Working With Comparisons: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and the Rhetoric and Art of the American Revolution
From HBO’s John Adams mini-series based on the biography by David McCullough
Episode 1: “Join or Die” (The Boston Massacre)
1 C. Barrera 2012 Name ______Date ______Class ______
Viewing Guide- John Adams (miniseries) Episode 1- “Join or Die”
Boston 1770
1. What is the significance of the “Tory” sign on the skeleton hanging off the trees in the opening sequence?
2. Characterize John and Abigail Adam’s relationship when Abigail looks at John and immediately knows that he has lost his case.
3. Characterize John Adams as a father.
4. John Adams hears a distant crowd yell, “fire!” What does John initially think this is?
5. Describe Samuel Adams’ reaction to the massacre.
6. What is the significance about Crispus Attucks death?
7. Why was the bloodied visitor at the Adams’ house? Speculate why he was bloodied.
8. What warning does Abigail Adams give John Adams about defending Captain Preston?
9. Explain Abigail Adams statement, “They will say you are the Crown’s man!”
2 C. Barrera 2012 10. What is Captain Wilson’s explanation for the massacre?
11. What is Sam Adams’ political motive for having a procession after the massacre?
12. Contrast Paul Revere’s sketch of the Boston massacre with reality.
13. Explain Abigail Adam’s comment to John, “Mask your intelligence with more patience than those less intelligent that you.”
14. Mr. Goddard, the first witness, admits the crowd carried clubs. Why does he admit this?
15. Mr. Goddard testifies that Captain Preston was located where when the shooting began?
16. How does the crowd exert pressure on Mr. Holmes, the second witness?
17. Does Mr. Holmes admit that the crowd shouted to fire to the soldiers before the shooting began?
18. How does John Adams persuade Richard Palmes to testify at the court?
19. Where does Richard Palmes testify as to the location of Captain Preston during the shooting?
20. When did Palmes testify that he heard Captain Preston command the men to fire?
3 C. Barrera 2012 21. What suggestion does Abigail Adams give John Adams about his statement as she is editing it?
22. In his closing speech, what is John Adams’ main argument?
23. The jury’s decision is:
24. How does Samuel Adams feel about John Adams after his cousin won the case that set the British soldiers free?
25. Did John Adams use ethos (morals), logos (logic) or pathos (emotion) to make his case?
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CLOSE READING: Comparison and Contrast between
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
Directions: Read the passage from David McCullough’s biography John Adams that compares John Adams to Thomas Jefferson. As you read, take notes on the graphic organizer. Identify the specific characteristics of each man.
Characteristics John Adams Thomas Jefferson Physical Characteristics
Interests
Views of mankind
5 C. Barrera 2012 Characteristics John Adams Thomas Jefferson Personal writing
Interaction with people
Views of the homeland
Other notes
6 C. Barrera 2012 Teaching Notes
Selected screen-captured images from the episode with explanations can be found at this link. If you have an HBO subscription, the series can be accessed at this link. iTunes has the episode for less than $5.oo at this link. Amazon.com has the episode for download at less than $4.00 at this link.
Answer Key for the Viewing Guide
Boston 1770
1. What is the significance of the “Tory” signs on the skeleton hanging off the trees in the opening sequence?
Tories are those that are loyal to the crown of England. There is rebellion in the air in Massachusetts.
2. Characterize John and Abigail Adam’s relationship when she looks at John and immediately knows that he has lost his case.
They knew each other deeply both personally and professionally. He would call her his greatest confidant.
3. Characterize John Adams as a father.
He could be both affectionate and distracted as a father. He would spend years away from his family.
4. John Adams hears a distant crowd yell, “fire!” What does John initially think this is?
Because he runs to get a water bucket, he thinks the town is ablaze.
5. Describe Samuel Adams’ reaction to the massacre.
7 C. Barrera 2012 He is irate and calls the soldiers murderers. John has to restrain him.
6. What is the significance about Crispus Attucks death?
He is not only the first to die in the Revolutionary War but he is African-American.
7. Why was the bloodied visitor at the Adams’ house? Speculate why he was bloodied.
He was asking John Adams to defend him in court. Adams has reputation as a fair man. The crowd possibly recognized him from the night before and beat him.
8. What warning does Abigail Adams give John Adams about defending Captain Preston?
Adams will become the most despised man in Boston if he does so.
9. Explain Abigail Adams statement, “They will say you are the Crown’s man!”
John could be viewed as a man more loyal to England than to the colonies.
10. What is Captain Wilson’s explanation for the massacre?
His men were abused by the crowd, who was throwing objects. He gave no orders to fire. He was standing in front of his men. After violence began (from the crowd), the men acted in self-defense.
11. What is Sam Adams’ political motive for having a procession after the massacre?
He wants to mobilize the colonists towards revolution.
12. Contrast Paul Revere’s sketch of the Boston massacre with reality.
The drawing has the British Troops shooting directly into an orderly crowd, this isn’t the way it probably happened.
8 C. Barrera 2012 13. Explain Abigail Adam’s comment to John, “mask your intelligence with more patience than those less intelligent that you.”
