Presidents in Parody: 1776 (the Musical)
1776 is not just a year, it's also a musical, a book and a movie about the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It tells the story of how John Adams persuaded his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1969, to mostly positive reviews, and it ran for 1,217 performances. The production was nominated for five Tony Awards and won three, including the Tony Award for Best Musical. Itwas revived on Broadway in 1997. In 1972, the musical was made into the film also titled 1776. The film version of the musical cast William Daniels as John Adams, Howard da Silva as Benjamin Franklin and Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson. The musical had two acts and seven scenes.
The story is set in Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress is meeting, while General George Washington is fighting the British on the battlefield. Initially, the Congress in wasting its time on insignificant and trivial matters and procrastinates on debating the question of American independence. The leader of the independence faction is the John Adams of Massachusetts, whose continuous pushing has made him unpopular. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania leads the opposition, hoping for reconciliation with England. When time allows, Adams calls up the image of his wife Abigail Adams who is home in Massachusetts for insight and encouragement. (This portion of the script is based on letters between the couple). Dr. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania suggests because Adams has offended so many delegates, another colony that supports independence should submit a proposal.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia rides off to Williamsburg, Virginia to get authorization from the Virginia Colony to propose independence. Dr. Lyman Hall arrives to represent Georgia, and is quizzed by his fellow delegates regarding his views on independence. Weeks later, Lee returns with the resolution, and debate on the question begins. In the midst of debate, Caesar Rodney of Delaware is unable to continue because of his cancer and is taken back home by fellow delegate Thomas McKean, leaving the anti-independence George Read to represent Delaware. After heated discussions, the question is called without a majority of positive votes present. But the New Jersey delegation arrives just in time to provide a vote supporting independence. Dickinson calls for a vote requiring unanimity for passage. The vote is ultimately decided in favor of unanimity. Stalling for time to rally support for the resolution, Adams and Franklin call again for a postponement, stating that a declaration describing their grievances is needed. The vote is successfully postponed until such a document can be written.
Hancock appoints a committee that includes Adams, Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson resists because he wants to return home to Virginia to see his wife, Martha, but the others present convince him to stay and complete the task. Jefferson develops writer's block due to missing his wife, so Adams sends for Martha. While trying to achieve unanimity for the vote, Adams, Franklin and Samuel Chase of Maryland visit the Colonial Army at New Brunswick, New Jersey, at the request of General Washington, to help convince Maryland.
When they return to Philadelphia, the declaration is read and then debated and amended. Jefferson agrees to most alterations to the document, much to Adams' growing consternation. The Southern delegates, led by Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, walk out of Congress when a clause opposing slavery is not removed. Adams remains adamant that the clause remain, but Franklin appeals to him to allow the passage to be removed so that they can first achieve the vote on independence and the formation of a nation, deferring the slavery fight to a later time. Adams leaves the final decision to Jefferson, who concedes. After removing that clause, 11 of 13 colonies are now in favor. New York abstains.
The question is therefore up to the Colony of Pennsylvania, whose delegation is polled at Franklin's request. Franklin votes for the declaration, but Dickinson votes against. The outcome is now in the hands of their fellow Pennsylvanian Judge James Wilson. Wilson usually follows Dickinson's lead, but in this case Wilson votes in favor of the declaration, securing its passage, because he does not want to be remembered as the man who voted to prevent American independence. After receiving word of the destruction of his property from General Washington, Lewis Morris finally withdraws New York's abstention and agrees to sign the document. Finally, with the Declaration of Independence ready to be signed, Hancock places his signature first and the others sign the Declaration, establishing the United States on July 4, 1776.
The play and film were criticized for a number of historical inaccuracies (for example, Martha Jefferson never traveled to Philadelphia). It was also panned by a number of critics. Roger Ebert wrote: "This is an insult to the real men who were Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and the rest. The performances trapped inside these roles, as you might expect, are fairly dreadful. There are good actors in the movie (especially William Daniels as Adams and Donald Madden as John Dickinson), but they're forced to strut and posture so much that you wonder if they ever scratched or spit or anything. I can hardly bear to remember the songs, much less discuss them. Perhaps I shouldn't. It is just too damn bad this movie didn't take advantage of its right to the pursuit of happiness."
