The Night I Drove Down To Old Dixie (Part One)

A week ago I started my Southern Tour of presidential homes with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. It was my most ambitious trip, consisting of the most average miles traveled per day. 

Fortunately, I had both my parents with me to help with the driving. Saints that they are, they came with me to each of the sites. This turned out to be a bigger commitment than originally intended; I only planned on visiting 11 presidential homes, but we ended up seeing 15. 

Amazingly, 7 of those visits were completed on the first day, thanks to a few last minute additions. The first of these impromptu stops was at Montpelier, the home of James Madison, which I noticed was only 40 miles out of our way. It was already closed, but we could walk the grounds. Our only company was a pair of deer, which added to the serene beauty of the place. It was certainly worth a detour.

We are spotted by the Montpelier deer

Montpelier, home of James Madison

On our way back to the main road, we came within a few miles of Ash Lawn-Highland, home of president Monroe, which I had no pictures of. We decided to make a stop there to get some exterior shots of the house since it was already late evening. However, when we got there, the parking lot was full. Turns out, a wedding reception was being held on the grounds. Not to be deterred, we snuck around, avoiding the wedding guests while we snapped a few pictures. Mission accomplished.

Shortly after this picture was taken, we were chased off
the property by enraged newlyweds

The next day, we visited Poplar Forest, the country retreat of Thomas Jefferson. While on the tour, we discovered that Jefferson had purchased a natural bridge for five dollars that still existed. We decided to stop by and check it out when we realized it was right on our route into Tennessee. As we got off the highway, we probably should have picked up on the warning signs that The Natural Bridge was not what we were expecting; namely, the billboards for a dinosaur theme park and Foamhenge, a replica of Stonehenge presumably made of foamboard.

When we finally arrived at the Natural Bridge, we had to walk into a large complex about the size of an elementary school that turned out to be a combination Visitors Center/Gift Shop (with emphasis on the Gift Shop). We briefly convened to discuss what would be an acceptable price to view the bridge. I maintained five dollars would be ideal, since that was how much Jefferson paid for the bridge, but we eventually settled on ten. Imagine our surprise when we learned that it cost $19 per person to see the natural rock formation. We were also informed that we could choose to either walk or take a shuttle to see it, despite the fact that it was less than a quarter mile away. In the end, we opted out of shelling out 60 bucks to see a rock and got some ice cream instead.

I only view rock formations for free

To be continued...

Movie Review: 1776

At my elementary school, watching 1776 (1972) in 5th grade was the closest thing we got to watching a non-kid film. Although it was rated G, the characters still uttered some mild swear words, and each one garnered a moment of hushed glee. As a lover of both history and musicals, it's not surprising that I loved 1776 as a kid- so much so that I was a little afraid to watch it again in case it didn't hold up.

I watched it again over the weekend, and was pleased to conclude it held up very well indeed. I finally got to watch the bits with Jefferson's wife that our teachers always fast-forwarded through, and all those flashbacks to Abigail made a lot more sense. But was it actually accurate? 

Historical Accuracy:

There are two major inaccuracies in the movie, but at least both add to the drama of the movie (which is more than I can say for Magnificent Doll). First of all, Martha Jefferson never came to Philadelphia, nor would she because of her delicate health. Secondly, Caesar Rodney, one of the delegates from Delaware, was not actually on his deathbed, although he was suffering from skin cancer. However, despite these inaccuracies along with a little simplification of people's characters, the movie is quite accurate.

Grade: B+

Period Detail:

Having been to Historical Philadelphia several times, I can vouch for the fact that the scenery looks correct. The costumes are also well done, along with the interior space of Independence Hall. All in all, somebody's hard work paid off, because the movie looks like it takes place in the right location during the right time.

Grade: A

Casting:

William Daniels (aka Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World) is a real treat as John Adams. He manages to convey his brilliance and passion, while also showing how he could get in his own way. The rest of the cast plays their parts with panache, with the exception of the actor playing Thomas Jefferson, who was just a little too blandly handsome for my taste, but the role didn't give him all that much to do. I was going to say something about how the acting can be a little over the top, but then I realized I was talking about a movie musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and that was kind of the whole point.

Grade: A-

Quality of the Film:

1776 is by no means a perfect film, but it is endearingly earnest in its attempts to uncover what American independence really meant. It is also honest about the less savory aspects of the process, including the devil's bargain made in regards to slavery. The songs aren't the catchiest and the dancing is amateur, but this is a movie with its heart in the right place that also manages to convey some pretty important themes about what it means to be an American.

Grade: A-

Presidential Free Association: Thomas Jefferson

This is the third in a series called Presidential Free Association. I post the first word that comes to mind when I hear the name of the president, along with a brief explanation if necessary.

Weak

Thomas Jefferson is that teacher you really like on the first day and then realize halfway through the semester that you actually dislike. His eloquence makes him a compelling figure, but also makes him frustrating. Here was man who knew that slavery was wrong, truly believed the nation would be better off without it, and continued to own slaves because he was too weak to change his own lifestyle. Thomas Jefferson should be an admirable president, but instead he's just disappointing.