Before 1776, the movie, (that came out in
1972) there was a stage play. It debuted in 1969. America needed a patriotic shot in
the arm in 1969. After all, the Viet Nam war wasn't going well. Charles
Manson was out doing his wacko best in Southern California. Bobby Kennedy
and Martin Luther King, Jr. had been killed the year before. Race riots
were tearing up many large cities around the country. And then
there was the little matter of Richard Nixon...
Written by a high school history teacher
the play and movie provide an incredible amount of primary source material
in a very engaging manner. The next time you hear Rush Limbaugh or one of
the other blowhards on the radio talk about
the Founding Fathers and their intentions for America you'll jump to your
feet and yell at the radio, "Hey! The Founding Fathers never thought with
a single mind...heck, some of 'em were ready to punch each other out."
 You'll know that because of this movie.
Oh sure, Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson
never three-stepped down a staircase with a feather prop singing a song,
but an awful lot of what's in this movie is just plain good history.
Peter Stone wrote its book and
Sherman Edwards its music and lyrics. Peter
H. Hunt directed both the original Broadway
production and the movie.
Plot
Although it tells the story of what
happened at the
Continental Congress in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in
1776 leading up to the signing of the
United States Declaration of Independence, and it accurately portrays
the serious personal and political issues at stake – frequently in the
characters' own words, written by them at the time – it remains a musical
comedy. The play has often been criticized for straining too hard for
historical accuracy instead of exercising literary license when that would
help the plot or presentation along.
Scene One
May 8, 1776. Philadelphia. As the
Second Continental Congress proceeds with its business, the weather
becomes increasingly hot, humid, and as unbearable as the irascible
Delegate of
Massachusetts,
John Adams. None of his proposals on independence has even been given
"the courtesy of open debate." The other delegates, sickened of his
constant arguing, implore him to Sit Down, John. Adams complains
that Congress has done nothing in the year and a half in which they've
been convened but to Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve. Angered at the
latest debate regarding the merits of compensation regarding a dead mule,
Adams flees the chamber and reads the latest missive from his loving wife
Abigail, who, being in actuality far away at their home in Boston,
appears in his imagination. She urges him to take action with regards to
independence and to hurry home to her. He asks if she's succeeded in his
request for the women of the area to make
saltpeter, and she responds by telling him that not only has he
neglected to tell them how saltpeter is made, but that the women have no
intention of doing so until they receive straight pins. Till Then,
they pledge their love to each other and Abigail disappears. The delegates
tell John Adams—again—to sit down, but instead he goes off in search of
Dr. Benjamin Franklin.
 Scene Two
The next day, Adams finds Franklin sitting
for his portrait. Adams bemoans the failure of his arguments for
independence, and Franklin reminds him that no colony has ever attempted
to break away from its parent country before. He explains that Adams is
obnoxious and disliked by the members of Congress, and perhaps the
resolution would have more success if proposed by someone else — someone
neither obnoxious nor disliked. As if on cue,
Richard Henry Lee, delegate from Virginia, enters. Over Adams' strong
objections, Franklin raises the subject of the previous conversation and
the cocky Lee immediately crows that he is the best man for the job. Lee
has the whole conversion of Congress mapped out in his mind, and promises
to rush down to Virginia that night (just stopping long enough to visit
his wife). Adams has reservations, but Lee is convinced he cannot fail: He
is a Lee, after all, a member of the oldest and most glorious family in
America (The Lees of Old Virginia). Adams and Franklin finally get
him off to
Williamsburg, but not before he has come back to do a reprise of his
big number.
Scene Three
June 7, 1776. A new delegate from
Georgia,
Dr. Lyman Hall, enters the Congressional Chamber and is greeted by
Andrew McNair, the Congressional Custodian. He is introduced to the
entering delegates, each taking their usual morning routine:
Stephen Hopkins of
Rhode Island roars into the room shouting for
rum, while
Colonel Thomas McKean and
George Read, of
Delaware bicker viciously, with
Caesar Rodney stuck in the middle. The elegant
Edward Rutledge of
South Carolina takes Hall aside to inform him that the colonies of the
Deep South traditionally vote as one. All wish to know Hall's position on
independence. He evades answering, but
John Dickinson of
Pennsylvania, followed as usual by the meek
James Wilson, makes his views well known: he is firmly against what he
calls
treason.
 Franklin and Adams return to the chamber.
Adams, who has been uncharacteristically taciturn while waiting for Lee's
return with his
resolution from the
House of Burgesses, is mocked by Dickinson for his unusual silence in
congress for the past several weeks.
John Hancock, President of the Congress, and
Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Congress, take their respective
places. Hancock gavels the 380th meeting of the Congress to order.
