All Things John Adams

The Last Of The Mohicans

2010-04-11T10:17:00.001-07:00

Last Mohicans 1
a link to marvel's teacher's guide
The Mohicans were related to the Lenape Indians who inhabited Manhattan prior to the arrival of the Dutch. About the Mohicans

The Mahicans (also Mohicans) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe, originally settling in the Hudson River Valley (around Albany, NY). After 1680, many moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. During the early 1820s and 1830s, most of the remaining descendants migrated westward to northeastern Wisconsin. The tribe's name for itself (autonym) was Muhhekunneuw, or "People of the River." Their current name is the name applied to the Wolf Clan division of the tribe, from the Mahican manhigan.
The Mahican were living in and around the Hudson Valley at the time of their first contact with Europeans in 1609, who were mostly Dutch. Over the next hundred years, tensions between the Mahican and the Iroquois Mohawk, as well as Dutch and English settlers, caused the Mahican to migrate eastward across the Hudson River into western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Many settled in the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where they became known as the Stockbridge Indians.
The Stockbridge Indians allowed Protestant Christian missionaries, including Jonathan Edwards, to live among them. In the 18th century, many converted to Christianity, while keeping certain traditions of their own. Although they fought on the side of the American colonists in both the French and Indian War (North American part of the Seven Years' War) and the American Revolution, citizens of the new United States forced them off their land and westward. First the Stockbridge settled in the 1780s at New Stockbridge, New York, on land allocated by the Oneida, of the Iroquois Confederacy.
In the 1820s and 1830s, most of the Stockbridge moved to Shawano County, Wisconsin, where they were promised land by the US government. In Wisconsin, they settled on reservations with the Munsee. Together, the two formed a band jointly known as Stockbridge-Munsee. Today the reservation is known as that of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians (Stockbridge-Munsee Community).
Moravian Church missionaries from Bethlehem in present-day Pennsylvania founded a mission at the Mahican village of Shekomeko in Dutchess County, New York. They wanted to bring the Native Americans to Christianity. Gradually they were successful in their efforts, converting the first Christian Indian congregation in the United States. They built a chapel for the people in 1743. They also diligently defended the Mahican against European settlers' exploitation, trying to protect them against land encroachment and abuses of liquor. Some who opposed their work accused them of being secret Catholic Jesuits (who had been outlawed from the colony in 1700) and of working with the Indians on the side of the French. The missionaries were summoned more than once before colonial government, but also had supporters. Finally the colonial government at Poughkeepsie expelled the missionaries from New York in the late 1740s. Settlers soon took over the Mahican land.
The now extinct Mahican language belonged to the Eastern Algonquian branch of the Algonquian language family. It was an Algonquian N-dialect, as were Massachusett and Wampanoag. In many ways, it was more similar to, and just as easily considered one, of the L-dialects, such as that of the Lenape.

The Lenape Indians

2010-04-11T08:25:00.001-07:00

Lenape

The First Americans

2010-04-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

First Americans

Superman and the American Revolution

2010-04-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Superman Revolution

Superman: From 1976 to 1776

2010-04-10T14:20:00.001-07:00

Superman 1776

Comics And The American Revolution

2010-04-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Comic Coverage_ Cover to Cover_ You Say You Want a Revolution 2
from an excellent post at comic coverage

Character Biographies: Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, Madame Helvétius

2008-03-31T20:16:00.001-07:00

from wikipedia

Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, Madame Helvétius (23 July 1722 - 12 August 1800), nicknamed "Minette", maintained a renowned salon in France in the 18th century.
One of the twenty-one children of Jean-Jacques de Ligniville and his wife Charlotte de Saureau, Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, the niece of Madame de Graffigny, married the philosopher Helvétius in 1751. She maintained a salon which featured the great figures of the Enlightenment for over five decades.
Among the habitués of Madame Helvétius's salon were Julie de Lespinasse and Suzanne Necker, writers Fontenelle, Diderot, Chamfort, Duclos, Saint-Lambert, Marmontel, Roucher, Saurin, André Chénier, and Volney. Thinkers such as Condorcet, d’Holbach, Turgot, l’abbé Sieyès, l’abbé Galiani, Destutt de Tracy, l’abbé Beccaria, l’abbé Morellet, Buffon, Condillac ou l’abbé Raynal mingled with such scientists as d’Alembert, Lavoisier, Cuvier and Cabanis. The sculptor Houdon, Baron Gérard and other leading figures of the time such as Charles-Joseph Panckoucke and François-Ambroise Didot were also attendees. Such politicians as Malesherbes, Talleyrand, Madame Roland and her husband Roland de la Platière, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin (who proposed marriage to her)[1], Mirabeau, Pierre Daunou, Garat, Nicolas Bergasse and Napoléon Bonaparte could also be found at her salon. Madame Helvétius died at Auteuil.

Character Biographies: Louis XVI

2008-03-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

Character Biographies: John Dickinson

2008-03-31T18:59:00.001-07:00

Timeline: July 4. 1776

2008-03-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Timeline: July, 1775

2008-03-31T18:52:00.001-07:00

Timeline: April, 1775

2008-03-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Episode 3: Don't Tread On Me: Part 1

2008-03-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Medical Horrors Of The Revolutionary War Era

2008-03-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

The House I Live In: Jumel Mansion

2008-03-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

from 8/14/05 from pseudo-intellectualism

Our first great General made the Jumel Mansion (then called the Morris Mansion) his headquarters in 1776. You can still see what it looks like now. Ms. Joseph's class went two years ago and Sam filmed it. Here's a clip. As a two for one post bonus, here's a slide show with different historical images of the old Jumel Mansion from the NYPL digital collection. The story goes that George Washington's true love was Mrs. Morris, but there was no hanky panky.

The Battle Of Brooklyn (And New York)

2008-03-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

From 8/29/06 from pseudo-intellectualism

A rationalization for the benefits of having your hard drive crash is looking for all the data you've saved (all over the place!) and finding stuff you had forgotten about or missplaced. I found some old images of the Battle of Brooklyn, many of which are the same that are included in McCullough's 1776. Here I combined them in a slide show that attempts to place the events in chronological order

John Adams' Reviews: The New Yorker

2008-03-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Divider: In an HBO miniseries, John Adams is the indispensable man, by Jill Lepore

The history of our Revolution will be one continued lie from one end to the other,” John Adams grumbled, in 1790, when Benjamin Franklin was on his deathbed. “The essence of the whole will be that Dr. Franklin’s electrical rod smote the earth and out sprang General Washington.” The neglect of posterity was a prospect that Adams could not abide. And now he doesn’t have to. HBO’s seven-part miniseries “John Adams,” which premières on March 16th, tells Adams’s tale, with Paul Giamatti in the title role, scowling beneath fifty-seven different wigs. “He United the States of America” is the miniseries’ motto, giving credit to Adams for everything. Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) is a rascal; Washington (David Morse) is a sapskull. Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) is distracted and, finally, deluded. And poor Thomas Paine seems never to have been born. Based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, “John Adams” is animated as much by Adams’s many private resentments as by the birth of the United States. It is history, with a grudge.
“One night in 1759, when Adams was twenty-four, and just starting out, he woke up, seized with an aching void in his chest. He picked up his quill, reached for his ink pot, and wrote in his diary, “I feel anxious, eager, after something. What is it?” It was the same thing it always was: the pain of insatiable ambition. “I have a dread of Contempt, a quick sense of Neglect, a strong Desire of Distinction,” Adams wrote that night. Say what you will about the man who became our second President, he knew himself well. Giamatti’s finely crafted John Adams is a little easier to take—he’s the Ebenezer Scrooge of the American Revolution, slouchy, grouchy, and crusty, but mushy on the inside.
“John Adams” begins with the Boston Massacre, on March 5, 1770. By the dim light of a quarter moon, eight British grenadiers have fired into a crowd of Bostonians rioting on King Street. Adams, in a daze, stumbles over the bodies of the dead and the wounded, and trudges home through the blood-stained snow, speechless at the agony of what he has witnessed. “I have no words for it, Abigail,” he whispers to his wife (exquisitely played by Laura Linney).
Abigail, wise, fierce, and long-suffering, is Adams’s anchor, the brake on his pride, his most astute adviser. After the British soldiers are charged with murder, Adams agrees to defend them in court, defying his fellow Sons of Liberty, including his rabble-rousing cousin, Samuel Adams (Danny Huston), who wants nothing more than for the redcoats to hang. The night before he is to deliver his summary to the jury, Adams, in his nightshirt, paces the floor of his bedchamber, while Abigail, tucked beneath the covers, reads a draft of his statement. Impatient for her critique, he opens and closes the bed curtains, a scene that’s a nice play on the eighteenth-century phrase “curtain lecture” (a shrewish version of what we mean by “pillow talk”). “Vanity. You have overburdened your argument with ostentatious erudition,” Abigail observes, steering her husband, as always, onto a better course.
We then follow Adams to Philadelphia, where he serves as a Massachusetts delegate to the First Continental Congress. In the wake of Parliament’s passage of the Coercive Acts (which included a measure closing Boston Harbor to trade), Adams is tireless but unable to persuade delegates from the other colonies to support a struggle that, so far, looks to be Boston’s fight. He heads home, defeated. But on April 19, 1775, just before Adams is to travel back to Philadelphia for the Congress’s second meeting, shots are fired in Lexington and Concord. From his farm south of Boston, Adams races to the scene and rides through the bloody fields, once again picking a path over the dead and the wounded. “There can be no mistaking Britain’s intentions now,” he tells Abigail.
Back in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress, Adams ardently argues for declaring independence. Imagine an animated version of John Trumbull’s famous painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—the image engraved on the back of the two-dollar bill—and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the scene. Independence, this miniseries would have you believe, was almost entirely Adams’s doing. As history, and maybe even as television, this is a hard argument to make, because although Adams presented the case to Congress, it was Thomas Paine who convinced the American people to support independence and Thomas Jefferson who wrote the document declaring it. “I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular,” Giamatti’s Adams tells Jefferson—a line taken from one of Adams’s letters, like much of the dialogue—graciously ceding the task of drafting the Declaration of Independence to the Virginian. Adams forever regretted this. “Jefferson ran away with all the stage effect,” he complained, “and all the glory.”
There is much that is wonderful in “John Adams,” which was produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, who also launched HBO’s 2001 miniseries “Band of Brothers.” Giamatti and Linney brilliantly portray the tenderness, loneliness, and passionate understanding that marked John and Abigail’s half century of marriage. Eighteenth-century Boston, and much else besides, is beautifully realized: lush and bustling, with ships’ masts looming and halyards clanking. If there’s a film that better captures the look of Colonial America, I haven’t seen it. For Revolution junkies, spotting the cameos makes an awfully good parlor game. (My favorite: Henry Knox, riding by Abigail’s house on his horse, on his way to Dorchester Heights to blast the British out of Boston. Joseph Warren rides by, too, after the Battle of Bunker Hill, except that he’s dead, and on an oxcart, so a bit of a disappointment, really.) There’s very little of the war itself—Adams was no soldier—but, perhaps as a solace, there’s plenty of bloodletting, not to mention amputation. (A word to the squeamish: it goes badly.) Actually, the inoculation of Abigail and the Adams children against smallpox—more blood; also pus—is nearly the most terrifying scene in the four episodes made available to reviewers. It’s second only to the tarring and feathering of a British customs official in Boston, the brutality of which Adams watches with horror, in a masterly sequence that exposes the violence of insurrection and helps explain the future President’s enduring fear of democracy.
At its best, the storytelling itself manages to accommodate a sense of historical contingency. American independence was not inevitable. It was debated. It didn’t happen overnight. No one was sure how it would turn out. Adams’s jaundiced view allows for this insight, too: war is a mess, and only ever glorious in hindsight. Finally, there’s something almost ineffably moving about watching the debates of the Second Continental Congress, where Adams truly shone.
There are, of course, little things that irk. Everyone is far too frank with everyone else (the eighteenth century was nothing if not coy), and this viewer happens to wish that the Pennsylvania delegate and eloquent opponent of independence, John Dickinson (Zelijko Ivanek), hadn’t been made into a Quaker Cruella De Vil, a distortion necessary, I suppose, to make Adams appear more stalwart. But the bigger problem is how far the writing has to go to make Adams both more important and more virtuous than everyone around him except his wife, as if to justify his prodigious self-regard and disdain for his contemporaries. Adams didn’t “unite the states of America,” but he accomplished a hell of a lot. He was bold. He was brilliant. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t also a heel.
After Adams’s devastating failure, in the election of 1800, to win a second Presidential term, he spent much of the rest of his life worrying about how history would treat him. In 1807, he read Mercy Otis Warren’s three-volume “History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution,” a twelve-hundred-page book that devoted a scant four pages to the character of one John Adams. He fell into a rage. Adams wrote Warren ten letters—some more than twenty pages long—of petty, rambling vituperation. Warren had assailed his temperament: “In the 392d page of the third volume, you say that ‘Mr. Adams, his passions and prejudices were sometimes too strong for his sagacity and judgment.” She had neglected him: “You have carefully recorded the appointment of Mr. Jay to Madrid, in page 141, Vol. II, to have been on the 27th of September, 1779, yet have taken no notice of mine, which was on the 29th of the same month.” She would not even grant him alphabetic preëminence. When Warren listed Franklin, Jay, and Adams as ambassadors, Adams complained that his name ought to have appeared first in that list, as it had in their commission. “You will say, no doubt, this is ‘sighing for rank, he sneered, anticipating her objection. “Very well: say so, Mrs. Warren. Make the most of it.”
Adams had a right to feel betrayed: for decades, Mercy and Abigail had been close friends. But his reading of Warren’s “History” was paranoid and hysterical, and his letters to her are the rantings of a bully: she is unladylike; there are things he could say about her if he weren’t such a gentleman; and she could not possibly be motivated by anything but bitterness at his having been unwilling to grant members of her family political preferment. Adams is by no means the hero of Warren’s “History,” but neither is anyone else; it’s an epic history of an age, not a profile of its leading figures. And though Warren may have resented Adams, she, along with other Americans who had only recently seen him voted out of office, also felt quite certain that he suffered from “pride of talents” and a love of power.
Mercy Warren had a response to Adams’s abuse. “Were she to write her History over again, and correct her errors, as you seem to wish her to do,” she answered, what must she write? Adams would obviously be contented only if she told the world that he was free of ambition and vainglory, and that his writings “established the State and Federal Constitutions, and gave the United States all the liberty, republicanism, and independence they enjoy; that his name was always placed at the head of every public commission; that nothing had been done, that nothing could be done, neither in Europe nor America, without his sketching and drafting the business.” Who would believe such silliness? “Mr. Adams might indeed think this a very pleasant portrait, but I doubt whether the world would receive it as a better likeness.” Ah, just give it time, Mrs. Warren. Give it time.

