Sophomores, we spent 2 days watching part one of HBO's John Adams series. Not only did it re-emphasize most of the notes from class, but hopefully it also was neat for you to see a modern day re-enactment of significant events that shaped our country. As your extra credit option, respond to ONE of the following topics. Your response should be detailed and at least 15 lines in length.
1. Describe what the court house was like throughout the trial. Be specific. Who was there? Where did the witnesses speak? How is it similar to or different than modern court scenes?
2. Explain the importance of Abigail Adams as seen in the film. What was John's and Abigail's
relationship like? Be specific by referring to particular scenes or event from the film.
3. Be a critic of the film by writing your own review. Explain why you liked or disliked the film. Be specific and honest in your answer. Was it an accurate depiction of the pre-Revolution events that took place in Massachusetts? Why or why not?
Value: Up to 5 points
17 comments:
The courthouse was very tense because thay wanted to find that the British soldiers were guilty. John Adams was there along with most of the tows people and Sam Adams. The witnesses spoke standing up in front of the jury and judge. John Adams was asking them what had happened that night. Some of the court scene was similar and different. It is similar because there was a jury. It was different because the witnesses were standing instead of sitting next to the judge.
1. The courthouse was a huge importance in the movie. John Adams wanted to defend the British because he was a lawyer and believed in justice. It was the British soldiers vs the townspeople. John Adams asked questions from both sides. He also brought in witnesses. Questions such as "What were they carrying, What were they shouting, What were they throwing?" was asked upon the British. Back then the witnesses stood up in front of the judge, and now they sit next to the judge. Also, back then you were aloud to shout, defend, and voice your opinion, and now you cannot unless you have a special role in solving the case.
1. In the HBO series of John Adams, the courthouse is presented as it was in the mid 1700’s. The court case is deciding whether or not the British soldiers are guilty of firing into the crowd on purpose or on accident. John Adams is the prosecutor of this case defending the British. In the courthouse the men are wearing white curly wigs. The witnesses are standing in front of the crowd behind a gate. The prosecutors, jury, and judge are standing on the other side of the gate. The courthouse in the 1700’s in different than a courthouse in the modern day because now days the crowd is quiet and in some court cases there isn’t a crowd. In the 1700’s the crowd was rowdy.
1. The courthouse was very important in the movie. It was the place where it was decided if the Bristish were guilty or innocent of shooting and killing five of the colonists. The captain(Preston)was being accused of ordering his troops to fire. John Adams was defending for the British and helped them win the case. The courtroom back in the 1700's was very different from modern day. The witnesses did not have seats and were rowdy and obnoxious,the judge and lawyers wore white curly whigs and gowns.
1.The court house was packed in this movie with the crowed shouting. The prisners were standing behide a pole with the with the pack of angree people. The witness talked infront of the jurry and the judge. Just like court houses today there is a judge and a jurry. Even thoe it has that in common the lawers in the old days had to were a certen wig people today just were suits. Also in this court when the jurry thinks of a verdict people go home and wait to be told to go back to the court room to here what they dicided.
1. At the courthouse, John Adams decided to defend the british because he is a lawyer and wanted justice. It was British soldiers vs the people of the Boston Massacre. John Adams asked many questions and brought in a witness. Many questions like "What were the people shouting," What was thrown and what were people carrying. Back then the witnesses sat next to the judge and people in the courtroom shouts out what they thought was right. There was total madness but justice was served as the British weren't innocent.
Throughout the trail in the court house it was pretty intense sense in the movie to see who would be guilty between the British soldiers and the colonists. In the begining of the trail i thought that British soldiers would loose the trial because John Adams was there lawyer i felt that way because he had lost the last trail he had. But as the trail went on and hearing some of witnesses such as Richard Palms. I knew that the colonists didn't have a chance. In the court house some of similarities in modern court senses was that they both had a judge,jury, and witness. But some differences that they had were that the people were just standing there during the trail there were no seats expect for the judge and the jury and all the witness spoke in the back of the court house. Also usually the jury is sitting on the left side of the court room in the movie they were sitting next to the judge.