The film nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy but lost to Cabaret. Harry Stradling Jr. was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography but lost to Geoffrey Unsworth for Cabaret. Despite the criticisms of Ebert and others, it's still a fun film to watch. The entire film can be found here and below is a video of a song from the film called "Sit Down John!"
The story is set in Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress is meeting, while General George Washington is fighting the British on the battlefield. Initially, the Congress in wasting its time on insignificant and trivial matters and procrastinates on debating the question of American independence. The leader of the independence faction is the John Adams of Massachusetts, whose continuous pushing has made him unpopular. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania leads the opposition, hoping for reconciliation with England. When time allows, Adams calls up the image of his wife Abigail Adams who is home in Massachusetts for insight and encouragement. (This portion of the script is based on letters between the couple). Dr. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania suggests because Adams has offended so many delegates, another colony that supports independence should submit a proposal.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia rides off to Williamsburg, Virginia to get authorization from the Virginia Colony to propose independence. Dr. Lyman Hall arrives to represent Georgia, and is quizzed by his fellow delegates regarding his views on independence. Weeks later, Lee returns with the resolution, and debate on the question begins. In the midst of debate, Caesar Rodney of Delaware is unable to continue because of his cancer and is taken back home by fellow delegate Thomas McKean, leaving the anti-independence George Read to represent Delaware. After heated discussions, the question is called without a majority of positive votes present. But the New Jersey delegation arrives just in time to provide a vote supporting independence. Dickinson calls for a vote requiring unanimity for passage. The vote is ultimately decided in favor of unanimity. Stalling for time to rally support for the resolution, Adams and Franklin call again for a postponement, stating that a declaration describing their grievances is needed. The vote is successfully postponed until such a document can be written.
Hancock appoints a committee that includes Adams, Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson resists because he wants to return home to Virginia to see his wife, Martha, but the others present convince him to stay and complete the task. Jefferson develops writer's block due to missing his wife, so Adams sends for Martha. While trying to achieve unanimity for the vote, Adams, Franklin and Samuel Chase of Maryland visit the Colonial Army at New Brunswick, New Jersey, at the request of General Washington, to help convince Maryland.
When they return to Philadelphia, the declaration is read and then debated and amended. Jefferson agrees to most alterations to the document, much to Adams' growing consternation. The Southern delegates, led by Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, walk out of Congress when a clause opposing slavery is not removed. Adams remains adamant that the clause remain, but Franklin appeals to him to allow the passage to be removed so that they can first achieve the vote on independence and the formation of a nation, deferring the slavery fight to a later time. Adams leaves the final decision to Jefferson, who concedes. After removing that clause, 11 of 13 colonies are now in favor. New York abstains.
The question is therefore up to the Colony of Pennsylvania, whose delegation is polled at Franklin's request. Franklin votes for the declaration, but Dickinson votes against. The outcome is now in the hands of their fellow Pennsylvanian Judge James Wilson. Wilson usually follows Dickinson's lead, but in this case Wilson votes in favor of the declaration, securing its passage, because he does not want to be remembered as the man who voted to prevent American independence. After receiving word of the destruction of his property from General Washington, Lewis Morris finally withdraws New York's abstention and agrees to sign the document. Finally, with the Declaration of Independence ready to be signed, Hancock places his signature first and the others sign the Declaration, establishing the United States on July 4, 1776.
The play and film were criticized for a number of historical inaccuracies (for example, Martha Jefferson never traveled to Philadelphia). It was also panned by a number of critics. Roger Ebert wrote: "This is an insult to the real men who were Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and the rest. The performances trapped inside these roles, as you might expect, are fairly dreadful. There are good actors in the movie (especially William Daniels as Adams and Donald Madden as John Dickinson), but they're forced to strut and posture so much that you wonder if they ever scratched or spit or anything. I can hardly bear to remember the songs, much less discuss them. Perhaps I shouldn't. It is just too damn bad this movie didn't take advantage of its right to the pursuit of happiness."
The film nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy but lost to Cabaret. Harry Stradling Jr. was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography but lost to Geoffrey Unsworth for Cabaret. Despite the criticisms of Ebert and others, it's still a fun film to watch. The entire film can be found here and below is a video of a song from the film called "Sit Down John!"