Before introducing Hall to the rest of the
delegates, Hancock's first order of business is to shut off the store of
rum to Hopkins, who has been abusing the privilege. Thomson notes that
several members of Congress are unaccounted for, including the entire
New Jersey delegation. Hancock calls upon
Thomas Jefferson, a young, silent delegate, to give the weather
report. He announces that it is 87 "very humid degrees", and that he is
leaving for Virginia that night to visit his wife, who he has not seen for
six months.
A young, mud-stained Army
courier enters and hands Thomson a dispatch from
George Washington, the Commander of the Army of the United Colonies.
Washington fears that his exhausted and under-equipped troops will be
ineffective in stopping a large force of British soldiers from attacking
New York, a move that would separate
New England from the other colonies. McKean grumbles that Washington's
letters are always gloomy and depressing. Hancock opens the floor to new
resolutions, and as
Josiah Bartlett of
New Hampshire is reading a resolution discouraging extravagance,
Richard Henry Lee lavishly canters into the chamber, having finally
returned from Virginia. Lee reads his resolution into the record and it is
seconded by the immensely relieved Adams.
Hancock calls for debate on the resolution,
and Dickinson, for the 24th time, moves to indefinitely postpone the
question of independence. Read seconds the motion and the Congress votes
on Dickinson's motion. The vote goes down the line: Bartlett, Adams and
Lee immediately cast their votes for debating the issue of independence,
soon joined by
Roger Sherman of
Connecticut and two-thirds of the Deleware committee.
Lewis Morris of
New York
abstains "courteously". Dickinson unequivocally votes against debate.
Samuel Chase of
Maryland states that he would welcome independence, but does not
believe the war can be won, and thus votes nay. Rutledge explains that he
feels no need for immediate action, and casts his vote for nay as well,
immediately parroted (as usual) by
Joseph Hewes of
North Carolina. When Thomson calls for Lyman Hall's vote, Hall
explains that though he is personally for independence, his legislature is
against it, and thus is unsure how to vote. But he prefers err on the side
of his constituency and votes nay, leaving the deciding vote to Stephen
Hopkins who is "in the necessary". He returns in time to vote in favor of
debate, stating that he'd "never seen, heard, nor smelled an issue that
was so dangerous it couldn't be talked about." For his trouble, he gets
his rum privileges back.
 The most vocal of the delegates state their
positions: Dickinson is against revolt and rebellion, but in favor of
petitioning
King George on their grievances. Adams and Franklin argue that the
colonists have not been granted the full rights of Englishmen and that it
is too late for reconciliation — a year has passed since the
Battles of Lexington and Concord. Rutledge, meanwhile, is worried that
the rights of the individual states would be subsumed by a strong
federation and Chase questions the likelihood of an American victory
over England.
As the argument between the delegates grows
more heated, Dickinson launches into a long tirade against Adams and his
supporters, calling him a traitor and a madman. Adam lashes back, and a
physical fight breaks out.
Caesar Rodney of Delaware separates the two and berates them for not
focusing on the real enemy: England. He collapses from the overexertion;
he has cancer. Colonel McKean offers to take him back home. This leaves
the Delaware delegation with only one man present, George Read, and he is
not in favor of independence. Rutledge, seeing the majority swinging in
his favor, moves for a vote on the question of ndependence. Franklin seeks
to stall the motion, and asks that the resolution be read aloud again. As
Thomson is reading it, the New Jersey delegation arrives, led by
Rev. John Witherspoon. He informs the Congress that they have been
instructed to vote in favor of independence. The vote is now six for
independence and six against (with New York's usual abstention), and Adams
reminds Hancock of his duty as President to break all ties. Seeing that
the resolution might pass, Dickinson moves that any vote for independence
must pass
unanimously. His motion is seconded, and the vote produces the same
tie, which Hancock breaks by voting for unanimity. His reasoning is
that without consent of all the colonies, any of them voting against
independence would likely be forced to fight on England's side.
The vote for independence is called again,
and Adams, knowing that the vote will not be unanimous, calls for a
postponement (much to the irritation of Thomson, who has now made four
unsuccessful attempts to call the vote). He expresses the need for time
for composing of some sort of declaration defining the reasons for
independence. The motion is seconded, but when asked why such a
declaration should be written, Adams and Franklin are lost for words.
Suddenly, a voice proclaims the reason: "to place before mankind the
common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command
their assent" — Thomas Jefferson has come to rescue. The vote on
postponement is called, producing yet another tie, with New York
abstaining, again. (Morris explains that he never gets any instructions
from the New York legislature because "they speak very fast and very loud
and nobody listens to anybody else.") Hancock breaks the tie by voting in
favor of postponement, choosing Adams, Franklin, Lee,
Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and
Robert Livingston of New York to draft the
declaration. Hancock announces that it must be written, debated, and
passed by the beginning of July — a mere three weeks away. Lee declines
and Adams suggests Thomas Jefferson
 take
his place on the declaration committee. Hancock agrees, almost as an
afterthought, and adjourns the session over Jefferson's complaints that he
must go home to his wife.
