The French have captured over 300 of our trading vessels.
The captain of the Cincinnatus
was subjected to torture.
The details are barbaric.
There has been a gross misunderstanding
with France that I must reconcile.
You made a devil's pact with the British,
their sworn enemy.
And ours, I'd thought.
It may be difficult, Thomas, if not impossible,
for me to maintain neutrality,
but to be drawn into war with either France or England
when our own confederation is still so fragile
would be suicidal.
It could bankrupt the nation,
divide the people even further,
lead God knows where.
Now I am of a mind to send
an envoy extraordinary
to strengthen our hand in dealing with the French government.
And I can think of no one more qualified to engage
with foreign minister Talleyrand than yourself.
And nothing would give me greater pleasure
than to rekindle our partnership.
Some may say you seek to remove a rival
for public office.
Well, let them prattle.
As a known friend of France,
your presence would reflect our seriousness of purpose.
No one can object to that.
I cannot accept this commission.
Do you tell me this as my vice president
or as the head of your party?
That you and I differ
on our assessment of the best form of government
for these states united is well-known to us both.
Yes, but we have only differed as friends should do,
respecting the purity of each other's motives.
Oh, surely you and I, Thomas,
can rise above the din of politics.
Nowhere is the din of politics greater
than in your own cabinet
which you have inherited from Washington
without making a single change.
They are Hamilton's men.
They are determined upon a course of war with France.
Well, I am equally determined
to prevent such a course...
if you would stand by me.
Will you not help me in this?
The threat to our revolution
does not come from Paris,
it comes from within.
Put your own house in order.
You once told me...
that I would always have your friendship.
- You have it now. - Yes, but not your support!
Not your support.
Well, I will not trouble you again.
Good day to you, Thomas.
And you, John.
The French have made their intentions plain.
The Yarmouth out of Baltimore was fired upon,
its cargo impounded as British.
American seamen were wounded.
War is inevitable, sir.
No, war is never inevitable.
It must be the course of last resort.
How great would be the guilt of an unnecessary war?
I intend to steer an impartial course...
as General Washington wished.
We cannot rely on Mr. Marshall
finding any success on his mission to Paris.
That is very possible, Mr. Wolcott.
That's very possible.
So while we are attempting to adjust our differences
through amicable means,
we can take measures for our defense.
Such measures will cloak our envoy in strength
and give weight to our diplomatic mission
and, uh... I think command the appropriate respect.
Nothing will command respect better than a provisional army.
The state militias are insufficient protection.
I think it's rather too soon
to be speaking of armies, Mr. McHenry.
Rather, we should concentrate on our navy.
I refer to arming our merchant ships for defense,
bolstering our harbors for defense,
building frigates.
- If I may, sir... - Yes.
Mr. Hamilton regards an army as most essential.
Yes, well, I remind you that Mr. Hamilton
is no longer an officer
in this government.
And I have no need of outside counsel.
With respect, Mr. President, you spent most of the war abroad.
Mr. McHenry and I had the privilege to serve
with Mr. Hamilton in the army
and in the previous cabinet...
l...
I retained all of you
in your present positions in the interest of...
national unity.
So this cabinet would oblige me by respecting my wishes...
as it did with General Washington.
You have labored over the same page
for the last half-hour.
Is that so?
I was not aware.
My thoughts are so clear to me.
Each one takes perfect shape
within my mind.
But when I speak, when I...
offer them to others...
they seem to lose all definition.
It is not your words that are at fault, John.
It is the bias of those to whom you speak
that distorts what you would say.
A bias.
We cannot survive a war, this country...
no no...
neither with England nor France.
You see, that fact should be paramount,
but it takes last place,
outweighed by these factional concerns...
and by the ambitions of men
who ought to be
united with me in this cause.
Thomas.
I am bereft of counsel when I am most in need of it.
You are hardly bereft of counsel.
Hold firm to the course that you have set.
