La famille Adams

The Adams Chronicles, originally telecast in 1976, consist of 13 episodes that follow the public and private lives of the Adams family from 1758 to 1893. This docudrama is not to be confused with the 7-part HBO miniseries, starring Paul Giamatti, that covered the life of John Adams from 1770 to 1826. Several books on the Adams family have covered the four generations who lived in these years: James Truslow Adams, The Adams Family (1930), Jack Shepherd, The Adams Chronicles (1976), and Paul Nagel, Descent From Glory (1983). But it is easier to cover so much ground in a book than on a screen.

From a list of the episodes, one gets a sense of the scope of the Chronicles: (1) John Adams, Lawyer (1758-1770); (2) John Adams, Revolutionary (1770-1776); (3) John Adams, Diplomat (1776-1783); (4) John Adams, Minister to Great Britain (1784-1787); (5) John Adams, Vice President (1788-1797); (6) John Adams, President (1797-1801); (7) John Quincy Adams, Diplomat (1809-1815); (8) John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State (1817-1825); (9) John Quincy Adams, President (1825-1829); (10) John Quincy Adams, Congressman (1831-1848); (11) Charles Francis Adams, Minister to Great Britain (1861-1868); (12) Henry Adams, Historian (1870-1885); (13) Charles Francis Adams, II, Industrialist (1886- 1893).

The final three episodes focus on men with disparate concerns. These men went separate ways, and met separate frustrations. They did indeed experience what Nagel called a "descent from glory." As Charles Francis Adams, Sr., reflects after dreaming of his grandfather's role in the Revolutionary Era, "In those days, the fate of one man could be the fate of a country." Or, as Charles Francis Adams, II, remarks to Henry Adams, "Perhaps the models we placed ourselves against were larger than life." But perhaps the Adams family was merely living out what John Adams had predicted for nations: "There is no special providence for us. We are not the Chosen People that I know of. We must and shall go the way of the earth."

A few observations on the historical accuracy of the Chronicles are in order. First, they were prepared in cooperation with the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Adams Papers project. Unlike many similar docudramas, they are largely based on original documents--the massive collection of Adams family papers held by the MHS (copies of these filled over 600 reels of microfilm). For example, the criticisms John Adams directed to his fiancé Abigail Smith (not sitting erect, walking with her toes inward, etc.) come directly from a May 7, 1764, document that he bluntly entitled, "a Catalogue of your Faults, Imperfections, Defects, or whatever you please to call them."

Second, viewers should remember that, because they are largely based on the Adams family papers, the Chronicles tend to reflect the views of Adams family members. Thus, in the words of John Adams, Franklin may appear as a "lazy, senile old mischief maker," and Hamilton as an "intriguer." (Those interested in what the Founding Fathers thought about each other should read The Founders on the Founders (2008), edited by John Kaminski.)

Third, only some of the Adams family papers survive—many documents were deliberately destroyed. Work on the family papers began with John Adams, whose comment that they would "make you alternately laugh and cry, fret and fume, stamp and scold," suggests that he did not intend to destroy all the embarrassing records. But some subsequent family members clearly did intend to do so.

Growing up as an Adams was not easy. (John advised John Quincy, "if you do not rise to the head not only of your Profession, but of your Country, it will be owing to your own Laziness, Slovenliness and Obstinacy." When he was 5 or 6, John Quincy wrote to his cousin Elizabeth Cranch (who was a few years older than he), "i have made But veray little proviciancy in reading . . . to(o) much of my time in play (th)ere is a great Deal of room for me to grow better." And John Quincy, after trying to instruct his son Charles Francis, complained, "I find as with his elder brothers a difficulty in fixing his attention." Charles Francis was then two years old.) The Adams children were being trained to be intellectual and moral athletes. Some of those who survived this training did well. But not all survived. Some succumbed to alcoholism, or were fell short for other reasons. Many records relating to these unsuccessful family members have been destroyed. Few of the surviving records relate to John's son Thomas Boylston Adams or John Quincy's son George Washington Adams. Similarly, there remain very few documents about Henry Adams' wife "Clover" Hooper.

The Chronicles attempt to compensate, to some extent, for gaps in the documentary record. But they gloss over mental problems in "Clover's" family. Before "Clover" took her own life, her aunt and her sister had committed suicide, and her brother eventually died in a mental institution after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. Although it is not evident in the Chronicles, Henry's relatives had understandable misgivings about his marrying into the Hooper family.

Given their scope, the Chronicles had to omit and abbreviate much of the Adams story. Missing are John and Abigail's 1787 meeting with Sally Hemings, the reconciliation of Jefferson and Adams after Jefferson's presidency, Brooks Adams' historical writings, or anything about the fourth generation after 1893—Brooks Adams did not die until 1927.

This docudrama was highly successful. It received a total of 11 Emmy Awards, and 17 Emmy nominations (1976 and 1977), only three of which (to George Grizzard, Kathryn Walker, and Pamela Payton-Wright) were for acting. The appearance of certain characters is strikingly realistic (but most of them, from King George to John Calhoun, speak with the same accent). This miniseries provides an interesting glimpse into American history and the Adams family's place in it.

