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If "1776" is to be believed, the United States was founded by a bunch of nebbishes, and the Declaration of Independence was written only after Thomas Jefferson rid himself of writer's block by making love to his wife.

When I was a kid I read a series of books called the "Childhood of Famous Americans." They all had one slight structural problem: Everything that made their subjects interesting happened after their childhoods were over. So the series gave us lot of motivation.

The same series seems to have inspired "1776." Its singular historical insight is that all of those famous Americans never grew up. They just put on wigs and grew sideburns and continued to act in the same childish ways.

This is an insult to the real men who were Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and the rest -- but then we've emasculated our founding fathers in story and song for so long that they're practically a set of caricatures. By the time "1776" came along, the stage was set for a dumb, simplistic romp through Independence Hall. I guess we don't want to fully recognize the stature of those early leaders; might make the present variety look a little transparent.

The movie, as everybody must know by now, involves the days immediately before the signing of the Declaration on July 4. 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 James Dickinson), but they're forced to strut and posture so much that you wonder if they ever scratched or spit or anything.

Apart from that, there are structural problems. The stage version made much of a correspondence between John and Abigail Adams, in which she urged him onward and upward. In the movie, this is handled by a series of materializations in which Abigail, looking for all the world like the vampire countess of "Taste the Blood of Dracula," appears surrounded by soft focus and gives John the morning line.

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.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

1776 (1972)

142 minutes

William Daniels as John Adams

Donald Madden as James Dickinson

Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson

Howard da Silva as Ben Franklin

David Ford as John Hancock

Virginia Vestoff as Abigail Adams

Screenplay by

• Peter Stone

Directed by

• Peter H. Hunt

Produced by

• Jack L. Warner

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1776 Reviews

What could be more soul-curdling than a Broadway folk operetta featuring the founding fathers, and double-entendres, and national tragedy? The movie version.

Full Review | Sep 28, 2023

Great screenplay based on the Broadway musical. Fantastic musical in an amazing 3-disc 4K/blu-ray set from Sony,

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 30, 2022

Da Silva is a standout amongst a talented cast which may be because he has some of the best lines of the whole film and he delivers them with incredible, comedic timing.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 1, 2022

1776 is the rare musical to tackle American Independence with memorable tunes and does so in almost three hours.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 31, 2022

It's just one of many sobering moments in a musical that effectively counters lighter moments with gravitas.

Full Review | Jun 28, 2018

With "1776," political struggles that took place nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago feel as fresh and immediate as the political struggles of today.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 3, 2017

Every American should watch this once a year.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Aug 26, 2010

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 9, 2007

Semi-successful transfer to the big screen of the 1969 Broadway musical hit, nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Aug 10, 2005

A star-spangled, all-singing delight.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Feb 18, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 2, 2005

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 23, 2004

A wonderful, witty underrated musical. A 4th of July tradition in my house.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 23, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 12, 2004

Long and boring musical about the American Revolution.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Feb 9, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jul 30, 2002

A whole lotta toe-tappin' musical patriotism.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 26, 2002

Americans have a propensity for getting chummy with heroic figures of the past -- a tendency on display in this lightly amusing history lesson.

Full Review | Jul 4, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Jan 1, 2000

Happy Fourth of July to all of our American readers (and a happy regular day to all our international readers)! Today happens to commemorate many important days in our country’s history, from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the day the Union Army won the Battle of Gettysburg. While certainly the concepts of American national identity and liberty have faced much scrutiny in recent years, the holiday remains a wonderful chance to celebrate freedom with family over food and high explosives!

This year, I also wanted to celebrate the birth of my nation by bringing some extra attention to a particular film that I’ve fallen in love with of late!

Content Guide

Violence/Scary Images:  None. Language/Crude Humor:  Some heavy language throughout including D*** and G**. Drug/Alcohol References:  Rhode Island’s representative is depicted as an alcoholic constantly asking for rum. Sexual Content:  Nothing inappropriate depicted, although there are numerous references to sexuality and sexual frustration throughout the film. Spiritual Content:  The majority of the characters are implicitly religious although religion isn’t a major plot point. Other Negative Content:  Some crass content and discussion ill-suited for very young viewers. Positive Content:  Themes of self-sacrifice, bravery, intelligence and wisdom.

1776 feels like a film from a completely different epoch than the one we live in now. Not only is it quieter, more simplistic, more patriotic, and more earnest than almost any film in the last fifty years, but it’s also a movie that feels like it shouldn’t have even been made in the decade it came out. In 1972, Hollywood was just entering the phase of the American New Wave, releasing films like The Godfather, Deliverance, Solaris, Aguirre: Wrath of God, and Fritz the Cat , pushing cinema in a much darker and more cynical direction. 1776 competed that year against the critically acclaimed, and VERY dark, musical Caberet which contrasted the decadence of the Weimar Republic with the rise of Nazism. This was at a time when bleak disaster films and vigilante flicks like The Poseidon Adventure, Joe Kidd , and The Mechanic were THE most popular entertainment. This movie was released in theaters while Watergate was being investigated by The Washington Post. It notably precedes the Reagan-esc optimism of films like Star Wars , Superman , and Rocky by half a decade.

Yet there 1776 stands as this oddball patriotic musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a film with the look and pace of an early 1960s big-budget musical that looked like it could sit alongside something corny like Yankee Doodle Dandee or South Pacific . Naturally, it was a box office bomb, barely making half its $6 million budget back upon release. It was also pretty heavily savaged by critics who called it “unremarkable” and even “an insult to the real men”, filled with “dreadful” performances, according to major critics like Roger Ebert and Vincent Canby.

Watching it for the first time last year, I was taken aback by how deeply this film was savaged by the culture around it. I’ve watched it at least three times now and every time I watch this film I find 1776 to be a movie that blossoms and grows more endearing. Admittedly, part of that has to do with the novelty. There aren’t very many films about the American Revolution out there besides Drums Along the Mohawk , HBO’s John Adams and The Patriot . Very few films have ever tried to directly depict the Founding Fathers as they were. One of the only examples I can think of in recent memory was Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton (which itself is heavily based on 1776 and references it multiple times).

1776 itself is based on the Broadway musical of the same name that premiered in 1969 to riotous success, over 1200 performances, and three Tony Awards. Jack L. Warner, of Warner Brothers fame, bought the rights to the film adaptation and quickly set about adapting it for the big screen. I can’t speak for the qualities of the stage version of the show as I’ve neither seen the 1997 revival tour nor the upcoming 2021 Broadway revival. That said, I could definitely see it being a bit more laid back than the filmed version.