And if war comes, John...
we must be prepared.
You must be prepared.
Bereft of counsel.
May I be among the first to offer you my support
in this difficult time for our country?
Should it come to war with France,
I would be honored to serve on the army's general staff.
The army, hmm?
Well, should such a necessity arise...
excuse me...
the Senate will vote on those matters.
I will not influence their decision one way or the other, Colonel.
I ask you only to vouchsafe my character, sir.
That I can no longer do.
- I beg your pardon? - That I can no longer do.
Fetch me my folio, Colonel.
Certainly, sir.
No doubt you are a fine soldier
and were an able secretary to me, sir,
but you have bankrupted yourself
in the pursuit of easy riches.
You reputation is much damaged.
I own that I have made some...
poor investments, but I am hardly alone in that misfortune.
If you had applied yourself to steady employment
in a respectable occupation...
Perhaps if you had shown some regard for my advancement,
such employment might have been more easily found.
God.
You have the temerity to blame me?
A word from you would have done me much good.
I will not and cannot countenance your ceaseless efforts
to trade on our family name!
You have had no hesitation in finding preferment for your own sons...
whether they have merited the effort or not.
I have nothing more to say to you, sir. Good day.
I'm afraid I must beg your indulgence longer than I expected, Mrs. Adams.
I would consider it a great favor
if my wife and children could remain at Peacefield.
I care not for my own comfort,
but it would pain me greatly
to see them suffer because of my failures.
Of course.
The moment I am able...
I shall take their care upon myself.
William, l... I do not understand.
I must leave you.
Leave us? Why?
My... disappointments
have blackened my name,
as your father has made all too clear.
If I am to begin again, it must be somewhere where I am less known.
Where will you go?
I have some prospects in the west.
The west? William, surely there must be something...
I have no choice, Nabby.
- William, please. - I have no choice.
- If you will excuse me. - Please stay, Mrs. Adams.
I know your husband is not alone in his opinion of me.
There is much to do.
Please excuse me.
Good God, to treat you with such contempt, Mr. Marshall.
To debase you, our envoy,
in such a vile manner.
Do the French not understand the consequences of their actions?
Talleyrand all but refused to see us.
That bastard.
His agents are well aware you do not want war,
that you intend to preserve the peace at all costs.
Well, their perfidy makes that course all but impossible.
Reason enough, then, not to release the dispatches.
Yes, but if I do not release the dispatches,
then Mr. Jefferson and his party
will allege that I am withholding intelligence
favorable to the French government
and that will inflame things further.
Yet both seek peace with France.
The vice president would find we agree on most matters
if he could be convinced that I mean what I say!
So far, I have failed in that task.
In this instance, you share cause.
Should you seek his support...
you may find him more sympathetic.
"Through his agents, Monsieur Talleyrand indicated
that for negotiations to proceed
a sum of money was first required
for the pockets of the French...
for the pockets of the French government and its ministers;
That the price would be
$250,000 for himself."
Yes, a "sweetener,"
Monsieur Talleyrand calls that.
And, uh, a loan
of $10 million
to demonstrate our good faith.
If Monsieur Talleyrand has been indiscreet,
it would be wrong to ascribe blame
to the entire French government.
Monsieur Talleyrand is
the French government.
I cannot account for such effrontery...
unless our envoys had some part
in this... mistake?
Mr. Marshall vouches for the account,
and I know him to be a man of his word.
I am left no ground
on which to expect our diplomatic mission
to be accomplished
in terms compatible with either the safety
or the honor of this nation.
So we must shield ourselves behind a wall of strength.
Congress is prepared to grant my request
to arm our merchant vessels
and to fortify our harbors.
And?
Well, that's not all, is it...
Mr. President?
No, should the need arise,
we must be prepared to defend our borders with an army, yes.
And to that end, I can think of no man better
to lend the notion gravity than General Washington.
General Washington?
