Constitutional Discrepancy in John Adams

HBO’s John Adams TV series brings the harsh historical beginnings of the United States and gives its viewers a glance at the lives of many great historical figures such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. This film series is directed by Tom Hooper, Gary Goetzman, and Tom Hanks and is based on a book written by David McCullough (HBO, 2012). Paul Giamatti enacts the role of John Adams who respects his wife Abigail, who is portrayed by Laura Linney in the film (HBO, 2012). Other important characters in the series are Thomas Jefferson by Stephen Dillane, Benjamin Franklin, by Tom Wilkinson and George Washington who is portrayed by David Morse (HBO, 2012). These characters come together to bring the history of the United States to life on screen as they outline the story of how the Declaration of Independence came to be. John and Abigail’s passion in the film reveal the history and principles of which the United States was founded on but are not as prevalent in our government today such as self-government, equality for all, and basic freedoms.

In the film, the Second Continental Congress lays out the beginnings toward independence from Great Britain but self-government by the people has increasingly vanished in the twenty-first century through corruption and corporate greed. Government by the people and for the people was one foundation that John Adams and other founders of the constitution discussed in the film when forming the constitution but the United States’ government has had an increasing role in how America operates. The gap between the rich and the poor is exponentially increasing with the top 1% having a huge say in government policies and legislation (Wolff, 2011). The founders of the constitution ...

... middle of paper ...

...t is SOPA?. Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012, from http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71567.html

HBO: John Adams: About the Show. (n.d.). HBO. Retrieved January 28, 2012, from

http://www.hbo.com/john-adams/about/index.html

Kain, E. D. (2012, January 2). President Obama Signed the National Defense Authorization Act - Now What? - Forbes. Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/01/02/president-obama-signed-the-national-defense-authorization-act-now-what/

Stop ACTA!. (n.d.). What is ACTA?. Retrieved February 1, 2012, from http://www.stopacta.info/

Wolff, R. (2011, October 26). How the 1% got richer, while the 99% got poorer. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/26/how-1-got-richer-99-poorer