The film of 1776 can be rather breakneck and whimsical for a topic such as the revolutionary war. The film is set just on the eve of the Revolution in June of 1776. The Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 have put the two nations in a state of war with one another but the thirteen colonies had yet to technically form themselves into a legally distinct entity, even as George Washington was busy digging in his troops into New York City in preparation for a massive British siege.

The Continental Congress itself in Philadelphia is a mess. Dozens of irritated representatives spend their days arguing minutia and refusing to agree with one another over vitally important matters of state. John Adams, the representative from Massachusetts, spends his days aggressively trying to convince Congress to officially declare the United States’ independence from Britain but without an unanimous vote from every colony. And there are plenty of reasons why each colony would NOT want independence. The southern colonies are wary of northern hegemony and want to maintain their economic monopoly through slavery. Additionally, news from the front of war is very negative and it sounds likely that General Washington will lose the Battle of New York, resulting in anyone caught standing by him being publicly executed for treason against the crown.

The reputations, wealth, and lives of every member of the colonies are at stake and there’s no guarantee that standing up for principal will ultimately save the fledgling United States. Yet John Adams is determined to try and declare his new nation’s independence anyway on the off chance that it will be the spark that inspires the colonies.

Struggling to rally Congress and convince the most skeptical representatives among them, Adams convinces them to allow him an opportunity to write up a potential declaration that would serve as the ideological foundation for a new nation on which Congress ought to vote on. With limited time and emotions running high, Adams assigns the job of writing this document to Virginia’s young, enigmatic and quiet representative Thomas Jefferson while he and representative Benjamin Franklin conspire how to persuade the southern states to their side.

As a drama, I find 1776 to be enrapturing as it lets the yarn of each character and their VERY OBVIOUS faults unfurl before the audience. William Daniels as John Adams delivers an amazing lead performance, one that’s vital to serving as the emotional core of the story and doubles as an amazing antithesis for how the characters ultimately accomplish the task of achieving independence for their country. John Adams is, to put it delicately, an unpleasant and disagreeable person. Seemingly the only person who wants to be around him is his estranged wife, Abigail Adams, who desperately misses having a husband to return home to every night. As a result, the story ends up being a drama of alliances and double-crosses. Adams, being the most aggressively pro-revolution patriot in congress, can only achieve his desired outcome and return home to his wife if he learns to rely on others and place his trust in other people’s ability to stand up for what’s right.

So much of this sets up 1776 to be such a bleak and emotionally overwhelming film, but in reality it’s a tremendously whimsical and joyous movie. There’s a youthful exuberance to the film that captures the soul of a young nation early in its experiment. Benjamin Franklin captures it beautifully in my favorite quote of the film :

“Never was such a valuable possession so stupidly and so recklessly managed than this entire continent by the British crown. Our industries discouraged, our resources pillaged, worst of all our very character stifled. We’ve spawned a new race here… rougher, simpler, more violent, more enterprising, less refined. We’re a new nationality. We require a new nation.”

All of the characters we meet are young, energetic, snappy, educated and frustrated people in the prime of their youth. They’re thirsty to prove themselves as equally as they are eager to—to put it gently—spend their evenings at home with their wives (sexual frustration being a surprising, frequent and weird motif throughout 1776 ).

Most of the songs are bubbly and goofy, reflecting the young enthusiasm and pride of this fledgling generation. Representative Richard Lee prances into his first scene on a horse singing a song about the glorious Lee family and rhyming every word with Lee/-ly. Thomas Jefferson’s wife sings a song about how she fell in love with his violin skills. John Adams repeatedly gets into arguments with his wife during songs where he imagines seeing her.

When the film does get serious, there’s a fascinating and haunting weight to it. You see the fear and uncertainty in the characters’ eyes as they realize the fate of the Republic will fall onto their decision, there and then. When John Adams realizes that he has to sacrifice the abolition of slavery to achieve independence, you feel the sadness of the realization of what that decision will ultimately cost less than a century later. The film ends with the famous signing of the Declaration of Independence and even then ending is quite dark and uncertain, as these characters don’t know what the future holds past July 4th, 1776.

Historically speaking, of the 56 signers, nine died in combat, five were captured and tortured by the British, and at least a dozen had their homes destroyed. Many were financially ruined by the revolution or lost their beloved family members in combat. The ominous bleakness of the final shot of this movie isn’t uncalled for.

There’s incredible humanity on display in 1776 that captures something quintessentially fascinating about the Founding Fathers as they were on the eve of the American Revolution. Even setting aside the novelty of seeing John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin on the big screen, I can’t help but admire just how much the film managed to capture in this relatively whimsical and colorful comedy. For all it romanticizes and likely downplays some of the less savory aspects of the founding father’s very well-documented hypocrisies, 1776 does the work to make these flawed people and their flawed actions relatable. We’re shown just how and why these men came to the conclusions they did, shown just how uniquely brilliant they were, and we are led to admire just how brave they had to be to sign their name on a document that would shortly get many of them killed.

I can’t help but feel a film like 1776 is overdue a cultural reexamination!

+ Wonderful musical soundtrack + Solid performances from the major actors + Great balance of whimsical fun and serious themes

- Some excessively corny performances and goofy characterizations - Occasionally stagey set design

The Bottom Line

1776 didn't get much love in 1972 but maybe there's a more welcoming audience in our cynical times now! It's a wonderful musical and whatever flaws you can place against it as a film, it's an intoxicatingly novel and fun piece of cinema that is well worth your holiday viewing, especially if you're already a fan of its spiritual successor, Hamilton.

Tyler Hummel

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1776 (1972) 4k review, da silva is a standout amongst a talented cast which may be because he has some of the best lines of the whole film and he delivers them with incredible, comedic timing..

Long before Lin-Manuel Miranda ( In the Heights ) turned the life of Alexander Hamilton into a multicultural, hip-hop/rap Broadway musical, there was another history lesson set to song. In 1972...yes FIFTY years ago... 1776 was released in theaters.  A feature film adaptation of the 1969 musical, the two-and-a-half-hour movie received mixed reviews from critics but still managed to earn $1.7 million in six weeks.  

In the home entertainment market, the film has been previously released on VHS tape, laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray but to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary, Sony Pictures has released a combo pack including the 2015 Blu-ray disc, a second Blu-ray disc which includes the 1972 theatrical cut and the highly sought after 1992 laserdisc "Director's Cut" and, for the first time, a 4K disc with two versions of the movie.  In total, this release includes four, complete versions of 1776 plus some extras.

The year is 1776 and Massachusetts representative John Adams (William Daniels; Blind Date ) is trying to convince the Continental Congress to wage war on the British soldiers sent by the King of England to keep law and order and to collect taxes from the colonists.  While some of the delegates from other states agree with his assessment, some, representing the citizens of their states, oppose the idea.  As the heat of the summer days roll on, the delegates scheme, connive and fight - both verbally and physically - until they author the Declaration of Independence, essentially waging war on their motherland and the tyrant overseeing them.

