Libenson, Solange S. Schwalbe,
David Fein, Hilda Hodges, and
Alex Gibson (for "Don't Tread on Me") | Won
Jon Johnson, Bryan Bowen, Kira Roessler,
Vanessa Lapato, Eileen Horta,
Virginia Cook McGowan,
Samuel C. Crutcher, Mark Messick,
Martin Maryska, Greg Stacy,
Patricio Libenson, Solange S. Schwalbe,
David Fein, Hilda Hodges, and
Nicholas Vitarelli (for "Unnecessary War") | Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Jay Meagher, Marc Fishman, and
Tony Lamberti (for "Don't Tread on Me") | Won
Jay Meagher, Michael Minkler, and
Bob Beemer (for "Join or Die") | Nominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Erik Henry, Jeff Goldman, Paul Graff,
Steve Kullback, Christina Graff,
David Van Dyke, Robert Stromberg,
Edwardo Mendez, and Ken Gorrell
(for "Join or Die") | Won
Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries | Nominated  | [24]
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Paul Giamatti  | Won
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Laura Linney  | Nominated
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or
Motion Picture Made for Television | Sarah Polley | Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards | Program of the Year | Nominated  | [25]
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Won
Individual Achievement in Drama | Paul Giamatti  | Won

2009

| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television | Melanie Oliver (for "Independence") | Nominated  | [26]
American Film Institute Awards | Top 10 Television Programs  | Won  | [27]
Art Directors Guild Awards | Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-series | Gemma Jackson, David Crank,
Christina Moore, John P. Goldsmith,
Tibor Lázár, Dan Kuchar, Michael H. Ward,
Ted Haigh, Richard Salinas, Kathy Lucas,
and Sarah Whittle  | Won  | [28]
Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Miniseries | Jay Meagher, Marc Fishman, and
Tony Lamberti (for "Don't Tread on Me") | Nominated  | [29]
Jay Meagher, Michael Minkler, and
Bob Beemer (for "Independence") | Nominated
Jay Meagher, Michael Minkler, and
Bob Beemer (for "Join or Die") | Won
Costume Designers Guild Awards | Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries | Donna Zakowska  | Won  | [30]
Critics' Choice Awards | Best Picture Made for Television  | Won  | [31]
Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries | Tom Hooper  | Nominated  | [32]
Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Won  | [33]
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Paul Giamatti  | Won
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Laura Linney  | Won
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Tom Wilkinson  | Won
Gracie Awards | Outstanding Female Lead – Drama Special  | Laura Linney  | Won  | [34]
Movieguide Awards | Faith & Freedom Award for Television  | Won[a] | [35]
Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | David Coatsworth, Frank Doelger,
Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, and
Steven Shareshian  | Won  | [36]
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Paul Giamatti  | Won  | [37]
Tom Wilkinson  | Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Laura Linney  | Won
Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie, or Special | Steve Kullback, Eric Henry,
Robert Stromberg, and Jeff Goldman
(for "Join or Die") | Won  | [38]
Outstanding Created Environment in a Broadcast Program or Commercial | Paul Graff, Robert Stromberg, and
Adam Watkins (for "Join or Die" – Boston Harbor) | Won
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program or Commercial | Paul Graff, Joshua LaCross, and
Matt Collorafice (for "Join or Die" – Boston Harbor) | Won
Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adaptation | Kirk Ellis (for "Join or Die" and "Independence");
Based on the book by David McCullough | Won  | [39]
Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special –
Supporting Young Actor  | Steven Hinkle  | Nominated  | [40]

2019

| Online Film & Television Association Awards  | Hall of Fame – Television Programs  | Inducted  | [41]

## Soundtrack

[edit]

The score for the miniseries was composed by Robert Lane and Joseph Vitarelli. Lane wrote the main theme and scored "Join or Die," "Independence," "Unite or Die" and "Peacefield," with Vitarelli doing "Don't Tread on Me," "Reunion" and "Unnecessary War." The two composers worked independently of each other, with Lane writing and recording his segments in London and Vitarelli in Los Angeles. There are also pieces by classical composers, including Mozart, Boccherini, Gluck, Handel and Schubert.[42] The soundtrack was released on the Varèse Sarabande label.

## Historical authenticity

[edit]

The series deviates from David McCullough's book on several occasions, using creative license throughout.[43]

### Part I

[edit]

* John Adams addresses Captain Preston immediately after the massacre, while deliberating whether to defend the soldier; he says: "As of this morning, five are dead". Only three men were killed immediately: Samuel Maverick died the next morning, and Patrick Carr did not die until two weeks later.
* Around the time of the trial, John Adams's son Charles is depicted playing with his sister, though he was not born until May 29, 1770 (making him still an infant). Likewise, his older son John Quincy Adams was born in July 1767, but he is depicted as a near-adolescent.
* Samuel Adams is depicted as disapproving of John Adams's decision to defend Captain Preston and the other Boston Massacre soldiers, when no other lawyer would act as their counsel. It is implied that the Sons of Liberty also disapproved, and that John for his part disapproved of their group. In fact, Samuel Adams encouraged his cousin John to take the case.[44] John and other leading members of the Sons of Liberty also convinced Josiah Quincy II, another cousin who was a lawyer, to aid Adams in his preparation of the case.[45]
* Captain Preston and the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre are shown being tried in a single trial in what seems to be the dead of winter, and declared not guilty of all charges. In actuality, Captain Preston's trial took place on October 24 and ran through October 29, when he was found not guilty. The eight soldiers were brought to trial weeks later in a separate trial that concluded on November 29. Six of the soldiers were found not guilty, but Hugh Montgomery and Matthew Killroy were convicted of manslaughter. They both received brands on their right thumbs as punishment.[46]
* John Hancock is confronted by a British customs official, and he orders the crowd to "teach him a lesson, tar the bastard". Hancock and Samuel Adams then look on while the official is tarred and feathered, to the disapproval of John Adams. The scene is fictional and does not appear in McCullough's book. According to Samuel Adams biographer Ira Stoll, there is no evidence that Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were opposed to mob violence, were ever present at a tarring and feathering, and so the scene succeeds in "tarring the reputations of Hancock and Samuel Adams".[47] Jeremy Stern writes, "Despite popular mythology, tarrings were never common in Revolutionary Boston, and were not promoted by the opposition leadership. The entire sequence is pure and pernicious fiction."[43] According to Stern, the scene is used to highlight a schism between Samuel and John Adams, which is entirely fictional.[43]
* The tar and feather scene also improperly uses a black, modern tar. In reality, the liquid known as tar in the 18th century was pine tar, a liquid which is more often light-brown in color. The tar that we know today is actually called petroleum tar or bitumen. Pine tar also has a low melting point, and would not burn the skin the way that hot petroleum tar would.
* While in bed, Adams mentions his parents, saying his mother could not read. However, in his memoirs, John Adams himself wrote that "as my parents were both fond of reading...I was very early taught to read at home," indicating that his mother likely possessed at least a basic level of literacy.[48] However, in the book McCullough does speculate that Adams's mother may have been illiterate, citing the lack of written correspondence either to or from her and evidence that she had letters read aloud to her.[49]
* David McCullough's biography makes no mention of a pulpit speech by John Adams after being chosen, in summer 1774, to be one of Massachusetts' representatives to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The text for that speech, at the end of Part I, comes mainly from two documents Adams penned during the Stamp Act crisis eight years earlier, apparently stitched together in the film so as to evoke the similar-sounding famous passage in the United States Declaration of Independence, about men being created equal and endowed thereby with unalienable rights. Adams (instead of Jefferson) might have served as lead author of the Declaration two years later, and might have foreshadowed key portions of it oratorically before leaving Massachusetts for Philadelphia, but actually did neither. The climactic final words of that speech, "Liberty will reign in America," appear to be a dramatic invention, not a passage Adams is known to have ever spoken or written.[50]
* When Adams is set off to join the 1774 First Continental Congress, Abigail Adams is shown pregnant with a child. Adams is seen saying if the child was a girl, they would name her Elizabeth. While Abigail did give birth to a stillborn daughter they named Elizabeth, this happened in 1777, not 1774.

