How Does US History Affect You? Historical Accuracy & John Adams
By: Douglas Perkins
Tags: United States, Accuracy, History, Us History, Founding Fathers

How does US History Affect You?

I love the United States and our history. I love to study it, read about it, and research it. A few of my favorite historical authors are David McCullough, Ron Chernow, Bruce Catton, and Jon Meacham. McCullough wrote John Adams, a great biography of our second president. The movie miniseries John Adams is based on this book. I strongly recommend you read the book and follow that up with the movie.

John Adams by Gilbert Stuart

Near the end when he is nearly 90 years old, Adams is asked to come view a newly painted depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The artist, John Trumbull, expects Adams to compliment his work and gush about his awe-inspiring creation of the scene that took place almost 50 years earlier.

When Adams does see the large 12 by 18-foot painting he is aghast at the incorrect portrayal. All he can focus on is the inaccuracy of the interpretation of the scene. Adams is angry and offended and lets Trumbull know of his disgust. He feels the painting should accurately represent history and not depict a grandiose and romantic setting that never occurred.

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull

I will try to do history justice here and be as accurate as I can. I will not romanticize history although that is sometimes difficult as we discuss men who we revere and who accomplished so much so long ago, especially when we have learned from history books which romanticize history and historical figures.

How does US history affect you?

This blog will be about everything United States and its history. Extensive focus will be placed on the history part and even more focused on colonial history and the birth and infancy of the nation. The impact that this history has on us living in the 21st century will be a recurring topic as the decisions made by our Founding Fathers impact us greatly, more than many understand.

This blog will not be partisan. Current events may creep into our discussions at times but I will do my best to keep politics out and hope you will do the same if you comment.

I am doing research now for a book I am writing. The writing for the book is minimal at this point as my efforts are focused on research, outlines, and thought organization. This research is what led me to this blog. I was discussing some research with my sister, Jill. She is the one who had the idea of a blog to write about the things I research as I organize things. Some of the topics in this blog will certainly find their way into the book and others will not.

As an introduction to this blog, I want to communicate to you the love I have for the United States, the US Constitution, and the Founding Fathers. I am in awe of the sacrifice and risk which went into the forming of this nation. I’m not sure we can comprehend all they risked. Enemies were everywhere. Their neighbors were sometimes Loyalists (those who were loyal to the crown) who reported their actions and words back to the British government. Loyalists and spies were all around but they continued nevertheless.

Understanding the Founding Fathers

I hope that you will be entertained and maybe learn something in reading this blog. I really hope it will not only cause you to reflect on what makes this nation great but also understand mistakes were made. The Founding Fathers were human and they indeed made errors. They argued, they lied and coerced at times, and disagreements were common.

But I also hope you will think about what your life might be like if you lived in a time or place where certain things that are important to you were illegal or punishable by law. Put yourself in their place and try to understand things as they did. Atticus Finch put it best when he told Scout “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Thank you and God bless America!