She understands her husband’s genius and sincerity. She also knows that his impatience and temper will have others ignore the genius and think him obnoxious, arrogant and pedantic.
14. Mr. Goddard, the first witness, admits the crowd carried clubs. Why does he admit this?
He believes that anyone native to Boston will understand that the clubs are what workingmen in Boston, who make rope, have to carry.
15. Mr. Goddard testifies that Captain Preston was located where when the shooting began?
He was behind his men, the British soldiers.
16. How does the crowd exert pressure on Mr. Holmes, the second witness?
They come close to him as he testifies in an intimidating manner.
17. Does Mr. Holmes admit that the crowd shouted to fire to the soldiers before the shooting began?
Yes. He states, they said “Fire, damn you, Fire.”
18. How does John Adams persuade Richard Palmes to testify at the court?
Adams visits him at his place of work appealing to not having innocent men die in Palmes’ name.
9 C. Barrera 2012 19. Where does Richard Palmes testify as to the location of Captain Preston during the shooting?
In front of his men, not where a Captain would order a shooting since he is in the line of fire.
20. When did Palmes testify that he heard Captain Preston command the men to fire?
Only after the first shot.
21. What suggestion does Abigail Adams give John Adams about his statement as she is editing it?
Take out all the quotations by great men. You do not need to quote great men to prove you are a great man…all this proves is his vanity.
22. In his closing speech, what is John Adams’ main argument?
Judge by the facts and evidence. The men had to defend themselves.
23. The jury’s decision is: “not guilty.”
24. How does Samuel Adams feel about John Adams after his cousin won the case that set the British soldiers free?
Respect. He feels John will now have a reputation for impartiality and this will be useful for the rebels when they will need him to deal with the British Government in the future.
25. Did John Adams use ethos (morals), logos (logic) or pathos (emotion) to make his case?
He used all three. Have students cite specific examples.
10 C. Barrera 2012 Answers to the Close Reading Exercise:
Directions: Read a passage from David McCullough’s biography John Adams that compares John Adams to Thomas Jefferson. As students read, have them take notes on the graphic organizer.
The text can be found here: http://books.google.com/books?id=E9TOxypjZY4C
Scroll forward to page 111.
The passage begins in the fifth paragraph with “At thirty-three, Thomas Jefferson was the youngest of the Virginia delegates…”
Have students read until four pages later ending before they read the opening sentence of the paragraph that begins, “If there was a tide in the affairs of men…”
11 C. Barrera 2012 Answer Key for Close Reading Graphic Organizer
Characteristic John Adams Thomas Jefferson Physical Stout, stood four-squared to the Lean and long-limbed, stood Characteristics world, bald arms folded to chest, full head of hair
Interests Improvised tools, mathematics, Horsemen, science, horticulture, violin, inventive
Views of Important to understand Interested in improving mankind mankind, not interested in mankind improving it
Personal Diaries and letters Neat account books writing
Interaction Blunt, direct, assertive Gracious, sparkled, abhorred with people dispute, soft-spoken
Views of the Devoted to Massachusetts Devoted to Virginia homeland Referred to Massachusetts as Referred to Virginia as “my “my country” country”
Other notes Answers may vary Answers may vary
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Quiz on the Close Reading Assignment- Comparison between “John Adams and Thomas Jefferson” from David McCullough’s John Adams
Directions: Read the excerpt from the biography John Adams "John Adams and Thomas Jefferson" (pp. 111-115) by David McCullough and answer the question with either Adams or Jefferson as the answer.
1. At six feet two-and-a-half inches, he stood taller than all but a few and towered over someone like John Hancock, who at five feet four was perhaps the shortest man in the assembly. ______
2. He was a superb horseman, beautiful to see. He sang, he played the violin. He was as accomplished in the classics, mathematics, horticulture, architecture, and in his interest in and knowledge of science, he far exceeded his friend. He dabbled in "improvements" in agriculture and mechanical devices. ______
3. He was blunt and assertive. ______
4. He had a full head of thick coppery hair. His freckled face was lean like his body, the eyes hazel, the mouth a thin line, the chin sharp. ______
5. With him there was seldom a doubt about what he meant by what he said. ______
6. Who said, "During the whole time I sat with him in Congress, I never heard him utter three sentences together." ______
7. His irrepressible desire was to seize hold of (life) it, and at times, his was to be the path of Don Quixote. ______
8. When he spoke of "my country," he usually meant Virginia. ______
13 C. Barrera 2012 9. He had been born to respectable wealth achieved by his father, a man of rugged vitality, tobacco planter and surveyor, and to an unassailable place in the aristocracy through his mother, Jane, who was a Randolph. ______
10. He was devoted to the ideal of improving humankind but had comparatively little interest in people in particular. ______
11. He had a need to fill pages of his diaries with his innermost thoughts and feelings. ______
12. He was not inclined to believe humankind improvable, but was certain it was important that human nature be understood. ______
13. With him there was nearly always a slight air of ambiguity. In private conversation he "sparkled. ______
14. On his daily rounds by horseback, surveying his crops and fields, where as many as a hundred black slaves labored, he would commonly ride ten miles, without ever leaving his own land, ______
15. He was stout, stood foursquare to the world, shoulders back, and was nearly bald. ______
14 C. Barrera 2012 Answer Key to Quiz-
Quiz on the Close Reading Assignment- Comparison between “John Adams and Thomas Jefferson” from David McCullough’s John Adams
Directions: Read the excerpt from the biography John Adams "John Adams and Thomas Jefferson" (pp. 111-115) by David McCullough and answer the question with either Adams or Jefferson as the answer.