Well, he will exercise great caution
in deploying it.
He will be a commander in name only.
You must know that.
You cannot expect him to take the field at his age.
I know nothing of the sort, Mr. Jefferson, no.
General Washington will defer to Mr. Hamilton
as he always has.
The result will be a provocation
of the most immense order,
both here and abroad.
And what precisely is Monsieur Talleyrand's
unbridled contempt but a provocation?!
War has been this administration's policy
from the beginning.
To try to pretend otherwise is disingenuous in the extreme.
If there is to be a war,
Mr. Vice President,
it will be France's doing
and not mine.
Mr. President.
"Exult each patriot heart...
this night is shown
A piece,
which we may fairly call our own...
Our Author pictures not from foreign climes
The fashions, or follies
of the times;
Why should our thoughts
to distant countries roam,
When each refinement
may be found at home?"
Three cheers for our President!
May he, like Samson,
slay thousands of Frenchmen
with the jawbone of Jefferson!
Huzzah! Huzzah!
All of Philadelphia is at your feet.
All of America, it seems.
They sing less in praise of me
than they do in outrage at the mendacity
of the French, Doctor. Come now.
No no, they will turn again at a moment's notice,
I have no doubt.
A mob is no less a mob because they are with you.
"The President is hereby empowered
to designate as alien enemies
any citizens or subjects of hostile nations..."
"...residing in the United States whose presence
he regards as dangerous,
and make regulations
for their apprehension,
restraint or removal."
Both the House and the Senate believe
the country's security requires it, sir.
There are over 25,000 Frenchmen
in Philadelphia alone, Mr. President...
refugees from the slave uprisings in the Caribbean.
We must assume their sympathies remain with France
rather than America.
If war does come, we cannot afford
to harbor potential spies in our midst.
"It shall be a crime to utter or publish
writings against the government of the United States
with intent to defame
or bring it into contempt or disrepute."
The majority of the Congress concur with this opinion as well?
Overwhelmingly, sir.
Scandalous and malicious writing excites hatred
against our administration
and may even foment insurrection.
These two bills are essential in rooting out our enemies,
both external and internal.
But aren't we concerned, gentlemen,
that with such acts
we will only further
embolden these dissenters?
The people of this country are clamoring for war, sir,
and we must answer them.
No self-respecting nation should ever be asked to submit
to the injury, the outrage and the insult
that the French have heaped upon us and you.
You must sign them, sir.
L... I am well aware of the insult
delivered to us by the French, Mr. Wolcott.
We... we must be prepared for war...
but I am duty-bound to try for peace.
"The reign of Mr. Adams
has hitherto been one continued tempest
of malignant passions.
As president, he has never opened his lips
without threatening or scolding.
He is a repulsive pedant,
a gross hypocrite,
one of the most egregious fools upon the continent,
a hideous,
hermaphroditical character
which has neither the force and firmness of a man,
nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."
It is beneath the President of the United States...
to take any notice of insinuations.
In any other country,
such filth would have been silenced long ago.
Mr. Hamilton takes equal pains
to ensure that the Federalist Papers
are filled with scurrilous attacks
on Thomas Jefferson and his party.
Think of all the vile falsehoods
written about you... continue to be written about you.
You may have patiently borne all the slanders,
but I have not.
"Before it is too late to retrieve
- our deranged affairs..." - For goodness sake.
"...the people must demand
the immediate resignation of old,
querulous, bald, blind,
crippled, toothless Adams."
I'm not crippled.
I find no amusement in this.
- Waste of paper and ink. - Waste of time reading it.
Abigail, put it down.
They would not say such a thing about Washington.
They would not call George Washington hermaphroditical.
They could call him toothless, though.
By these measures, some within your party
hope to silence the opposition.
I assure you they will give it body and solidarity.
Well, I am a party of one, Thomas,
as you well know.
Why blacken your fragile reputation
by an assault on the freedoms for which we both fought?
