6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Part III: Join or Die (1777–1781)
In Episode 3, Adams travels to Europe with his young son, John Quincy, during the Revolutionary War to seek alliances with foreign nations, while their ship battles a British frigate. It first shows Adams' embassy with Benjamin Franklin in the court of Louis XVI. The old French nobility, who are in the last decade before being consumed by the French Revolution, are portrayed as effete and decadent. They cheerfully meet Franklin, viewing him as a romantic figure, oblivious to the democratic infection he carries. Adams, on the other hand, is a plainspoken and faithful man who finds himself out of his depth surrounded by an entertainment- and sex-driven culture among the French elite. Adams finds himself at sharp odds with Benjamin Franklin, who has adapted himself to the French, seeking to obtain by seduction what Adams would gain through histrionics. Franklin sharply rebukes Adams for his lack of diplomatic acumen, describing it as a "direct insult followed by a petulant whine." Franklin soon has Adams removed from any position of diplomatic authority in Paris. Franklin's approach is ultimately successful and results in the conclusive Franco-American victory at Yorktown.
Adams, chastened and dismayed but learning from his mistakes, then travels to the Dutch Republic to obtain monetary support for the Revolution. Although the Dutch agree with the American cause, they do not consider the new union a reliable and creditworthy client. Adams ends his time in the Netherlands in a state of progressive illness, having sent his son away as a diplomatic secretary to the Russian Empire.
Part IV: Reunion (1781–1789)
In the fourth episode, John Adams receives news of the Revolutionary War's end and the British defeat. He is then sent to Paris to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783. While overseas, John Adams spends time with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and his wife, Abigail, visits him. Franklin informs John Adams that he was appointed as the first American Ambassador to Great Britain and thus has to relocate to London. John Adams is poorly received by the British during this time—he is the representative for a recently hostile power and represents in his person what many British at the time regarded as a disastrous end to their early Empire. He meets with his former sovereign, George III, and while the meeting is not a disaster, he is excoriated in British newspapers. In 1789, John Adams returns to Massachusetts for the first presidential election, where he and Abigail are reunited with their now-grown children. George Washington is elected as the first President of the United States, while John Adams is elected as the first Vice President.
Initially, Adams is disappointed and wishes to reject the post of Vice President because he feels there is a disproportionate number of electoral votes in favor of George Washington (Adams' number of votes pales in comparison to those garnered by Washington). In addition, John feels the position of vice president is not a proper reflection of all the years of service he has dedicated to his nation. However, Abigail successfully influences him to accept the nomination.
Doors open @ 6:00pm | Film @ 6:30 pm | Free to the Community | Concession items $1
