John Adams was the second president of the United States and was a lawyer from Massachusetts before the incident. The first episode is about his defense of British soldiers who killed civilians in the colonies. At that time, the crowd was angry, and the onlookers were beating these soldiers, but Adams defended the defendant in court on the basis of facts, rather than complying with the demands of the people. From this we can see his later political attitude. It is Adams's consistent attitude to guard against the majority tyranny caused by direct democracy and promote strong government and elite politics. At the same time Adams is an old-school gentleman, a very principled uncle. Although he is a Federalist, he also hates his comrade-in-arms Hamilton's personal attacks and petty tricks, and he eventually froze with him. Adams also values friendship very much. When his former friend Jefferson refused to help him due to political reasons and learned that Jefferson had written against him, he was very sad and angry. Nevertheless, he eventually forgave Jefferson, and in his later years the good friends began to communicate frequently. Adams's famous last words "Jefferson is still alive" also witnessed their decades of love, but Jefferson had left the world for a few hours before Adams closed his eyes. As the protagonist in the play, Adams is not a perfect "father of the nation" image. He is easily excited, self-sufficient, spurned by many people, and has half success or failure in the family. In the presidency, he was ridiculed as "King Adams" and did not get popular support, but he did his best to avoid wars with Britain and France. He did practical things and had his own beliefs. I think he is a lovely "Mr. Chubby".
Jefferson was the opposite of Adams. He was a rich second-generation from Virginia, but he was a radical idealist who sympathized with the lower-class people. The years in France made him feel good about France. Afterwards, Jefferson was infected by the atmosphere of the French Revolution. He deeply felt that the American Revolution was incomplete and wanted to play a second revolution. In the Washington cabinet, he quarreled with Hamilton, who advocated a strong government, and made Washington, who hated partisan politics, angry, and he simply resigned. Afterwards, he and his friend Adams fell out because of political disagreements, and ignored his long-standing relationship. Jefferson was wary of the expansion of government power and advocated the expansion of people's rights. He was the founder of the Republican Party at that time. His proposition was obviously too radical in the environment at the time, and he also reflected on himself in his later years. Nevertheless, Jefferson's thoughts contributed a lot to the design of the US system of "restricted government".
Washington is a taciturn master, but also the most prestigious general. The first president deserves his name. After the War of Independence, he immediately disbanded the army and returned to his hometown to farm. He didn't return to politics until the Constituent Assembly. It is no wonder that he was the only one who could hold everyone out. Washington's mediocre political performance was an indispensable leader role in the early days of the United States. He was a guarantee of national unity. After serving as president for two terms, he devoted himself to farming without hesitation in disregarding everyone's retention. He didn't make many appearances in the play, but he has the aura of the boss. He deliberately swears in a low voice, which impressed me deeply. The real boss is a humble person.
Some people say that Hamilton is the only villain in the play. When he appeared, he often quarreled and maliciously attacked Adams and Jefferson. These might make people hate him, but his contribution to the United States is huge. Although he lost miserably in the competition with Jefferson, and finally died in a duel, it can be said that the RP was extremely low, but his move as Secretary of the Treasury was very predictable. Compared with Europe, the United States was a backward rural area at that time. Hamilton took pains to set up the Bank of the United States, develop industry, and rebuild the financial credit of the United States, making great contributions to the United States to catch up with Europe. At this point, his opponent Jefferson was obviously short-sighted. Fortunately, the boss of Washington trusted this former follower and let him do it. This also laid the foundation for the future glory of the United States. Persevering in the show, Hamilton shows up too little, and always stands on the opposite side of the protagonist. He can only be blamed on RP LOW.
The main uncles in the play are all on it. Of course, there are many founding uncles in the United States. These few selected in this play can already represent the situation at the time. It can be seen that these uncles have conflicts and quarrels with each other. It is no exaggeration to say that the United States was born out of countless such quarrels. From the Continental Congress, which discussed whether to rebel against the British army, to the Constitutional Convention, which really discussed the founding of the nation, which one is not a group of gentlemen who are spitting out in quarrel? You must know that the Constitutional Convention almost shattered the idea of the United States on the issue of the distribution of representatives to Congress. But the biggest advantage of this group of gentlemen is that they know how to compromise. At the Continental Congress, Adams passionately called on everyone to resist, and the opposing representatives also fought hard. When it was about to die, the representatives reached a tacit agreement and unanimously decided to resist the British. The same is true for the Constituent Assembly. You take a step back, and I take a step back. Thirteen states with different interests and appeals have finally come together. You may hardly imagine that the representatives who quarreled so uncontrollably under the differences finally created the United States, and the system they designed during the quarrel allowed the United States to survive for more than two hundred years. As the title of a comment indicates, this is the power of the United States.
The "imperfect" founding story described in the play makes people feel very real, and the reflection on history is also thought-provoking. Just like the painter who finished the "Declaration of Independence" in the last episode, he asked Adams for some suggestions. Adams relentlessly rebuked him for tampering with history, and then lamented heartily that "the true history of the American revolution has disappeared forever."
Finally, I conclude with Adams’s epilogue in the play:
Posterity, You will never know how much it cost us to preserve your freedom. I hope that you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.
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