Do you intend to ship out
the entire French population of the United States
along with any other luckless soul
who happens to voice a contrary opinion?
Well, if that contrary opinion
threatens to divide the nation at a time
when we must stand united, then yes, I will do just that.
I am interested with the nation's safety, Thomas.
Now these war measures will protect us
- from insurrection and subversion. - There is no war.
And that is the principle behind these measures...
the prevention of war.
You cannot protect the nation
by attacking the right of every man to speak freely without fear.
You're trampling on the Constitution.
The states will have no alternative
but to resist these measures...
which are an assault on the liberty of their people.
Yes, but the people's representatives demanded these acts.
Would you have me deaf to the voice of the people?
You are the President of the Senate, Thomas.
Surely, you will respect the wishes of the majority...
as I did.
I cannot preside over a reign of witches.
I shall remove myself to Monticello.
That is your privilege.
L...
I do not have such a luxury.
I am determined to control events,
not be controlled by them.
Sign them, John.
For once in your life, the people are with you.
Bed, John.
>>THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES<<
You do understand, Mr. Hamilton,
that as President, I have the authority
to decide on junior officers.
Without question, sir.
But General Washington...
will only accept his charge
on the condition that I serve as his second in command.
Naturally, you may decline
to accept the arrangement.
Of course not, Mr. Hamilton. Of course not.
It is somewhat irregular,
but...
I would never countermand his wishes, sir.
If I may, sir.
A company will be subdivided into two platoons,
a platoon into two sections,
a section into two squads.
A squad will consist of four files of three, or two files of...
Perhaps later, Mr. Hamilton.
We are removing ourselves to Peacefield
to avoid the yellow fever before it strikes.
You might want to leave the city yourself, sir.
For General Washington, I suggest this:
A blue coat without lapels,
yellow buttons and double-bullion tag with fringe,
each with three stars.
Obviously, collar cuffs,
and pocket flaps will be double-embroidered
as will the buttonholes.
Yes, but of course it is a matter
of how the army is to be used, Mr. Hamilton,
is it not?
To what end, you see.
Its presence will be...
provocative,
whatever the color of the uniforms.
If we're forced to rely on incompetent state militias
for our defense,
we may as well start learning French now,
Mr. President.
A national army binds the country
much as a national bank does.
Now, a training manual...
is essential.
Here we have an illustration
for the command "Head right."
At the word "right," the soldier
turns his head to the right briskly
but without violence,
bringing his left eye in line
with the buttons of his waistcoat
and his right eye looking along the breasts
of the soldiers to his right.
Whoa, boy. Whoa.
John Quincy is absolutely certain of this?
The French are willing to talk peace?
Talleyrand let it be known through our Dutch embassy
that another envoy would be respectfully received.
The situation in France has changed.
General Bonaparte has proclaimed himself
sovereign ruler and declared the revolution over.
From monarchy to anarchy and back to monarchy.
So much for the overthrow
of the ancient tyrannies of Europe.
Bonaparte will have little time for America.
He must consolidate his power in France,
pursue the war with Britain.
This is the very news
that I have been waiting for.
Delivered to me by my own son
from my own son. Well done.
Well done, sir.
Let Mr. Jefferson call you a warmonger now.
Ah. Ah.
Has there been any news from Colonel Smith?
Not of late.
- Nabby, it Is not good for the children - Yes, Mother?
...to be without their father for so long.
I am resigned to the absences of my husband...
as you once were.
Nabby, there is nothing I can do
to alter what has passed.
Should there be something I could do to correct...
He shall return as soon as he is able, Mother.
I have no reason to doubt his promise to me,
nor the affection he feels for me and the children.
As for the rest of it, I am managing.
- You need not worry. - But I do.
How can I not?
At the end of the summer, we return to Philadelphia.
Perhaps you and the children could return with us.
We are fine here.
We remove ourselves to the new capital a few months later.