The
Committee of Five argues about who should bear the responsibility for
writing the declaration (But, Mr. Adams). Franklin suggests that
Adams write it, but he declines, reminding Franklin that he is "obnoxious
and disliked" and that anything he writes is bound to be rejected by the
other delegates. Adams suggests Franklin, as he is an accomplished writer.
Franklin argues that he is not a political writer, only a satirist. Adams
turns to Sherman who claims that he's not a writer at all. Livingston in
turn declines, as he must return to New York to celebrate the birth of his
son. Adams finally turns to Jefferson, praises his writing, and, as
Jefferson begs to be able to see his wife, quotes a passage of Jefferson's
Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, and
bluntly tells Jefferson that he is the best writer in Congress. Jefferson
still tries to decline, but Adams thrusts the quill into his hand.
Jefferson pleads that he has not seen his wife in six months, and begs to
be let out of the responsibility of writing the declaration. Adams,
however, is not moved by Jefferson's arguments, as Adams also misses his
own wife, but he understands the need at the moment to serve the colonies.
Jefferson, defeated, accepts the duty of drafting the document.
- NOTE: Scene Three of 1776 holds
the record for the longest time in a musical without a single note of
music played or sung: over twenty minutes pass between The Lees of
Old Virginia and But Mr. Adams, the next number.
Scene Four
 A week later. Adams and Franklin visit
Jefferson to check on his progress but find that there has, in fact, been
none. Jefferson has spent the week moping, but is brightened when his
beloved wife
Martha enters. Adams has sent for her, and the two older gentlemen
leave the young lovers in peace.
Adams, alone, again exchanges letters with
his wife Abigail; she wonders why he hasn't sent for her. He asks her to
come to Philadelphia, and she declines, citing her responsibilities to
their sick children and failing farm. They pledge each other to be
eternally Yours, Yours, Yours.
Martha finally opens the shutters when
Franklin and Adams return the next morning, and the two gentlemen ask her
how a man as silent as Jefferson won a woman as lovely as she. She tells
them that she loves him because He Plays the Violin. The three of
them dance, but their revelry is cut short when Jefferson enters the scene
to entice Martha back to his loft, but she doesn't seem too unhappy about
the proposition. Franklin and Adams hail the stateliness of the fiddler in
a reprise of He Plays the Violin.
Scene Five
June 22, 1776. Congress has reconvened.
Delegates read, talk, eat, and sleep in the chamber as various committees
are called to deal with Congressional correspondence,
counterfeit money, military defeat in
Canada, and intrigue. Another letter is received from General
Washington. He reports that the troops are in a sad state, suffering from
venereal disease and
drunkenness. He implores the Congress to send the War Committee to New
Jersey to boost morale. Adams, Franklin, and
Samuel Chase leave for New Jersey, soon followed by the delegates in
favor of independence. Alone with his fellow conservative delegates for
the first time, Dickinson leads them in a minuet, singing of their creed:
a desire to hold onto their wealth and remain Cool, Cool Considerate
Men.
The remaining delegates depart, leaving
McNair, the courier and a workman in the chamber. The working class men
relax, with McNair taking Hancock's chair. The workman asks the courier,
who is from Massachusetts, if he's seen any fighting, and the courier
replies that his two closest friends were killed on the same day at
Lexington. He sings the stirring Momma, Look Sharp, describing
the final thoughts of a dying man as his mother searches for his body.
Scene Six
Jefferson is outside the chamber as Hancock
asks Thomson to read the declaration to Congress. Adams and Franklin enter
and congratulate Jefferson on the excellence of the document, and Franklin
compares the creation of this new country to The Egg. This leads
the trio to debate which bird is breaking out of its metaphorical shell
and would best represent America. Jefferson proposes the dove, a symbol of
peace. Franklin suggests the turkey, a symbol of courage. The three settle
on the eagle, as suggested by Adams.
Scene Seven
June 28, 1776. Hancock asks if there are
any amendments, deletions, or alterations to be offered to the
"Declaration of Independence". McKean suggests removal of the word
"Scottish" from a sentence referring to the foreign mercenaries used by
the
 British. Reverend Witherspoon, noting the absence of any reference to
"the supreme being", suggests the addition of the phrase "divine
providence". Days pass. The debate becomes more heated. Bartlett wants to
confine the complaints against the British to disagreements with King
George, while Sherman wants to remove all mention of
Parliament. Jefferson acquiesces to each recommendation, until
Dickinson suggests the removal of a phrase calling the King a tyrant.
Jefferson refuses, stating that "the King is a tyrant whether we say so or
not. We might as well say so."