### Part II

[edit]

* In the opening scene, the final meeting site of the First Continental Congress is incorrectly shown as the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall). In fact, the First Continental Congress was held in Carpenters' Hall, located approximately 250 yards (230 m) east of the state house, along Chestnut Street. Carpenters' Hall was and still is privately owned by The Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia. It offered more privacy than the Pennsylvania State House. The venue depicted for the Second Continental Congress, however, is correctly depicted as the Pennsylvania State House.[51]
* Benjamin Franklin is shown being brought to the Continental Congress in a litter, but he did not use this mode of transport in Philadelphia until the Constitutional Convention, 11 years later.
* John Adams did not ride to Lexington and Concord while the battle was still in progress; he visited on April 22, several days later.[52]
* The first version of the Declaration of Independence read by Adams' family was depicted as a printed copy; in reality, it was a copy in Adams' own hand, which led Mrs. Adams to believe that he had written it himself.[53]
* General Henry Knox's ox-driven caravan of cannon (taken from Fort Ticonderoga) is depicted passing by the Adams' house in Braintree, Massachusetts en route to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In reality, General Knox's caravan almost certainly did not pass through Braintree. Fort Ticonderoga is in upstate New York, northwest of Cambridge, and Knox is assumed to have taken the most likely routes of the day, from the New York border through western and central Massachusetts via what are now Routes 23, 9, and 20, never entering Braintree, which is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Cambridge.[54]
* General Knox is played by actor Del Pentecost (b. 1963), who at the time of filming was age 45, far older than the 25 years old that Henry Knox was in 1775.[55]
* The illness of the daughter following the inoculation of smallpox was inaccurate. In fact, it was their son Charles who developed the pox and who was unconscious and delirious for 48 hours.[56][57]

### Part III

[edit]

* Adams is shown departing for Europe without an upset nine-year-old son Charles, leaving only with older son John Quincy Adams. Adams actually took multiple trips to Europe. According to David McCullough's book, on one such trip young Charles accompanied his brother and father to Paris. He later became ill in Holland, and traveled alone on the troubled vessel South Carolina. After an extended journey of five months, Charles returned to Braintree at 11 years of age.
* During Adams's first voyage to France, his ship engages a British ship in a fierce battle while Adams assists a surgeon performing an amputation on a patient who dies. In reality, Adams helped perform the amputation several days after the capture of the British ship, following an unrelated accident. The patient died a week after the amputation, rather than during the operation as shown in the episode.[58]

### Part IV

[edit]

* Abigail and John are depicted reuniting outside Paris after many years, but in reality were first reunited in London and traveled to Paris together.
* Abigail Adams is depicted reprimanding Benjamin Franklin for cheating on his wife in France, but his wife died seven years earlier in 1774.
* Abigail and John are depicted reuniting with their grown up children Nabby, John Quincy, Charles, and Thomas Boylston after returning to the United States, but in reality Nabby accompanied her mother Abigail to London where they reunited with John, and after joined by John Quincy, the four traveled to Paris where they stayed for a year until 1785 when John was appointed the first American ambassador to Great Britain, at which Nabby accompanied her parents to England while John Quincy returned home to Massachusetts to attend Harvard.
* Multiple references are made in dialogue throughout the episode to the impending "Constitutional Convention." In reality, the Constitutional Convention was only referred to as such after it disbanded, since the Philadelphia convention was originally called only to revise the Articles of Confederation. When the Convention met, strict secrecy was imposed on its proceedings. It was only under this veil of secrecy that the convention goers changed their mission from one of revising the Articles to one of crafting a new constitution.

### Part V

[edit]

* Alexander Hamilton attributes himself the quote, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary." However, this quote, found in Federalist No. 51, is generally attributed to James Madison, though there is some dispute on the matter.[59]
* Vice President John Adams is shown casting the tiebreaker vote in favor of ratifying the Jay Treaty. In reality, his vote was never required as the Senate passed the resolution by 20–10.[60] Furthermore, the vice president would never be required to cast a vote in a treaty ratification because Article II of the Constitution requires that treaties receive a two-thirds vote.
* Thomas Pinckney is portrayed as a Senator. Pinckney was never a Senator, though he would be appointed Ambassador to Great Britain by Washington in 1792.
* Nabby Adams meets and marries Colonel William Stephens Smith upon her parents' return to America from London. John Adams is depicted as refusing to use his influence to obtain political positions for his daughter's new husband, though Colonel Smith requests his father-in-law's assistance repeatedly with an almost grasping demeanor. Mr. Adams upbraids his son-in-law each time for even making the request, stating that Colonel Smith should find himself an honest trade or career and not depend upon speculation. In reality, Nabby met Colonel Smith abroad while her father was serving as United States minister to France and Great Britain, and the couple married in London prior to the end of John Adams' diplomatic posting to the Court of St. James. Both John and Abigail used their influence to assist Colonel Smith and obtain political appointments for him, although this did not curb Colonel Smith's tendency to invest unwisely.[citation needed]
* Following his election as president, John Adams is shown delivering his inauguration speech in the Senate chamber, on the second floor of Congress Hall, to an audience of senators. The speech was actually given in the much larger House of Representatives chamber on the first floor of Congress Hall.[61] The room was filled to capacity with members of both the House and Senate, justices of the Supreme Court, heads of departments, the diplomatic corps, and others.[62]
* Though Adams was inaugurated as president on March 4, 1797, Washington, DC would not become the capital city until November 1, 1800. John and Abigail Adams moved in to the President's House in Philadelphia where he had been inaugurated as it was still the temporary capital city. Adams had moved to a private home in Washington, DC during the summer of 1800 and under the provisions of the plans for Washington to become the capital, took up residency in the unfinished President's House (renamed the White House later in the century) on November 1, 1800. His wife was home in Quincy. She was not with him as depicted in the series. This is especially important to note because due to her not being with him, President Adams wrote a letter to Abigail on his second night in the mansion that included a very famous quote which President Franklin Roosevelt had inscribed in the fireplace mantle in the State Dining Room—"I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof."

### Part VI

[edit]

* After President Adams refuses to assist Colonel Smith for the last time, Smith is depicted as leaving Nabby and their children in the care of the Adams family at Peacefield; according to the scene, his intention is to seek opportunities to the west and either return or send for his family once he can provide for them. In reality, Smith brought his family with him from one venture to the next, and Nabby only returned to her father's home in Massachusetts after it was determined that she would undergo a mastectomy rather than continue with the potions and poultices prescribed by other doctors at that time.
* After President Adams consults with his wife as to whether he should sign the laws, Adams is seen affixing his name to the ‘Punishment for Certain Crimes Against the United States’. In reality, it is entitled ‘An Act in addition to an Act entitled “An Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the United States”. The “Act for the Punishment of Certain Crimes Against the United States” was done during the second session of the first congress on April 30, 1790, by President Washington.[63][64]

### Part VII

[edit]

* Nabby is living with her family when she discerns the lump in her right breast, has her mastectomy, and dies two years later. Smith does not return until after Nabby's death and it is implied that he has finally established a stable form of income; whether he was returning for his family as he had promised or was summoned ahead of his own schedule by the Adamses pursuant to Nabby's death is not specified. Smith was with her during and after the mastectomy, and by all accounts had thrown himself into extensive research in attempts to find any reputable alternative to treating his wife's cancer via mastectomy. The mastectomy was not depicted in the series as it is described in historical documents. In fact, Nabby's tumor was in the left breast. She returned to the Smith family home after her operation and died in her father's home at Peacefield only because she expressed a wish to die there, knowing that her cancer had returned and would kill her, and her husband acceded to her request. Dr. Benjamin Rush was also not the surgeon who conducted the operation which was actually performed by the noted surgeon Dr. John Warren.[65] Throughout the miniseries, Dr. Rush is shown making occasional house calls to the Adams residence. However, this is highly unlikely as Rush's practice was in far-away Philadelphia, not New England. That said, John and Abigail did consult with Rush regarding Nabby's condition, albeit this consultation was done through the mail.
* Adams is shown inspecting John Trumbull's painting Declaration of Independence (1817) and stating that he and Thomas Jefferson are the last surviving people depicted. This is inaccurate since Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who is also depicted in the painting, survived until 1832. In fact, Adams never made such a remark. In reality, when he inspected Trumbull's painting, Adams' only comment was to point to a door in the background of the painting and state, "When I nominated George Washington of Virginia for Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, he took his hat and rushed out that door."[66]
* Benjamin Rush is portrayed as encouraging Adams to start a correspondence with Thomas Jefferson after the death of Abigail Adams. Abigail's death occurred in 1818 but the Adams-Jefferson correspondence started in 1812, and Rush died in 1813.[43]

## See also

[edit]

