Sons of Liberty (2015)

Samuel Adams (Ben Barnes) is a widower.  Sometime before the story begins, he was appointed as a tax collector.  However, he has done a poor job of it, being 8,000 pounds in arrears.  Governor Hutchinson (Sean Gilder) ordered his arrest, which led to a chase through the dark and gloomy streets of Boston.  Unable to catch Adams, those who failed to pay taxes to Adams are instead arrested.  Riots followed and Adams was viewed as the leader of these 'Sons of Liberty.'  Hutchinson called upon John Hancock (Rafe Spall) to deal with Adams.  Hancock paid off Adams' debts and resolved his legal problems.  Hutchinson was not amused.  Tensions in Boston grew until, in 1770, the Boston Massacre tipped the balance to the Sons of Liberty.  Soon followed the Boston Tea Party (1773), The Quartering Act (1774), the Battles of Lexington & Concord (1775), Bunker Hill (1775), and the Declaration of Independence (1776).

The casting is questionable.  Paul Revere (Michael Raymond-James) is elevated to command Bunker Hill when he was not even present.  However, it was easier to expand his role than add more characters to an already full cast.  Sam Adams was 43 years-old in 1765 and 54 when the miniseries concludes.  By contrast, Ben Barnes was only 34.  He is a young hot head with no impulse control and a rage that bubbles just beneath the surface in many scenes.  Though he is shown as a widower, he has no kids.  In fact, Adams had 2 children, Sam Jr (who would have been 14 in the opening and 25 at the conclusion), and Hannah (9 to 20).  John Adams (Henry Thomas) comes across as the older and wiser cousin despite being 13 years younger than Sam.  Margaret Kemble Gage (Emily Berrington) was 40 when she arrived in Boston, a decade older than the actress.  Committing treason against her husband has been suggested; she was born and raised in New Jersey.  John Hancock comes across as an effete snob with all the passion of a wet towel.  He is so wishy-washy and indecisive that one would expect his signature to be a meek scrawl, not the dominant Alpha signature of history.  General Gage (Marton Csokas) is painted as evil incarnate, a man who did everything he could to alienate the colonists.  In truth, many accused him of being too lenient.  Gage was in a difficult position, having to implement unpopular laws while having limited forces.  

Many of the incidents are turned up to 11 to add some excitement.  During the Boston Tea Party, Sam Adams stands in full view and defiantly stares down a score of redcoats while tea is hurled over the side.  Revere takes down British soldiers during his ride in feats of fisticuffs and gunplay.  Joseph Warren leapt over the redoubt of Bunker Hill and charged down the hill to fight hand to hand with red coats and even General Gage.  Not only is Margaret's role as Warren's intelligence source included, she becomes his lover.  Yes, changes have been made to spice up the narrative, but it gets the gist correct.

Just okay.

Strange Duty of VP Presidential Candidates

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris certified the 2024 election in favor of her opponent, Donald Trump.  She is not the first vice president to have that uncomfortable duty.  Al Gore certified the 2000 election - in which he won the popular vote - for George W Bush.  Hubert Humphrey certified Richard Nixon's 1968 victory.  Nixon could sympathize with Humphrey, having been in the same position in 1960, when he certified his defeat against John F Kennedy.  One has to go back a century to find another sitting VP and failed presidential candidate announcing his opponent's victory.  John C Breckinridge was James Buchanan's VP.  He was one of 3 candidates opposing Lincoln and placed 2nd in the electoral college.  In February 1861, he announced that "Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, having received a majority of the whole number of electoral votes, is elected President."  He then joined the Confederacy to oppose Lincoln in a less civilized fashion.

By contrast, only two VPs have had the joyous opportunity to preside over a victory.  VP George Bush certified his victory in the 1988 election.  Prior to him, one has to go back to Martin Van Buren who won the 1836 election as Andrew Jackson's VP.

The remaining two men who jumped directly from VP to presidency did so prior to the 12th Amendment.  As Washington's VP, John Adams was elected in 1796, but his opponent, Thomas Jefferson, won the vice-presidency.  The awkwardness of having the president and VP from rival parties brought about the 12th Amendment so that - generally - each party put up their picks for each office.  Thus, in 1800, Adams and Jefferson had a rematch but selected VP candidates; Aaron Burr for Jefferson and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney for Adams.  The Jefferson-Burr ticket won, but both had identical electoral vote totals.  Now Burr argued that he had just as much right to be president as Jefferson.  This triggered a contingent election where the House had to choose, thus denying Jefferson the opportunity to announce his victory.

Truncated Presidential Terms

A full term for a US President is 4 years, which is 1,461 days.  Most presidents who did not reach the 1,461 days died in office, resigned, or had been elevated from the vice presidency to fill a vacancy.  However, there are four exceptions, presidents who served a full term and yet it was less than 1,461 days.  How does that work?

George Washington wasn't inaugurated until April 30, 1789.  As the new government was just getting started, Washington wasn't elected until April 6th.  He didn't leave Mt. Vernon until April 16 and was inaugurated upon arriving in New York City.  His first full term was 1,404 days.

John Adams served from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801.  Thanks to the absence of a leap day in 1800, his time in office was only 1,460 days.  Leap days don't occur in years divisible by 100 unless it is divisible by 400.  Thus, 2000 had a leap day for Bill Clinton's second term, but 1800 didn't for John Adams.

William McKinley's first term started on March 4, 1897 and ended on March 4, 1901.  Just like Adams, his term was missing a leap day in 1900.  Unlike Adams, he was reelected.  He was assassinated 6 months into his second term.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt served for 3 full terms and began a 4th when he died.  The 20th Amendment had been ratified shortly before his inauguration in 1933.  The amendment changed inauguration day from March 4 to January 20.  FDR's first term began on March 4, 1933, but ended on January 20, 1937.  This proved to be only 1,418 days.

