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The Adams Chronicles

TV·1976–1976·1 season, 13 episodes·PBS·Drama, War & Politics·50m·Created by Virginia Kassel

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Chronicles the story of the Adams political family over a 150-year span, including John Adams (drafter and signer of the Declaration, accomplished diplomat, and the 2nd President of the U.S.), his wife Abigail Adams, his son John Quincy Adams (acclaimed Secretary of State, the 6th President, and prominent abolitionist Congressman), grandson Charles Francis Adams, Congressman and Ambassador to Great Britain during the Civil War, and much-heralded members of the fourth generation Henry Brooks Adams, the historian and author of the novel Democracy, and Charles Francis Adams II, the industrialist.

Cast

Episodes by season

Season0113Episodes1976AiredSeason avg
  1. S01E01Chapter 1: John Adams, LawyerJanuary 20, 1976John Adams centers his ambitions on becoming a lawyer of repute and marrying parson's daughter Abigail Smith.
  2. S01E02Chapter 2: John Adams, RevolutionaryJanuary 27, 1976Adams returns to Braintree after successfully defending the Redcoats, but Hancock soon lures him back into politics.
  3. S01E03Chapter 3: John Adams, DiplomatFebruary 3, 1976Serving as a diplomat in France with Benjamin Franklin, Adams earns a reputation for rudeness.
  4. S01E04Chapter 4: John Adams, Minister to Great BritainFebruary 10, 1976After nearly five years of separation, Adams' family joins him in Great Britian, where he has been appointed America's first ambassador.
  5. S01E05Chapter 5: John Adams, Vice PresidentFebruary 17, 1976With General George Washington as President, Adams becomes Vice-President and head of the Senate. When Jefferson's Republicans and Hamilton'
  6. S01E06Chapter 6: John Adams, PresidentFebruary 24, 1976Increasingly exasperating relations with France lead to the XYZ Affair, then the Quasi-War.
  7. S01E07Chapter 7: John Quincy Adams, DiplomatMarch 2, 1976In Ghent, Adams and his delegation struggle to negotiate an end to the War of 1812.
  8. S01E08Chapter 8: John Quincy Adams, Secretary of StateMarch 9, 1976During the Seminole War, the executions of Arbuthnot and Ambrister in Spanish Florida create a diplomatic incident. The US and Britain consi
  9. S01E09Chapter 9: John Quincy Adams, PresidentMarch 16, 1976Hampered by negative press from Jackson's camp, Adams' single term is marked by frustrated efforts to institute national improvements.
  10. S01E10Chapter 10: John Quincy Adams, CongressmanMarch 23, 1976Adams wins a seat in the House, where he serves with more success than he had as President.
  11. S01E11Chapter 11: Charles Francis Adams, Minister to Great BritainMarch 30, 1976On the eve of the Civil War, Charles Francis Adams becomes the third generation in the Adams family to be appointed minister to Great Britai
  12. S01E12Chapter 12: Henry Adams, HistorianApril 6, 1976The sons of Charles Francis Adams endeavor to make their own marks on the world.
  13. S01E13Chapter 13: Charles Francis Adams II, IndustrialistApril 13, 1976While his brother Henry travels the world, Charles Francis II takes charge of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

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