John Adams' Reviews: NY Times

2008-03-24T09:51:00.001-07:00

Blowhard, Patriot, President, By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

When John Adams begins acting like a pompous windbag, his wife, Abigail, reproaches him with a single word.
“Ambition,” Abigail warns, when Adams tells her that he will get a lot of attention if he defends British soldiers in the Boston Massacre trial.
“Vanity” is what she says to steer her husband away from what she calls “ostentatious erudition.”
“Casting,” she might have told the producers of this new seven-part HBO mini-series, which begins on Sunday evening with a double episode.
John Adams is the weakest part of “John Adams.”
Based on David McCullough’s biography of Adams, the second president, “John Adams” 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.
It’s not his fault. Mr. Giamatti, who starred in “Sideways,” is a gifted actor. Still, in this historical drama, Mr. Giamatti is a prisoner of a limited range and rubbery, cuddly looks — in 18th-century britches and wigs, he looks like Shrek.
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.
Mr. Giamatti valiantly tries to do justice to the quicksilver contradictions of Adams’s character. This son of a New England farmer was described by Mr. McCullough as “high-spirited and affectionate, vain, cranky, impetuous, self-absorbed and fiercely stubborn.” Mr. Giamatti manages some parts quite well, but the effort is too labored not to drag on the fabric of the story — especially at first, when viewers who haven’t read many biographies or seen the musical “1776” are likely to be puzzled by this cute, homely man who adores his wife and hollers angrily at his children.
One possible reason Abigail is so often tasked with uttering single-word sketches of Adams’s personality is that Mr. Giamatti cannot make those traits stand out distinctly enough on his own.
It’s not a question of looks; even the portraitist Gilbert Stuart didn’t try to hide that Adams was portly and balding. It’s the screen presence. Charles Laughton was an odd-looking actor who would never be cast as a romantic lead, but he managed to transform himself to suit a wide range of parts, from Henry VIII to Rembrandt to the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Mr. Giamatti doesn’t have the same power and flexibility.
Mr. Giamatti is not helped by the precedent set by William Daniels close to 40 years ago, when he played Adams in both the musical and the film version of “1776” and was pitch-perfect in the part. Mr. Daniels made a career playing brilliant, pompous and irascible men (“St. Elsewhere,” “Boy Meets World”), and he was at his peak as the most confounding of the founding fathers. As conceived by Peter Stone, who wrote the book (Sherman Edwards wrote the music and lyrics), Adams is irritable and irritating, but ultimately irresistible; decades before Mr. McCullough wrote his biography, Mr. Stone had captured the vitality, passion and humor that made Adams’s hot temper and vanity endearing.
This series has a “Masterpiece Theater” 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.
“John Adams” begins in 1770 and comes to an end on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the date of Adams’s death at 90 — the same day that Thomas Jefferson died. So the mini-series does not focus solely on the drama and political brinkmanship in Philadelphia at the moment when the members of the Continental Congress debated whether to break with the British crown and assert independence.
Early on, Adams finds common cause with the aristocratic Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) and wise, crafty Benjamin Franklin. George Washington, stiffly portrayed by David Morse in a fake nose, is not very interesting, but Mr. Dillane is a slyly intelligent, brooding Jefferson and steals every scene he is in, even when he has no dialogue.
Some of the more delicious scenes are set in France, at the court of Louis XVI, where Franklin, deliciously played by Tom Wilkinson, wallows impishly in the hedonism — and flattery — of the French nobility, and Adams, summoned there to help pressure France for assistance against Britain, fumes in frustration and Yankee puritanism.
The mini-series pays keen attention to the details of colonial life: a customs agent loyal to the crown is tarred and feathered in Boston Harbor in an excruciating scene in which a mob tears off his clothes, pours hot tar over his naked body, then literally rides him out of town on a rail. Abigail boldly chooses smallpox inoculations for herself and her children — and back then it was a gruesome and crude process that required smearing puss from an infected sore onto a thin blade and cutting it into the patient’s flesh — and one child contracts the disease anyway.
Abigail, the woman who stayed home in wartime, managing the farm and raising four children, is the moral center of the mini-series: hard-working, uncomplaining, thoughtful and devoted to her husband and the cause of freedom, women’s as well as men’s.
“I long to hear that you have declared an independency,” she wrote in a March 1776 letter to Adams. “And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.”
Some of the dialogue is borrowed from the Adamses’ correspondence during long separations. With words, but also with eloquent gestures and glances, Ms. Linney delicately evokes Abigail’s humor, loyalty and fierce intelligence.
“You do not need to quote great men to show you are one,” she tells Adams.
You do need the right actor. A different one might have made “John Adams” great.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: March 19, 2008
A television review in Weekend on Friday about “John Adams,” the new HBO mini-series, misidentified the disease one of the Adams children contracts. It is smallpox, not measles.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: March 21, 2008
A television review in Weekend last Friday about “John Adams,” the new HBO mini-series, misstated the timing of the illness of one of the Adams children. It followed an inoculation for smallpox; it did not precede the inoculation. The review also referred incorrectly to the man who was tarred and feathered by a mob. He was a customs agent, not a tea merchant.

Coloring Pages: Nathan Hale And The Battle Of Lexington

2008-03-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Bentley Boyd's Comics: Boston Tea Party Series

2008-03-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Bentley Boyd's Comics: Thomas Jefferson

2008-03-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bentley Boyd's Comics: Patrick Henry

2008-03-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

The online archive of his comics is located at this address
Book compilations organized by themes are available at amazon

The Revolutionary War On Wednesday

2008-03-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Franklin: The Classic Illustrated Version: Part 1

2008-03-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Bentley Boyd's Comics: The Continental Congress Series

2008-03-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

The online archive of his comics is located at this address
Book compilations organized by themes are available at amazon

Episode 2: Independence: Part 4

2008-03-22T16:29:00.001-07:00

Bentley Boyd's Comics: Boston Massacre Series

2008-03-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

The online archive of his comics is located at this address
Book compilations organized by themes are available at amazon

Episode 2: Independence: Part 3

2008-03-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

American Revolution Mini-Book

2008-03-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Episode 2: Independence: Part 2

2008-03-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

1776: The Kid's Discover Magazine Version

2008-03-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have just about every one in this excellent series. The magazine format presents social studies and science information to kids in an easy to understand and graphically appealing manner. Also reasonably priced

John Adams: Boston And Vicinity Sites Of Liberty

2008-03-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

from the American Experience John Adams' site

John And Abigail Adams Timeline 2

2008-03-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

John And Abigail Adams Timeline: Part 1

2008-03-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

I just discovered scrib I had been (tediously) chopping up pdf's and bigger images so that they could be used in a google video, now I can just embed a pdf., what great possibilities!