Perhaps then?
For the president's daughter to be living
in Washington City without her husband?
I'd never do that,
not to Father.
It is best we remain where we are.
Current hostilities in Europe
demand a firm American response, sir.
When the scourge of yellow fever
is removed from Philadelphia
and the government may resume its work,
I will leave Trenton and return to the capital.
I intend to deliver a response, Mr. Hamilton.
Rest assured of that.
Should victory fall to Britain,
as it most surely must,
then the Bourbons are likely to regain the throne of France.
Any dealings with a current illegitimate government there
could well redound to our detriment...
leading us back into a war with Britain
we can ill-afford to wage.
What if the French...
not the British, emerge victorious, Mr. Hamilton?
The pretender Bonaparte
is within a hairsbreadth of victory over most of Europe.
In that regrettable instance,
we must be prepared to take possession
of valuable, strategic territory
before France can lay her hands on it.
All the territory this side of the Mississippi
must be ours.
You would seize
- Spanish Florida and Louisiana? - And not only those, sir.
If universal empire is to be the pursuit of France,
what can tend to defeat their purpose better
than to detach South America from Spain?
It is the only channel through which the riches
of Mexico and Peru convey to France.
Let us not forget there are those in our own country, sir,
who would prefer secession to our continued union.
If they should be so bold as to act
on their threats, in the event, say,
of a French victory,
we must be prepared to bring the renegades
back into the fold by force if necessary.
Never in my life
have I heard a man speak more like a fool.
Sir?
Your actions, Mr. Hamilton,
would precipitate
the very thing that you pretend to protect against...
the dissolution of this nation.
May inform you as well, sir, that I am in possession
of intelligence which confirms
that we are as likely to find a French army
on these shores as we are on the moon!
You dream of empire, Mr. Hamilton.
- You question my loyalties? - Oh no, Mr. Hamilton,
I question your sanity.
Now either you are stark raving mad or I am!
Good day, sir.
You would do well to remember, sir,
how you became president...
by three votes.
Good day, General.
Why did you not first consult with us
before requesting Congress disband the army?
Well, your advice was not required, gentlemen.
I do not intend to enter the new capital
with an occupying force following behind me.
You would not have dared to do this
if General Washington were still alive.
General Washington was the rightful leader of this army,
so I think that you will both agree
that he is... irreplaceable.
Why on earth would you disband the army when we are preparing for war?
Why on earth do we need an army
when we are preparing for peace?
You must abandon this folly of a renewed peace commission...
You may think it folly, Mr. Pickering. I do not.
Should the current crisis be allowed to persist a few months longer...
our party could be assured of a favorable outcome
in the upcoming election.
Your re-election would be absolutely certain.
Do not speak to me of politics, man.
The people are animated, sir.
Remove the French threat and they're likely to desert us.
Government by fear is no government at all, Mr. McHenry.
- Your intransigence... - My intransigence?
Your stubbornness will be our ruin.
You would surrender our party's interests
to those of Mr. Jefferson and his so-called Republicans.
And you, sirs, are subservient to Hamilton...
who ruled General Washington
and would rule me if he could.
- I protest... - Mr. Jefferson, whom you despise,
in an infinitely better man.
I would rather be vice president under him
or resident minister to the Barbary pirates
than be indebted to a creature
such as Hamilton for my present post!
Now your... your immediate resignations will be accepted, gentlemen.
I do not feel it my duty to resign.
Oh.
Excellent. Excellent.
Then you leave me with the far more satisfying remedy
of removing you from office.
Both of you.
Charles is a sick man
and he will not help himself.
I didn't want to leave him... please believe that...
but it wasn't the place for us.
Not anymore.
You only did what was necessary for your children, Sally.
There is no shame in that.
When he drinks, he...
forgets himself. He does things.
The money worries him so.
- The money? - The money that John Quincy gave him...
$2,000.
That Charles was to invest for him.