The mostly male cast, led by Daniels, does a terrific job of shuffling through the uneven pacing of the film.  Adams' two most prevalent sidekicks, Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva; The Blue Dahlia ) and Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard; Rambo ) keep him somewhat grounded while mildly egging him on.  The three actors have a great bond and a few of their scenes are the most memorable in the movie.  Da Silva is a standout amongst a talented cast maybe because he has some of the best lines of the whole film and he delivers them with incredible, comedic timing. Virginia Vestoff ( The Doctors ) and Blythe Danner ( Meet the Parents ) well represent the female perspective in Colonial times and both have wonderful singing voices.

The Dolby Vision video quality is well worth the cost of this combo pack.  There is a huge difference between the clarity of the 4K version and the Blu-ray with sharp details and beautiful colors.  The costumes are so intricate and made from such elegant materials and the 4K video detects each thread and stitch showcasing the brilliant work done by the costume department.

The Dolby Atmos audio is perhaps the best treat this new release has to offer.  The musical numbers have depth and the blending of the talented vocalists is just one of the aspects featured by Atmos.  The dialogue runs the full spectrum of surround sound speakers making the viewer feels as if they are in the midst of the history they have only learned about in school.  One of the two Blu-ray Discs house the extras, which include: Audio Commentary: Director Peter H. Hunt and Actors William Daniels and Ken Howard (Director's Cut Only), Audio Commentary: Director Peter H. Hunt and Screenwriter Peter Stone (Director's Cut Only), Deleted & Alternate Scenes, Screen Tests, and Theatrical Trailers.

While 1776 isn't the best musical ever written and the songs are totally unmemorable, the cast and the screenplay offer some humorous moments, especially from Da Silva,  and makes one wonder just how "raunchy" the colonists were back then, not to mention demonstrating how inappropriate actors/writers/directors could be in the early seventies.

With several versions of the movie and the enhanced video and audio quality, this is one combo pack that is well worth the money.

• William Daniels ,
• Howard Da Silva ,
• Ken Howard ,
• Donald Madden ,
• Blythe Danner ,
• John Cullum ,
• Roy Poole ,
• David Ford ,
• Virginia Vestoff
• Peter H. Hunt

For more information about 1776 visit the FlickDirect Movie Database . This release has been provided to FlickDirect for review purposes. For more reviews by Allison Rose please click here.

1776 images are courtesy of Columbia Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Allison Rose, a Senior Correspondent and Critic at FlickDirect, is a dynamic presence in the entertainment industry with a communications degree from Hofstra University. She brings her film expertise to KRMS News/Talk 97.5 FM and broadcast television, and is recognized as a Tomatometer-Approved Critic . Her role as an adept event moderator in various entertainment industry forums underscores her versatility. Her affiliations with SEFCA, the Florida Film Critics Circle, and the Online Film Critics Society highlight her as an influential figure in film criticism and media.

