John Adams...(part 1)

Okay.... so I've only just seen the first half of the wonderfully insightful HBO mini-series John Adams, but I love it immensely. Here are 10 things I didn't know about one of our Founding Fathers, the remarkable John Adams.

• John Adams, being a man of law and who felt deeply this new country must abide by the law to be a sovereign country, successfully defended 8 British soldiers, whom accidentally killed 5 Bostonians. (This was before Independence)

• It was John Adams who persuaded General George Washington to help Massachusetts's cause and fight the British soldiers, which later propelled Washington to become our first President.

• Adams was separated from his wife, Abigail, for half of their first 14 years of marriage. (Due to their farm being in Massachusetts and he being needed in the Congress)

• Abigail raised 4 children alone, on a Massachusetts farm with no slaves....only a few hired hands aided her.

• John Adams and his son, John Quincy, went to France right after Independence Day to beg for more NAVAL assistance to help fight the British. He, along with Benjamin Franklin, was our first Ambassador. (This was after the 14 years of marriage)

• John Adams sent his son, John Quincy, at the age of 14 to be a secretary for a diplomat in St. Petersburg, Russia. JQA stayed in Russia until he was ready to go to Harvard at 17.

• While John was away, Abigail made her and her children take a vaccination of small pox. They had to put the blood of a pox victim into their own bloodstream; which gave them the pox, but they could control it better and not die.

• John Adams was fired by Congress as the Ambassador of France, and later became the Ambassador of England (thankless job, indeed)....all while the Constitution was being written and enacted.

• Adams got deathly ill in Europe and almost died....Abigail would soon join him in France, leaving her children to someone else.

• John Adams had a crazy bad temper and was solidly stubborn; however, Abigail, knew just how to tame him. He responded very well to her in an age where men thought women of little worth.

After viewing the next half of the mini-series,
I'll see if there are 10 more things
I didn't know about Mr. John Adams and continue this game.
This mini-series was based on the acclaimed biography,
John Adams, by David McCullough