1. At six feet two-and-a-half inches, he stood taller than all but a few and towered over someone like John Hancock, who at five feet four was perhaps the shortest man in the assembly. JEFFERSON
2. He was a superb horseman, beautiful to see. He sang, he played the violin. He was as accomplished in the classics, mathematics, horticulture, architecture, and in his interest in and knowledge of science, he far exceeded his friend. He dabbled in "improvements" in agriculture and mechanical devices. JEFFERSON
3. He was blunt and assertive. ADAMS
4. He had a full head of thick coppery hair. His freckled face was lean like his body, the eyes hazel, the mouth a thin line, the chin sharp. JEFFERSON
5. With him there was seldom a doubt about what he meant by what he said. ADAMS
6. Who said, "During the whole time I sat with him in Congress, I never heard him utter three sentences together." ADAMS
7. His irrepressible desire was to seize hold of (life) it, and at times his was to be the path of Don Quixote. ADAMS
8. When he spoke of "my country," he usually meant Virginia. JEFFERSON
15 C. Barrera 2012 9. He had been born to respectable wealth achieved by his father, a man of rugged vitality, tobacco planter and surveyor, and to an unassailable place in the aristocracy through his mother, Jane, who was a Randolph. JEFFERSON
10. He was devoted to the ideal of improving humankind but had comparatively little interest in people in particular. JEFFERSON
11. He had a need to fill pages of his diaries with his innermost thoughts and feelings. ADAMS
12. He was not inclined to believe humankind improvable, but was certain it was important that human nature be understood. ADAMS
13. With him, there was nearly always a slight air of ambiguity. In private conversation, he "sparkled.” JEFFERSON
14. On his daily rounds by horseback, surveying his crops and fields, where as many as a hundred black slaves labored, he would commonly ride ten miles, without ever leaving his own land. JEFFERSON
15. He was stout, stood foursquare to the world, shoulders back, and was nearly bald. ADAMS
16 C. Barrera 2012 Common Core Assessment: Art, Speaking and Listening
After viewing the videos, listening to the NPR audio story and viewing the art, consider the following: How did artists portray historical figures and events from the history of the American Revolution? Why might an artist choose to depict such events or figures in a way that did not exactly happen as depicted? Examine each artwork for imagery detailing the event and explain ways in which artists stretch the line of truth and fiction for inspiration. In addition, compare the Paul Revere drawing and the Trumbull painting. How does the artist share a message with you? How did these paintings persuade citizens during the Revolutionary period as well as contemporary viewers to take action? (SL.11.2, SL.11.3)
Listen to this NPR story on artist John Trumbull and Art of the Rationalist Era
"The Art of War: An Illustrated '1776'" NPR. National Public Radio, 4 Oct. 2007. Web.
View this slideshow on Art from the Rationalist Era (with additional footage of Trumbull and Adams from the HBO series: John Adams)
Barrera, Carlos. "John Adams and John Trumbull." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Sept. 2011. Web.
View Paul Revere’s engraving,
"Paul Revere's Engraving." Boston Massacre Historical Society. Boston Massacre Historical Society, 2008. Web.
17 C. Barrera 2012 Practice for Standardized Assessment:
Written Assessment: The College Board explored Thomas Jefferson’s legacy in the 2010 AP English Language and Composition Examination. Click the links below to access the material from the College Board’s website.
(Question 2) The Prompt (page 9) excerpt from Benjamin Banneker’s “Letter to Thomas Jefferson,” rhetorical analysis
(Question 2) The Rubric
(Question 2) Sample Papers and Key
(Question 2) Analysis
18 C. Barrera 2012 Additional Resources
1. "Slavery and the Making of America: Episode 2." PBS. PBS, 2004. Web. 01 Aug. 2012.
2. 1776. Dir. Peter Hunt. Perf. William Daniels and Howard Da Silva. Columbia Pictures, 1972. Scene “For God's Sake John, Sit Down” Scene “But Mr. Adams”
3. John Adams. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perf. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. HBO, 2008. Scene “John Adams at the Boston Massacre Trial Scene “Thomas Jefferson and John Adams’ Faith in Humanity Scene “Friends” Scene “The Letters of Adams and Jefferson
4. Thomas Jefferson. Dir. Ken Burns. Perf. Blythe Danner, Ossie Davis and Gwyneth Paltrow. PBS Home Video, 1997. Part 1 Part 2
19 C. Barrera 2012 Screen Shots from the miniseries John Adams
Images from Episode 1 “Join or Die” (Boston Massacre)
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