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• A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.
• The film version of the Broadway musical comedy of the same name. In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, Continental Congressmen John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. As George Washington sends depressing messages describing one military disaster after another, the businessmen, landowners and slave holders in Congress all stand in the way of the Declaration, and a single "nay" vote will forever end the question of independence. Large portions of spoken and sung dialog are taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants. — Dave Heston <[email protected]>
• Despite or because of the state of the Revolutionary War led by General George Washington, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, has long skirted the issue of independence from Great Britain, much to the chagrin of its chief proponents, Massachusetts Congressman John Adams and Pennsylvania Congressman Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Adams knows that much of the debate is against him as a person, many who see him as being obnoxious and a blow-hard. He decides a more judicious approach may be to work behind the scenes rather than be front and center in the fight as he has been. On June 7, 1776, Adams gets Virginia Congressman Richard Henry Lee to propose a motion in Congress to debate the issue, which finally passes. However when the vote for independence finally looks like it will pass, its chief opponent, Pennsylvania Congressman John Dickinson, manages to pass a motion that any vote for independence needs to be unanimous. As a delay tactic, Adams initiates a successful motion to postpone the vote for three weeks to July 2, 1776 until they can vote on the actual text for a declaration of independence - his assertion is how can they vote on something that does not exist. Adams and Franklin talk a reluctant Virginia Congressman Thomas Jefferson to be the one to draft the document. Jefferson's reluctance is that he has other more personal issues on his mind. As Jefferson takes to his writing duties, Adams and Franklin and their supporters know they only have three weeks to convince the six opposing colonies to support independence. As Franklin states, it may take some improvisation and some compromise. — Huggo
• On the evening of May 8, 1776, in Philadelphia, as the Second Continental Congress proceeds with its business. John Adams, the widely disliked delegate from Massachusetts, is frustrated, because none of his proposals on independence have been debated on by congress. The other delegates, implore him to ('Sit Down, John') Adams' response is that Congress has done nothing for the last year. He goes outside and in song ('Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve'), he reads the latest missive from his loving wife Abigail, who, their home in Braintree, Massachusetts, appears in his imagination. He asks if she and the other women are making saltpeter for the war effort but she ignores that and states the women have a more urgent problem: no straight pins. They pledge their love to each other in song ('Till Then'). The next day, Adams finds delegate Benjamin Franklin outside. Adams bemoans the failure of his arguments for independence. Franklin suggests that, a resolution for independence would have more success if proposed by someone else. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia enters on horseback, having been summoned by Franklin. The cocky Lee crows that he is the best man to propose the resolution. Adams has reservations, but Lee is convinced he cannot fail, as a member of the oldest and most glorious family in America ('The Lees of Old Virginia') He is prepared to ask the Virginia House of Burgesses to authorize him to offer a pro-independence resolution. On June 7, 1776, Franklin and Adams enter, and the delegates, along with the President of Congress, John Hancock, and the Secretary, Charles Thomson, take their places. Hancock gavels the 380th meeting of the Congress to order. The entire New Jersey delegation is absent. Thomas Jefferson, a young delegate from Virginia, announces that he is leaving for Virginia that night to visit his wife. Soon after Hancock opens the floor to new resolutions, Richard Henry Lee canters into the chamber, having finally returned from Virginia. Lee reads his resolution, but John Dickinson of Pennsylvania moves to indefinitely postpone the question of independence. A vote is taken. Six colonies vote in favor of debate. Five vote to postpone indefinitely and thus kill the proposal. The New Jersey delegate arrives, and the vote now stands at six for independence and six against (with New York abstaining "courteously"), and Adams reminds Hancock (who supports independence) of his privilege as president to break all ties. Dickinson then moves that any vote for independence must pass unanimously on the grounds that "no colony may be torn from its mother country without its own consent." The vote produces the same tie, which Hancock breaks by unexpectedly voting for unanimity (prompting an angry outburst from Adams). He reasons that without unanimity, any colony voting against independence would be forced to fight on England's side, setting brother against brother. Adams, thinking fast, calls for a postponement of the vote on independence, expressing the need for a declaration defining the reasons for independence. Franklin seconds Adams, but when asked why such a declaration should be written, both are lost for words until Thomas Jefferson provides them himself: "to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent." The vote on postponement is called, producing yet another tie, with New York abstaining "courteously" yet again. Hancock breaks the tie by voting in favor of postponement. He appoints a committee of Adams, Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert Livingston of New York, and Jefferson to draft the declaration. Hancock adjourns the session over Jefferson's complaints that he must go home to his wife. The Committee of Five argues about who should write the declaration ('But, Mr. Adams'). Adams declines Franklin's suggestion that he do so. Adams asks each of the others, in turn, to be the drafter, but each demurs: Franklin argues that he is not a political writer, only a satirist; Sherman claims that he is not a writer at all, but "a simple cobbler from Connecticut"; and Livingston must return to New York to celebrate the birth of his son. All eyes then turn to Jefferson. Jefferson tries to wriggle out of the responsibility, pleading that he has not seen his wife in six months. Adams, unmoved by Jefferson's arguments (as he, too, misses his own wife), quotes a passage of Jefferson's Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, bluntly telling Jefferson that he is the best writer in Congress. Jefferson accepts the duty of drafting the document. A week later, Adams and Franklin visit Jefferson to see how the work is coming along. Jefferson has spent the week moping, prompting a sharp rebuke by Adams, which is flatly rebuffed by Jefferson. Finally, Jefferson is brightened when his beloved wife Martha enters (Adams has sent for her). The two older gentlemen leave the young lovers in peace. Adams, alone, again exchanges letters with his wife Abigail. They pledge each other to be eternally ('Yours, Yours, Yours'). Martha finally appears 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 ('He Plays the Violin'). On June 22, 1776, Congress has reconvened. By now, Adams is worrying and begins trying to win over some of the states, sending Thomas McKean to try to convince his Delaware colleague George Read and Franklin to convince James Wilson of Pennsylvania, while himself trying to convince Samuel Chase of Maryland. The remaining delegates in favor of independence also leave the chamber. Alone with his fellow conservatives for the first time, Dickinson leads them in a minuet, singing of their desire to hold onto their wealth and remain ('Cool, Cool Considerate Men'). During their dance/song, another dispatch comes from George Washington warning them of British advances on Philadelphia; however these warnings fall on deaf ears. After the dance number, the remaining delegates depart, leaving Andrew McNair (the custodian), the courier, and a workman in the chamber. The workman asks the courier if he has seen any fighting and the courier replies that his two closest friends were killed on the same day at Lexington. He describes the final thoughts of a dying young man as his mother searches for his body ('Momma, Look Sharp'). Jefferson is outside the chamber as Mr. Thomson, the secretary, reads the declaration to Congress. Adams and Franklin meet him delightedly: an exhibition of shooting by the Continental Army has convinced Samuel Chase, and Maryland will vote in favor of independence. They congratulate Jefferson on the excellence of the document, and Franklin compares the creation of this new country to an egg ('The Egg'). This leads the trio to debate which bird is breaking out of its metaphorical shell and would best represent America. Franklin tries to coax them into choosing the turkey, but the three settle on the eagle, as insisted upon by Adams. On June 28, 1776, Hancock asks if there are any alterations to be offered to the Declaration of Independence, leading many delegates to voice suggestions. Jefferson acquiesces to each recommendation, much to Adams's consternation, until Dickinson demands 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." When Thomson comments that he has already scratched the word out, Jefferson orders him to "scratch it back in." When one delegate wants references to Parliament removed for fear of offending possible friends in that body, an exasperated Adams exclaims "This is a revolution, damn it! We're going to have to offend somebody!" Edward Rutledge of South Carolina objects to a clause in the Declaration condemning the slave trade, accusing the northern colonies of hypocrisy and telling them that the prosperity of the North depends on the Triangle Trade ('Molasses to Rum') to slaves as well. When this clause is not removed, the delegates of the Carolinas and Georgia walk out of Congress. The resolve of the other delegates is broken, and most of them also leave. Franklin tells Adams that the slavery clause must go; when Adams quarrels with him, Franklin angrily reminds Adams that "the issue here is independence!" and berates Adams for jeopardizing the cause. Adams' faith in himself is shaken, and only encouragement from Abigail (and the delivery of kegs of saltpeter from her and other Massachusetts ladies) bolsters his commitment ('Compliments'). Re-reading the dispatch from Washington, Adams, now alone in the chamber, echoes his words in song ('Is Anybody There?') Discouraged but determined, Adams declares his vision of his new country: "Through all the gloom, through all the doom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory!" Dr. Lyman Hall of Georgia, unexpectedly returns to the chamber. He tells Adams "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." Hall then walks over to the tally board and changes Georgia's vote from "nay" to "yea". It is now July 2, 1776. The delegates slowly return to the chamber, including Caesar Rodney of Delaware, who had earlier left Congress due to poor health. Hancock calls for the vote on the Lee Resolution. Thomson calls on each delegation for its vote. Pennsylvania passes on the first call, but the rest of the northern and middle colonies (save New York, which, with some self-disgust, again abstains "courteously") vote "yea". When the vote reaches South Carolina, Rutledge again 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 ("First things first, John ... Independence. America. If we don't secure that, what difference will the rest make?") and Adams turns to Jefferson. Jefferson reluctantly crosses the chamber and scratches out the clause himself. Rutledge and the Carolinas vote "yea", as does Georgia. Pennsylvania's vote, which is the last vote needed to obtain the required unanimous approval, is called again, Dickinson declares that "Pennsylvania votes...", only to be stopped by Franklin who asks Hancock to poll the members of the delegation individually. Franklin votes "yea" and Dickinson "nay", leaving the swing vote to Wilson, who normally adheres to Dickinson. Seeing his hesitancy, Dickinson tries to entice him: "Come now, James ... the issue is clear." Franklin remarks that "most issues are clear when someone else has to decide them", and Adams mercilessly adds that "it would be a pity for a man (Wilson) who has handed down hundreds of wise decisions from the bench to be remembered for the one unwise decision he made in Congress." Wilson doesn't want to be remembered as "the man who prevented American independence" and votes "yea". The motion is passed. The next day on July 3, Hancock suggests that no man be allowed to sit in Congress without affixing his signature to the Declaration. Dickinson announces that he cannot in good conscience sign such a document and still hopes for reconciliation with England. However, he resolves to join the army to fight for and defend the new nation. Adams leads the Congress in a salute to Dickinson as he leaves the chamber. The next day, Hancock leads the delegates in signing the Declaration, but is interrupted by the courier with another dispatch from Washington, "Commander of the Army of the United Colonies ... of the United States of America." He reports that preparations for the Battle of New York are under way, but expresses concern about America's badly outnumbered and under-trained troops. Washington's note to Lewis Morris that his estates have been destroyed but that his family has been taken to safety emboldens Morris to state that he will sign the Declaration, despite the lack of instructions from the New York legislature, saying, "To Hell with New York. I'll sign it anyway." New York's vote is moved into the "yea" column. 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 names on the Declaration of Independence. The delegates freeze in position as the Liberty Bell rings to a fevered pitch.