1776: Cool, Considerate Men

2008-03-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

The lyrics

Dickinson:
Oh say do you see what I see?
Congress sitting here in sweet serenity
I could cheer; the reason's clear
For the first time in a year Adams isn't here
And look, the sun is in the sky
A breeze is blowing by, and there's not a single fly
I sing hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna, hosanna
And it's cool
Come ye cool cool conservative men
The likes of which may never be seen again
We have land, cash in hand
Self-command, future planned
Fortune flies, society survives
In neatly ordered lives with well-endowered wives
We sing hosanna, hosanna
To our breeding and our banner
We are cool
Come ye cool cool considerate set
We'll dance together to the same minuet
To the right, ever to the right
Never to the left, forever to the right
May our creed be never to exceed
Regulated speed, no matter what the need
We sing hosanna, hosanna
Enblazoned on our banner
Is keep cool
What we do we do rationally
We never ever go off half-cocked, not we
Why begin till we know that we can win
And if we cannot win why bother to begin?
Rutledge:
We say this game's not of our choosing
Why should we risk losing?
All:
We are cool
To the right, ever to the right
Never to the left, forever to the right
We have gold, a market that will hold
Tradition that is old, a reluctance to be bold.
Dickinson:
I sing hosanna, hosanna
In a sane and lucid manner
We are cool
All:
Come ye cool cool considerate men
The likes of which may never be seen again
With our land, cash in hand
Self-command, future planned
And we'll hold to our gold
Tradition that is old, reluctant to be bold.
We say this game's not of our choosing
Why should we risk losing?
We cool, cool, cool
Cool, cool, cool
Cool cool men.

The context from Scene 3

As the argument between the delegates grows more heated, Dickinson launches into a long tirade against Adams and his supporters, calling him an agitator and a madman. Adams lashes back by accusing Dickinson and his fellow conservative "cool, considerate men" of hanging to the rear of every issue to see who will triumph; this results in a physical fight breaking out. Caesar Rodney of Delaware separates the two and berates them for not focusing on the real enemy: England. He collapses from the overexertion; he has cancer. Colonel McKean offers to take him back home. This leaves the Delaware delegation with only one man present, George Read, and he is not in favor of independence. Rutledge, seeing the majority swinging in his favor, moves for a vote on the question of independence. Franklin seeks to stall the motion, and asks that the resolution be read aloud again. As Thomson is reading it, the new New Jersey delegation arrives, led by Rev. John Witherspoon. He informs the Congress that they have been instructed to vote in favor of independence. The vote is now six for independence and six against (with New York's usual "courteous" abstention), and Adams reminds Hancock of his duty as President to break all ties. Seeing that the resolution might pass, Dickinson moves that any vote for independence must pass unanimously on the grounds that "no colony [may] be torn from its mother country without its own consent." His motion is seconded by Read, and the vote produces the same tie, which Hancock breaks by voting for unanimity. His reasoning is that without consent of all the colonies, any of them voting against independence would likely be forced to fight on England's side, and that the new nation would "carry as its emblem the mark of Cain."

Episode 2: Independence: Part 1

2008-03-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

Tomahawk And The American Revolution, Part 2

2008-03-21T22:26:00.001-07:00

The story is entitled "Adventure in New York"

Tomahawk And The American Revolution, Part 1

2008-03-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

In looking for reprints of Tomahawk Comics, which I thought would be a good resource to compliment the John Adams' HBO series, I went to Forbidden Planet on Broadway and 13th Street. No such thing, but one of the clerks told me that a store called the Time Machine on 14th Street and 8th Avenue (Roger''s Time Machine
207 W 14th St Second Floor, (212) 691-0380) might have old copies at a reasonable price. Well, what a find that store was. As one reviewer writes, "It's not a place to bring a date," not because it's seedy, but it's a bit on the worn side. Lots of comics in bins, all conditions, all prices. The owner, I think named Roger, was very menschy and when I told him I wasn't a collector, but a teacher, he steered me to a couple of amazingly inexpensive comics that fit the bill. One was a Superman Bicentennial Issue (large format) that had several Tomahawk, American Revolution themed stories. I scanned the first story and cropped it to fit the Google Video player and added some music from the Patriot (forgive me Mel Gibson haters). Here's part one:
from treasurycomics

Limited Collectors' Edition C47 - 1976
The most awesomest back cover ever--a history of the US presidents! I learned who the presidents were from this cover more than any history class. ...Oh, I guess I should mention the front cover and the insides, shouldn't I?
The front cover re-uses a classic Superman cover by Jack Burnley. That original appears in the new book Superman Cover to Cover as an example one of the finest Superman comic covers.
This book is a bit of a cheat--great front cover, but the insides are all reprints of DC's Tomahawk series. (and not even those cool Tomahawk issues by Frank Thorne with the Kubert/Adams' covers! *Yawn*)
Sorry, I don't mean malign the fine efforts of the writers and artists who crafted all those years of Tomahawk comics. Its just that, if you're gonna call the book Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, it's gotta be Superman doing the saluting.

Episode 1: Join Or Die: Part 3

2008-03-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

Episode 1: Join Or Die: Part 2

2008-03-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

Episode 1: Join Or Die: Part 1

2008-03-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Coloring Pages: Deborah Sampson And Molly Pitcher

2008-03-11T07:41:00.001-07:00

Paul Revere

2008-03-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Coloring Pages: Boston Tea Party And Paul Revere's Ride

2008-03-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

Tomahawk Comics 2

2008-03-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

Some of these story ideas from these comics are wildly imaginative. I'd turn over some of these ideas to kids and let them try to pen their own stories and/or dialogue
The slide show displays some Tomahawk panel images I found. I tried to boost the resolution so they could be visible in the small video viewer. Again, I used a Last Of The Mohican song as a soundtrack. Some info about Tomahawk comics from comic book resources, author Scott Shaw

Title: Tomahawk
Issue: No. 90
Date: Jan. – Feb., 1964
Publisher: National Periodical Publications, Inc. (DC Comics)
Cover Artist(s): Bob Brown

Wow! If the Revolutionary War was even half as weirdly nutty as this cover depicts, I would have paid more attention during my high school American History classes!

TOMAHAWK’s first issue is date Sept. – Oct., 1950. It introduced Tomahawk, a raccoon-hat-and-buckskin-wearing frontiersman/scout and his young sidekick Dan Hunter. Initially, their stories were relatively realistic (for comic books, anyway) in which they battled Native American Indians and the British Redcoats during the Revolutionary War. (And check out that cool logo that’s shaped like a tomahawk!) But by the late 1950s, as the nation-wide fad built on Walt Disney’s “Davy Crockett” (one that at least partially fueled the comic’s success) began to fade, TOMAHAWK began to feature more and more fantasy elements, including dinosaurs, gorillas, cavemen, aliens, super-villains -- and, as this issue attests -- monsters! (Okay, it turns out to be a dinosaur –a really, really goofy-looking dinosaur -- but based on this cover, it could turn out to be just about anything that’s green and scaly!)

This issue’s 17-page cover story, “The Prisoner In The Pit”, Part 1, was written by France Herron and drawn by Fred Ray. It begins when the British steal a statue that was erected to honor one of Tomahawk’s rangers. “We’ll not only destroy it – we’ll melt it into gun-shot to fire back at the Yankees!” Tomahawk and his men vow to return the statue to its rightful owners. Later, while on their recovery mission, the Rangers find themselves pinned down by British cannon-fire. The team’s strongman, Big Anvil, single-handedly takes out a cannon, but in the process, causes an avalanche that blasts away a cliff-face, revealing a barred pit, one that contains a scaly “something”. The creature grabs the unconscious Big Anvil right through the bars of its prison, dragging him inside. Tomahawk and his Rangers follow, discovering that the barred chamber is connected to corridors of an ancient castle. There, they discover reptilian footprints, ranging from human-sized to monstrous, as well as wall paintings depicting Vikings! Tomahawk and his crew continue their search for Big Anvil, but that night, a huge, green dinosaur (somewhat resembling an Allosaurus with a big fin on top of its skull) attacks a nearby settlement. The Rangers show up, noticing that the critter seems to be afraid of fire. (Kinda disappointing, huh?) But while rescuing some locals, the “prisoner from the pit” grabs and holds helpless Tomahawk in one of its monstrous claws! In Part 2 of this story, “Secret Of The Thousand-Year Threat”, Dan Hunter tosses Tomahawk a fiery torch, which he uses to force the fin-headed dinosaur to let him go. The Rangers use more torches to drive the beast out of town, but as the sun rises and they attempt to track the marauding critter, they’re ambushed by a combination of British troops and Native American Indian warriors! Using the beast’s sunken footprints as makeshift foxholes, the Rangers evade their enemy’s bullets and arrows. Meanwhile, the commotion attracts the dinosaur’s attention and it soon puts the Ranger’s attackers to rout. Then it heads for a waterfall, through which it (and the tracking Rangers) passes, into a great cavern filled with the skeletal remains of similar time-lost reptiles – but still no sign of Big Anvil! As the beast turns its attention to its human pursuers, Tomahawk and company seek safety within the rib cage of one of the cavern’s deceased inhabitants. But their monstrous foe rolls their hiding place down a hill, shattering it! Before it can chow down on its buck-skinned brunch, it’s called off its master, one with a familiar voice – Big Anvil! It turns out that the critter grabbed the big lug because he was a dead ringer for it’s former master, one of the Vikings depicted on the walls of the castle’s corridors.

TOMAHAWK:
Your story explains many things! The beasts were SMALL when the Vikings captured them from a sorcerer’s castle – shown in the paintings! That’s why we saw LITTLE tracks – that were old…VERY old…They date back to the Viking raids of a THOUSAND YEARS AGO! The Vikings brought them here – built the castle, and kept their “pets” in the dungeons below! And when the Vikings didn’t return from a last voyage, the beasts were left to roam through the corridors – while the centuries slowly buried the castle…BUT…as they reached the end of their life span – which must be 1,000 years – they stalked here – to this graveyard – and died! This one is the LAST – and he, too, came here to die!

The Rangers return to their original mission, to recover that stolen statue. But when Tomahawk’s squad enters the enemy camp, a sentry immediately spots them. Fortunately, the beast has followed them, and after it sends the enemy packing, grabs the statue and returns to its graveyard, lying down to expire with the figure clasped to its reptilian chest.

TOMAHAWK:
THERE’S the reason! You know, the man who represented us Rangers on that statue was BIG ANVIL! The beast saw it -- and thought it WAS HIM, DEAD! So it brought it here – to die with its master!

BIG ANVIL:
We got our statue back – but I lost…a friend!

This issue also features the back-up story, “Booby-Trap Town”, also written by France Herron and drawn by Fred Ray (here’s its cool splash-panel), in which Tomahawk and Dan Hunter fall into “Star-Crater Swamp” and are shrunken to the miniature size of THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957)! To lighten things up a bit, there’s also a one-page “Chief Hot Foot” gag by cartoonist Henry Boltinoff in this funnybook. And this issue even sports a back-cover ad for Gilbert’s “Auto-Rama”, featuring artwork by the late, great Kurt Schaffenberger!