In the movie, John Adams, the scene in the court was an important deal for the British and the colonists. John Adams decides he wants to defend the British even though he is a colonist. John Adams did this because it is the law. The trial was seeing if the British were guilty about firing into the crowd. In the trail, all the men that were participating in the trail were wearing white curly wigs. The people exept for the judge, defenders, jury, and other important people were standing behind a gate. The people that were being questioned had to stand behind this gate. Unlike now where we sit next to the judge. Also in the court all the people were screaming and banging on things he they liked or disliked something. Where as now we have to be quite.
3. I thought that the movie was prety close to what it would have been in the 1700,s. The court room was very different to what it is now, so that got my attention on how it will be like. i was ok for the actor that played as John Aams was. i didnt like how how his family was like they were too quite mostly his kids, and i gess i understand because it's supposed to be about him. i thought that the taring was really harsh, but mybe i think that because now know one would think of even doing that to someone eles. That is my opinion
The courthouse was very chaotic. John Adams defended the british although no one else would. The whole town was there yelling and only 2 were witnesses and i felt bad for the witnesses because they were probably going to get beaten up. John Adams said his questions very smoothley and at the right time like Who was shouting fire and stuff. It was decieded that the brittish were innocent after John Adams amazing speech.
The courthouse scene in the movie was very important in the film. Everyone in the scene was
intense and rowdy. Many of the witnesses were dramatic and tramatized when they spoke they
showed how serious the matter was. John Adams was the lawyer in the case he interviewed many witnesses who stood in the back or against the bar up front towards the middle section right across from the judge. He questioned an African American who showed fear when answering,Richard
Palms an up close eye witness was also questioned, and Captain Preston the leader of the soldiers.
The film showed how different courthouses were. There were no witness stands, or benches to
sit on, there was crowd shouting improper things; it was very interesting to see the differences.
During the show the courtroom was very intense.It was filled with mainly townspeople and a couple of brittish soldiers. All of the men were wearing white wigs. John Adams was defending the brittish soldiers against the colonists. John Adams asked questions to the soldiers,colonists,witnesses and townspeople.The witnesses spoke from behind a gate.The courtroom is still set up the same as it was back then. But crowds are no longer allowed to act like they did.
The court house was very important because John Adams realized that the british or red coats were not guilty because the crowd was shouting "shoot me if you dare". John adams also argued how important it was to show were the position of the captin was. John adams knew he would be the most hated man in boston. when John adams called people as witnesses they stayed in the crowd and other people started to stand close to them and stare down on them because they were telling the judge that the british were not guilty. john adams only had two witnesses and it was the second day when he was finally able to convince the crowd and jury that the british were not guilty and that Preston was standing in front of the red coats
The courthouse played a major role in this film. John Adams defended the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre because he believded that they should get a fair trial. in the courtrooom, the colonists were gathered within a group of people and hte witnesses didn't confront the judge, instead they remained with the crowd. John Adams and some of the other people were wearing the same white wigs and outfits to show their importance to the colonists. when the trial was over the jury's verdict was that the British soldiers were found not guilty and this made the colonists very mad. In today coutrooms, you must come up if you are called a witness and stad next to the judge and you can only speak when you are spoken to, and in the old time you stood with a large group of people, you stood in place when you were asked question and you could talk as much as you wanted to.
If I were to be a film critic i would give this movie 5 STARS. I thought it was very intresting to see all that we have learned in class and see it being portayed in a hit HBO series. That would probly be one of the last places I would think about to learn about history. I thought the movie was extreamly accurate and did a very good job of covering these important events that took place. I feel the movie really helped me to see what the trial was like and how something like The Boston Masacre would climax to such a big event. So all in all I would say that I really liked the movie and there was probly not one thing that I did not like about it. And I enjoyed watching it.
The court house in the video is very different from the court houses we have today.
In the video all the members of the jury, the judge, and the lawyer were wearing similar clothing and had white wigs. In court rooms today people wear something nice but can do what they like with their hair. In the court house in the video they had the witnesses and the defendants standing together, both colonists and British soldiers. Today in court you have both sides separated, and the witnesses get called to a stand in the front of the room when its their turn to speak. In the video the witnesses stood in the back of the room with the crowd. When they were called to speak they went to the front of the crowd.
The court house in the movie is very different form ours today. In the movie they wear all the same clothes and white wigs all the same. At ours we wear nice clothes and no wigs that for sure. In the movie they had the witness and the defendants standing together. In ours we have them seperated. Also in the movie they had the witness in the back of the room and when they wanted to speak they were to come in the front. Now our witnesses our sitting on the front of the room.
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