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Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, peter h. hunt, william daniels, howard da silva, donald madden, john cullum, photos & videos, technical specs.

In Philadelphia, on 8 May 1776, Massachusetts delegate John Adams urges the Continental Congress to debate whether officially to secede from England. Although many congressmen support the "independency" issue, all are offended by Adams' frequent tirades and implore him to sit down. Instead, the frustrated Adams leaves the building, but regains his composure by thinking about his wife Abigail, who remains in Massachusetts to manage their farm. In a letter, Adams writes Abby that the king is sending twelve thousand mercenaries to subdue the colonists and asks her to coordinate the neighboring women to make saltpeter to use in the manufacture of gun powder. In her reply, Abby refuses unless Adams agrees to send her sewing pins, which are scarce in wartime. On another day, Adams complains about Congress' indecisiveness to Ben Franklin, who is one of three delegates from Pennsylvania. Franklin suggests that Adams let someone more popular lead the cause and convinces Richard Henry Lee, a Virginian delegate from an old, influential family, to solicit the support of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Meanwhile, Congress, headed by its president, John Hancock, receives by courier from Gen. George Washington of the Continental Army, frequent, depressing missives, reporting shortages, ill-trained soldiers and the intention of British troops to split the colonies in half at New York. When Lee returns, he presents Virginia's resolution for independence, but John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, leading the opposition, makes a counter proposal to postpone the issue indefinitely. As Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress, calls the roll, six colonies vote in favor of postponement and six against, with one abstention. When Stephen Hopkins, one of three delegates from Rhode Island, returns from a brief trip to the privy down the street, he casts the deciding vote to continue the debate. A discussion then commences, in which Dickinson defends England, but other delegates complain about repressions, high taxes and abolished rights and Franklin suggests that America has spawned a new race requiring a new nation. Highly charged emotions temporarily erupt into a brawl, but Hancock restores order. Edward "Ned" Rutledge of South Carolina claims that the South wishes to be ruled neither by England nor the North. Judge James Wilson of Pennsylvania, a toady to Dickinson, timidly suggests that more time is needed. Even Samuel Chase of Maryland, who supports independence, believes the decision must wait until Washington's military success is assured, to prevent them being hanged as traitors. Adams argues that an army needs inspiration, such as a flag and a purpose, and claims that Americans have "spirit." To this, Dickinson jeers and calls Adams a "madman," and the two come to blows, creating havoc. A gunshot fired into the air by a delegate quiets the room and cancer-ridden Caesar Rodney, one third of the Delaware delegation, decries that England is cutting off their air. Rodney then faints and, when revived, realizes he is too ill to remain. Apologizing for leaving Delaware split on this important issue, Rodney departs, aided by Scotsman Thomas McKean, another Delaware delegate. Taking advantage of their absence, Rutledge proposes to end the debate and take the vote. Realizing the cause is lost without Delaware, Franklin stalls for time and is rewarded by the arrival of New Jersey delegates, who support independence. Dickinson proposes that the decision to secede must be unanimous, so that no colony is forced to fight England against its will. On the issue of unanimity, the colonists are again split, but the tie is broken by Hancock who explains that, without agreement, Americans will fight each other in military battles. Knowing that a unanimous vote is impossible, Adams and Franklin ask for postponement until they prepare a written document and, to everyone's surprise, the usually taciturn Virginian, young Thomas Jefferson, eloquently argues that a document is needed to explain to the world the reason for their action. During the vote, the colonies are again undecided, but Hancock breaks the tie in favor of postponement. A committee is formed by Adams, Franklin, New Yorker Robert Livingston, Connecticut's Roger Sherman and, against his will, Jefferson, who has been away from home for six months. When deciding who will write the document, all make excuses, leaving Jefferson with the responsibility, although he protests that he "burns" to see his wife. Jefferson then spends the next week unsuccessfully trying to write. Realizing that Jefferson's "problem" must be solved before the bigger task is achieved, Adams sends for Jefferson's wife Martha and, when she arrives, the couple retreats from the world to sate their passions. While waiting, Adams conjures Abigail in his mind and imagines talking with her at their farm. The next morning, Franklin and Adams introduce themselves to Martha, who coyly praises the way her husband plays the violin. Meanwhile, Congress carries out mundane duties and McKean returns, predicting that Rodney will never leave home again. To no avail, Adams, Franklin and McKean try to win others to their side. When another dispatch from Washington reports disorder, confusion and an assembly of prostitutes at the New Brunswick army training ground, Adams convinces Chase and Franklin to accompany him to check out the situation. After Congress adjourns that day, custodian Andrew McNair and his assistant visit with the courier, who tells them about his horrific battle experiences. Near the end of June, Thomson reads Jefferson's draft, as Jefferson paces outside the room. Upon returning, Franklin and Adams report that the soldiers are excellent marksmen who work well together if motivated, and that Chase is persuading the Maryland assembly to approve independence. As they wait for the reading to finish, Jefferson, Franklin and Adams discuss whether a dove, a turkey or an eagle should symbolize the new nation. For several days, delegates make amendments to the document, with Jefferson's approval and to Adams' annoyance. When Sherman questions the need to criticize the English Parliament, Adams cries out that they are having a revolution and must offend somebody. On 30 June, Dickinson tries to remove a reference to King George being a tyrant, but this change Jefferson refuses to make. By 1 July, after everyone seems satisfied, Rutledge contests a passage referring to the abolition of slavery. Angrily, Rutledge accuses Northerners of hypocrisy, pointing out that New England ships carried slaves from Africa to the South and, with the other Southerners, abandons the meeting. Just then, Chase returns, announcing that Maryland approves independence. Although his pro-independence colleagues remain demoralized, Adams asks McKean to fetch Rodney from Delaware. After other delegates leave for the evening, Franklin, though against slavery, tells Adams that the offending passage must be forfeited. After an exchange of heated words, Adams climbs to the building's bell tower and imagines Abby's words of support. Unexpectedly, a shipment arrives containing several barrels of saltpeter made by Massachusetts women. With new confidence, Adams asks Jefferson to talk to Rutledge and sends Franklin to persuade Wilson. Then, Thomson shows him a message from a discouraged Washington, who asks, "Does anybody care?" Depressed, Adams remains in the assembly room late into the night, wondering whether he is alone in envisioning America's great future. At Adams' moment of despair, Dr. Lymon Hall of North Carolina reveals that he, too, is in the room. Able to see what Adams sees, Hall has decided to change his vote. On 2 July, after McKean returns with Rodney, Congress commences the vote, knowing that a single "nay" will defeat the issue. Eight colonies vote in favor of the resolution, but Rutledge demands that the slavery passage be removed. Adams wants to object, but Franklin says that nothing else will matter unless independence is secured. Without commenting, Jefferson strikes out the passage, and the Southerners vote favorably. Last is Pennsylvania. Because Franklin is in favor and Dickinson, against, Wilson now realizes that his vote will determine the course of history. After telling Dickinson that he does not want that responsibility, Wilson votes in alignment with the others, and thus the resolution is adopted. Hancock signs the document, but Dickinson, apologizing, abstains. Instead, Dickinson announces he will fight in the Continental Army, but hope for reconciliation with England. On 3 July, Washington is in New York, preparing for battle. On 4 July, Hancock orders McNair to ring the bell, as each delegate signs the Declaration of Independence.