ODDBALL Factoid –TOMAHAWK No. 90 must have been a best-seller for DC, because only slightly over one year later, TOMAHAWK No. 104 would features a nearly identical cover (also drawn by Bob Brown), illustrating the 16-page story “The Fearful Freak Of Dunham’s Dungeon!” (which was again drawn by Fred Ray!) Note how the dungeon-monster’s eyes are bigger (and now bloodshot), its arm is grislier-looking, and Tomahawk and the Rangers’ reactions are more extreme…it’s as it editor Murray Boltinoff held up TOMAHAWK No. 90 to Bob Brown and said, “See this? Draw it all over again…only more so!” (If anything, this issue’s monster is even sillier – and here’s an image of it from this comic’s interior to prove it!)

Tomahawk Comics 1

2008-03-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

In looking for Revolutionary War graphic materials I stumbled upon Tomahawk comics.
The slide show displays some cover images I found. I used a Last Of The Mohican song as a soundtrack. Some info about Tomahawk comics from comic book resources

Tomahawk is a comic book character whose adventures were published by DC Comics during the 1950's and 1960's in his own comics series. His uniqueness stems in part from the time frame of his fictional adventures: the American Revolutionary War. Known as either Tom Hawk or Thomas Haukins, depending on which of two versions of his published history the reader prefers, "Tomahawk" was a soldier who served under George Washington in the warfare between the British, French and Iroquois forces during the decades prior to the American Revolutionary War and acquired his nickname due to its resemblance to a trademark weapon of the Iroquois Confederacy's warriors, and to the skill he developed with that weapon. He subsequently achieved further fame as one of Washington's most capable operatives during the Revolution itself, leading a band of soldiers under the informal nickname of "Tomahawk's Rangers". His series lasted 140 issues, from 1950 to 1970. The last 10 issues focused on "Hawk, Son of Tomahawk", and the cover title said "Son of Tomahawk". In addition he appeared in Star Spangled Comics from issue 69 in June 1947 to 130 July 1952 and in World's Finest Comics from issue 33 in March 1948 until issue 101 in May 1959. The character was created by writer Joe Samachson and artist Edmund Good, but his most famous portrayers were Ed France Herron and Fred Ray. In issues 35 and 36, Tomahawk met a young Davy Crockett, who was very popular at the time. This is a historical error, as Crockett was not born until after the Revolutionary War.
Issue 81 was also notable, introducing Miss Liberty, one of the earliest patriotic superheroes by the vague internal chronology of the DC universe, who would make several more appearances in the series. In the Time Masters mini-series, it is established that Tomahawk's associate Dan Hunter is actually Rip Hunter's brother who travels back in time to stop the Illuminati during the Revolutionary War, deciding to stay in the past.
In 1998, Tomahawk appeared in a 'Vertigo Visions' one-shot, written by Rachel Pollack. this issue retold his origin.
Issue #587 of 1113
Title: Tomahawk
Issue: No. 81
Date: July – August, 1962
Publisher: National Periodical Publications, Inc. (DC Comics)
Cover Artist(s): Bob Brown
Before Captain America, before The Shield, even before Union Jack, there was Lady Liberty, the costumed “frontier heroine” of the Revolutionary War! But I’ve gotta admit that I’m somewhat relieved that the cover-copy of this issue of TOMAHAWK makes it clear that the objects Miss Liberty is tossing are “fused power horns”. At first glance, they look more like explosive, uh, sex toys!
This issue’s 9-page cover-story, “Miss Liberty – Frontier Heroine”, was written by France Herron and drawn by Fred Ray. It begins (as seen on this comic’s cover) Tomahawk and Dan are ambushed and captured by the British “lobsterbacks” and their Native American Indian allies. But Tomahawk’s captors are surprised when they’re interrupted by Miss Liberty, a red-white-and-blue costumed “frontier heroine” who hurls explosive powder horns to disperse their troops (which turn out to be nothing more than harmless firecrackers.)
DAN HUNTER (whispering):
Golly, it’s enough to make my eyes water, TOMAHAWK…a woman patriot risking her heck for us!
TOMAHAWK (whispering):
Yes, lad – and perhaps, one day, we can repay the costumed lady!
Fleeing, Miss Liberty diverts the Redcoats’ attention from Tomahawk, while he and Dan Hunter proceed on to Newtown, where they confer with Mr. Barnaby, an apothecary owner, regarding a shipment of Yankee munitions that the British are out to confiscate. While there, they meet nurse Beth Lynn, who’s secretly Miss Liberty, the leader of the “Women’s Underground”! Time and time again, the frontier heroine and her female forces aid Tomahawk against the “lobsterbacks” in various cleverly non-combative ways (such as setting fire to a haystack to create a smokescreen, or spilling a butter-churn’s contents to cause the Redcoats’ horses to slip off a bridge!) Later, Tomahawk thanks and congratulates his new ally:
TOMAHAWK:
You’ve done an amazing job organizing this Women’s Underground, MISS LIBERTY! But why the necessity of a disguise?
LADY LIBERTY:
I have no choice, TOMAHAWK! My brother is being held captive in England! If my true identity were known, they would take their revenge out on him!

Finally, the British confiscate the local ferry of Wilk’s Landing, making it impossible for druggist Barnaby to transport the munitions to the American troops. To make matters ever worse, the Redcoats issue a rather harsh edict to eliminate any further resistance from the Yankees:
PROCLAMATION:
Hear ye! A warning to any village that harbors the fugitives Tomahawk or Dan Hunter! The township will be razed to the ground and people banished from the territory!

But Tomahawk and Miss Liberty concoct a plan together. Tomahawk and Dan allow themselves to be spotted in town by British patrols, and sure enough, the Redcoats force the locals to evacuate Wilk’s Landing before it is set fire and destroyed. However, the villagers are allowed to take their personal possessions with them, a situation they counted on:

TOMAHAWK:
There it be, sir…hollowed candles and broomsticks, containing lead ball and long rifle barrels…sacks of “grain “ holding powder! An arsenal for the army!

CONTINENTAL OFFICER:
Great thunder! These people sacrificed their village to smuggle the supplies to us! It…almost seems impossible!

TOMAHAWK:
It would have been…had we not had MISS LIBERTY’S help! You know, Dan – there’s only ONE woman who could have possibly known our plans…

DAN HUNTER:
Nurse Bess Lynn…when she entered the apothecary’s shop! But there’s no proof, TOMAHAWK…and frankly, I like it better this way!

This issue of TOMAHAWK also includes the following stories and features:

* “The Strange Omens Of The Indian Seer”, drawn by Fred Ray (While dealing with Jacob Bragg, a white man who’s inciting local Indians to turn renegade, Tomahawk learns of Smoke Reader, a medicine man who can apparently predict the future. Despite Bragg’s precautions, Tomahawk makes good use of cooperative Smoke Reader’s omens to stop the troublemaker.)

* “Tomahawk’s Frontier Valet”, drawn by Fred Ray (When Tomahawk and Dan Hunter’s friend Lord Boswell disappears on an adventure in “some uncivilized area in the world”, his last will and testament bequeaths his stodgy valet, Reeves, to the buck-skinned frontiersmen! But when one of Reeves’ blunders causes them to be captured by a local tribe of Indians, Tomahawk and Dan discover they’re holding Lord Boswell – apparently the victim of amnesia -- as a prisoner! Tomahawk rescues Boswell and restores his memory in the process, then reunites Reeves with his lost master!)

* Two gag-strips (one half-page and one full page) starring “Chief Hot Foot” by cartoonist Henry Boltinoff.

ODDBALL Factoid – During the late 1960s, in an attempt to relate better to a supposedly “hipper” audience, TOMAHAWK changed its title to SON OF TOMAHAWK, starting with its 131st issue!

Abigail Adams: Letters 1

2008-03-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

from the John Adams PBS site. I combined the audio with the text and added images

Abigail tells John about a frightening dysentery epidemic afflicting Braintree. Their son Tommy, John's brother Elihu, and Abigail's mother all fell ill; of the three, only Tommy survived.
A Mortal Time (0:11)
September 8, 1775
Such is the distress of the neighborhood that I can scarcely find a well person to assist me in looking after the sick. So mortal a time the oldest man does not remember.
Abigail describes the state of her household during the dysentery epidemic.
Putrefaction (0:08)
September 17, 1775
A general putrefaction seems to have taken place, and we cannot bear the house only as we are constantly cleansing it with hot vinegar.
Abigail updates her husband on their Braintree farm. John is in New York, serving as George Washington's vice president.
No Grass This Year (0:09)
May 5, 1789
Dearest Friend, I procured a load of salt hay for the stock, but the hill is trod down so hard by the cattle that it will provide no grass this year...

Thom Hartmann And The Founding Fathers

2008-03-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

a foratv clip from one of the nation's best radio personalities and accomplished thinker and writer on progressive causes. Thom's web site
from the web site for his book we the people

America faces its greatest threat since the Civil War. The worst fears of the Founders are being realized, as powerful corporate interests have taken over our culture and representative government. We the People now face a fundamental choice: take back our country ... or do nothing, and become victims of tyranny and empire. In We the People: A Call to Take Back America, Thom Hartmann (the acclaimed author of Unequal Protection and The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight) tells a compelling story — of how a government of, by, and for the people has been replaced by corporate domination. Through brilliant analysis and Neil Cohn ‘s imaginative illustrations, this fully graphic book illuminates the central dynamics of American politics. He reveals the forgotten history of the Founders’ intent and the devious way that corporations came to possess “human” rights. He explains what the Boston Tea Party actually was, how the events of the 19th century’s “Second American Revolution” resemble today’s administration, and how “corporatists” disguised as conservatives are looting assets from We the People’s common ownership through privatization schemes. Most importantly, the book issues a call to action from citizens who want to restore true democracy, and liberty and justice... for all.

Learn Well Graphics

2008-03-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

While looking around for graphically appealing material to study the John Adams' era I came upon this program's site
Here's a review from the graphicclassroom blog

IN THE CLASSROOM
Unlike many comics, this entire series by Learn Well Graphics is intended and designed to be used in the classroom. Mixing technology with comic books, Keaton writes an overview of the American Revolution that could easily be incorporated into an existing class. This series is a perfect addition to a lesson or unit on the American Revolution. What makes this so exceptional and sets it apart from other comics or graphic novels, is not just the electronic rendering of the comic on CD, but the interactive nature of the CD version of the booklet. Children will respond to the movement of the panels and the voiceovers that can read all of the text, in theatrical ways. This is brilliant on the part of the creators and is essential in an inclusive classroom. Students with disabilities and those with lower reading abilities will be engaged and can read along while the narrator reads the text. Students who are gifted or those who are especially interested in history can also use the additional resources to learn more about the American Revolution. This approach makes better use of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences when compared to traditional lecture. Periodically, when using the CD-based comic, the narration ends and a short quiz will pop up to assess the learning. A teacher can choose to stop there for the day or continue on, based on the results of the assessment.
As for a technology-based classroom, there is no better way to teach history than through this medium. The information can be studied in several ways: one-on-one, small groups or as a classroom. Students can read through the booklet alone or in groups of two, or students could utilize technology and study the subject at a single computer in groups of two or more. The teacher could also choose to project the comic on the CD onto a screen and teach the entire class at one time. This opens a lot of doors for a teacher to work with a classroom that may have many students at many different levels.