* List of television series and miniseries about the American Revolution
* List of films about the American Revolution

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Tied with The Medal: Our Nation's Highest Honor.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Catlin, Roger (March 11, 2008). "HBO miniseries gives John Adams his due". The Courant. Hartford, Connecticut: Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on May 10, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
2. ^ Gary Strauss (March 12, 2008). "For Giamatti, John Adams was 'endlessly daunting' role". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
3. ^ Martin Miller (March 16, 2008). "A revolutionary leading man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
4. ^ "Tom Hanks a magyar stábnak is köszönetet mondott a Golden Globe-gálán". MTI (Hungarian news agency) (in Hungarian). January 12, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2008. [dead link]
5. ^ "John Adams".
6. ^ "aboutrufus.com". aboutrufus.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
7. ^ http://www2.richmond.com/content/2007/jun/05/a-presidential-production/[permanent dead link]
8. ^ "HBO miniseries highlights Virginia, brings revenue to the Commonwealth | InsideNova". www2.insidenova.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
9. ^ John Adams: Miniseries - Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved November 4, 2018
10. ^ "John Adams - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. March 16, 2008. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
11. ^ "John Adams Review". EW.com. March 12, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
12. ^ [1] Archived March 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ "'John Adams' is a triumph". New York: NY Daily News. March 13, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
14. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (March 14, 2008). "John Adams - Television - Review". The New York Times.
15. ^ Villarreal, Yvonne. "Entertainment - entertainment, movies, tv, music, celebrity, Hollywood - latimes.com - latimes.com". Calendarlive.com. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
16. ^ Tim Goodman (March 14, 2008). "John, we hardly knew ye". SFGate. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
17. ^ "2008 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
18. ^ "2008 Gracies Golden Nymph Awards Winners" (PDF). Golden Nymph Awards. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
19. ^ "2008 HPA Awards". Hollywood Professional Association. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
20. ^ "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
21. ^ "2008 IFMCA Awards". International Film Music Critics Association. January 4, 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
22. ^ "12th Annual TV Awards (2007-08)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
23. ^ "John Adams". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
24. ^ "2008 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. International Press Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
25. ^ "HBO Leads TCA Awards With 10 Nominations". Television Critics Association. June 3, 2008. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
26. ^ Finke, Nikki (January 12, 2010). "Nominees For Editors' ACE Eddie Awards". Deadline. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
27. ^ "AFI Awards 2008". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
28. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Art Directors Guild. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
29. ^ "THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES FOR THE CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING FOR 2008". www.cinemaaudiosociety.org. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011.
30. ^ "11th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
31. ^ "14th Critics' Choice Awards (2009)". DigitalHit.com. January 8, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
32. ^ "61st DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
33. ^ "John Adams – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
34. ^ "2009 Gracies Gala Winners". Gracie Awards. October 13, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
35. ^ "2009 Movieguide Awards Winners". Movieguide Awards. February 2, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
36. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (January 24, 2009). "'Slumdog' is top dog at PGAs". Variety. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
37. ^ "The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
38. ^ "7th Annual VES Awards". Visual Effects Society. March 24, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
39. ^ "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2008 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
40. ^ "30th Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
41. ^ "Television Hall of Fame: Productions". Online Film & Television Association. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
42. ^ John Adams at ScoringSessions.com
43. ^ a b c d Jeremy Stern (October 27, 2008). "History News Network". Hnn.us. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
44. ^ Alexander, John K. (January 13, 2004). Samuel Adams: America's Revolutionary Politician (Paperback ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 84\. ISBN 074252115X.
45. ^ Zobel, Hiller B. (April 17, 1996). The Boston Massacre (Paperback ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 220–221. ISBN 0393314839.
46. ^ Douglas Linder, The Boston Massacre Trials Archived 2008-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, JURIST, July 2001
47. ^ Ira Stoll, "Bring Forth the Tar and Feathers" Archived 2020-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Sun, March 11, 2008.
48. ^ Autobiography of John Adams, "Parents and schooling," p. 2.
49. ^ David McCullough, John Adams, Simon & Schuster, 2001, chapter 1.
50. ^ McCullough, pp. 59-61, First Continental Congress in 1774 Archived 2016-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law (1765), Boston Gazette, under penname, "Earl of Clarendon" (1766), NPR, "Everyone loves George" (2008). Retrieved February 18, 2017.
51. ^ "Carpenters' Hall". Carpentershall.org. July 4, 1995. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
52. ^ John Ferling, John Adams: A Life, Amer Political Biography Press (January 1997) p. 127.
53. ^ David McCullough, John Adams, Simon & Schuster, 2001, chapter 2. Part 2, 1:25:37.
54. ^ The Knox Trail History Archived 2009-05-31 at the Library of Congress Web Archives, New York State Museum website 2008
55. ^ "Del Pentecost". IMDb.
56. ^ "Health and Medical History of President John Adams: Smallpox Inoculation in 1764". Doctorzebra.com. March 5, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
57. ^ Blinderman, A. John Adams: fears, depressions, and ailments. NY State J Med. 1977;77:268-276. Pubmed. [a] pp. 274-275
58. ^ David McCullough, John Adams, Simon & Schuster, 2001, pg. 186
59. ^ "Introductory Note: The Federalist, [27 October 1787–28 May 1788]". Founders Online. National Archives. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
60. ^ "John Jay's Treaty". U.S. Department of State. December 23, 2000. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
61. ^ "Swearing-In Ceremony for President John Adams". Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
62. ^ "1797 – The Inauguration of John Adams | The Sheila Variations". Sheilaomalley.com. February 16, 2004. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
63. ^ "Act of the First Congress pdf LOC" (PDF). Library of Congress.
64. ^ "Acts of the Fifth Congress" (PDF). Library of Congress.
65. ^ Olson, James S. (2002). Bathsheba's Breast: Women, Cancer, and History. The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6936-6.
66. ^ David McCullough, John Adams, Simon & Schuster, 2001, pg. 627.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to John Adams (miniseries).

* John Adams at IMDb

Awards for John Adams

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

1970s|

* Tom Brown's Schooldays (1973)
* Columbo (season 3) (1974)
* Benjamin Franklin (1975)
* Upstairs, Downstairs (season 4) (1976)
* Roots (1977)
* Holocaust (1978)
* Roots: The Next Generations (1979)

1980s|

* Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1980)
* Shōgun (1981)
* Marco Polo (1982)
* The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1983)
* Concealed Enemies (1984)
* The Jewel in the Crown (1985)
* Peter the Great (1986)
* A Year in the Life (1987)
* The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988)
* War and Remembrance (1989)

1990s|

* Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990)
* Separate but Equal (1991)
* A Woman Named Jackie (1992)
* Prime Suspect II (1993)
* Prime Suspect III (1994)
* Joseph (1995)
* Gulliver's Travels (1996)
* Prime Suspect: Errors of Judgement (1997)
* From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
* Hornblower ("The Even Chance" / "The Examination for Lieutenant" / "The Duchess and the Devil" / "The Frogs and the Lobsters") (1999)

2000s|

* The Corner (2000)
* Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001)
* Band of Brothers (2002)
* Taken (2003)
* Angels in America (2004)
* The Lost Prince (2005)
* Elizabeth I (2006)
* Broken Trail (2007)
* John Adams (2008)
* Little Dorrit (2009)

2010s|

* The Pacific (2010)
* Downton Abbey (season 1) (2011)
* Game Change (TV Movie) (2012)
* Behind the Candelabra (TV Movie) (2013)
* Fargo (season 1) (2014)
* Olive Kitteridge (2015)
* The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
* Big Little Lies (season 1) (2017)
* The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018)
* Chernobyl (2019)

2020s|

* Watchmen (2020)
* The Queen's Gambit (2021)
* The White Lotus (season 1) (2022)
* Beef (2023)
* Baby Reindeer (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Golden Globe Award for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film

1971–2000|

* The Snow Goose (1971)
* That Certain Summer (1972)
* Babe (1975)
* Eleanor and Franklin (1976)
* Raid on Entebbe (1977)
* A Family Upside Down (1978)
* All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)
* The Shadow Box (1980)
* Bill / East of Eden (1981)
* Brideshead Revisited (1982)
* The Thorn Birds (1983)
* Something About Amelia (1984)
* The Jewel in the Crown (1985)
* Promise (1986)
* Escape from Sobibor / Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987)
* War and Remembrance (Parts I—VII) (1988)
* Lonesome Dove (1989)
* Decoration Day (1990)
* One Against the Wind (1991)
* Sinatra (1992)
* Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
* The Burning Season (1994)
* Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
* Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
* George Wallace (1997)
* From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
* RKO 281 (1999)
* Dirty Pictures (2000)

