I caught the “Sit Down, John” mention in “John Adams” all the way back when it premiered in 2008. I was an extra on “John Adams”, and my mother was pregnant with me when she played Martha Jefferson in a 1984 production of “1776”. By the way, Paul Giamatti is very nice in real life; he complimented me in a scene we shot together.

John Adams is still imo the best depiction of every single Founding Father that was depicted.

I met William Daniels at Emerald City Comic Con. As he signed my Blu-Ray of "1776," he recited: "Sit down, John. Sit down, John. For God's sakes, John, sit down!" He's a wonderfully charming man.

Some fantastic food for thought. As brilliant as the mini series is, John Adams is ironically a historical fiction that comments on the reality that we will never know the absolute truth of our past. It's all great art and in it's best form encourages people to research things they may have never been interested in on their own.

About the meta questions point, he wasn’t asking those questions at the end of his life but rather throughout his life. He knew that he would be cast aside in history because it had to be that way. In a sense, Adams is a tragic figure.

I would say most people know that "1776" isn't all that accurate. It's entertainment. I know a lot of things in it are not history, but it's still a favorite of mine.

Whether they are completely accurate or not, these depictions have the ability to capture the imagination of young people and hopefully inspire them to seek out the "truth" whatever that might be. Thanks to "Hamilton" there is an entire generation of young people who at the very least, can name the founders of our democracy. That has to count for something...!

Have you ever noticed in the song “Adams administration “ Hamilton says “ SIT DOWN JOHN “

Speaking as a fan of 1776, John Adams as well as Hamilton, I'm glad to see someone finally do an analysis on all three of them combined!

But there's the good thing about 1776: The musical is full of historical howlers, far too numerous to mention in a brief video like this one. But it does two things extremely well. It establishes the intractable, foundational fracture in the new nation over race (even if on a somewhat anachronistic way, in the "Molasses to Rum" scene) and it makes the point that the founding fathers were not statutes on a pedestal, but flawed, quirky, difficult, conflicted men who were trying something very new and who had no idea how things were going to turn out but who forged ahead anyhow. That's more important than the fact that Martha Jefferson never visited her husband in Philadelphia etc.

The beautiful aspect of the Adams series is that it's based on real facts. Outside of Knox passing by the Adams' house after going to Fort Ticonderoga.

First time I saw any of 1776 it was in the middle of a scene in Philadelphia of them arguing. They come out, then this flowery music begins to swell, so much so that I said to myself sarcastically, ‘Jeez, sounds like they’re going to start singing’. My jaw dropped when they did!

Wow, I can’t believe this only has one thousand views

Can't believe i missed the 'sit down' joke. These movies/miniseries made John Adams my favorite President as a person. But, I don't like the alien & sedition acts.

I am shocked that you didn't mention that in "the Adams Administration" of "Hamilton" , Hamilton tell Adams to sit down as well

I am a fan of both the musical 1776 and the John Adams miniseries. I am aware of the numerous inaccuracies in both, but find both entertaining and a good means to introduce the subject to a wider audience. But I must admit I always find the miniseries scene with the Trumbull painting especially bothersome. Trumbell’s painting does not depict the signing of the declaration (which happened over several months as described by Adams in the scene) but the introduction of the draft declaration to the Continental Congress when presumably everyone was present.

Fantastic video essay. Never saw 1776 and I was wary of the play Alexander Hamilton despite hearing of its brilliant production so I never saw it either. I've known for a while now that today's day and age is so ill informed about history in general but still makes additional compromises to format real life into a stage play. I love how HBO's John Adams sneaked in these little jabs and dashed in some creative criticism of its own. Shows how history can be done right and still look like art, thereby granting both the grandeur that art commands and the awe of historical importance.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

This is a good essay, but to be fair, 1776 is slightly misrepresented and only because you have failed to note there is a great deal of acid in the script which reflects the difficulties in founding a nation. The questions of slavery, war, and politics are dealt with in several places: i.e.- "Molasses to Rum to Slaves", "Cool, cool, Conservative Men", and "Momma look Sharp" and the confrontation between Franklin & Adams in the last third of the show as well as the exit of the Southern delegation. That said, overall, I enjoyed this video essay. A-

I think Lin Miranda also referenced that *callback:* “Sit down John! You Big Mother-!” -Adams Administration

Interesting Detail about Trumbull's painting. According to Wikipedia, it depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress, and the five people at the table are the members of the draft committee. This event took place on June 28, 1776. I'm pretty sure that Kirk Ellis, the writer of the HBO show, was well aware of the fact.