1776: The Great Debate

2008-03-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Hancock calls for debate on the resolution, and Dickinson, for the 24th time, moves to indefinitely postpone the question of independence. Read seconds the motion and the Congress votes on Dickinson's motion. The vote goes down the line: Bartlett, Adams and Lee immediately cast their votes for debating the issue of independence, soon joined by Roger Sherman of Connecticut and two-thirds of the Delaware delegation. Lewis Morris of New York abstains "courteously". Dickinson unequivocally votes against debate. Samuel Chase of Maryland states that he would welcome independence if it were given, but does not believe the war can be won, and thus votes nay. Rutledge explains that he feels no need for immediate action, and casts his vote for nay as well, immediately parroted (as usual) by Joseph Hewes of North Carolina. When Thomson calls for Dr. Hall's vote, Hall explains that though he is personally for independence, his legislature is against it, and thus is unsure how to vote. But he prefers to err on the side of his constituency and votes nay, leaving the deciding vote to Stephen Hopkins who is "visiting the necessary". He returns in time to vote in favor of debate, stating that he'd "never seen, heard, nor smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn't be talked about." For his trouble, he gets his rum privileges back.

The most vocal of the delegates state their positions: Dickinson is against revolt and rebellion, but in favor of petitioning King George on their grievances. Adams and Franklin argue that the colonists have not been granted the full rights of Englishmen and that it is too late for reconciliation — a year has passed since the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Rutledge, meanwhile, is worried that the rights of the individual states would be subsumed by a strong federation and Chase questions the likelihood of an American victory over the awesome might of England.

As the argument between the delegates grows more heated, Dickinson launches into a long tirade against Adams and his supporters, calling him an agitator and a madman. Adams lashes back by accusing Dickinson and his fellow conservative "cool, considerate men" of hanging to the rear of every issue to see who will triumph; this results in a physical fight breaking out. Caesar Rodney of Delaware separates the two and berates them for not focusing on the real enemy: England. He collapses from the overexertion; he has cancer. Colonel McKean offers to take him back home. This leaves the Delaware delegation with only one man present, George Read, and he is not in favor of independence. Rutledge, seeing the majority swinging in his favor, moves for a vote on the question of independence. Franklin seeks to stall the motion, and asks that the resolution be read aloud again. As Thomson is reading it, the new New Jersey delegation arrives, led by Rev. John Witherspoon. He informs the Congress that they have been instructed to vote in favor of independence. The vote is now six for independence and six against (with New York's usual "courteous" abstention), and Adams reminds Hancock of his duty as President to break all ties. Seeing that the resolution might pass, Dickinson moves that any vote for independence must pass unanimously on the grounds that "no colony [may] be torn from its mother country without its own consent." His motion is seconded by Read, and the vote produces the same tie, which Hancock breaks by voting for unanimity. His reasoning is that without consent of all the colonies, any of them voting against independence would likely be forced to fight on England's side, and that the new nation would "carry as its emblem the mark of Cain."

John Adams Read Aloud EBook1

2008-03-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

I bought both the McCullough book and the unabridged audio. I tediously matched some scans of the first few pages and edited the audio to match. I also added on a video I created from a slideshow of images from from the historic Adams' family home in Quincy

I see that the hottest thing now on amazon are the kindle reading device. It would be great if these could be made with audio matching like I did so it could be used as a reading aid for kids.

Dressed To Kill: Revolutionary War Uniforms

2008-03-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

from 8/20/06 from pseudo-intellectualism

I won't mention synchronicity any more, but remember Policewoman and Angie Dickinson just a few posts ago? Well, the 1980 movie "Dressed To Kill" has a memorable scene with Angie. A good site for Revolutionar War uniforms is draytonhall.org/online_exhibits/revwar_uniforms.htm#: "Notice the difference and variety of uniforms. These are just a few examples of the many regiments that fought on both sides. The majority of the regiments listed as 1780 fought in the Southern campaign in South Carolina. These paintings are courtesy of renowned military artist Don Troiani." I combined those images along with images from a manufacturer of historical era fashions (being an historical recreator entails big bucks) to make a slide show. The music comes from an excellent colonial midi source, (halcyondaysmusic.com/colonialmusic/) Dig this blurb from the site:".. a collection of fiddle tunes from the American Revolution period in MIDI music format. This collection features minuets, country dances, marches and airs, and song tunes from the personal notebook of a certain Captain George Bush, an officer in George Washington's army. There are 54 individual MIDI file renditions of these fiddle tunes for your listening pleasure. This collection of Colonial music comes from an actual book entitled "Fiddle Tunes From The American Revolution" which contains the actual sheet music of which these songs were transcribed from."

Showing The Way With Slide Shows

2008-03-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

from 8/28/06 from pseudo-intellectualism

I got started using slide shows as a way to introduce content in a condensed and appetizing ("forsphayze") and kid friendly way. It can also be an inspirationt for kids to do further research. Another way it could be used is as content matched with an all important assessment piece. This can be done by using the various interactive test making tools available
now online. Hot Potatoes is a free tool with lots of possibilities (from half-baked software), except I haven't quite figured out how to use it. What is easy and also free are the quiz making tools at discovery.com. Here I took a slide show about the American Revolution that I cribbed from kidsdiscover material and matched it to a multiple choice test. I constructed the test first. This test encompasses material from the first from the first 6 0r 7 slides as a word document template so I could copy and paste it into the online forms.
Postscript: I've noticed the test isn't numbered properly in Safari, but it is in Explorer

Save The Country, Save The Vista

2008-03-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

from 8/28/06 from pseudo-intellectualism

from savethevista.org: "This most significant historic Vista was dedicated on August 27, 1920, by the gift of the Irish-American businessman, Charles M. Higgins. Among those present at the dedication ceremony were New York Governor Alfred E. Smith and then Asst. Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt (elected Governor of the State of New York in 1928 and President of the United States in November 1932). The plaque at the base of the Minerva Monument reads as follows:“The Place Whereon Thou Standest is Holy Ground” Glory to the Memory of Our First National Heroes Who Fought and Fell on this Battle Ground to Win Our Liberty and Independence! Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom, Glory and Patriotism, Here Salutes The Goddess of Liberty and Enwreathes This Altar in Tribute to the Heroes of American Liberty and to the Wisdom of American Institutions. The Minerva Monument has stood atop Battle Hill, arm raised, saluting the Statue of Liberty across the harbor for 85 years. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has grown to stand for freedom and democracy as well as international friendship. It was the recognition of this friendship between France and the United States established during the American Revolution that was the basis of this gift by the people of France to the United States. This noble Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World is placed centrally in New York Harbor with its face turned toward Brooklyn where, at the other end of this historic Vista, the sanctifying Minerva Monument is strategically placed on Battle Hill in Green-Wood Cemetery. The Minerva Monument stands at the Altar to Liberty located on the highest hilltop of our first National battle-ground where our first National Heroes fought and fell for American Liberty and Independence. In our famous national shrine of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, on July 4, 1776, fifty-five of our leading patriots signed, in ink, the great Document which declared us to be a free and independent Nation, with sublime principles of Liberty and Humanity for all. The Minerva Monument is the memorial to the Battle of Brooklyn where hundreds of our young heroes signed this Declaration in their blood and were the first to lay down their lives for the New Nation.

Molasses To Rum

2008-03-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

from 1776, song by Edward Rutledge:

Molasses to rum to slaves, oh what a beautiful waltz
You dance with us, we dance with you
Molasses and rum and slaves
Who sails the ships out of Boston
Ladened with bibles and rum?
Who drinks a toast to the Ivory Coast?
Hail Africa, the slavers have come
New England with bibles and rum
And its off with the rum and the bibles
Take on the slaves, clink, clink
Hail and farewell to the smell
Of the African coast
Molasses to rum to slaves
'Tisn't morals, 'tis money that saves
Shall we dance to the sound of the profitable pound
In molasses and rum and slaves
Who sails the ships out of Guinea
Ladened with bibles and slaves?
'Tis Boston can coast to the West Indies coast
Jamaica, we brung what ye craves
Antigua, Barbados, we brung bibles and slaves!
Molasses to rum to slaves
Who sail the ships back to Boston
Ladened with gold, see it gleam
Whose fortunes are made in the triangle trade
Hail slavery, the New England dream!
Mr. Adams, I give you a toast:
Hail Boston! Hail Charleston!
Who stinketh the most?

The background

Hancock is about to call for a vote on the Declaration, when Rutledge rises to object to Jefferson's denunciation of slavery in his list of redresses. Rutledge defends slavery as a way of life in South Carolina, and reminds Jefferson that he, too, is a slaveholder. Jefferson announces that he has decided to free his slaves, and Rutledge accuses the northern colonies of hypocrisy: the northern shippers may not own slaves, but they get rich off of the trade of slaves. He reminds them that the process of Molasses to Rum to slaves is ensuring prosperity for the North. The delegations of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia angrily leave the chamber, mindful of the unanimity required to pass the resolution. The resolve of the remaining delegates is broken, and they also leave.

David McCullough Interview With Charlie Rose, 2

2008-03-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

David McCullough Interview With Charlie Rose, 1

2008-03-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

From 2002

An hour conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David McCullough about his biography of the second President of the ... all » United States John Adams. McCullough discusses his investigation into Adams' life and the extent to which the politician and intellectual revealed his political and personal life through letters and other writings.

The Adams' Family Tree

2008-03-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

John Adams Coloring Pages: Thomas Jefferson And John And Abigail Adams

2008-03-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

John And Abigail From 1776: Compliments

2008-03-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

Abigail:
Compliments of the Concord Ladies Coffee Club,
And the Sisterhood of the Truro Synagogue,
And the Friday Evening Baptist Sewing Circle,
And the Holy Christian Sisters of Saint Claire
All for you, John
I am as I ever was and ever shall be,
Yours, yours, yours!

John (speaking):
Abigail, what's in these kegs?

Abigail (singing):
Saltpeter, John!

John And Abigail From 1776: Yours, Yours, Yours

2008-03-07T16:56:00.000-08:00

Yours, Yours, Yours
Abigail:
I live like a nun in a cloister
Solitary, celibate, I hate it

Adams:
I live like a monk in an abbey
Ditto, ditto, I hate it

Abigail:
Write to me with sentimental effusion
Let me revel in romantic illusion

Adams:
Do you still smell of vanilla and spring air?
And is my favorite lover's pillar still firm and fair?

