Fourth of July

Independence Day. The Fourth of July. It's a holiday that I had drilled into my head as a child in Delaware, which like any of the original colonies, has numerous markers heralding the spot where different significant things happened. "Washington slept here" signs were a standard punchline when I was a kid, but funny though they might be, they were something that I actually saw on a regular basis. Half of the schools are named for Revolutionary War heroes, so you begin to learn the names even before you have any idea of what they mean. And, being so close to Philadelphia, I was well versed in Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the various Franklin-named institutions.

However, I've usually been ambivalent about the holiday itself. I don't really care about fireworks, I don't really like being in crowds and I don't have that strong of an affinity for parties.

My sons, on the other hand, feel differently. A couple of years ago they spent the Fourth at their aunt's wedding in Texas, hanging out at their new uncle's parents' house. Down there, they don't believe in just having some fireworks...they have the usual town displays like everyone else, but then every other house has their own set of explosions that the ferocity of which would cause widespread panic up North.

Oh and at this particular soiree, they were also shooting off AK-47's. Now, Marty and Casey think that you're only really celebrating the birth of the nation if you've got some assault rifles to put into the mix.

To this day, the boys think that they should get to go to Texas every year for Independence Day...something that makes their uncle feel as though he's done his part in educating them.

One of the things that I find odd is that for as long as I can remember, part of my Fourth of July weekend usually involves watching Wimbledon. Maybe it's just a reminder that we only have to play at paying attention to the royal family and all of the fancy-pants goings-ons...we're not forced to do it. (And, really, how many Americans walking the streets right now honestly have no idea that we even waged war with England? Then again, how many Americans would have trouble telling which was which, England, Great Britain or Canada? You can hope that we're smarter than that, but the low-end comedy of Jeff Foxworthy and Jay Leno has proven otherwise.)

For my part, I have gotten in the habit in recent years of watching documentaries on the History Channel and then the movie version of the musical, "1776." (Amy, a "Boy Meets World" fan -- which, who knew there was such a thing -- still chuckles at Mr. Feeny playing a singing John Adams.)

Speaking of John Adams, its hard not to note that he tends to be a favorite of writers, particularly comedy writers. Not as a writer -- Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were all better -- but as a person.

The second president was hard-headed and had trouble not saying whatever was bothering him, even though that had a tendency to really annoy people, including his own family. He didn't understand why people didn't see things his way, not so much out of arrogance, but because he really thought that what he believed was the best position. Anyone that's ever spent time in a writers' room on a TV show, will recognize those traits.

He was also just as critical of himself as he was of others. He was exceedingly confident, and didn't understand what the problem with that was. The guy spent most of his life knowing that people didn't like him, but could never figure out why that was such an issue. Based on his writings, he was genuinely perplexed about why people had such a problem with him. Again, most comedy writers can easily relate.

And, then the guy had an inferiority complex. He was the first vice president...and the first to point out that it's a stupid position. While he helped shape the Declaration of Independence, he was in England when the Constitution was being written and was hearing about things a month after they happened, causing him to be pretty useless (Thomas Jefferson was stuck in the same way, but he wasn't quite the worrier that Adams was). And, when he finally got to be president, it lasted for one-term and he was defeated by one of his friends (Jefferson), who completely ripped him in public.

He also had a wife that was much better liked than he was...another thing that most comedy writers can get. People liked Abigail Adams so much that they would keep writing to her even when they weren't on speaking terms with her husband. We're not talking about just anyone... most of the Founding Fathers thought that John Adams most redeeming quality was Abigail. Its like having all of your peers tolerate having you at a party, because that's the only way that your wife will come (something that I'm pretty sure has happened with me personally).

Plus, while Adams was more of a legal writer in public life, the guy was a closet romantic...writing heartfelt letters to the woman he loved. He was the proverbial pain in the ass with a heart of gold, which is how most writers see themselves. He couldn't even stay angry at Jefferson, trading letters with him during retirement right up until they both died. (If you don't know the story, Adams and Jefferson both died on the same day, July 4, 1826...or exactly 50 years after they signed the Declaration of Independence.)

Wasn't really a good president, spent time worrying that everyone liked and respected his peers more than him, but was too stubborn to ever go away. Where he alive today, he probably would've made it through law school and then gone to write for a David E. Kelley law drama...where he'd fit right in.