2001–present|

* Band of Brothers (2001)
* The Gathering Storm (2002)
* Angels in America (2003)
* The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)
* Empire Falls (2005)
* Elizabeth I (2006)
* Longford (2007)
* John Adams (2008)
* Grey Gardens (2009)
* Carlos (2010)
* Downton Abbey (series 1) (2011)
* Game Change (2012)
* Behind the Candelabra (2013)
* Fargo (season 1) (2014)
* Wolf Hall (2015)
* The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
* Big Little Lies (2017)
* The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018)
* Chernobyl (2019)
* The Queen's Gambit (2020)
* The Underground Railroad (2021)
* The White Lotus (season 2) (2022)
* Beef (2023)
* Baby Reindeer (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Producers Guild of America Award for Best Long-Form Television

* World War II: When Lions Roared (1994)
* Truman (1995)
* Prime Suspect: The Lost Child (1996)
* Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
* From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
* Tuesdays with Morrie (1999)
* Death of a Salesman (2000)
* Band of Brothers (2001)
* Live from Baghdad (2002)
* My House in Umbria (2003)
* Angels in America (2004)
* The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2005)
* Elizabeth I (2006)
* Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
* John Adams (2008)
* Grey Gardens (2009)
* The Pacific (2010)
* Downton Abbey, series 1 (2011)
* Game Change (2012)
* Behind the Candelabra (2013)
* Fargo, season 1 (2014)
* Fargo, season 2 (2015)
* The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
* Black Mirror, season 4 (2017)

* v
* t
* e

TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials

* The Burning Bed (1984)
* Live Aid (1986)
* Robin Williams: An Evening at the Met (1987)
* Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1988)
* What's Alan Watching? (1989)
* Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration (1990)
* The Civil War (1991)
* Billy Crystal – 64th Academy Awards (1992)
* Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson (1993)
* Prime Suspect III (1994)
* Baseball (1995)
* Pride and Prejudice (1996)
* Bastard out of Carolina (1996)
* From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
* Joan of Arc (1999)
* The Corner (2000)
* Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001)
* Band of Brothers (2002)
* Taken (2003)
* Angels in America (2004)
* The Office: Christmas Special (2005)
* No Direction Home (2006)
* Planet Earth (2007)
* John Adams (2008)
* Grey Gardens (2009)
* The Pacific (2010)
* Sherlock (2011)
* Downton Abbey, series 2 (2012)
* Behind the Candelabra (2013)
* True Detective, season 1 (2014)
* The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)
* The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
* Big Little Lies (2017)
* The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018)
* Chernobyl (2019)
* Watchmen (2020)
* Mare of Easttown (2021)
* Dopesick (2022)
* Beef (2023)
* Baby Reindeer (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Works directed by Tom Hooper

Theatrical films|

* Red Dust (2004)
* The Damned United (2009)
* The King's Speech (2010)
* Les Misérables (2012)
* The Danish Girl (2015)
* Cats (2019)

Television|

* Love in a Cold Climate (2001)
* Daniel Deronda (2002)
* Elizabeth I (2005)
* Longford (2006)
* John Adams (2008)

* v
* t
* e

Works of David McCullough

Books|

* The Johnstown Flood (1968)
* The Great Bridge (1972)
* The Path Between the Seas (1977)
* Mornings on Horseback (1981)
* Brave Companions (1991)
* Truman (1992)
* John Adams. (2001)
* 1776 (2005)
* The Greater Journey (2011)
* The Wright Brothers (2015)

Films presented
or narrated|

* Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
* Smithsonian World (5 episodes, 1984–1988)
* The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984)
* The Statue of Liberty (1985)
* Huey Long (1985)
* The Congress  (1988)
* The Civil War (9 episodes, 1990)
* American Experience (23 episodes, 1991–2006)
* Coney Island (1991)
* D-Day Remembered (1994)
* Seabiscuit (2003)

Adaptations|

* Truman (1995)
* John Adams (miniseries) (2008)

* v
* t
* e

John Adams

* 2nd President of the United States (1797–1801)
* 1st Vice President of the United States (1789–1797)
* U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1785–1788)
* U.S. Minister to the Netherlands (1782–1788)
* Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775–1778)
* Delegate to the First Continental Congress (1774)

Founding of the
United States|

* Braintree Instructions (1765)
* Boston Massacre defense
* Continental Association
* Petition to the King
* United Colonies
* Thoughts on Government (1776)
* Lee Resolution (seconded)
* Declaration of Independence
* May 15 preamble
* Committee of Five
* Model Treaty
* Treaty of Amity and Commerce
* Treaty of Alliance
* Board of War
* Chairman of the Marine Committee, 1775–1779
* Continental Navy
* Staten Island Peace Conference
* Conference House
* Constitution of Massachusetts (1780)
* Treaty of Paris, 1783
* Diplomacy

Elections|

* United States presidential election 1788–1789
* 1792
* 1796
* 1800

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Inauguration
* Quasi War with France
* XYZ Affair
* United States Department of the Navy
* Commerce Protection Act
* United States Marine Corps
* Convention of 1800
* Mississippi Organic Act
* Alien and Sedition Acts
* Naturalization Act of 1798
* Sick and Disabled Seamen Relief Act
* Marine Hospital Service
* Bankruptcy Act of 1800
* Indiana Organic Act
* Slave Trade Act of 1800
* District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801
* Navy Department Library
* Treaty of Tellico
* Treaty of Tripoli
* Midnight Judges Act
* Marbury v. Madison
* State of the Union Address (1797
* 1798
* 1799
* 1800)
* Presidential transition of Thomas Jefferson
* Cabinet
* Federal judiciary appointments

Other writings|

* Massachusetts Historical Society holdings
* Adams Papers Editorial Project
* A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America
* Letters of Mrs. Adams, the Wife of John Adams
* Founders Online
* Gray v. Pitts

Life and
homes|

* Early life and education
* Adams National Historical Park
* John Adams Birthplace
* Family home and John Quincy Adams birthplace
* Peacefield
* Stone Library
* Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University
* Presidents House, Philadelphia
* Co-founder and second president, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* United First Parish Church and gravesite

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* List of memorials
* Adams Memorial (proposed)
* John Adams Building
* John Adams Courthouse
* Jefferson Memorial pediment
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Treaty of Paris (1783 painting)
* USS Adams (1799)
* USS John Adams (1799)
* USS Adams (1874)
* USS President Adams (1941)
* USS John Adams (1963)
* Adams House at Harvard University
* John Adams tree
* Mount Adams (New Hampshire, Washington)
* Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Popular culture|

* Declaration of Independence (1938 film)
* Profiles in Courage (1964 series)
* American Primitive (1969 play)
* 1776 (1969 musical
* 1972 film)
* The Adams Chronicles (1976 miniseries)
* Liberty! (1997 documentary series)
* Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series)
* John Adams (2001 book
* 2008 miniseries)
* John and Abigail Adams (2006 documentary film)
* Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries)
* Franklin (2024 miniseries)

Related|

* "Adams and Liberty" campaign song
* Adams' personal library
* American Enlightenment
* Congress Hall
* Federalist Party
* Federalist Era
* First Party System
* republicanism
* American Philosophical Society
* Gazette of the United States
* The American Museum
* American Revolution
* patriots
* Founding Fathers

Adams political family|

* Abigail Adams
* wife
* Quincy political family
* Abigail Adams Smith (daughter)
* John Quincy Adams
* son
* presidency
* Charles Adams (son)
* Thomas Boylston Adams (son)
* George Washington Adams (grandson)
* Charles Francis Adams Sr. (grandson)
* John Adams II (grandson)
* John Quincy Adams II (great-grandson)
* Henry Adams (great-grandson)
* Brooks Adams (great-grandson)
* John Adams Sr. (father)
* Susanna Boylston (mother)
* Samuel Adams (second cousin)
* Louisa Adams (daughter-in-law, first lady)

* ← George Washington
* Thomas Jefferson →

* Thomas Jefferson →

* Category

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Upcoming|

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* Harry Potter (2027)