Abigail:
What was there, John, still is there, John
Come soon as you can to my cloister
I've forgotten the feel of your hand

Adams:
Madam we shall walk in Cupid's Grove together

Both:
And we'll fondly survey
That promised land

Till then, till then
I am as I ever was and ever was
And ever shall be
Yours, yours, yours, yours, yours

Abigail:
Saltpeter, John

John And Abigail From 1776: Piddle, Twiddle And Resolve

2008-03-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

Adams:

I do believe you've laid a curse on North America
A curse that we now here rehearse in Philadelphia
A second flood, a simple famine
Plagues of locusts everywhere
Or a cataclysmic earthquake
I'd accept with some despair
But, no, you sent us Congress.
Good God, sir, was that fair?
I say it with humility in Philadelphia
We're your responsibility in Philadephia
If you don't want to see us hanging
From some far-off British hill
If you don't want the voice of independency
Forever still
Then God, sir, get thee to it
For Congress never will
You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Not one damn thing do we solve
Piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Nothing's ever solved in
Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy
Philadephia!
They may sit here for years and years in Philadelphia.
These indecisive grenadiers of Philadelphia.
They can't agree on what is right and wrong
Or what is good or bad; I'm convinced
The only purpose this Congress ever had
Was to gather here specifically
To drive John Adams mad!

You see, we piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Not one damn thing do we solve
Piddle, twiddle, and resolve
Nothing's ever solved in
Foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy
Philadephia!
Congress:
Someone oughta open up a window!
Adams:
Oh good God!
Abigail:
John, John, is that you carrying on, John?

Just tell the Congress to declare independency
Then sign your name, get out of there and
Hurry home to me
Our children all have dysentery
Little Tom keeps turning blue
Little Abbey has the measles
And I'm coming down with flu
They say we may get smallpox
Adams:
Madam, what else is new?
Abigail:
There's one thing every woman's missed in
Massachusetts Bay
Don't smirk at me, you egotist; pay
Heed to what I say
We've gone from Framingham to Boston
And we cannot find a pin
"Don't you know there's a war on?"
Say the tradesmen with a grin
Well, we will not make saltpeter
Until you send us pins!
Both:
Till then, till then
I am as I ever was and ever shall be
Yours, yours, yours, yours, yours
Adams:
Saltpeter, John
Abigail:
Pins, Abigail
Congress:
For God's sake, John, sit down

Schoolhouse Rock: The Shot Heard Round The World

2008-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

John Adams: Midnight Judge Appointments

2008-03-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

Adams Going It Alone: The Presidents, An Independent Cast of Mind

2008-03-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

from the American Presidents Series. Description:

An Independent Cast of Mind: The first half of the episode focuses on America's occasional proclivity to elect a president who claims to be independent of partisan politics. As the program suggests through recounting the stories of John Adams, Taylor, Hayes and Carter, independence doesn't always lead to effectiveness. In fact no independent has ever been elected to a second term in office. The second half focuses on those presidents who can be considered "professional" politicians, beginning with Martin Van Buren and including James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon B. Johnson. This episode suggests that these presidents were somewhat limited in their ability to respond to crisis because in times of crisis, the people want a statesman, not a politician.

Adams And The French Part 2

2008-03-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

John Adams In Paris

2008-03-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

This comes from a PBS documentary ,Benjamin Franklin: The Chess Master
Description:

Congress sends Franklin to France in a desperate effort to secure an alliance with England's greatest rival. All of Franklin's considerable skills are called into play as he is carried into entanglements with Europe and the many complexities of designing a new constitution and persuading others to accept it. Over the course of most of a century, Franklin is a prime mover in shaping a new understanding of the relationships between man and God, man and nature, and man and government. But what of man and man?2002 PBS

Sit Down John

2008-03-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

from wikipedia

Although 1776 tells the story of what happened at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1776 leading up to the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, and it accurately portrays the serious personal and political issues at stake – frequently in the characters' own words, written by them at the time – it remains a musical comedy.
Scene One
May 8, 1776. Philadelphia. As the Second Continental Congress proceeds with its business, the weather becomes increasingly hot, humid, and unbearable. This leaves the delegates in no condition to hear from the despised Delegate from Massachusetts, John Adams, who charges into the chamber in a foul mood. Adams loudly remarks that he has come to the conclusion that "one useless man is a disgrace; that two are a law firm; and that three or more become a congress." None of his proposals on independence has even been given "the courtesy of open debate." The other delegates, sick of Adams' constant agitation, implore him to Sit Down, John. Adams complains that Congress has done nothing in the year and a half in which they've been convened but Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve. Angered at the latest debate regarding the merits of compensation regarding a dead mule, Adams flees the chamber and reads the latest missive from his loving wife Abigail, who, being in actuality far away at their home in Braintree, appears in his imagination. She urges him to take swift action with regards to independence so he may finish up his business and hurry home to her. He asks if she's complied in his request for the women of the area to make saltpeter for the war effort, and she responds by telling him that not only has he neglected to tell them how saltpeter is made, but that the women have no intention of doing so until they receive straight pins. Till Then, they pledge their love to each other and Abigail disappears. The delegates tell John Adams—again—to sit down, but instead he goes off in search of Dr. Benjamin Franklin.

The Vote

2008-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

from wikipedia, this segment is from scene 3

As the argument between the delegates grows more heated, Dickinson launches into a long tirade against Adams and his supporters, calling him an agitator and a madman. Adams lashes back by accusing Dickinson and his fellow conservative "cool, considerate men" of hanging to the rear of every issue to see who will triumph; this results in a physical fight breaking out. Caesar Rodney of Delaware separates the two and berates them for not focusing on the real enemy: England. He collapses from the overexertion; he has cancer. Colonel McKean offers to take him back home. This leaves the Delaware delegation with only one man present, George Read, and he is not in favor of independence. Rutledge, seeing the majority swinging in his favor, moves for a vote on the question of independence. Franklin seeks to stall the motion, and asks that the resolution be read aloud again. As Thomson is reading it, the new New Jersey delegation arrives, led by Rev. John Witherspoon. He informs the Congress that they have been instructed to vote in favor of independence. The vote is now six for independence and six against (with New York's usual "courteous" abstention), and Adams reminds Hancock of his duty as President to break all ties. Seeing that the resolution might pass, Dickinson moves that any vote for independence must pass unanimously on the grounds that "no colony [may] be torn from its mother country without its own consent." His motion is seconded by Read, and the vote produces the same tie, which Hancock breaks by voting for unanimity. His reasoning is that without consent of all the colonies, any of them voting against independence would likely be forced to fight on England's side, and that the new nation would "carry as its emblem the mark of Cain."

The vote for independence is called again, and Adams, knowing that the vote will not be unanimous, calls for a postponement (much to the irritation of Thomson, who has now made four unsuccessful attempts to call the vote). He expresses the need for time for composing of some sort of declaration defining the reasons for independence. Franklin seconds Adams, but when asked point-blank why such a declaration should be written and what its point would be, Adams and Franklin are lost for words. Suddenly, a voice proclaims the reason: "to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent" — Thomas Jefferson has come to the rescue. The vote on postponement is called, producing yet another tie, with New York abstaining again (Morris explains that his delegation has never gotten any instructions on anything from the New York legislature because "they speak very fast and very loud and nobody listens to anybody else with the result that nothing ever gets done."). Hancock breaks the tie by voting in favor of postponement, choosing a committee of Adams, Franklin, Lee, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert Livingston of New York to draft the declaration. Hancock announces that it must be written, debated, and passed by the beginning of July — a mere three weeks away. Lee declines to serve on the declaration committee, having been elected Governor of Virginia, and Adams immediately suggests that Jefferson take Lee's place on the committee. Hancock agrees, almost as an afterthought, and adjourns the session over Jefferson's complaints that he must go home to his wife.

The Committee of Five argues about who should bear the responsibility for writing the declaration (But, Mr. Adams). Franklin suggests that Adams write it, but he declines, reminding Franklin that he is "obnoxious and disliked" and that anything he writes is bound to be rejected by the other delegates. Adams in turn suggests Franklin, as an accomplished writer, but Franklin argues that he is not a political writer, only a satirist. Adams turns to Sherman who claims that he's not a writer at all, but "a simple cobbler from Connecticut." Livingston is next to decline, as he must return to New York to celebrate the birth of his son. All eyes turn to Jefferson; Adams praises his writing and quotes a passage of Jefferson's Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, bluntly telling Jefferson that he is the best writer in Congress. Jefferson still tries to wriggle out of the responsibility, pleading that he has not seen his wife in six months, and begs to be let out of the task of composing the declaration. Adams, however, is unmoved by Jefferson's arguments, as Adams also misses his own wife but he understands the need at the moment to serve the colonies, and thrusts a quill pen into Jefferson's hand. Jefferson, defeated, accepts the duty of drafting the document, though not before lambasting Adams on his way out.

Liberty Kids: Intolerable Acts 2

2008-03-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

Liberty Kids: Intolerable Acts 1

2008-03-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

from tv.com

Moses, James, Sarah and Henri hide at poet Phillis Wheatley's house in Boston, where some of His Majesty's soldiers are being quartered. Hearing Phillis Wheatley's story, Sarah is confronted with the horror of slavery for the first time. Later, though Sarah does not agree with her new friends' thoughts about Mother England, she helps them in a time of trouble.
Charles Shaughnessy (King Gerorge III), Walter Cronkite (Dr. Benjamin Franklin), Kathleen Barr (Henri Richard Maurice Dutoit LeFebrve), Reo Jones (Sarah Philips), D. Kevin Williams (Moses)

Quotes
Phillis Wheatley: They say it's because of the Tea Party. I heard Lt. Brampton tell Master Wheatley, if Boston's going to cause trouble, Boston's going to pay the piper.
Sarah: That only makes sense...
James: Whose side are you on?
Sarah: I didn't know there were sides. We're all the King's subjects.
James: Maybe you're a subject, but I'm a citizen. I have rights! (edit)
British Soldier: 'Tis you who could use the soap and water... In that smart mouth of yours!
James: You're absolutely right. You'll have to forgive my manners, I'm an orphan. I was raised on the streets and sometimes forget my place. (edit)
Wedderburn: You have no honor, sir! You are a scoundrel, sir! Have you nothing to say for yourself?
Benjamin Franklin: The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.
Wedderburn: Ahhhh! The famous Franklin wit! Perhaps I need to remind you, a rope is the proper reward for treason? (edit)
James: How many are there now?
Henri: Too many! There mustn't be a soldier left in England!
James: How many do you see, Henri?
Henri: Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq...
James: English, Henri, not French!
Henri: I'm counting the English! (edit)

HISTORICAL CONTENT: The British Parliament passes the “Intolerable Acts,” including allowing British soldiers to take over a colonists home without their permission. In England, Ben Franklin faces charges of treason and gives one of the greatest speeches ever!