Ron Holgate

Ray middleton, william hansen, blythe danner, virginia vestoff, ralston hill, howard caine, patrick hines, william duell, daniel keyes, stephen nathan, jonathan moore, james noble, john myhers, rex robbins, charles rule, peter forster, frederic downs, richard mcmurray, gordon de vol, william h. bassett, william engle, barry o'hara, heber jentzsch, jack de mave, jordan rhodes, richard o'shea, fred slyter, john holland, mark montgomery, ernest adler, carmen dirigo, sherman edwards, emmett emerson, ray heindorf, george james hopkins, peter howard, mentor huebner, george jenkins, al overton jr., arthur r. piantadosi, john rothwell, eddie sauter, marshall schlom, sheldon schrager, mickey sherrard, michael shurtleff, allan snyder, peter stone, harry stradling jr., jack l. warner, florence williamson, william ziegler, patricia zipprodt.

Hosted Intro

Award Nominations

Best cinematography.

She is your wife, isn't she? - John Adams

Of course she is, look at the way they fit. - Dr. Benjamin Franklin

Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Lee, Mr. Hopkins, Dr. Franklin, why have you joined this... incendiary little man, this BOSTON radical? This demagogue, this MADMAN? - John Dickinson

Are you calling me a madman, you, you... you FRIBBLE! - John Adams

Easy John. - Dr. Benjamin Franklin

You cool, considerate men. You hang to the rear on every issue so that if we should go under, you'll still remain afloat! - John Adams

Are you calling me a coward? - John Dickinson

I never asked for much, after all, I am Mrs. John Adams. hat's quite enough for one lifetime. - Abigail

Is it? - John Adams

Well think John, to be married to the man who is always first in line to be hanged. - Abigail

A second flood, a simple famine, plagues of locusts everywhere, or a cataclysmic earthquake, I'd accept with some despair. But no, You sent us Congress! Good God, Sir, was that fair? - John Adams

Calling me an Englishman is like calling an ox a bull: he's grateful for the honor, but he'd rather have restored what's rightfully his. - Dr. Benjamin Franklin

When did you first notice they were missing, sir? - John Dickinson

The 176 minute extended version is available on laserdisc. It contains 35 minutes cut from the original videotape release, including the song, "Cool, Considerate Men".

Gwyneth Paltrow, the real life daughter of Blythe Danner (Martha Jefferson) played Patsy Jefferson in the movie: Jefferson in Paris (1995).

William Daniels, who plays John Adams, also played John Quincy Adams (John Adams' son) in the mini series The Adams Chronicles, Samuel Adams (John Adams' cousin) in the TV movie the Bastard and John Adams again in the TV movie the Rebels.

Many of the actors were also in the Broadway production.

Ron Holgate did all of his own riding - except for the trick mount at the end - in "The Lees of Old Virginia", despite his never having been on a horse before.