Former

| Series|

| 1970s
debuts|

* HBO World Championship Boxing
* HBO Sports Bowling
* Inside the NFL
* On Location
* Race for the Pennant
* Standing Room Only ("Vanities")
* Tennis on HBO
* Time Was

|

1980s
debuts|

* 1st & Ten
* The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
* America Undercover ("Autopsy", "Real Sex" and "Taxicab Confessions")
* Babar
* Braingames
* Encyclopedia
* Encyclopedia Brown
* The Ghost of Faffner Hall
* The Hitchhiker
* HBO Storybook Musicals
* The Kids in the Hall
* Maximum Security
* Not Necessarily the News
* One Night Stand
* Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
* The Ray Bradbury Theater
* Seabert
* The StoryTeller
* Tales from the Crypt
* Tales of Little Women
* Video Jukebox
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

1990s
debuts|

* The Adventures of Paddington Bear
* The Adventures of Tintin
* Arliss
* The Baby-Sitters Club
* Boxing After Dark
* The Chris Rock Show
* The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures
* Crashbox
* Def Comedy Jam
* Dennis Miller Live
* Dream On
* George and Martha
* Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
* HBO Comedy Half-Hour
* Hotel Room
* The Larry Sanders Show
* Lifestories: Families in Crisis
* A Little Curious
* The Little Lulu Show
* Mr. Show with Bob and David
* The Neverending Story
* Oz
* Perversions of Science
* Pippi Longstocking
* Rainbow Fish
* Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
* Reverb
* Saban's Adventures of Pinocchio
* Sex and the City
* The Sopranos
* Spicy City
* Tenacious D
* Todd McFarlane's Spawn
* Tracey Takes On...

2000s
debuts|

* Animated Tales of the World
* Big Love
* Bored to Death
* Carnivàle
* Cathouse: The Series
* Classical Baby
* Curb Your Enthusiasm
* Costas Now
* Da Ali G Show
* Deadwood
* Def Poetry Jam
* Eastbound & Down
* Entourage
* Extras
* Flight of the Conchords
* G String Divas
* Harold and the Purple Crayon
* Hung
* In Treatment
* I Spy
* Joe Buck Live
* John from Cincinnati
* K Street
* Kindergarten
* KO Nation
* The Life & Times of Tim
* Little Britain USA
* Lucky Louie
* The Mind of the Married Man
* The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
* On the Record with Bob Costas
* El Perro y El Gato
* Pornucopia
* Project Greenlight
* Rome
* Six Feet Under
* Stuart Little
* Summer Heights High
* Tales from the Neverending Story
* Tell Me You Love Me
* True Blood
* Tourgasm
* Unscripted
* The Wire

2010s
debuts|

* After the Thrones
* All Def Comedy
* Angry Boys
* Animals
* Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons
* Ballers
* Barry
* Big Little Lies
* A Black Lady Sketch Show
* Boardwalk Empire
* The Brink
* Camping
* Crashing
* The Deuce
* Divorce
* Doll & Em
* Enlightened
* Esme & Roy
* Family Tree
* Funny or Die Presents
* Game of Thrones
* Gentleman Jack
* Getting On
* Girls
* Hello Ladies
* Here and Now
* High Maintenance
* His Dark Materials
* How to Make It in America
* Insecure
* Ja'mie: Private School Girl
* Jonah from Tonga
* The Leftovers
* Life's Too Short
* Looking
* Los Espookys
* Luck
* Masterclass
* My Brilliant Friend
* The Newsroom
* Random Acts of Flyness
* The Ricky Gervais Show
* The Righteous Gemstones
* Room 104
* Sally4Ever
* The Shop
* Silicon Valley
* Succession
* Togetherness
* Treme
* Veep
* Vice
* Vice News Tonight
* Vice Principals
* Vinyl
* Westworld
* Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas

2020s
debuts|

* 30 Coins
* Avenue 5
* Betty
* Fantasmas
* The Franchise
* How To with John Wilson
* The Idol
* Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show
* Lovecraft Country
* The Nevers
* Painting with John
* Pause with Sam Jay
* Perry Mason
* Rain Dogs
* Run
* Somebody Somewhere
* The Time Traveler's Wife
* The Vow
* We're Here
* Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Miniseries|

* Agents of Chaos
* All the Rivers Run
* Allen v. Farrow
* Angels in America
* Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl
* The Baby
* Band of Brothers
* The Case Against Adnan Syed
* The Casual Vacancy
* Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes
* Catherine the Great
* Celtics City
* Chernobyl
* The Corner
* Elizabeth I
* Empire Falls
* Exterminate All the Brutes
* From the Earth to the Moon
* Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
* Generation Kill
* Get Millie Black
* Gunpowder
* God Save Texas
* House of Saddam
* I Am Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders
* I Know This Much Is True
* I May Destroy You
* I'll Be Gone in the Dark
* Irma Vep
* The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
* John Adams
* The Lady and the Dale
* Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York
* Landscapers
* Laurel Avenue
* Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God
* Mare of Easttown
* McMillions
* Mildred Pierce
* Mind Over Murder
* Mosaic
* Mrs. Fletcher
* The New Pope
* The Night Of
* Nuclear Family
* Olive Kitteridge
* Our Boys
* The Outsider
* The Pacific
* Parade's End
* The Penguin
* Phoenix Rising
* The Plot Against America
* Pray, Obey, Kill
* Q: Into the Storm
* The Regime
* Scenes from a Marriage
* The Seekers
* Sharp Objects
* Show Me a Hero
* Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump
* The Sympathizer
* Tanner '88
* Telemarketers
* The Third Day
* The Undoing
* Watchmen
* We Are Who We Are
* We Own This City
* White House Plumbers
* Years and Years
* The Young Pope

See also
Max
HBO Storybook Musicals
HBO Asia original series
HBO Canada original series
HBO Europe original series
HBO Latin America original series

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

John Quincy Adams

* U.S. Representative for MA–8 (1843–1848)
* U.S. Representative for MA–12 (1833–1843)
* U.S. Representative for MA–11 (1831–1833)
* 6th President of the United States (1825–1829)
* 8th United States Secretary of State (1817–1825)
* U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom (1814–1817)
* U.S. Minister to Russia (1809–1814)
* U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1803–1808)
* U.S. Minister to Prussia (1797–1801)
* U.S. Minister to the Netherlands (1794–1797)

Presidency|

* Inauguration
* American System
* Internal improvements
* Tariff of 1828
* First Treaty of Prairie du Chien
* Treaty of Fond du Lac
* Treaty of Limits
* United States Naval Observatory
* State of the Union Address, 1825
* 1827
* 1828
* Federal judiciary appointments

Other
events|

* Supreme Court nomination
* Monroe Doctrine, author
* Treaty of Ghent
* Adams–Onís Treaty
* Treaty of 1818
* Tariff of 1832
* Smithsonian Institution
* United States v. The Amistad
* Mendi Bible
* President, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* President, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences

Writings|

* Lifelong diary
* Massachusetts Historical Society holdings
* Adams Papers Editorial Project

Life and
homes|

* Early life
* Abigail Adams Cairn
* John Quincy Adams and abolitionism
* Adams National Historical Park
* Birthplace and family home
* Peacefield
* Stone Library
* United First Parish Church and gravesite

Electoral history|

* Senate
* 1803
* 1808
* Presidential runs
* 1824
* Corrupt Bargain
* 1828

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* Adams Memorial
* Adams House at Harvard University
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Monroe Doctrine Centennial half dollar
* Mount Quincy Adams
* USS President Adams (1941)
* USS John Adams (1963)
* Oyster-Adams Bilingual School

Popular
culture|

* Profiles in Courage (1957 book)
* 1965 television series)
* The Adams Chronicles (1976 miniseries)
* Mutiny on the Amistad (1987 book)
* Amistad (1997 film)
* John Adams (2001 book
* 2008 miniseries)

Adams political family
Quincy family|

* Louisa Adams (wife)
* George Washington Adams (son)
* Charles Francis Adams Sr. (son)
* John Adams II (son)
* Henry Adams (grandson)
* Brooks Adams (grandson)
* John Quincy Adams II (grandson)
* John Adams
* father
* presidency
* Abigail Adams
* mother
* First Lady
* Quincy political family
* Abigail Adams Smith (sister)
* Charles Adams (brother)
* Thomas Boylston Adams (brother)
* John Adams Sr. (grandfather)
* Susanna Boylston (grandmother)
* John Quincy (great-grandfather)

Related|

* National Republican Party
* Republicanism
* Quincy Patriot
* John Quincy Adams (Bingham)