Good video, I'm a fan of both musicals. I haven't seen John Adams but now I think I will. I only wish your video was longer!

An even more sobering video as I watch this today on July 4, 2024. On our most American holiday this year many reasonably fear (in the wake of one of the worse debate performances of any POTUS incumbent and the clear rise of the Imperial Presidency as announced by our Supreme Court in recent days) that we stand on the edge of the end of the First American Republic. We seem to face the very real threat of something entirely different than our history has provided. Between the popular nominee and Project 2025 we are offered a Plutocracy, an Oligarchy, a Christian Theocracy - something antithetical to our Constitution, our founders dreams and the Federalist Papers ever articulated or wished. We only have a democratic republic if we can keep it, as Franklin said. I fear we will not keep it.

Hey will all-due respect to your wonderful video, in the film musical 1776 there isn't a claim that every single signer of the declaration was there. For example, the rest of the delegation from Massachusetts is not at all represented in the film no Sam Adams or Elbridge Gerry. But truly creating art and creating history are not the same and I can't believe I'm finding this video two years later. The Earth belongs exclusively to the living is a genius addition.

I do feel like your underestimating some of the points made in 1776. The scene at the end is meant to be like a painting but the tone is actually extremely bleak. Its not victorious, its ominous.Though I do enjoy the John Adams series, particularly for its portrayal of parts of John Adams life not usually talked about or shown in depth.

i love this essay for the conversation it prompts. i literally have a million things to say - complimentary, expositional, critical - and i agree with you on your philosophical points of art as defining history, while serving history best when self-aware of its artifice. a super old discussion, illustrated in modern and succinct form. v nice.

i was looking up John Adam scenes and came across this video, and I'm happy i clicked on it. you're the best man

i cant believe it took so long for this video to show up in my reccomendations- this is my wheelhouse! 1776 is my favorite movie and john adams HBO is one of my favorite shows 🧡

John Adams is my favorite Founding Father. 1776 is one of my favorite musicals. I’ve seen it live a few times. I’ve seen the movie probably 100 times. I’ve also seen William Daniels play John, Samuel, and John Quincy in 3 different shows from the late 70s.

Did I just stumble upon a gold mine?

The musical 1776 even with all the singing and dancing has a certain realism of its own: it let's the audience in on the desperation of the Patriot cause at that moment. It's so easy to assume that Paul Revere rode his horse, they signed the Declaration and the King was so impressed by it all he immediately surrendered. 1776 shows that the Continental Army is on the eve of battle and vastly outnumbered, even as these men picked up that quill and basically signed a confession of treason. By any sane measure there was no reason to hope for American Independence in July 1776: what these men did was brave, maybe even to the point of foolishness!

Quite well done! I love the idea within the last line of Jefferson's from 'John Adams' that you include.

I did catch it and loved it. Not easy to miss as an actor who has played the role.

An excellent examination. Love this type of meta-analysis of art.

This is so well-explained. Gives me a new appreciation for the series!

Really cool video! Love the outro and the perspective. Totally agreed once you pointed it out. It's questioning its own nature, I find that very beautiful.

Wonderful video essay. Saw it years back and stuck in my head so much I had to watch john adams. Then I came back and watched it again.

Great video! Episode 2 of John Adams is a more direct jab at 1776 since it covers the same ground. John Dickinson is more of a lamb than a lion and James Duane of New York is no buffoon.

Great breakdown. I have no idea why you have so few subs. Keep up the excellent work.

*gr8 entry man.* the errs are small & educational. -JC

I like how the paintings in John Adams uses the actors faces to replace the faces of the real paintings

John Adams series was as good as it will ever get. Saddens me to hear that his distaste for the painting wasn't entirely accurate, but I'm feeling like after this video it makes sense they would say "bad history". As Paul's character put it "...I fear that the true history of the revolution is LOST.... forever." John Adams kept a plethora of notes, but was still upset he hadn't recorder more for the history books.

