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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.

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!

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.

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.

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.