* ← James Monroe
* Andrew Jackson →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Samuel Adams

* 4th Governor of Massachusetts, 1794–1797
* Second Continental Congress, 1775–1781
* First Continental Congress, 1774
* Clerk of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1766–1774

United States
founding events|

* The Independent Advertiser
* Boston Caucus
* 1764 Sugar Act response
* protests
* 1768 Massachusetts Circular Letter
* Probable author, 1768–1769 "Journal of Occurrences"
* Arranged Christopher Seider funeral, 1770
* Co-author, 1772 Boston Pamphlet
* Committees of correspondence
* Boston, 1772
* Hutchinson letters affair
* Co-inspired and publicized, Boston Tea Party
* Signed, 1774 Continental Association
* Massachusetts Provincial Congress
* Co-author, 1775 "Letter to the inhabitants of Canada"
* Signed, United States Declaration of Independence
* Signed, Articles of Confederation
* 1788 Massachusetts Compromise

Life|

* Early life
* Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University
* Sons of Liberty
* 1789 U.S. House election
* 1796 presidential election
* Samuel Adams and Paul Revere time capsule
* Granary Burying Ground

Related|

* American republicanism
* Boston Gazette
* American Revolution
* patriots
* Founding Father
* Faneuil Hall
* Old South Meeting House

Legacy|

* Samuel Adams (Whitney)
* Adams, Massachusetts
* Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence
* Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries)
* The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams (2022 book)

Adams family|

* Samuel Adams Sr. (father)
* John Adams (second cousin)

* v
* t
* e

John Dickinson

* 5th President of Pennsylvania, 1782–1785
* 5th President of Delaware, 1781–1783
* Second Continental Congress, 1775–1776, 1779–1781
* First Continental Congress, 1774
* Stamp Act Congress, 1765

Founding of the
United States|

* Declaration of Rights and Grievances (1765)
* Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767, 1768)
* "The Liberty Song" (1768
* United we stand, divided we fall)
* Petition to the King (1774)
* Signee, Continental Association (1774)
* Pennsylvania Committee of Correspondence (1774–1776)
* "Letter to the inhabitants of the Province of Quebec" (1774)
* Olive Branch Petition (1775)
* Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (co-wrote, 1775)
* Committee of Secret Correspondence (1775–1776)
* Model Treaty committee (1776)
* Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (1776, drafting committee chairman)
* President, Annapolis Convention (1786)
* Delegate, Constitutional Convention (1787)

Other events|

* Brigadier General, Pennsylvania militia
* Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783
* Delaware Constitution of 1792

Life and homes|

* Mary Norris Dickinson (wife)
* Philemon Dickinson (brother)
* Early life
* Poplar Hall home
* Fair Hill estate
* Friends Burial Ground

Legacy|

* Dickinson College
* Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University
* John Dickinson School (High School)
* 1776 (1969 musical,
* 1972 film)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries)

Related|

* Claymont Stone School
* American Revolution
* patriots
* Founding Fathers

* v
* t
* e

Benjamin Franklin

* President of Pennsylvania (1785–1788)
* Ambassador to France (1779–1785)
* Second Continental Congress (1775–1776)

Founding of the
United States|

* Join, or Die. (1754 political cartoon)
* Albany Plan of Union
* Albany Congress
* Hutchinson letters affair
* Committee of Secret Correspondence
* Committee of Five
* "...to be self-evident"
* Declaration of Independence
* Model Treaty
* Franco-American alliance
* Treaty of Amity and Commerce
* Treaty of Alliance
* Staten Island Peace Conference
* 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution
* Libertas Americana
* Treaty of Paris, 1783
* Delegate, 1787 Constitutional Convention
* Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly
* Postmaster General
* Founding Fathers

Inventions,
other events|

* Franklin's electrostatic machine
* Bifocals
* Franklin stove
* Glass armonica
* Flexible urninary catheter
* Gulf Stream exploration, naming, and chart
* Lightning rod
* Kite experiment
* Pay it forward
* Associators
* 111th Infantry Regiment
* Junto club
* American Philosophical Society
* Library Company of Philadelphia
* Pennsylvania Hospital
* Academy and College of Philadelphia
* University of Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia Contributionship
* Union Fire Company
* Early American currency
* Continental Currency dollar coin
* Fugio cent
* United States Postal Service
* Street lighting
* President, Pennsylvania Abolition Society
* Master, Les Neuf Sœurs
* Gravesite

Writings|

* The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
* Founders Online
* Silence Dogood letters (1722)
* A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain (1725)
* The Busy-Body columns (1729)
* The Pennsylvania Gazette (1729–1790)
* Early American publishers and printers
* Poor Richard's Almanack (1732–1758)
* The Drinker's Dictionary (1737)
* "Advice to a Friend on Choosing a Mistress" (1745)
* "The Speech of Polly Baker" (1747)
* Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, etc. (1751)
* Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751)
* Birch letters (1755)
* The Way to Wealth (1758)
* Pennsylvania Chronicle (1767)
* Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One (1773)
* Proposed alliance with the Iroquois (1775)
* A Letter to a Royal Academy (1781)
* Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America (1784)
* "The Morals of Chess" (1786)
* An Address to the Public (1789)
* A Plan for Improving the Condition of the Free Blacks (1789)
* The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1771–1790, pub. 1791)
* Bagatelles and Satires (pub. 1845)
* Franklin as a journalist
* Franklin's phonetic alphabet

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* Franklin Court
* Benjamin Franklin House
* Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
* Benjamin Franklin Parkway
* Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
* Franklin Institute
* awards
* medal
* Benjamin Franklin Medal
* Royal Society of Arts medal
* Depicted in The Apotheosis of Washington
* Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence
* Treaty of Paris (1783 painting)
* Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1816 painting)
* Revolutionary War Door
* Boston statue
* Chicago statue
* Columbus, Ohio, statue
* University of Pennsylvania statue
* Portland, Oregon, statue
* San Francisco statue
* Stanford University statue
* Washington D.C. statue
* Jefferson Memorial pediment
* Refunding Certificate
* Franklin half dollar
* One-hundred-dollar bill
* Franklin silver dollar
* Washington–Franklin stamps
* other stamps
* Cities, counties, schools named for Franklin
* Benjamin Franklin College
* Franklin Field
* Franklin Tree
* Mount Franklin
* State of Franklin
* Sons of Ben (Philadelphia Union)
* Ships named USS Franklin
* Ben Franklin effect

In popular culture|

* Declaration of Independence (1938 film)
* Ben and Me (1953 short)
* Ben Franklin in Paris (1964 musical play)
* 1776 (1969 musical
* 1972 film)
* Benjamin Franklin (miniseries) (1972)
* A More Perfect Union (1989 film)
* Liberty! (1997 documentary series)
* Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series)
* Benjamin Franklin (2002 documentary series)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries)
* Benjamin Franklin (2022 documentary)
* Franklin (2024 miniseries)

Related|

* Age of Enlightenment
* American Enlightenment
* The New-England Courant
* The American Museum magazine
* American Revolution
* patriots
* Syng inkstand

Family|

* Deborah Read (wife)
* William Franklin (son)
* Francis Franklin (son)
* Sarah Franklin Bache (daughter)
* William Franklin (grandson)
* Benjamin F. Bache (grandson)
* Louis F. Bache (grandson)
* Richard Bache Jr. (grandson)
* Andrew Harwood (great-grandson)
* Alexander Bache (great-grandson)
* Josiah Franklin (father)
* James Franklin (brother)
* Jane Mecom (sister)
* Mary Morrell Folger (grandmother)
* Peter Folger (grandfather)
* Richard Bache (son-in-law)
* Ann Smith Franklin (sister-in-law)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Alexander Hamilton

* 8th Senior Officer of the United States Army (1799–1800)
* 1st Secretary of the Treasury (1789–1795)
* Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (1782–1783, 1788–1789)

United States
founding events|

* A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress (1774)
* The Farmer Refuted (1775)
* Delegate, 1786 Annapolis Convention
* Delegate, 1787 Constitutional Convention
* The Federalist Papers
* New York Circular Letter

Secretary of
the Treasury|

* First Bank of the United States
* Revenue Marine (U.S. Coast Guard)
* U.S. Customs Service
* Hamiltonian economic program
* Residence Act
* Compromise of 1790
* Funding Act of 1790
* Tariff of 1790
* Bank Bill of 1791
* Tariff of 1791
* Tariff of 1792
* Coinage Act of 1792
* U.S. Mint
* Whiskey Rebellion
* Jay Treaty
* Reports
* "First Report on the Public Credit"
* "Second Report on Public Credit"
* "Report On Manufactures"
* "Report on a Plan for the Further Support of Public Credit"
* Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures

Military career|

* New York Provincial Company of Artillery
* Washington's aide-de-camp
* Battles
* Harlem Heights
* White Plains
* Trenton
* Princeton
* Brandywine
* Germantown
* Monmouth
* Siege of Yorktown

Other events|

* Founder, Federalist Party
* Federalist Era
* Founder, Bank of New York
* Bank of North America
* Pacificus-Helvidius Debates
* Advisor, George Washington's Farewell Address
* President General of the Society of the Cincinnati
* Founder, New-York Evening Post
* Hamilton College
* Hamilton–Reynolds affair
* Rutgers v. Waddington
* Relationship with slavery
* Burr–Hamilton duel

Depictions|

* Trumbull portrait
* Ceracchi bust
* Central Park statue
* U.S. Treasury statue
* Columbia University statue
* Boston statue
* Chicago statue
* U.S. postage stamps
* Greenbacks
* U.S. $10 bill

Memorials|

* Boyhood home and museum
* Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
* Alexander Hamilton Bridge
* Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles)
* Fort Hamilton
* Hamilton Grange National Memorial
* Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)
* Hamilton Hall (Salem)
* Hamilton Heights, Manhattan
* Hamilton, Ohio
* Hamilton College
* USS Alexander Hamilton
* PS Alexander Hamilton
* Trinity Church Cemetery

Popular culture|

* Hamilton (1917 play)
* Alexander Hamilton (1931 film)
* Liberty! (1997 documentary series)
* Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series)
* Alexander Hamilton (2004 book)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Hamilton (2015 musical, 2020 film)
* Washington (2020 miniseries)

Related|

* Founders Online
* Age of Enlightenment
* American Enlightenment
* American Philosophical Society
* Liberty Hall (New Jersey)
* New York Manumission Society
* African Free School
* "American System" economic plan
* American School
* American Revolution
* patriots

Family|

* Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton (wife)
* Philip Hamilton (son)
* Angelica Hamilton (daughter)
* Alexander Hamilton Jr. (son)
* James Alexander Hamilton (son)
* John Church Hamilton (son)
* William S. Hamilton (son)
* Eliza Hamilton Holly (daughter)
* Philip Hamilton (son)
* Schuyler Hamilton (grandson)
* Alexander Hamilton Jr. (grandson)
* Allan McLane Hamilton (grandson)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

John Hancock

* 1st and 3rd Governor of Massachusetts, 1780–1785, 1787–1793
* President, Second Continental Congress, 1775–1777, 1785–1786
* Boston Board of Selectmen, 1766–1775

United States
founding events|

* HMS Liberty confiscation
* Sons of Liberty
* Co-inspired, Boston Tea Party
* 1774 Massacre Day speech
* President, Massachusetts Provincial Congress
* Chairman, Massachusetts Committee of Safety
* Presided over, signed, United States Declaration of Independence (signing
* Dunlap broadside)
* Signer, Articles of Confederation
* 1788 Massachusetts Compromise

Life|

* Early life
* Hancock–Clarke House
* Hancock Manor
* Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University
* Boston Cadets
* Co-founder, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* 1788–89 United States presidential election
* Granary Burying Ground

Related|

* American Revolution
* patriots
* Founding Father
* Syng inkstand

Legacy|

* Declaration of Independence (1938 film)
* 1776 (1969 musical, 1972 film)
* Liberty's Kids (2002 animated series)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Sons of Liberty (2015 miniseries)
* USS Hancock (1775)
* USS Hancock (1776)
* USS John Hancock (1850)
* USS Hancock (1944)
* USS John Hancock (1977)
* John Hancock Center
* John Hancock Tower
* Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Family|

* Dorothy Quincy (wife)
* John Hancock Jr. (father)
* Thomas Hancock (uncle)
* John Hancock Sr. (grandfather)
* Edmund Quincy (father-in-law)

* v
* t
* e

Thomas Jefferson

* 3rd President of the United States (1801–1809)
* 2nd Vice President of the United States (1797–1801)
* 1st United States Secretary of State (1790–1793)
* U.S. Minister to France (1785–1789)
* Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation (1783–1784)
* 2nd Governor of Virginia (1779–1781)
* Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775–1776)
* Delegate, Fifth Virginia Convention (1776)

Founding
documents of
the United States|

* A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774)
* Olive Branch Petition (1775)
* Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (1775)
* Declaration of Independence (1776)
* Committee of Five
* physical history
* "All men are created equal"
* "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
* "Consent of the governed"
* Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786)
* Land Ordinance of 1784
* Land Ordinance of 1785

French Revolution|

* Co-author, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789)

Presidency|

* Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves
* Louisiana Purchase
* Lewis and Clark Expedition
* Empire of Liberty
* Dunbar and Hunter Expedition
* Red River Expedition
* Pike Expedition
* Cumberland Road
* Embargo Act of 1807
* Chesapeake–Leopard affair
* Non-Intercourse Act
* First Barbary War
* Native American policy
* Burr conspiracy
* Marbury v. Madison
* West Point Military Academy
* State of the Union Addresses
* 1801
* 1802
* 1805
* Cabinet
* Federal judicial appointments

Other noted
accomplishments|

* Early life and career
* Franco-American alliance
* Founder, University of Virginia
* history
* Ratification Day
* Anti-Administration party
* Democratic-Republican Party
* Jeffersonian democracy
* Coinage, Weights, and Measures report (1790)
* State Department Library
* Residence Act
* Compromise of 1790
* Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
* A Manual of Parliamentary Practice (1801)
* Jefferson disk
* Swivel chair
* Megalonyx

Jeffersonian
architecture|

* Barboursville
* Farmington
* Monticello
* gardens
* Poplar Forest
* University of Virginia
* The Rotunda
* The Lawn
* Jefferson Hall
* Virginia State Capitol
* White House Colonnades

Other writings|

* The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
* Notes on the State of Virginia (1785)
* Pyratical states of Barbary proposals (1786)
* European journey memorandums (1787)
* Indian removal letters
* The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (c. 1819)
* Jefferson manuscript collection
* Founders Online

Related|

* American Enlightenment
* American Philosophical Society
* Founding Fathers of the United States
* Historical reputation
* Jefferson and education
* Religious views
* Jefferson and slavery
* Jefferson and the Library of Congress
* Jefferson Pier
* Pet mockingbird
* National Gazette
* Sally Hemings
* Jefferson–Hemings controversy
* Betty Hemings
* Separation of church and state
* Shadwell plantation
* Tuckahoe plantation
* Tufton Farm
* Governor's Palace (Williamsburg, Virginia)
* Virginia dynasty
* Ward republic

Elections|

* Presidential elections
* 1796
* 1800
* 1804

Legacy and
memorials|

* Bibliography
* Jefferson Memorial
* Mount Rushmore
* Birthday
* Thomas Jefferson Building
* Jefferson River
* Jefferson Territory
* Jefferson Lecture
* Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
* Square Thomas Jefferson
* Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service
* Statues
* Karl Bitter
* Louisville
* University of Virginia
* David d'Angers
* Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
* Thomas Jefferson Foundation
* Jefferson Lab
* Monticello Association
* Jefferson City, Missouri
* Jefferson College
* Thomas Jefferson University
* Washington and Jefferson National Forests
* Peaks and mountains
* Jefferson Rock
* Other placenames
* Jefferson–Jackson Day
* Currency depictions
* Jefferson nickel
* Two-dollar bill
* Louisiana Purchase Exposition gold dollar
* 250th Anniversary silver dollar
* U.S. postage stamps

Cultural
depictions|

* Declaration of Independence (1938 film)
* The Patriots (1946 play)
* 1776
* 1969 musical
* 1972 film
* Jefferson in Paris (1995 film)
* Thomas Jefferson (1997 film)
* John Adams (2008 miniseries)
* Jefferson's Garden (2015 play)
* Hamilton (2015 musical)
* Thomas Jefferson (2025 miniseries)
* Wine bottles controversy
* Cultural depictions of Sally Hemings