Of note, both John Tyler (1841-1845) and Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) had longer partial terms than either Washington or Roosevelt's full terms.  Tyler took over after William Henry Harrison died only 1 month into office.  That left 1,430 days for Tyler's partial term.  Johnson became president after Lincoln's assassination and served 1,419 days.

Presidential Rankings - The Good Ones

According to Graboyes, the Somewhat Positive presidents made positive but not earth-shattering contributions.

John Adams: A great man but mediocre president.

James Madison: Another great man who proved to be a mediocre president.

Andrew Jackson: He changed American politics and governance.  He stamped out nullification.  He might have rated among the greats but for his treatment toward Native Americans.

Ulysses Grant: He criminalized the KKK, reversed course from Jackson regarding Native Americans, and sought to stabilize the dollar.  However, his administration was plagued by corruption, which stained him though he supported investigations.

Chester Arthur: Elevated to the presidency in the wake of James Garfield's assassination, Arthur reformed the Civil Service.  Here was a man who had benefited from the existing system and knew what needed to be reformed.  He also strengthened the navy and sought to improve the lot of former slaves and Native Americans.

William McKinley: Though he wanted peace with Spain, he went to war when his efforts failed.  He also strengthened Anglo-American ties.

Warren Harding: Ended the disaster that was the Wilson years - releasing some political prisoners - and began an era of prosperity.  He appointed former President Taft to the Supreme Court and his choice of Andrew Mellon for Treasury was particularly good.  He had good bipartisan relations.  However, he died in office and was stained by stories of his adultery and the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Calvin Coolidge: Harding's vice president, Coolidge was a limited government adherent, resisting efforts of the federal government to infringe on the states.  He advocated individual rights and ran a clean administration.  Ronald Reagan viewed Coolidge very highly.

Dwight Eisenhower: Ike ended the Korean War, didn't get the US entangled in Vietnam, founded the Interstate Highway System and the US Space Program.  Also, he sent troops to Little Rock to enforce desegregation.

This list comes as a bit of a surprise.  John Adams had the Alien and Sedition Acts, which infringed on the First Amendment.  That's a big negative.  He won the Quasi-War with France and was the first president to live in the White House.  Yeah, he only ranks in the somewhat positive as a lifetime achievement award.  Likewise, James Madison's presidency was mostly the War of 1812, which was mostly a disaster.  The White House was set on fire by the British.  If not for Andrew Jackson's success at New Orleans and the amazing performance of the US Navy, Madison would look much worse.  Again, his rating among the good seems like a lifetime achievement award.  I completely agree with his rating of Jackson.  Massively consequential president but also an ass.  The Democrats use the Jackass as their symbol on account of Jackson.  Like Monroe after the War of 1812, Grant had a postwar presidency though it wasn't another Era of Good Feelings.  Though he enforced Reconstruction, there were a lot of Indian Wars in the West during his presidency.  Yes, he wasn't as anti-Indian as Jackson, but he was hardly in their corner.  He might be getting the bump to somewhat positive on account of winning the Civil War.  It starts to look as though the quintile division scheme is forcing some so-so presidents upwards.  McKinley oversaw the expansion of the US into an empire.  The Spanish American War brought the Philippines and Puerto Rico as US possessions.  There was also the annexation of Hawaii.  McKinley was ambivalent about the war; Theodore Roosevelt - who was assistant secretary of the navy at the time, accused him of having the backbone of a chocolate eclair.  Harding is often ranked much lower, but his placement here is fair.  The return to Normalcy is underrated.  Coolidge and Eisenhower definitely rank toward the top of this batch.

Only Living President

As of this writing, there is one sitting president and 5 ex-presidents: President Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.  There have never been more than 5 living ex-presidents.  One supposes that after George Washington, the following presidents always had a predecessor enjoying his retirement.  In fact, no.  Several presidents have been the only living president during their presidency.

George Washington (1789-1797): As the first president, Washington had no predecessors to consult in the difficult times.  It was up to him to establish how Article 2 of the Constitution would work.  For nearly 8 years, he was the only living president.

John Adams (1797-1801): Having been Washington's VP, Adams knew his predecessor fairly well.  He even called upon Washington to lead an army during the Whiskey Rebellion.  However, Washington died in December 1799, leaving John Adams as the only living president.  He did not win re-election the following year, so his tenure as the only living president was only 1 year and 4 months.

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877): When Grant began his presidency in March 1869, there were 3 ex-presidents: Millard Filmore, Franklin Pierce, and Andrew Johnson.  Pierce died in October 1869, Filmore in January 1874, and Johnson on July 31, 1875.  For the next year and 8 months, Grant was the only living president.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909): Theodore took office upon the assassination of McKinley.  At that time, only 1 previous president was still living: Grover Cleveland.  When Cleveland died on June 24, 1908, Roosevelt was the only living president.  Eight months later, Roosevelt left office.

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): When Hoover came to office, former President Taft was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Calvin Coolidge retired to Massachusetts.  Taft died in 1930 and Coolidge died on January 5, 1933.  Hoover was the only living president for 2 months.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974): Nixon took office when there were 3 living former presidents.  Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson.  Eisenhower died a couple of months after Nixon was inaugurated in 1969.  Truman died in December 1972 and Johnson died a month later, January 22, 1973.  Richard Nixon was the only living president for the next 18 months, at which time he resigned.

Since 1981, there have been 3 to 5 living former presidents.