Dylan Dethier
Vote for Adams; Continue America’s Allegiance with God
I had three main goals in producing this Pro-Adams video: to provide a clear message, to leave the viewer with a warm feeling about Adams, and to do so while maintaining the spirit of the election of 1800.
I chose the music because it was upbeat, which was appropriate for a spirited election, and because the song’s repetitive nature helps guide the viewer through the quotes as they dissolve and reappear throughout the ad.
The opening quote is taken from an Adams address to the Vermont Free Masons in December of 1798. The entire address is compelling, as he speaks against faction—a major attack point for the Federalist Party—and the quote shown introduces Adams as a religious man. I wanted the voters to believe that this the type of president who makes “pious and virtuous resolutions” as an American leader. And as the President, a position that makes appointments to the earthly Supreme Court, this is a man still judged by the “Arbiter Eternal and Almighty.” For someone who battles issues with his public image, this quote establishes a warm, pious identity that would sit well with a potential voter.
Being a man of God put Adams squarely at odds with Jefferson, or so Adams’ supporters would have ad viewers believe. The Gazette put it simply to potential voters—there was only one “Grand Question Stated.” I chose to dissolve from the entire clipping to shorter sections of text to that the viewer could digest the sentence. I then dissolved from the text reading, “GOD—AND A RELIGIOUS PRESIDENT” to a picture of Adams, making the connection between the two textually and visually clear.
I then provided the alternative choice for the election: “JEFFERSON—AND NO GOD!!!” As with Adams, I dissolved the text into a close-up of Jefferson, again underscoring the connection between image and text to paint his opposition as a heathen. Jefferson was the favored candidate, the Adams camp was eager to vilify him as a Jacobin and an atheist.
I wanted to include a dig at Jefferson, even in a pro-Adams ad, to reflect the nature of the 1800 election. The Jefferson-Adams “Revolution of 1800” is considered the first modern election—thusly termed because of the brutal attacks each candidate’s supporters made upon the other. In 1800, it seems there would have been brutal mudslinging in any discussion of presidential politics.
From another image of Adams, I dissolve to a quote about George Washington that conveniently includes Adams’ name in the paragraph, although he isn’t technically the subject of the quote. The phrase “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his people,” was famously used in the eulogy for Washington. Here it’s proximity to Adams’ name serves as a convenient connection to the first president, from whom Adams derived much of his political power.
Being “first in war” while also “first in peace” was actually a neatly-phrased way to highlight one of the few real successes of Adams’ first term. I singled out the phrase “who was first in war” and cut to a shot of Washington at the head of an army in the Revolutionary War. As president, Adams made the popular appointment of Washington to the head of the American army, part of his construction of a powerful defense. Yet despite this armament, he also navigated a peaceful resolution to the Quasi-War with France.
After cutting to “first in peace,” I dissolve to Adams as he votes on the Declaration of Independence—a shining moment for him and, retrospectively, for the nation at large. The final shot shows the end of the quote—“and first in the hearts of his people” to return to the opening shot of the ad—Adams as a warm, presidential character deserving of the viewer’s vote, and deserving of a return to office for another term.
Works Cited
Quote 1:
Federal Gazette & Baltimore Daily Advertiser, December 13, 1798. Volume IX; Issue 1588; Page 3.
Quote #2:
Gazette of the United States, September 13, 1800. Volume XVIII; Issue 2485, Page 3.
John Adams Picture:
John Adams, President of the United States of America. Painted by Copley; engraved by J. Smither. Published by William Cobbett, Philadelphia, Feb. 15th, 1797.
Thomas Jefferson Picture:
Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State
Charles Wilson Peale, 1791
John Adams Picture 2:
A new display of the United States, printed & sold wholesale by Amos Doolittle, August 14, 1799.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/15700/15716r.jpg
Washington Picture:
Washington in Battle, published in New York
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/pga/03000/03036v.jpg
Congress Picture:
Savage, Edward, engraver
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a00000/3a09000/3a09300/3a09363r.jpg
Music:
Colonial Music from A Sharp Recording Studio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS-bFvFK6IQ
Quote #3: TY – NEWS
Philadelphia Gazette, August 27, 1800. Volume XVII, Issue 3686, Page 3.