Hancock is about to call for a vote on the
Declaration, when Rutledge, yes, South Carolina's version of an eighteenth
century Liberace, objects to Jefferson's denunciation of slavery
in his list of redresses. Rutledge defends slavery as a way of life in
South Carolina, and reminds Jefferson that he, too, is a slaveholder.
Jefferson announces that he has decided to free his slaves, and Rutledge
accuses the northern colonies of hypocrisy: the northern shippers get rich
off of the trade of slaves. He reminds them that the process of
Molasses to Rum to slaves is ensuring prosperity for the North. The
delegations of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia angrily leave
the chamber. Without them, there is no way to achieve unanimity on the vote
on independence.
As Dickinson and his supporters are leaving
the chamber, Chase rushes in, excited that the Maryland Assembly has
decided to accept the Lee Resolution. Adams, growing desperate, sends
McKean to Delaware to bring back Caesar Rodney. Franklin sagely insists
that Adams and Jefferson agree to the removal of the slavery clause from
the Declaration. What good is it to win the battle only to lose the war?
Adams refuses, but after he is left alone,
he conjures Abigail in his mind and pours out his doubts and insecurities
to her. She reassures him, quoting from her husband's own letters:
"Commitment, Abby, commitment! There are only two creatures of value on
the face of this earth: those with a commitment, and those who require the
commitment of others." During their exchange, McNair delivers two kegs to
the chamber: saltpeter from Abigail and the women of Massachusetts.
With Adams's faith in the cause renewed, he
tells Franklin and Jefferson to talk to Wilson and Rutledge: they need
each and every vote. Thomson reads the latest dispatch from General
Washington, who wonders if he is ever to receive a response to his last
fifteen missives. They leave Adams alone in the chamber. Adams echoes
Washington's words, Is Anybody There? Discouraged but determined,
Adams sings of his vision of his new country: "Yet, through all the gloom,
I see the rays of ravishing light and glory!"
Dr. Hall returns to the Chamber. He has
been thinking: "In trying to resolve my dilemma I remembered something I'd
once read, 'that a representative owes the People not only his industry,
but his judgment, and he betrays them if he sacrifices it to their
opinion.' It was written by
Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament." He walks over to
the tally board and changes Georgia's vote from "nay" to "yea".
The other delegates slowly make their way
back into the chamber, including Caesar Rodney. Hancock calls for the vote
on the Lee
Resolution. Thomson calls on each delegation for their vote. Pennsylvania
passes on the first call, but the rest of the northern and middle colonies
(save New York) vote "yea". When the vote passes to South Carolina,
Rutledge demands the removal of the slavery clause as the condition of the
yea votes from the Carolinas. Franklin pleads with Adams to remove the
clause, and Adams turns to Jefferson. Jefferson rises, crosses the
chamber, and scratches out the clause himself. The Carolinas vote "yea",
as does Georgia.
When Pennsylvania's vote is called again,
the three delegates, Dickinson, Franklin, and James Wilson, are unable to
agree. Franklin asks Hancock to poll the delegation: Franklin votes "yea",
Dickinson "nay", leaving the swing vote to Wilson, who normally
voicelessly supports Dickinson. He claims he is different from most of the
delegates, and that he doesn't want to be remembered as the man who
prevented American independence, and votes "yea". The motion is passed.
Hancock asks that only men who will be
signing the Declaration be allowed to sit in Congress. Still hoping for
reconciliation with England, Dickinson announces that he cannot sign the
Declaration, but, instead, will join the army to fight for and defend the
new nation. Adams leads the Congress in a salute to the man as he leaves
the chamber.
Hancock leads the delegates signing the
Declaration, but is interrupted by the courier with another dispatch from
Washington. He reports that preparations for the Battle of New York are
underway, but expresses concern about America's badly outnumbered and
under-trained troops.
On the evening of July 4, 1776, McNair
rings the
Liberty Bell in the background as Thomson calls each of the delegates
to sign their name to the Declaration of Independence.
Controversy
- The 1972 film version was marred by
controversy as then President
Richard Nixon successfully lobbied his friend, producer
Jack L. Warner, to cut the song "Cool, Considerate Men" from the
film release because he believed it to be an attack against the
Republican Party. The song was restored in the 2003
DVD release of the film as well as on the earlier
laserdisc release.
- In 2004, the film was banned from
exhibition in middle schools in
Fairfax County, Virginia because of "sexual innuendo and language."
Spokespeople for the school district cited the line in which Jefferson
tells Adams that he "burns" for his wife as being inappropriate.
- In its original theatrical and home
video releases, the film was rated G for general audiences, but with the
restoration of "Cool, Considerate Men" the DVD release was rated PG.
"Where you stand depends
on
where you sit."
--AFK Organski
"Trust, but verify."
--President Reagan
Occam's Razor states
that
the simplest solution is usually
THE solution.
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