Episode 1: Join Or Die

2008-03-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

A Visit To The Colonial Dame House

2008-03-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

A slide show I made in 4/00 for a third grade class visit to this little known museum in Manhattan. Here's a site that has more information
It's located at 421 East 61st Street New York, NY 10065 212 838-6878
It's known as the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden and is maintained by the The Colonial Dames of America

Discover one of the seven oldest buildings in Manhattan and one of New York City’s hidden treasures! Step back in time and take a guided tour through our eight fully furnished period rooms and our beautiful garden or join us for one of our unique public programs. Constructed in 1799 as a carriage house and converted into a hotel in 1826, the Museum transports the visitor back to the Mount Vernon Hotel, a country escape for New Yorkers living in the crowded city at the southern tip of Manhattan.
“Well, I’d passed it a hundred times it seems before I ever went in. A small little stone house with a cute front porch and flowers lining the walk; I always figured it was a private home. Luckily for New York, it isn’t. The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, formerly known as the Abigail Adams Smith Museum, is one of the nicest treasures I’ve ever come across in all my years in the city. The whole house is a reinterpretation of the Mount Vernon Hotel, which operated in this building back in the 1820s and 30s. As you learn on the tour, lots of fashionable people stopped by, ate turtle soup and swam in the East River for fun and refreshment. (Now you know it’s old)! The rooms are beautiful, the docents friendly and the garden is heavenly. And it’s odd to think that when the Hotel was operating, 14th Street was the top of the city and the hotel was 4 miles out and hidden in the country. Now, it’s still hidden and it’s only 3 blocks from Bloomingdale’s. That’s New York for you.”
From “City Secrets: New York City”

Shattered Romanticism

2008-03-06T04:07:00.000-08:00

From episode two. From the hbo site

Shh! We're Writing The Constitution

2008-03-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

from the amazon review of the book version

Grade 2-5 An informative, interesting, and immensely readable account of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Aimed at the same audience as Fritz' well-known series on Revolutionary heroes (Coward), this is every bit as good as those acclaimed titles, although younger children might need to have some terms clarified. Neatly woven into the discussion of what the framers were doing and how they did it are some wonderfully gossippy tidbits that are sure to catch young readers' imagination and make it all come alive for them. The text of the Constitution is included, as well as several pages of notes that expand upon some of the points that the main text touches upon. DePaola's choice of what to illustrate is excellent, as he has selected situations that have great child appeal. His illustrations, many of which are in color, add a further touch of good humor to the proceedings, particularly the sourpuss expressions on some of the founding fathers. This is superior to Marilyn Prolman's Story of the Constitution (Childrens, 1969), which is for the same age group. It is similar in style to Henry Steele Commager's The Great Constitution (Bobbs-Merrill, 1961), which is for an older audience. Fritz' ability to simplify without condescending makes this an excellent choice for introducing young readers to the complexities of the constitution. Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Lib . , Randolph, Mass.

Lot's of resources for this book
a webquest
puzzles, writing prompts, word walls (some free, some by subscription)

Thomas Jefferson: Character Biography From HBO

2008-03-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Franklin: Character Biography From HBO

2008-03-05T18:53:00.001-08:00

Shay's Rebellion

2008-03-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

a cartoon version of Shay's Rebellion done by the cartoonist Stan Mack that I converted into a slide show
from a blog entry of 8/19/05 from pseudo-intellectualism

Stan Mack, the cartoonist of Village Voice fame, also wrote a relatively unknown cartoon book about the Revolutionary War and its aftermath. Here's a review: "Longtime Village Voice cartoonist Mack has taken his talent for rendering the frenzied variety of life in New York City and produced a cheerful and informative history of the American Revolution. Delightfully illustrated in his distinctive minimalist cartoon style, Mack's first original book-length effort puts the "real life" back into our revolutionary roots, providing capsule portraits of the prominent activists of the time, along with their many idiosyncrasies, comic flaws and strategic bungling. He provides amusing sketches of early anti-British activists like James Otis and Sam Adams, notes the nature of the Enlightenment and New England Puritanism and outlines the many hated tax laws that preceded the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War. Just as important, he depicts the ongoing clashes between the colonial aristocracy, new merchant classes, urban laborers and farmers over the country's developing economy. He also profiles the important but restricted roles of African slaves and freemen and women in the war, as well as the formidable presence of Native American nations. Ending with the ratification of the Constitution, Mack celebrates the document while pointing to its flaws-the continuance of slavery, destruction of native cultures and lack of rights for women and whites without property.

Constitution Day: September 17th: Declaration Of Independence Pt 2

2008-03-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

from 9/10/05 from pseudo-intellectualism

In this next segment of the film about the Declaration of Independence the actors read aloud excerpts. See part one here
I created a word template that has thumbnail images of 4 of the actors and the block of text they read. The students have to cut and paste the appropriate text segments into text boxes that accompany the thumbnail images.

Constitution Day: September 17th, "I'm Just A Bill'

2008-03-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

from 9/10/05 pseudo-intellectualism

Part of the Schoolhouse Rock collection. The vocal is by the famous drummer Grady Tate. We have two links here: Here is the video. (7.2MB) Next we have the full lyrics as a word document
I'm just a bill. Yes, I'm only a bill. And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill. Well, it's a long, long journey To the capital city. It's a long, long wait While I'm sitting in committee, But I know I'll be a law someday At least I hope and pray that I will, But today I am still just a bill......"I got your bill right here fella"

Winter Of The Red Snow, Part 2

2008-03-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Winter Of The Red Snow, Part 1

2008-03-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

amazon description of the book version

The hardships of the Revolutionary Army at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78 have become symbolic of patriotism and perseverance. This novel recounts the experience through the eyes of 11-year-old Abby Stewart, whose family lives near the encampment. Abby's childlike yet perceptive diary records her varying emotions toward the soldiers?curiosity, pity, anger, revulsion, enthusiasm?as she observes and interacts with them. Although Gregory's overall tone is positive, she doesn't neglect the downside of army life (disease, desertion, thievery) or the horrors of war. Daily events?chores (especially cooking and laundry), amusements, trials, worries, family interactions?are smoothly woven into the story. The Winter of Red Snow gives readers an interesting and realistic look at the Revolutionary War. However, the quaint language ("I could speak not") is awkward. A two-page epilogue fills readers in on these fictional characters' fates, and a lengthy historical note provides documentation on life in 18th-century America.?Ann W. Moore, Guilderland Public Library, NY

John And Abigail Adams Timeline 1

2008-03-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

The timeline is from the John and Abigail Adams American Experience PBS site I supplemented it with more images and added music from a colonial fiddle music site

A collection of fiddle tunes from the American Revolution period in MIDI music format. This collection features minuets, country dances, marches and airs, and song tunes from the personal notebook of a certain Captain George Bush, an officer in George Washington's army. Below are 54 individual MIDI file renditions of these fiddle tunes for your listening pleasure. This collection of Colonial music comes from an actual book entitled "Fiddle Tunes From The American Revolution" which contains the actual sheet music of which these songs were transcribed from. If you are interested in obtaining this book, please be sure to visit "The Colonial Dancing Master" Web Site. If you should have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me. Enjoy the old time fiddle music!

for this slide show I used Congress Minuet and a country dance called Successful Campaign

John Adams: Liberty Kids: Bostonians, Part 2

2008-03-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

David McCullough Interview: 7/4/02

2008-03-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

the transcript from a 7/4/02 pbs news hour broadcast

GWEN IFILL: The book is "John Adams," the author is Pulitzer Prize winning biography and historian David McCullough. Relying on thousands of pages of letters and reminiscence, he tells the story of the birth of America through the eyes of its often misunderstood second president, the revolutionary diplomat and political leader, John Adams. Welcome.
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Thank you.
Retelling Mr. Adams' story
GWEN IFILL: So what made you decide to retell John Adams' story?
DAVID McCULLOUGH: I began thinking I would do a book of the intertwining lives of Jefferson and Adams, who is I know you know died on the same day. And not just any day, but their day of days, the 4th of July in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And my initial concern was that Jefferson with his fame and his aura and his glamour would outshine, outbalance, overbalance, stout short John Adams, who has been in the shadows of the two tall Virginians -- Washington and Jefferson -- all these years.
But I very quickly realized that the pull for here was John Adams, because to me he was a far more compelling subject, a more, a more fascinating story because of the letters you just mentioned. They really take us into his life and we can know him and his wife, Abigail, which is very important, better than we can know almost anybody of that whole time.
GWEN IFILL: Was he popularly in history books misunderstood?
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Yes, I think he has been, not so much misunderstood as just forgotten, neglected, which doesn't reflect well on us, because there were very few in our history who have served more diligently or have accomplished as much.
Except for George Washington, he really had more to do with winning independence and with the establishment of the system of government we have than anyone at the time. It wasn't just that he was involved with the Revolution, he was involved with the Revolution and that very difficult and dangerous period really in the first 12 years of the country. And he's a great story. He travels farther than anybody in the service of the country. He's involved with the Revolution as early as 1765, ten years before Lexington and Concord.
DAVID McCULLOUGH: He wrote the oldest existing Constitution in the world, written Constitution in the world today, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was, as you said, a diplomat. He was the first president to father a president. And he married Abigail Adams, which was no small accomplishment, because she, in my view, and the view of many, is as interesting and as impressive a person from that period, as any from that period.
GWEN IFILL: In fact this book wouldn't have been written if it had not been for their exchange of letters?
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Well, she was part of the draw for me. Here was the chance to tell the story of a genuine love affair. A genuine true love affair, maybe as well documented as any in history. I remember once that Ann Merrill Lindbergh when I was doing a piece for PBS years ago, for the Smithsonian World Series, told me that true love isn't just gazing at each other; it's also looking out together in the same direction, and if ever there was an example of that, it's John and Abigail Adams.
GWEN IFILL: But a far more intriguing and complicated and prickly relationship John Adams had with Thomas Jefferson, as you alluded to, and to Benjamin Franklin as well. That was very intriguing to me.
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Well, he was often a difficult man to get along with, he could be abrasive, opinionated, vain. He was grumpy much of the time.
GWEN IFILL: And Jefferson could be duplicitous?
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Yes. And Adams, but also Adams was very warm hearted, affectionate, adored his friends, loved life, right up until his final days, he lived longer than any president in our history. And at the end he's lost everything, he's lost his wife, he's lost some of his children and some of his grandchildren, he's lost his teeth, his hair. But there's still that burning fire of love of life right to the very last week.
GWEN IFILL: He and Jefferson, as you mentioned, died on the same day, they were as close as friends could be at some points in their lives and great enemies at others. I'd like to refer to a portion of the book where Jefferson and Adams had been traveling together through England when Adams was stationed in London and this is where -- Jefferson's take on John Adams.
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Yeah, he's come back to Paris after several weeks with Adams and they've gone off on this very interesting historically unimportant but very interesting tour of the English Gardens together. And Madison, who is back here in the United States, doesn't much care for Adams, he's never met Adams or had any real dealings with him, but doesn't care for him. So Jefferson is writing to Adams saying, "you know the opinion I formerly entertained of my friend Mr. Adams, yourself and the governor were the first who shook that opinion. I" -- in other words I liked him at first, but you've persuaded me that he wasn't somebody I should like.
David McCullough"I afterwards saw proofs, which convicted him of a degree of vanity and of blindness to it of which no germ had appeared in Congress. A seven months intimacy with him here, in Paris, and as many weeks in London have given me opportunities of studying him closely. He is vain, irritable, and a bad calculator of the force and probable effect of the motives which govern men. This is all the ill which can be said of him. He is as disinterested as the being which made him. Now to be disinterested, to be impartial was considered in the 18th century one of the great attributes. He is profound in his views and accurate in his judgments except where knowledge of the world is necessary to form a judgment. He is so amiable that I pronounce you will love him if ever you become acquainted with him." And I think that's a very apt selection, because he's saying that with all his faults he is loveable.
Not a country of equals?
GWEN IFILL: You also write several times in this book, you refer to the fact that he and Abigail were both very disapproving of slavery, and didn't own slaves themselves. Yet you also say that he did not believe that all men were born equal, which we all hold these truths to be self-evident now.
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Well, he said look around, common sense, we're not all born equal, some are born better looking than others, some are stronger, some are weaker, some have handicaps, some are born into families with money, some are born into families of great poverty. But, he said, we are all equal in the eyes of God, and we must all be equal before the law.
He is the patriot of that day who kept saying over and over again, we must be a nation of laws, and not of men. And he was the one who kept stressing that we must have a government that is in balance; that you have executive, judicial, and legislative branches, and especially we must have an independent judiciary. His point was, he was very distrustful of the majority if the majority had too much power. He said too much power in an individual, too much power in a majority is dangerous. And in this respect he differed greatly from Jefferson. There are also so many other fundamental differences between them, which is one of the reasons that makes the relationship so fascinating.
GWEN IFILL: Well, and it makes for fascinating reading. David McCullough, thank you.
DAVID McCULLOUGH: Thank you, Gwen, very much.