When my then 11 year old daughter who was into ballet big time wanted me to take her to a performance of "Dracula" by the Cincinnati Ballet Company, I told her she would have to read the original novel first. We started on it together, until she got the crux of the vocabulary and cadence down, and then she devoured the book. All through the ballet, she was confronted constantly by "artistic" decisions made to compress a complicated and uniquely told story into a 2½ hour ballet, and I was privileged to hear "that didn't happen that way" throughout the performance. The point of this story is that even ART is subject to retelling for medium changes, and we must train our children and their children to recognize that 1776, John Adams, and Hamilton are all "artistic liberties" taken from history - and that even history is told by artisans.

I like this example of your thinking well enough to subscribe after one exposure. Thank You, Mr. Freedman!

But I will say, something about this series and reading the letter between Abigail Adams and John has the feel of a secular holy script. I think because the sedition act was always portrayed as tightening free speech rather than, to a limited degree expanding it. He's been treated I think harshly by history. Prior to the sedition act, anything said against the government in time of war was a crime. After it's truthfullness was the arbitrator of guilty. Admittedly it shouldn't matter, but for the time it was a step in the right direction. Also, as a Christian whose not normally evangelical I find he very personable in the series.

Wonderful, thank you, I hope 100,000 could see this.

Hey! I am a huge John Adams fan, not the show, the person. I have never been able to watch the show sadly but based on what I have heard and seen it's pretty good. As someone who surrounds themselves with books upon books about John Adams, his legacy, his history, his diary (!!) upholding honest history is very important to me. Adams was an annoying, nagging, stubborn, honest, hard-working, and close-minded man and he and everyone else knew this. James Madison, a once friend of Adams, once said something along the lines of every friend of Adams is annoyed by him, me included. Making America become its own nation was, despite what he himself might believe, his life's work. Sure, the law was what he ruled himself by and making sure it was applied to every situation but he used this to make America, to urge the Founding Fathers and all the little Americans to independence. He saw himself a father figure to many, including our nation. EDIT: I would like to clarify, I know he did some "bad" things but in the end he had his reason for every one.

My wife and I saw 1776 and Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Show in 1972.

Thanks for your work posting this. Very interesting. I subscribed. Keep it up my friend...

Well done and thought provoking.

Beautifully done. Bravo!

No one, with all respect to Paul G. was better than William Daniels. Saw him as a kid on a field trip and 50 years later he's sill able to move me to being a patriot even in the face of the awful close-minded fools of Jan 6. You go Bill.... love ya.

That was really interesting! Thanks for posting

It's interesting that the _John Adams_ miniseries took the time to make a point about history vs. art, but they picked the wrong painting. Trumbull's _The Declaration of Independence_ is *not* a depiction of the Declaration being signed - the closest to that would be _Congress Voting Independence_ by Edward Savage, made famous by the engraving by Robert Edge Pine, and alluded to with the ending of _1776_ - but rather of the Declaration Committee (John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston) presenting their draft to Hancock on June 28th, 1776. So Mr. Adams has little business criticizing the painting for inaccurately depicting what it was never meant to depict. Which actually fits nicely into criticism of the musicals. Neither _1776_ nor _Hamilton_ has ever purported to be an accurate representation of history; the authors of each have readily commented on what they changed or made up and why. Both are products of their times, and have at least as much to say about modern America as about historical America. But in the end, even _John Adams_ is art and not history, which I suppose is the point of the painting scene.

Miranda said himself in a PBS documentary, lets not pretend this is a history lesson. Its what the america of the past looked like represented by what america looks like now.

Hold up…on the back of a two-dollar bill?? How many of us are in a typical place where one can find a two dollar bill? ;)

I loved 1776 and John Adams. Just greatness.

This is an amazing video! Keep up the good work. You should have a lot more subscribers than you do.

I like the narration.

You deserve all the algorithms. Engagement.

So, not to be a pedant, but words John Adams expresses in the scene with John Trumble about the painting are words he expressed to his son after the fact in a letter; the words of which are included in the biography of John Adams by David McCollough which the show is based upon. Much of the dialogue in this show is pulled from letters from John Adams. Pointing this moment specifically as a fiction is inconsistent.

the movie 1776 is the BEST description and recreation I seen! I been to a few museums and small arts through out elementary and jr high schools. I studied of Ben Franklin quite a bit.

1776 is my favorite movie and musical and I didn’t catch that!! Awesome. I wouldn’t call that a joke but a reference. I didn’t even catch it since the line was so normal. I think the scene about the painting is fine. It feels like something Adams would nitpick about.

Very interesting - thank you

This was great!!!

