The Adams Chronicles

Synopsis

The Adams Chronicles follows the Adams political family across 150 years, featuring John Adams, his wife Abigail, their son John Quincy Adams, grandson Charles Francis Adams, and fourth-generation members Henry Brooks Adams and Charles Francis Adams II. John Adams, portrayed by George Grizzard, is the central figure; his influence persists even after his death on July 4, 1826. Later generations struggle with his legacy of public service, often questioning whether they meet the standard set by their distinguished ancestor. Ultimately, the fourth generation concludes that the era of the Adams family’s significant role in national affairs has ended.

Episode list

Chapter I: John Adams, Lawyer. He meets and marries Abigail Smith, a parson's daughter. After a daughter's death, his family grows and he moves to Boston, becoming a respected attorney and more involved in politics as British policy becomes repressive. Following the Boston Massacre, he represents the British soldiers who fired into a protesting mob.

Chapter II: John Adams, Revolutionary. After most soldiers are acquitted, Adams faces insults in Boston and moves his family to the farm. He regains his reputation with a newspaper article asserting colonists' rights. After the Boston Tea Party, the British blockade the harbor, and the colonies set up the Continental Congress.

Adams is sent to Philadelphia as a Massachusetts representative. Abigail confronts an outbreak of dysentery. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Adams wants to fight but is persuaded he is needed in Congress. He disappoints John Hancock by passing him over to appoint George Washington as army commander.

One of his letters to Abigail is intercepted and published. Adams asks Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence.