Bryn Dunbar

“Is not Adams our guide?” Explanation Paper

            At the time of 1796 election, it was not yet popular to express political party affiliation, so the top candidates for president, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, had to appear as if the position was not something they were eager to obtain. Adams saw himself as Washington’s rightful heir and thus the perfect candidate for president. Many Federalists also thought that the office was Adam’s right. The party, however, split when Alexander Hamilton, a prominent Federalist, supported Thomas Pickney’s candidacy over that of Adams. Adams was furious and felt that this “violated the natural hierarchy of society and the very meaning of the Revolution.”[1] Based on this summary of the situation in 1796, I wanted my video supporting the candidacy of John Adams to have a composed tone that did not tie him to a party, but instead emphasized his ties to the revolution and George Washington in order to portray him as the natural choice for the next president of the United States. I chose Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, nicked named Surprise Symphony[2], as the musical accompaniment for my video to project a soft, optimistic, and gentlemanly feel.

My video opens with the quote “Is not Adams our guide?”[3] This is a newspaper quote from November of 1790, which references Adams’s role in the Revolution. I wanted to show how he helped shape thinking during the Revolution and orchestrated many of the political choices that were made to obtain the goals of independence that the country sought. I also wanted to suggest that Adams would continue to guide the country as president, just as he did during the Revolution.

The opening is followed by a screen shot of a newspaper clipping of a letter written by John Adams on July 2, 1776.[4] I chose to highlight the phrase “the end is more than worth all the means” and John Adams’s signature. I wanted to stress John Adams’s commitment to the American ideals of freedom and independence, and imply that he would carry these same convictions to the office of the presidency. Next, the screen shot transitions into a picture of the Declaration of Independence.[5] The frame shifts focus, zooming in on John Adams’s signature, which is marked by a red arrow, in order to reference the connection between Adams and a commitment to American ideals.

A picture of another newspaper clipping succeeds the Declaration of Independence. In this shot, I colored the words “John Adams…one of the greatest modern writers on government.”[6] I chose this quote to demonstrate how John Adams was an expert on government, something that he had already shown during the Revolution. I wanted to show that he obviously had the political knowledge to be an effective president. This quote is followed by an image of Adams to put a face to the man who possessed great presidential qualities. [7]

Next, I chose to show a screen shot of a newspaper in which I highlighted the words “worthy patriots, WASHINGTON & ADAMS.”[8] I felt that I had already established the ways in which Adams was a “worthy patriot” earlier in the video, so I wanted to propose someone else to whom these qualities applied: President George Washington. Thus, I established a link between Washington and Adams. The focus of the video then shifts to Washington as a picture of him appears and the music booms loudly.[9] I wanted the audience to remember that George Washington was a symbol of what it meant to be American and fight for freedom. I thought it was important to tie Adams to Washington so the audience would link these qualities to him as well and view him as Washington’s natural successor. I began to establish this link with a screen shot that features the highlighted words, “GEORGE WASHINGTON…JOHN ADAMS… first planet from our political sun.”[10] These phrases are part of toasts that were said early in the year of 1796 to honor Washington and Adams. I thought this toast was appropriate because it portrayed Adams as second only to Washington or the first planet revolving around the sun. If Adams were seen as immediately following Washington, then it would make logical sense for him to take the place of Washington as president. This screen shot is followed by a picture of Washington driving away the British under a bright sun, which the frame zooms in on, stressing the significance of the preceding toast.[11]

In conclusion, another screen shot appears featuring the highlighted words, “George Washington unanimously elected president… John Adams was re-elected Vice President.”[12] I wanted to demonstrate the popularity of Washington and the idea that Adams was obviously meant to be president, since he had already served as the vice president of such a well-liked man. The final picture of Washington[13] appears and morphs into a picture of Adams[14] in one last attempt to demonstrate just how naturally the office of the presidency would pass from Washington to Adams.