The viewed copy was a restored DVD version, released in 2002, which, according to a Los Angeles Times article at the time of the DVD release, reinstated twenty-five minutes that had been cut from the original release. Within the story, the passage of time is conveyed by the "custodian" tearing each day's page from a large calendar hanging on the wall in the assembly room. A tally board on the wall listing the names of the colonies is used to clarify each colony's vote on the various issues depicted in the story, by sliding the name of the colony either to the left or right to indicate an affirmative or negative vote. In the assembly hall, whenever Gen. George Washington's reports are read aloud to the Congressman, the reading ends with a drum roll in the soundtrack.        Peter Stone, the play's author, as well as the film's screenwriter, was the son of former history teacher-turned-writer and producer John Stone of Fox Studios. Songwriter Sherman Edwards, a former high school history teacher, was credited with conceiving the play as well as writing the music and lyrics. Edwards and Stone researched events prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and endeavored to maintain historical accuracy. However, some liberties were taken, such as the timing of the signing of the document, which actually occurred over several months rather than on one day. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman and Thomas Jefferson formed the Committee of Five to draft the document Jefferson wrote, which was also depicted in the film. Personal details in the film and play, such as "Benjamin Franklin's" napping and gout, were true. According to modern historical sources, Jefferson did wish to return home to see his wife, but, according to modern sources, she May have been ill at the time. Although the real Caesar Rodney suffered a form of skin cancer and made a last-minute ride from Delaware to Philadelphia, an event depicted on the 1999 Delaware commemorative quarter, he became mortally ill several years later than the period depicted in the film. Judge James Wilson changed his vote, as shown in the film, although his reason for doing so is not known. As shown in the film, the real John Dickinson did not sign the declaration and he did fight in the Continental Army, as he promises in his last speech in the film, and later helped to write the Constitution of the United States.        Much of the film's dialogue was taken from the writings of the historical figures. For example, the running joke describing "John Adams" as "obnoxious and disliked" were words the real Adams reported to his wife Abigail in his letters. Jefferson's defense for a written document declaring independence, several of Franklins' aphorisms and Adams' comment to Franklin that it would be wrong to remove the anti-slavery passage from the Declaration were lifted from actual writings. The quibble between Adams and Jefferson about the words "inalienable" vs. "unalienable" was also based on fact.        Stone's musical play opened in New York on March 16, 1969, and ran for 1,217 performances. The play won several awards, among them, the Tony Award and New York Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical and a Grammy nomination for Best Cast Album. Peter Hunt, who made his directorial debut with the Broadway production, won a Tony Award for Best Director. To some contemporary observers, the success of the play, which had a patriotic theme, came as a surprise, as it opened when the country was divided over the Vietnam War. The London production, which Hunt also staged, was named "Best Play of the Year" by British critics.        According to an April 1969 Hollywood Reporter news item, four unnamed, major film companies showed interest in obtaining the film rights for 1776 , for which bidding would begin in May. In November 1970, a Hollywood Reporter news item reported that Jack L. Warner purchased the rights for the play, which was still running on Broadway and had two touring companies, for $1.25 million plus percentages. A March 1971 Daily Variety article reported that Warner, the long time president of Warner Bros. who had retired from the studio, bought the film with his own money.        A March 1971 LAHExam news item reported that Warner and Columbia Pictures were teaming up to produce the picture and planning to cast mostly actors from the Broadway production and the national company. Actors who reprised their roles for the film included William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Roy Poole, David Ford, Ron Holgate, Emory Bass, Ralston Hill, Charles Rule, William Duell, Jonathan Moore and Virginia Vestoff. Noted stage actor John Collum, who portrays "Edward Rutledge," had been a cast replacement on Broadway in late 1969 and remained in the same stage role for two years. Rex Robbins, Patrick Hines, James Noble, Daniel Keyes, and Leo Leyden had also worked at various times either on Broadway or in touring productions of the show before reprising their roles in the film. New to the film were Blythe Danner as "Martha Jefferson," Donald Madden as "John Dickinson" and Stephen Nathan, who made his film debut as the "courier" and later became a writer and producer. Hunt, Stone, choreographer Onna White and costume designer Patricia Zipprodt, who had served on the stage production, also worked on the film.        As noted by New York magazine film critic Judith Crist, the film was a faithful adaptation of the play. However, filmmakers were able to open up outdoor scenes depicting the gardens and city streets of Philadelphia and Adams' Massachusetts farm. More detailed representation of Independence Hall's anteroom, staircase and bell tower are presented in the film. Instead of opening with Adams' speech before the curtain, as in the play, the film opens with Adams in the bell tower and climbing down several staircases to confront his colleagues in the assembly room. Sequences depicting the correspondence between Adams and "Abigail" that are presented in the songs, "Yours, Yours, Yours" and "Is Anybody There?," which were based on actual correspondence between the real-life couple and Adams' other writings, were set, according to the play's libretto, in "certain reaches of John Adams' mind." Within the film, a transition was devised to emulate the technique used onstage, wherein the couple is initially shown talking directly to each other, but in their respective locations, Adams in Philadelphia and Abigail in Massachusetts. However, as the songs progress, the couple is shown together in the same setting, but never touching each other.        A major difference between the libretto and script was the removal of the song, "Cool, Considerate Men," which was filmed, according to a September 2001 Los Angeles Times article, but was removed by Warner, who was a friend and campaign supporter of then president Richard M. Nixon. According to the article, Nixon had seen the stage show at a special White House performance in 1970 and, concerned about its negative portrayal of political conservatives who served as antagonists in the story, urged Warner to remove it from the released film. According to the article, Warner wanted the removed footage shredded, because he "did not want history second-guessing" his action; however, editor Florence Williamson surreptitiously kept it intact and placed it in storage. A July 2002 Los Angeles Times article stated that, according to Hunt, Warner told one of his closest friends before he died that he regretted cutting the song.        According to studio production notes, Independence Hall was built on a Columbia sound stage. The art director, Philadelphia native George Jenkins, used William Birch engravings and other research from the Independence Hall archives to reproduce the building faithfully as it stood in the year 1776. The following information is taken from Hunt and Stone's commentary on the 2002 DVD version: The Independence Hall staircase was built at Columbia's Gower Studios and these scenes were some of the last to be shot there before Columbia moved from Hollywood to Burbank. Columbia's Burbank ranch was the location where the cobble-stoned sets representing Chestnut, and intersecting Fifth and Sixth Streets, Independence Square, High Street market and Jefferson's apartment, all set in Philadelphia, were shot. The Adams farm was shot at the Disney ranch, and many items, such as Jefferson's actual writing desk, were replicated for the film. Although the large calendar was a facsimile of the calendar hanging in the assembly hall in the year 1776, the tally board, a device used to heighten suspense that was displayed prominently in the play and the film, was not in the original hall. Although the film was originally recorded on multi-track, Warner released the film in monoaural. (However, the DVD restoration combines the original stereo tracks with modern technology.) According to an October 1992 Los Angeles Times article, the film was shot in forty-four days on a $4,000,000 budget.        Despite a generally lukewarm critical response of the film, the New York Times reviewer credited 1776 as the first that he could recall that "treated seriously a magnificent chapter in American history." According to the Los Angeles Times review, the film was shown at a benefit performance for University of Southern California on the night before the film opened in Los Angeles. Harry Stradling, Jr. was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The film was nominated for Golden Globe Best Motion Picture-Musical Comedy and the Daughters of the American Revolution named 1776 the most outstanding picture of the year.        As noted in the October 1992 Los Angeles Times article, 1776 was restored for release on LaserDisk by Joseph Caporiccio. The article reported that among the forty minutes cut before the theatrical release of the film was the overture (which included removing all the opening credits except for the title, according to the DVD commentary) and three verses of the song, "Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve." According to Hunt and Stone in their DVD commentary, the title sequence that was restored for the DVD release was shown theatrically only at a Phoenix preview and cut prior to release. They added that, at its release, the only opening credit was the title "1776", which was possibly placed just as Adams runs down the steps from the bell tower. In the background of the restored title sequence is a panoramic sketch by artist Mentor Huebner that depicts a bustling Colonial street scene, incorporating caricatures of himself and Hunt among the crowd of people.        1776 marked the final film of Warner, although his film Dirty Little Billy (see entry above), which was produced early in 1971, was released around the same time. Warner died in 1978. In 1973, Hunt and Stone produced, and Hunt directed, the television series Adam's Rib , which reunited Howard and Danner in the starring roles and was based on the 1949 M-G-M film of the same name. According to Hollywood trade publications as of September 2006, producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan were planning a 120-minute adaptation the play 1776 to be aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney television series. A television mini-series titled 1776 was also in preproduction in 2006, to be produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for HBO. That project, however, will focus on twelve months of George Washington's military campaign and is based on David McCulloughs' bestselling non-fiction book 1776 .

Miscellaneous Notes

Named the most outstanding picture of the year by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture-Comedy.

Released in United States Fall November 1972

Based on the musical play "1776," produced on the New York stage by Stuart Ostrow (New York, March 16, 1969); music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards, book by Peter Stone, based on the conception of Sherman Edwards.

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Resources about the United States Declaration of Independence

Presenting the facts: 1776.

