If you have not had the pleasure of watching HBO’s “John Adams” miniseries, I encourage you to treat yourself by viewing in this historical gem ASAP. It is now available on DVD.

I sat glued to the TV the night of the Emmy Awards, when “John Adams” garnered a record 13 awards. Most exciting of all was Kirk Ellis’ win for best screenplay. I was incensed when his acceptance speech was cut off. Here are the words our country was supposed to hear, and surely needs to hear at this juncture in our history:

Thank you Tom Hanks …(& others) for this opportunity to portray a time in American politics when articulate men could articulate complex thoughts in complete sentences. They forged a new nation with words. Glorious words married to bold actions. John Adams believed that the right words, spoken or written at the right time, could change the world. And they did. Lately we’ve heard a lot of punditry about whether words matter to us as Americans anymore. I’m just a writer — what do I know? But, in answer to that question I can only say, yes, they do. Yes, they do. Yes, they bloody well do. Thank you.”

Bravo Mr. Ellis! Words truly can change the world.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Kirk Ellis this past weekend at a Richmond writer’s conference. I positioned myself on the front row for his first panel discussion and was able to introduce myself as “Virginia from Virginia,” a title easy to remember. I also gave him an envelope with a brochure and information about “Marching Through Culpeper.” He smiled at my state of preparedness and said, “I like that ‘can do’ Virginia spirit.”

But the crowd was so large we had to be shifted to another room. Thus in transit I had the opportunity to ask him about my favorite line in ”John Adams.” During Adams’ presidency, Hamilton gained power in the army and harbored visions of empire. Adams rebuked him saying, “Mr. Jefferson, whom you despise, is an infinitely better man than you are.” Kirk Ellis said he did not find any record of Adams saying those exact words, thus he as screenplay writer wrote the lines indicating Adams’ sentiment. Thank you Kirk Ellis for truth and lines that Virginians love!

Throughout the event I was constantly impressed with Kirk Ellis’ research, commitment to historical accuracy, and integrity. He said, “History books are not always correct.” During his research he wondered, “Why wasn’t I taught that?” In segment one of “John Adams” a slave testifies during the Boston Massacre trial. He indicated that this incident was fact, not political correctness. And it is appropriate, since slavery in the U.S. began in Massachusetts. I encourage you to read my Hidden History column in its ENTIRETY, as you may be amazed by what you were not taught.

Best of all, Mr. Ellis gave me contact information so I may send him a copy of Marching Through Culpeper. The success of John Adams bodes well for the future of accurate historical dramas. He is working on screenplays for 1776 and Lewis and Clark. So please continue to raise prayers for quality programming and our “Marching Through Culpeper” screenplay project.