It's gone,
every last cent.
Shh.
See, he was cheated by speculators.
Does John Quincy know?
No.
He cannot bring himself to tell him.
He has tried. He's tried to write...
to explain, but...
but he cannot bring himself to do it.
He will be so angry when he finds out
that I have come here, but...
I didn't know what else to do.
I beg your pardon, sir.
Uh, kindly direct me to the home
of Charles Adams.
Ah! Oh!
Absalom.
Oh, King David's son
at least showed some enterprise.
He had the dignity to die in battle!
But my son...
my son is a mere rake-
a buck... blood and beast!
Go on, Father, rage.
Your mother...
is beside herself with grief.
To see all of her finest aspirations...
squandered on a miserable drunkard!
And worse, a cheat!
That's it, Father. Curse me.
You've made my whole life a curse.
I renounce you.
Father. Have mercy, Father!
He has been a graceless child...
but I cannot forsake him.
His wife and children deserve our attention.
We must do all we can for their welfare.
They will stay here in Philadelphia
until we leave for the new capital.
And then I will make arrangements to remove them
to Peacefield upon our departure.
I cannot help to wonder what part we played in all this.
He had every advantage, Abigail.
More than others.
It is useless to speculate
on what might have been, Abigail.
And...
I will not find fault
in my behavior to excuse his.
Providence has inflicted this disgrace upon us.
So we must bear it.
Come on, move it! Pull!
There it is.
Whoa.
Mr. President.
Thank you, sir.
Mrs. Adams.
The negroes will see to your trunks.
Here, you boy. Get these up the stair.
And you and you!
Come on, get to it.
Mr. President, Mrs. Adams.
The fires help the plaster dry more quickly, Mrs. Adams.
It will soon be ready, sir.
Half-fed slaves
building our nation's capital.
What possible good can come from such a place?
Is the old man welcoming us
or showing us the way out?
"A letter from Alexander Hamilton...
concerning the public conduct and character
of John Adams, Esquire,
President of the United States."
Well well.
"His disgusting egotism...
his bitter animosity, his ungovernable temper...
the unfortunate foibles of a vanity without bounds,
and a jealousy capable of discoloring every object.
His presidency has been
a heterogeneous compound
of right and wrong,
of wisdom and error."
This pamphlet will do you much damage
should it finds its way into the hands
of the electors as Mr. Hamilton intends.
It could well determine the course of the election.
Yes, well, I made his little army disappear, didn't I?
And now he seeks to do the same to me, Mr. Secretary.
Is there still no word from Paris, Mr. Marshall?
None as yet.
I'm heartily sorry, sir.
The ancients...
thought a great book a great evil.
Mr. Hamilton will find his little book
an evil great enough for him, for it will ensure
the election of the man that he dreads,
or pretends to dread, far more than me.
You are resigned, then?
My decisions were my own... not other men's
and certainly not Hamilton's.
>> A LETTER From Alexander Hamilton<<
>>Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of JOHN ADAMS<<
I have always been prepared to stand by the consequences.
I desire no other inscription
over my gravestone than...
"Here lies John Adams,
who took upon himself the responsibility
for peace with France...
in the year 1800."
Oh, I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings
on this house and all who shall hereafter inhabit it.
Hmm.
May none but honest and wise men
ever rule under this roof.
Thank God you've come.
Of course.
Is he awake?
Mother...
his mind is much deranged.
Charles. Charles.
Mother.
I'm here.
Is... father...
with you?
No.
The election presses upon him.
The election, yes.
The...
- We will have not have... - Charles! Charles!
Charles...
listen to me.
You have a wife and you have children
who are in great need of you.
I am in great need of you.
So you look deep within yourself,
you turn to God and you return to us.
Do you hear me?
Yes.
Do you hear me?
You return to us.
- You must. - Oh, please forgive me, Mother.
Please... forgive me.
Oh, Charles.
Shh.