George Washington : Character Biography From HBO

2008-03-04T19:00:00.001-08:00

John Adams: Liberty Kids: Bostonians, Part 1

2008-03-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Episode # 31 in the series, from tv.com

While in New York to report on the fighting between the colonists and the Iroquois led by chief Joseph Brant, James sees atrocities committed by both sides. Sarah catches up with her friend Abigail Adams, whose husband John has just returned from a diplomatic assignment in France.
Billy Crystal (John Adams), Whoopi Goldberg (Deborah Samson), Charles Shaughnessy (King Gerorge III), Walter Cronkite (Dr. Benjamin Franklin), Aaron Carter (Joseph Plumb Martin), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Baron von Steuben), Kathleen Barr (Henri Richard Maurice Dutoit LeFebrve), Dustin Hoffman (Benedict Arnold), Sylvester Stallone (Paul Revere), Yolanda King (Elizabeth Freeman), Annette Bening (Abagail Adams), Chris Lundquist (James Hiller), Reo Jones (Sarah Philips), D. Kevin Williams (Moses), Andrew Rannells (Alexander Hamilton), Ben Beck (Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Mortier "Marquis de Lafayette")
HISTORICAL CONTENT: John Adams and his son John Quincy return from France and are reunited with Abigail. John is asked to write the Massachusetts Constitution, which is a defining document of the emerging thought on rights. In New York Joseph Brant, a chief of the Iroquois Confederacy, is leading his people in a losing battle to coexist with the colonists.

Six Revolutionary War Figures

2008-03-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

from the book by Jean Fritz. Grade level 3-5
summary and suggested activities

SUMMARY:
Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Patrick Henry, and King George III were all integral in the vivid tale of the American Revolution. The story begins as the revolution-ary conflict was slowly building. As young boys, their perspectives reflected the confusing state affairs, and as these historical figures approached adulthood, strong and stubborn personalities evolved. The conflict heightened, and soon the they were thrust into leadership roles -the fate of the war was in their hands. With great zeal and passion, their actions decided the war.
OBJECTIVES:
Children will learn about six important individuals who had important roles during the time of the Revolutionary War.• Children will explore events leading up to the war.• Children will investigate the personalities of important figures in American History.
BEFORE VIEWING ACTIVITIES:
Perhaps you would like to share the books that make up the video, SIX REVOLUTIONARY
WAR FIGURES, with children. (Fritz’s books are biographies of Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, and King George.) Which of the people described in the books was most interesting to you? Why? Talk with children about what America was like just prior to the Revolutionary War. Include in your discussions means of transportation, style of dress, professional occupations, schooling,etc. Then have children draw pictures that represent how America looked at this time. Ask: What would you have liked most about living during this time? What kinds of things would be harder to do than they are now? What would you enjoy then that might be difficult to enjoy now? Have children do some research on Benjamin Franklin. Then have them work in teams to share Franklin’s inventions with the class. Encourage children to make models of these inventions and to use them as part of their demonstrations. Ask: What would life be like now if we could not benefit from Ben Franklin’s discoveries?
AFTER VIEWING ACTIVITIES:
Discuss the personality traits of each of the men described in the story. Then supply props children can use to dramatize the lives of each of these people. After the children have had an opportunity to do this, have them pretend to be the six men sitting down together to discuss the war. Before participating in this presentation,encourage children to consider the position each of the men might take and be prepared to defend their positions.Have a special “Colonial Times” day in the classroom. Have children dress as colonists and prepare a meal that the colonists might have enjoyed. Prepare simple dances and music that may have been popular at the time. You might want to invite other classes to join you in your “Colonial Times” celebrations. Talk with children about the Boston Tea Party.Then have children debate whether or not this was an appropriate way to object to the tea tax. Ask: What would you have done to try to prevent England from taxing the colonies? What would your arguments to King George have been like? Have children write their ideas as position statements and share them with the class. Be sure children sign their statement with their “John Hancocks!”

Tom Hanks And David McCullough Discuss The Production Of John Adams

2008-03-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

Paul Giamatti And Laura Linney Discuss Their Roles As John And Abigail Adams

2008-03-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Sam Adams: Character Biography From HBO

2008-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

Abigail Adams: Character Biography From HBO

2008-03-04T07:51:00.001-08:00

John Adams: Character Biography From HBO

2008-03-04T07:49:00.001-08:00

John Adams Coloring Pages

2008-03-04T07:47:00.001-08:00

Constitution Day: The Preamble

2008-03-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

updated post has the movie above that's linked below.
from 9/10/05 from pseudo-intellectualism m

On 9/1/05 I posted the schoolhouse rock mp3 for "we the people" along with the lyrics. Here's the movie (7MB)

Constitution Day: September 17th

2008-03-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

updated post has the movie above that's linked below. The linked version is bigger and clearer, but may take some time to download
from 9/10/05 from pseudo-intellectualism
Here's part of a really good video (3.9MB) done in conjunction two years ago for a Declaration of Independence nationwide tour. It has Morgan Freeman and a whole host of others reading aloud the Declaration including that great patriot, Mel Gibson. (Declaration-Constitution?-close enough). Also available here is a word response sheet. The aim of this one is to finish the sentence and to place the events from the movie in sequence.

John Adams: Liberty Kids: One Life To Live, Part 2

2008-03-04T06:16:00.001-08:00

John Adams: Liberty Kids: One Life To Live, Part 1

2008-03-04T06:14:00.001-08:00

Episode 16 in the series
from tv.com

After a conference fails to bring the two sides any closer to peace, American spy Nathan Hale is caught and hanged by the British. Having met Hale earlier, James and Sarah are determined that everyone hear his inspiring last words.
Cast and Crew
Star: Billy Crystal (John Adams), Whoopi Goldberg (Deborah Samson), Charles Shaughnessy (King Gerorge III), Walter Cronkite (Dr. Benjamin Franklin), Aaron Carter (Joseph Plumb Martin), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Baron von Steuben), Kathleen Barr (Henri Richard Maurice Dutoit LeFebrve), Dustin Hoffman (Benedict Arnold), Sylvester Stallone (Paul Revere), Yolanda King (Elizabeth Freeman), Annette Bening (Abagail Adams), Chris Lundquist (James Hiller), Reo Jones (Sarah Philips), D. Kevin Williams (Moses), Andrew Rannells (Alexander Hamilton), Ben Beck (Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Mortier "Marquis de Lafayette")
quotes
Nathan Hale: My only regret is that I have but one life to lose for my country.
Henri: He's a spy... you're a spy. I MUST EMBRACE YOU! Sailor: And why should I let him [James] go?
Henri: Because they are to be married!

John Adams Letters 1

2008-03-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

from the John Adams PBS site. I combined the audio with the text and added images

In this diary entry, written during a summertime break from his vice presidential duties, Adams savors his life on the Braintree farm.
Refreshing Rain
July 14, 1796
My men are hilling the corn over the road. A soft fine rain is falling as sweetly as I ever saw. It will refresh the gardens, revive the corn, make the fruit grow rapidly.
John Adams, four years removed from the presidency, describes his hopes in his diary.
Tranquility
Febuary 27, 1805
Far removed from all the intrigues, I hope to enjoy more tranquility than has ever before been my lot. I call for my chisels, drills, and wedges to split rocks, and for my wagons to cart seaweed for manure. I mount my horse and ride on the seashore.

Boston's Freedom Trail

2008-03-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

This updated post has the linked video above. The linked version is bigger and clearer.

from 8/17/06 from pseudo-intellectualism

Here's a slide show of images from Boston's freedom trail set to the tune of Free America
The lyrics
That seat of science Athens, And earth's proud mistress, Rome,
Where now are all their glories. We scarce can find a tomb.
Then guard your rights, Americans, Nor stoop to lawless sway,
Oppose, oppose, oppose, oppose For North America.
Proud Albion bow'd to Caesar, And numerous lords before,
To Picts, to Danes, to Normans, And many masters more;
But we can boast Americans Have never fall'n a prey,
Huzza, huzza, huzza, huzza For Free America.
We led fair Freedom hither, And lo, the desert smiled,
A paradise of pleasure New opened in the wild;
Your harvest, bold Americans, No power shall snatch away,
Preserve, preserve, preserve your rights In Free America.
Torn from a world of tyrants Beneath this western sky
We formed a new dominion, A land of liberty;
The world shall own we're freemen here, And such will ever be,
Huzza, huzza, huzza, huzza For love and liberty.
God bless this maiden climate, And through her vast domain
May hosts of heroes cluster That scorn to wear a chain.
And blast the venal sycophants Who dare our rights betray;
Assert yourselves, yourselves, yourselves For brave America,
Lift up your hearts, my heroes, And swear with proud disdain,
The wretch that would ensnare you Shall spread his net in vain;
Should Europe empty all her force, We'd meet them in array,
And shout huzza, huzza, huzza For brave America.