Sons of Liberty

Following AMC and HBO, the History Channel now also has its (mini)series about the creation of the United States. Not surprising in itself, of course, if your channel is called History Channel and you have already put your teeth into the life of the Vikings and the 19th century neighbor dispute between the Hatfields & McCoys. While AMC in Turn took the Spy Guild as its starting point and HBO focused mainly on the second US president in John Adams, the History Channel focuses on the Sons Of Liberty and their part in forging the first thirteen American colonies together. From 1764 onward, secret societies arose in major American cities to vigorously defend the rights of the colonies against the pompous British occupiers and their ridiculous white wigs. In Boston, it was Sam Adams, among others, who was a louse in the fur of those fried-fish-from-the-paper-from-yesterday-eaters. Together with his Sons of Freedom, he stormed the ships of the East India Company during the Boston Tea Party, for example. These had been given permission by the British to sell tea without having to pay import duties and Sam & co did not fully agree, as this affected their own tea business. Later, Adams would become one of the leaders in the struggle for independence. In this way he eventually became one of the historians who would scribble his name under the Declaration of Independence in 1776 with a quill pen. History Channel manages to squeeze all this and more into a four-and-a-half hour triptych. Like it's nothing. Sons Of Liberty looks like a random Hollywood costume drama. For example, he wouldn't look out of place in a row with The Patriot and Braveheart. You just have to think about that crazy Gibson yourself. As a critical and slightly soured series viewer you could say that History Channel has made it far too easy. That they apparently thought tinkering something easily digestible was more important than telling the whole story with all its details and sensitivities. That in that respect it is sometimes like a match in the third division of English football; long haul, quick home. All true. As a history teacher you can indeed not set up Sons Of Liberty in the classroom and then think that your students will pass their exams. Walking through the beginning of American history with seven-mile boots can cause some irritation. However, if you let go of the idea that you need to be retrained, then as far as I'm concerned there remains a perfectly watchable series that can easily be snacked away in one evening. And if afterwards you became curious about how it really all went, then I would like to watch John Adams.

Of course I agree with Gumstarr on the historical side, although I don't think a lot of people are interested in that at all. In particular, I found the first episode to be too slow to get into it. Fortunately it went nice and loose in the 2nd and 3rd episode and I am certainly looking forward to the continuation of this series. Whether it is all historically correct? I don't care, if I want to know I will go to a museum. Or was Band of Brothers also not just a piece of Hollywood of the highest order where the Americans had to reignite for a while? I am already glad that there is a series that looks good, after all the drama that is being broadcast nowadays.