Family|

* Martha Jefferson (wife)
* Martha Jefferson Randolph (daughter)
* Mary Jefferson Eppes (daughter)
* Harriet Hemings (daughter)
* Madison Hemings (son)
* Eston Hemings (son)
* Thomas J. Randolph (grandson)
* George W. Randolph (grandson)
* Ellen Randolph Coolidge (granddaughter)
* Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (granddaughter)
* Francis Eppes (grandson)
* John Wayles Jefferson (grandson)
* Sarah N. Randolph (great-granddaughter)
* T. Jefferson Coolidge (great-grandson)
* Frederick Madison Roberts (great-grandson)
* Peter Jefferson (father)
* Jane Randolph Jefferson (mother)
* Lucy Jefferson Lewis (sister)
* Randolph Jefferson (brother)
* Peter Carr (nephew)
* Samuel Carr (nephew)
* Dabney Carr (nephew)
* Dabney S. Carr (grand-nephew)
* Isham Randolph (grandfather)
* William Randolph (great-grandfather)
* Henry Soane (2nd great-grandfather)

* ← John Adams
* James Madison →

* ← John Adams
* Aaron Burr →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

George Washington

* 1st President of the United States (1789–1797)
* Senior Officer of the Army (1798–1799)
* Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (1775–1783)
* Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775)
* Delegate to the First Continental Congress (1774)

Military career
Revolutionary War|

* Military career
* French and Indian War
* Jumonville Glen
* Battle of Fort Necessity
* Battle of the Monongahela
* Forbes Expedition
* Washington in the American Revolution
* Commander-in-chief, Continental Army
* Aides-de-camp
* Washington's headquarters
* office and sleeping tent
* Boston campaign
* Siege of Boston
* New York and New Jersey campaign
* Delaware River crossing
* Battle of Trenton
* Battle of the Assunpink Creek
* Battle of Princeton
* Philadelphia campaign
* Battle of Brandywine
* Battle of Germantown
* Battle of White Marsh
* Valley Forge
* Battle of Monmouth
* Battles of Saratoga
* Sullivan Expedition
* Yorktown campaign
* Siege of Yorktown
* Culper Spy Ring
* Newburgh Conspiracy
* Newburgh letter
* Asgill Affair
* Evacuation Day
* Resignation as commander-in-chief
* Badge of Military Merit
* Purple Heart
* Washington Before Boston Medal
* Horses
* Nelson
* Blueskin

Other U.S.
founding events|

* Initiated, co-wrote, 1769 Virginia Association
* Initiated, 1774 Fairfax Resolves
* Continental Association
* Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture
* 1785 Mount Vernon Conference
* Chairman, 1787 Constitutional Convention
* George Washington's political evolution

Presidency
(timeline)|

* 1788–89 United States presidential election
* First inauguration
* inaugural bible
* 1792 presidential election
* Second inauguration
* Reception at Trenton
* Title of "Mr. President"
* Cabinet of the United States
* Secretary of State
* Attorney General
* Secretary of the Treasury
* Secretary of War
* Judiciary Act of 1789
* Oath Administration Act
* Nonintercourse Act
* Park Watchmen
* Whiskey Rebellion
* Militia Acts of 1792
* Coinage Act of 1792
* United States Mint
* Presidential Succession Act of 1792
* United States Capitol cornerstone laying
* Proclamation of Neutrality
* Neutrality Act of 1794
* Jay Treaty
* Pinckney's Treaty
* Slave Trade Act of 1794
* Residence Act
* Thanksgiving Proclamation
* Farewell Address
* State of the Union Address January 1790
* December 1790
* 1791
* 1792
* 1793
* 1794
* 1795
* 1796
* Cabinet
* Federal judicial appointments
* John Rutledge Supreme Court nominations

Views and
public image|

* Presidential library
* The Washington Papers
* Religious views
* Town Destroyer
* Legacy

Life and homes|

* Early life
* Birthplace
* Ferry Farm boyhood home
* Mount Vernon
* Fishery
* Gristmill
* Whiskey distillery
* Woodlawn Plantation
* Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
* Ford Mansion, Washington's headquarters
* Hasbrouck House
* First Presidential Mansion
* Second Presidential Mansion
* President's House, Philadelphia
* Germantown White House
* Custis estate
* Washington's relations with the Iroquois Confederacy
* Potomac Company
* James River and Kanawha Canal
* Mountain Road Lottery
* Congressional Gold Medal
* Thanks of Congress
* President General of the Society of the Cincinnati
* Washington College
* Washington and Lee University
* Electoral history of George Washington
* Post-presidency of George Washington

Memorials
and depictions|

* Washington, D.C.
* Washington state
* Washington Monument
* Mount Rushmore
* Washington's Birthday
* Purple Heart
* The Apotheosis of Washington
* Washington Monument (Boonsboro, Maryland)
* Washington Monument (Baltimore)
* Washington Monument (Philadelphia)
* George Washington (Houdon)
* plaster copy
* George Washington (Ceracchi)
* George Washington (Canova)
* George Washington (Greenough)
* George Washington (Trumbull)
* George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door
* Revolutionary War Door
* Washington Crossing the Delaware
* The Passage of the Delaware
* General George Washington at Trenton
* Washington at Verplanck's Point
* General George Washington Resigning His Commission
* Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
* Unfinished portrait
* Lansdowne portrait
* The Washington Family portrait
* Washington at Princeton paintings
* George Washington Taking the Salute at Trenton
* Reception at Trenton painting
* Statues
* Trenton Battle Monument
* Princeton Battle Monument
* Point of View sculpture
* George Washington on Horseback
* Austin statue
* Baltimore statue
* Boston statue
* Mexico City statue
* Morristown statue
* Newark statue
* New York City statue
* Wall Street statue
* Paris statue
* Perth Amboy statue
* Philadelphia statue
* Portland statue
* Trenton statue
* Washington, D.C. statue
* West Point monument
* George Washington University
* Washington University in St. Louis
* Washington Masonic National Memorial
* George Washington Memorial Parkway
* George Washington Bridge
* Washington Tree, Mariposa Grove
* Washington Tree, Sequoia National Park
* Washington and Jefferson National Forests
* Washington Square Park
* Arch
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Washington–Franklin Issues
* 1932 bicentennial
* Currency
* Washington quarter
* 50 State Quarters
* D.C. and territories quarters
* America the Beautiful quarters
* American Women quarters
* History Instructing Youth dollar
* Washington dollar
* Lafayette dollar
* Silver bullion coins
* Washington nickel
* Washington half eagle
* 250th Anniversary half dollar
* Mount Rushmore Anniversary coins
* Mount Washington
* Cultural depictions
* George Washington (1984 miniseries
* 1986 sequel)
* A More Perfect Union (1989 film)
* The Crossing (2000 film)
* We Fight to Be Free (2006 film)
* Turn: Washington's Spies (2014–2017 series)
* The War that Made America (2006 miniseries)
* Washington (2020 miniseries)
* Hamilton (film)

Related|

* Bibliography
* List of articles
* Founders Online
* Founding Fathers of the United States
* Republicanism
* Federalist Party
* Federalist Era
* Virginia dynasty
* Coat of arms
* Cherry-tree anecdote
* River Farm
* Washington's Crossing
* Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
* 1751 Barbados trip
* Category
* Syng inkstand
* General of the Armies
* Conway Cabal
* American Foxhound
* American Philosophical Society
* American Revolution
* patriots
* Betsy Ross flag
* Mount Vernon Ladies' Association
* Mount Vernon replicas
* George Washington Memorial Building
* Attempted theft of Washington's skull

Family|

* Martha Washington (wife)
* John Parke Custis (stepson)
* George Washington Parke Custis (step-grandson, adopted son)
* Eleanor Parke Custis (step-granddaughter, adopted daughter)
* Augustine Washington (father)
* Mary Ball Washington (mother)
* Lawrence Washington (half-brother)
* Augustine Washington Jr. (half-brother)
* Elizabeth Washington Lewis (sister)
* Samuel Washington (brother)
* John A. Washington (brother)
* Charles Washington (brother)
* Lawrence Washington (grandfather)
* Mildred Gale (grandmother)
* John Washington (great-grandfather)
* George Reade (2nd great-grandfather)
* Bushrod Washington (nephew)

Slavery|

* Washington and slavery
* List of enslaved people of Mount Vernon
* Betty
* Caroline Branham
* William Costin
* West Ford
* Sarah Johnson
* Oney Judge
* Philip Lee
* William Lee
* Hercules Posey
* Christopher Sheels
* Deborah Squash
* Harry Washington

* John Adams →

* Category
* Outline

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