This also explains the “sit down John” comment made in Hamilton after Hamilton gets fired

A truly Good essay, may I say

I agree. Art and history are not the same thing. They can, however, coexist and thrive off one another. After decades of torture at the hands of white men, I could have cared less about their story, their history or even their names. I actively avoided finding out about any of the “dead presidents.” When Lin Manuel Miranda re-cast the players of the revolution, it unlocked my mind (and heart perhaps). I enjoyed learning about the players with skin in the game to read the actual documents from the period. That would 🎼Be Enough but I actually enjoyed the play. I never knew Hamilton was an immigrant. I don’t want to go on and on, just wanted you to know.

Great content. Liked. Subscribed.

You make an interesting point about the weight of history on fiction, but the same is true of its weight on the Constitution. Look at Jefferson's comment, or Adams' on the "hallowed parchment". John Adams is an amazing historical series and there isn't nearly enough coverage of it on KZfaq. Especially when comparing it with Hamilton!

I think Adams privately DID feel that way about the painting. I think he said so in a letter, but I can't remember. But in real life, he never would have publicly said so to Trumbull's face. It would have been rude, and bad form. Adams commenting on the door Washington used (and saying little else) was a way to tactfully comment on the painting without being critical about the rest of it. Adams' vocal criticism of the painting when Trumbull was present was definitely fictional, and for the sake of the viewing audience.

Interesting perspective.

Well done!

Finally some love for my boi Adams

Here's a thought: If John Adams the Series is Art instead of History and The show itself took most every precaution to be authentic to the true history, What Is History? They exist accounts of men and women who lived through many Outrageous Times. Would those accounts of History as appose to art? Isn't simply Recording an Event an Art in Itself? It may be Impossible to Separate Art from History, as history is in a way only known through art. I do not wish to come off as TEARING THIS VIDEO APART, Since I would not have Realized this without you.

Cool dude!

beautiful video

I was so hoping our founding fathers spontaneously broke into song.

The art is the gateway. It’s the hook to reel you in, and get you to go searching for more information.

Good stuff.

Really good

I hardly think it’s a reference if it’s a common phrase to say to someone.

all 3 are great tho

Very well done and art is just a mirror held up to reality. A reflection but everything in reverse, because that is what human perception is: almost real, but not.

"We have our Republic; we must endeavor to keep it if we can!" - Ben Franklin

Never seen Hamilton, but HBO John Adam's did a wonderful contribution to not just John Adams, but all of the Founding Fathers. While the series had to take creative license for a few facts, it still was taken seriously to be as close to the research as much as possible. 1776 did an excellent job of carrying a story in a shorter time period to explain the origin of the Declaration of Independence while having a light heart entertainment. Found the actors in both movie and series portray the historical figures well. My main concern with Hamilton is how much that story has supposedly been altered just to reach a specific audience, to me it is deceptive to act as if it was history when so much has been altered. But like I said I haven't watched Hamilton, then again who would want to watch something that has played too political in the last few years, contributing to being decisive of our country?

fucking amazing essay

-but how are we supposed to learn about history other than through Art? Even if we decide to learn solely through reading it, even a good textbook is a piece of literature and therefore art too. Beyond that, we are down to primary sources, which are either very hard to access or subject to the biases of whoever compiles them We should be grateful we have historically-based entertainment: it stirs up interest in the events it is based on and will lead people to dig deeper and move beyond the historically-based all the way to history itself. I've read biographies of all the major figures of the Revolutionary War and got a minor in History in college, but it all started with Junior High field trips to see "1776" at the local movie theater.

TIL John Adams is related to John Quincy Adams. It might've seemed obvious but Adams IS a very common last name.

Not having seen Hamilton, I make no comment, other than to say many of us On The Right were...Less Than Thrilled with it. (They should have called it Woke Hamilton.) 1776 while capturing The Spirit does play fast and lose with some of those shown. Being something of a fan of John Dickinson I object to how he was portrayed. Adams IMO (freely given and worth ALMOST that much) Nails it. It puts you back in the late 18th century, who they Really Were How They Lived, What They Thought. And that its as good as you're gonna get.

They could have actually done some of John Adams IN Philadelphia. Since they used CGI they could have "removed" modern bldgs etc.

to be fair. who can TRULY say HOW they really feel back then, and WHAT REALLY went on. all we got are just writings and scripts from the historic moments! it true, history is written from the "victors and survivors" it is a tough race to keep history TRULY as it actually IS/WAS! I am afraid of 100 years from now(2022) what people will think what 1776 was like and the decoration of independence was suppose to represent!

