Paul Steinig
In the introduction, I sought to draw the viewer to the image of John Quincy Adams. I synched the zoom-ins with the music, from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons: Summer.” This ominous music coincides with the evidence supported in the video. When coupled, the two should complement each other by signaling the troubles that Adams would cause as President. After his image and his name, I begin to flash alliterative terms that could be associated with Adams. First was Federalist, because Adams had once been a Federalist before becoming a Republican. Next came Foreigner, since Adams had received most of his education when in Europe. Lastly was father, since linking John Adams to John Quincy Adams would bring up memories of a difficult Presidency. An image of John Adams is shown and zoomed in on. Here, I wanted the viewer to truly see the similarities between the two men. Physically, they look similar, but politically they had ties as well. The elder Adams was a Federalist and sought to model the new American government off of the British monarchy. Linking the two together would hurt John Quincy Adams’ attempts to distance himself from his father.
The video then transitions into providing evidence against Adams. The first quote is fairly generic, but lays the groundwork for subsequent quotes. It states that the next President should not lead based on sectional feelings. Immediately following that quote is another in which Adams is described as turning a deaf ear onto the concerns of educated Southerners and Westerners. Clearly, this quote does not demonstrate Adams acting in a manner that avoids sectional bias.
The next quote then touches on Adams’ education in Europe, as briefly described earlier. The quote is broken down and simplified to heighten the emphasis on Europe and European courts, in order to connect them to Adams’ early political thoughts. I wanted to connect Adams with Europe, and this quote associated him in a political manner. The following quote is much longer than the previous ones, but is a very important critique of Adams as a politician. Again, the quote is simplified, leading the viewer to focus on Adams’ transition from a Federalist to a Republican. The quote continues on to tell that the principles of republicanism are still not fully understood by Adams.
The last quote sums up my argument by clearly telling how Adams would run the country if elected. Under his reign, Adams’ favorite politicians and aristocrats would have a large role in how he governs. Clearly, a leader who employs such strategies could be seen as one who is weak and unable to guide the nation independently and successfully. The video then fades out with another image of Adams, drawing to a close my argument against the election of John Quincy Adams in 1824.
Sources:
John Quincy Adams (from 1818) Image 1:
http://en.wikipedia.org:wiki:File/John_Quincy_Adams_by_Gilbert_Stuart,_1818.jpg – file
John Adams Image (1792-3):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jadams.jpeg
Quote One:
From: Independent Chronicle and Boston Patriot; 19 July 1823; Boston, Massachusetts.
Quotes Two, Three, Four, Five:
From: Washington Gazette; 29 December 1821; Washington (DC).
John Quincy Adams (From 1796) Image Two:
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/presidents/bio6.htm