I'm right here.
Mr. President!
News, sir!
A treaty was signed on October the third
at Mortefontaine.
A copy is expected for ratification within the month.
Thanks be to God.
Bonaparte has declared the differences
between France and the United States
to be little more than a family quarrel.
You are vindicated, although I fear it comes too late.
The electors have submitted their ballots.
But we have a peace.
We have an honorable peace...
for all that it has cost me.
I will be with your father
until the election results are known, then the two of us
will return here together.
Write me of any change of his condition.
Of course.
And you must be strong,
now more than ever.
Do you want to say goodbye to your grandmother and wave to the carriage?
I will pray every day for his recovery.
- Please clear the room. - Aye, sir.
- Come on! - Yes, sir, boss.
- Yes. - Yes, sir.
Mr. President, the votes have been tallied.
You received 65 votes, sir.
Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Burr
are both tied at 73.
A tie between two Republicans.
Only New England has been true.
A good showing, sir.
Had we gone to war with France,
matters might have been very different.
To return to office with blood on my hands, Mr. Marshall,
would have been no victory at all.
The choice of a president
now falls on the House of Representatives.
Some Federalists are eager
to prolong the stalemate.
To what possible end?
Should your successor not be chosen
before the scheduled inauguration,
the laurels will fall to the President Pro Tem
of the Senate. As he is a Federalist,
our party will maintain control.
Yet, whatever the outcome, I will no longer be occupying this office.
There is one pressing matter
I need to attend to.
I'm recalling my son John Quincy
from his honorable exile abroad.
You will see to the formalities.
With pleasure, sir.
Our family's been apart for too long.
He's dead, John.
Our son is dead.
Poor poor unhappy man.
Let silence reign over his tomb...
forever.
He was no man's enemy.
He was...
the delight of my eye...
and the darling of my heart.
I will not forgive him.
Mr. President.
You honor me prematurely, sir.
The House is... still in deadlock.
After 32 ballots.
- 33. - Ah.
Well, God grant they may soon reach a decision.
A word from you would...
end the uncertainty.
That is for the Congress to decide.
I have no business in that matter.
If the Federalist conspirators
are allowed to defeat this election...
there will be resistance by force,
and the consequences could be incalculable.
The outcome of this election is within your power.
You would do well
to quiet your revolutionary notions, Thomas.
You have only to say
that you will not turn out the government's officers...
will maintain the navy, that you will honor the national debt...
all of which the Federalists hold dear...
and the government will instantly be in your hands.
I will not enter office but in perfect freedom
to follow the dictates of my own judgment.
Well then, in that case, events must take
their own course.
Ah. Mr. Marshall.
Welcome.
Would... would you care for a drink?
Uh, no thank you, sir.
Ah.
Mr. Bayard of Delaware relented
on the 36th ballot.
He was induced to do so by assurances
from Mr. Jefferson's agents
that the generous concessions you suggested
would be respectfully considered.
Well well, respectfully considered.
We shall see about that, hmm?
Mr. Jefferson is fortunate that I have left him a country at all
over which to preside.
Whatever accusations may be hurled at me...
that I led us into a ruinous war with France
will not be among them.
And I have you to thank for your service at that end.
Thank you, sir.
I feel my shoulders relieved of the burden of office.
I will be plain Farmer John of Peacefield.
That's a good exchange.
The virtues and honor of office...
for simple manure.
Oh, dear. No no no, not that one.
Good heavens. Oh.
I didn't mean to burn that one.
Until the inauguration then, sir.
Oh, l... I will not be attending.
You will forgive me if I do not wish to glory
in Mr. Jefferson's coronation.
You will be missed, sir.
I very much doubt that, Mr. Marshall.
If you don't mind, sir. Thank you.
Very good. Thank you, sir.
- Pardon. - Sit here, sir.
Stop gawking.
I'm plain John Adams,
just an ordinary citizen,
same as yourselves.