I believe the potshots took place in the miniseries to responsibly point out that while artistic glorification (such as "1776") may intentionally done as a tribute to important people/events of a nation's past, it may nonetheless serve as a dangerous misrepresentation of the past ("bad history"), which can distort both the education of future generation and therefore conflict with the upholstery of the values/ideals upon which the nation was built. Anyone who contemplates on their general image in history may be done a disservice by such well-intentioned artistic glorification. However, I personally don't believe that art (including propaganda) is culpable for the effects of misrepresentation; it is lack of education. For example, as a student I learned that John Adams was a pompous ass and negative figure who fell from grace. I asked, "Why is this? How did a Founding Father meet such a fate?" I was only given a textbook, a play, and a popular musical... and I did not find that sufficient. Thanks to the literature I explored (among them, David McCollough's laudable work), I came to learn there was far more to know "behind the scenes" of what textbooks, plays and musicals offer. In sum, while art remains innocent (specifically well-intentioned art), the problem lies with those who wilfully remain beguiled, failing to choose to question and dig rather than to accept the surface details provided, for that is what glorifying art is: surface details on a silver platter.

Wow I never knew those were references to that musical “1776” whose existence I wasn’t even aware about until this video essay you uploaded. John Adams is one of my all-time favorite mini-series along with the likes of Cinemax’s “The Knick” (historical drama on the early days of medical research and opioid addictions in late 19th century New York), Mad Men, and of course Game of Thrones. Thanks for breaking down that last episode. I truly wish we had more televised or streaming adaptions of David McCullough’s American non-fiction novels. Top of my wish list would actually be Stephen Ambrose’s (he also wrote “Band of Brothers” and many other famous narrative historical accounts of famous episodes through history) 1996 biography of Lewis and Clark heading out from Thomas Jefferson’s administration from “Undaunted Courage”. Boy that would be an absolutely incredulous piece of cinema if that’s ever undertaken with the respect and gravity it deserves like HBO’s “John Adam’s”.

I have always loved '1776', and still do. God help me, it's the only musical I know word for word, lyric for lyric. Still, I will always love John Adams for all the obvious reasons. No opinion on Hamilton, that's not a Judgement, I've never seen it. Most of us know the historical discrepancies, and they should be pointed out, let us enjoy them both anyway. What can be more fun than screaming, 'SIT DOWN JOHN! SIT DOWN JOHN! FOR GOD'S SAKE JOHN, SIT DOWN!'

I think that you miss the artistic/ historical point here. McCulloch and the mini-series refer to this scene as the best way to demonstrate that even before John Adams life was done, writers, historians and artists would be morphing the events and actors of July 1776 into a mythologized scene to suit their purposes. The grand "public relations document, "The Declaration" was taking on a new life of its own with very little relation to events and the actors of Independence. this scene is created to capsulize John Adams 'frustration that the Revolution and its events and actors would be reinterpreted by future artists and historians to become something quite different from the actors and events that he witnessed and participated in. The event did , indeed happen as the miniseries portrays, but the dialogue needs to be imagined as there was no news coverage by CNN or Fox. All dialogue from this era must be created based upon the context and the historical facts that we know. I think McCulloch's report and the portrayal in the series is appropriate. Your statement is overreaching. The author admits that we do not know "what was said" but when you read the book in context., you would know that was reasonable what he felt and probably said.

I’ll never take a musical as fact, even if it was 100% accurate. No one ever bursts out into song

In the mini-series he looks too much like Franklin

1776 is indeed guilty of some "bad history"-most notably its attempts to depict slaveholder Jefferson as anti-slavery-but it also told an important truth, resurrecting Adams from near-obscurity and restoring him to his rightful place as the "Atlas of Independence." Although the John Adams miniseries commits errors and omissions of its own, it at least tries to land on the side of historical truth. The same cannot be said for Hamilton. As a musical, it's a tour de force-but to depict the slave-trading, authoritarian, war-mongering Alexander Hamilton as a champion of liberty and the little guy crosses from "bad history" to outright falsehood. It never sat well with me that the musical treats Adams as a nonentity, unworthy even of a stage presence. There would be no United States without John Adams. 1776 may have fallen short of a historian's exacting standards, but it tells a deeper historical truth that Hamilton completely subverts.

my video has john adam