It's been a long time (30 years) since one of the best mini-series on American History has been seen, not to mention a bit difficult to remember the details.

The Chronicles, produced for WNET/PBS New York for the 200 year Centennial Celebration is sitting in the station's vault. It has not been made available for re-airing or DVD, so it's difficult to express some of the most memorable moments. Therefore, whatever is said here, won't matter much as concerns your being able to see the program (at least as of this writing). I'd like to give a tiny bit of how it is now perceived via memory.

The program was perhaps most instrumental in inspiring awe for the greatness of our founders. The costumes were meticulous, the acting superb. It made one very proud to be a part of this great American experiment of freedom.

Seeing the portrayal of the life of four generations of this great family, it was John Adams the patriarch, played by George Grizzard that was the best part of the series (perhaps a part of the first six programs?). Please pardon my memory. When this program gets aired again, I hope to be back with an updated and complete review.

You can help bring it back to life by contacting WNET /13 in New York and PBS. Please do so.

In our BiCentennial year of 1976, PBS produced this fine series, not just limited to founder John Adams, but for four generations of the Adams family which can rightfully be called our first American political dynasty.

The Adams family and not Charles Addams's characters are revisited every so often by historians and recently David McCullough got many honors for his new biography of redoubtable John Adams. In this series John was played in the many stages of his almost 91 year life by George Grizzard.

Grizzard does well with the part at every stage of the Adams career from his days in the American Revolution to his death at the Adams home in Quincy. Adams was one of our most complex of founders. He was brave, brilliant, and a man of principle to the highest degree. He was also incredibly vain and could be arrogant on occasion.

Historians tend to rate him higher as president as versus his overall career than I think they should. As our second president under the Constitution, Adams presided over a period of development of our governmental institutions. He made the mistake of retaining Washington's cabinet as is instead of forming his own. That was understandable, but what he also did is for the first two years of his presidency spent all his time in Braintree at the family estate instead of Philadelphia tending to business. The cabinet fell under the charismatic sway of Alexander Hamilton.

We were in an undeclared naval war with France at the time that could have gotten formal. When Adams did finally stir to action he did fire most of his cabinet and did in fact eventually gain a truce with France. Probably at the cost of his presidency. My contention always has been if he'd paid attention to business in the first place it all need not have gone that far.

John Quincy Adams is played by several actors in various stages of life, but most prominently by William Daniels who in fact played John Adams in 1776. Quincy was one chip off the old block. Unfortunately he gained his one term in the White House through a brokered deal with Henry Clay when the Electoral College was deadlocked. The cry of 'corrupt bargain' rang through the land as supporters of plurality winner Andrew Jackson yelled foul. Mainly because Henry Clay didn't cut his deal with them. Still Adams was a lame duck incumbent almost from the gitgo.

Adams is probably one of the five people most historians will name as one of our best Secretarys of State which he was under his immediate predecessor James Monroe. He held many positions before that and after his presidency was elected to the House of Representatives from the Quincy, Massachusetts area. Some of that story is familiar to current moviegoers from the film Amistad where Anthony Hopkins played John Quincy Adams.

The Adams family had their dull carbon mixed in the diamonds. John Adams's other son Charles died an alcoholic, John Quincy Adams's oldest George Washington Adams was a wastrel and drowned in a ferry accident or possible suicide. Both deaths occurred right around the defeats of both men for a second term.

The saga continued on with Charles Francis Adams best known as our Minister to the United Kingdom during the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction. It was the key diplomatic post during the Civil War. Adams deserves a lot of credit for keeping Great Britain out of war with us, the Palmerston government would have loved an excuse to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy. This Adams is played by John Beal and the series concludes with the distinguished careers of his sons, writers Henry and Brooks, and railroad executive Charles Francis Adams,II.

Another Charles Francis Adams, the son of Charles II, was a Secretary of the Navy in the cabinet of Herbert Hoover. But that's after the time period of this series concludes. I'm sure the United States of America has not seen the last of the Adams family in public service.

Still with the renewed interest in John, it would be nice if this PBS mini-series was made available on DVD and/or VHS.

In my opinion, the best TV miniseries were the ones from the 1970's, and this one just may have the number one spot, or close to it.

You get to know four generations of the Adams family and their places in history (as well as their personal lives) without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. If you want to learn more, there's always books you can read.

All the acting was excellent, and it was interesting to see William Daniels playing John Quincy Adams, when not too long before that, he played his father, John Adams, in the movie "1776". (He also played John Adams again in another TV miniseries around that same time, and later on he was in a series where he played the principal of John Adams high school. Do you detect a pattern here???

Don't miss this one!

I saw the series when first televised on PBS (in the days before affordable VCR's) To my knowledge it has been televised one or twice since and I missed a few episodes each time. I really wish PBS would televise it again or at least offer it for sale. This is the best mini series on the beginning of America as an independent nation that has ever been made. It would be a success in any year, 1976 or 2076. I would like to purchase the series on vhs if it were available however, the copyright owner could make a fortune by remastering the sound/video for sale on DVD