With the current success of  Hamilton: An American Musical , the concept of a musical based on the founding generation makes complete sense. But when  1776  first opened on Broadway, it was (pardon the pun) revolutionary. Sherman Edwards was a former history teacher who merged his knowledge of early American history with his talent for songwriting to create a musical focused on the Continental Congress in the months leading up to July 4, 1776.

The libretto for 1776  includes a Historical Note by the Authors, which begins as follows: "The first question we are asked by those who have seen—or read— 1776 is invariably: 'Is it true? Did it really happen that way?' The answer is: Yes." Edwards and Stone list "those elements of [the] play that have been taken, unchanged and unadorned, from documented fact," followed by dramatic changes that fall into one of five categories: "things altered, things surmised, things added, things deleted, and things rearranged." We use Edwards' descriptions of facts and fictions as our guide, adding commentary and corrections along the way. So, sit down, open up a window, and learn about what's fact and what's fiction in  1776.

Here is the Cast of Characters in  1776 's version of the Continental Congress:

President : John Hancock New Hampshire:  Dr. Josiah Bartlett Massachusetts:  John Adams Rhode Island:  Stephen Hopkins Connecticut:  Roger Sherman New York:  Lewis Morris, Robert Livingston New Jersey:  Reverend John Witherspoon Pennsylvania:  Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, James Wilson Delaware:  Caesar Rodney, Colonel Thomas McKean, George Read Maryland:  Samuel Chase Virginia:  Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson North Carolina:  Joseph Hewes South Carolina:  Edward Rutledge Georgia : Dr. Lyman Hall

The only fully-represented delegation is Delaware; every other colony/state is represented by far fewer men than in reality. For example, Pennsylvania's delegation is just three men: the pro-independence vote (Franklin), the anti-independence vote (Dickinson), and the undecided vote (James Wilson). This is an oversimplification of the actual delegation in Congress in late June: the pro-independence votes (Franklin and James Wilson), the anti-independence votes (Dickinson, Charles Humphreys, Thomas Willing, and Robert Morris), and the undecided vote (John Morton). On July 2nd, Morton decided in favor of independence, and Morris and Dickinson abstained from voting, turning Pennsylvania from a "nay" to a "yea". To find out exactly how many delegates were in Congress in the summer of 1776, see another musically-inspired blog: No John Trumbull .  

Adams and Richard Henry Lee were among the most vocal supporters of independence in Congress, so it is not surprising that the resolution to declare independence came from one of these men. In fact, when Lee brought his resolution to Congress, it was seconded by Adams. However, Adams and Franklin never sent Lee to the Virginia House of Burgesses, as they do in  1776.  In fact, Lee didn't go to Virginia in May 1776 at all. His June 7 resolution comes from instructions that were  sent  to him and his fellow delegates by the House of Burgesses on May 15.

Click to watch a clip of "The Lees of Old Virginia"

The water fountain is also seen during the opening credits of  Friends . 

Lee mentions General Lighthorse Harry Lee, but that Lee didn't earn his nickname until 1778. 

Other FFVs (First Families of Virginia) include the Braxtons, Carters, Harrisons, Jeffersons, Nelsons, and Washingtons.  

It is true that Rodney had skin cancer on his face and wore a scarf to cover it, though whether it was a green scarf is unconfirmed. It is worth noting that Rodney was actually taller than the actor who portrays him in the movie version of 1776 (William Hansen); John Adams described Rodney in 1774 as "the oddest looking Man in the World... tall—thin and slender as a Reed—pale—his Face is not bigger than a large Apple. Yet there is Sense and Fire, Spirit, Wit and Humour in his Countenance."  

William Franklin was the only son of Benjamin Franklin to survive to adulthood, born to an unidentified woman around 1730 and raised by Benjamin and his common-law wife Deborah. William had his own illegitimate son, William Temple Franklin, while living in London in 1762. The following year, William Franklin was appointed as Royal Governor of New Jersey; he would be the last colonial governor of New Jersey. As the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain strained, so too did the relationship between Benjamin, who supported independence, and William, who was a Loyalist. In January 1776, William Franklin was placed under house arrest, and in mid-June, the Provincial Congress of New Jersey ordered the formal arrest of Governor Franklin as "an enemy to the liberties of this country." He was imprisoned in Connecticut for two years. Though Benjamin Franklin's relationship with William never recovered, he remained quite close with his grandson, Temple, who served as his secretary.  

In his autobiography, John Adams recorded that Hopkins' "Custom was to drink nothing all day nor till Eight O Clock, in the Evening, and then his Beveredge was Jamaica Spirit and Water. ... Hopkins never drank to excess, but all he drank was immediately not only converted into Wit, Sense, Knowledge and good humour, but inspired Us all with similar qualities."  

It is true that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston made up the Committee tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence. There is no evidence that Sherman or Livingston were ever considered for the role of principal author, as they are in the song "But, Mr. Adams". We also know that Robert R. Livingston did not leave for the stork (which conveniently rhymes with "York"), but for the New York Convention. Edwards drew inspiration from Adams' autobiography , which describes his reasons for choosing Jefferson to draft the document.

Jefferson learned to play the violin when he was young, and it believed that he used that talent to woo Martha, who sang and played the harpsichord. A Hessian officer who visited Monticello in 1780 wrote , "As all Virginians are fond of music, he is particularly so. You will find in his House an Elegant Harpsichord Piano forte and some Violins. The latter he performs well upon himself, the former his Lady touches very skilfully and who, is in all Respects a very agreable Sensible and Accomplished Lady."

Click to watch a clip of "He Plays the Violin"  

One of the most notable fictions in  1776  is Martha Jefferson's visit to Philadelphia. Thomas and Martha are depicted as newlyweds, madly in love; in actuality, the Jeffersons had been married for four years. Thomas longed to return home to his wife, but for a more dire reason. Martha never visited Philadelphia and was certainly in no condition to travel in the summer of 1776, having just suffered a miscarriage. Though Thomas likely destroyed their correspondence after Martha's death in 1782, we know from his other writings that Martha's health weighed on him in June and July 1776. On July 29, Jefferson wrote to Richard Henry Lee, imploring him to return to Philadelphia to serve in the Virginia delegation: "For god's sake, for your country's sake, and for my sake, come. I receive by every post such accounts of the state of Mrs. Jefferson's health, that it will be impossible for me to disappoint her expectation of seeing me at the time I have promised... I am under a sacred obligation to go home." 

Just as John Adams begs Abigail to "Come to Philadelphia", the real Adams was anxious to see his family, or better yet bring them to Philadelphia. In May 1776, he wrote to Abigail, "I have some Thoughts of petitioning the General Court for Leave to bring my Family, here. I am a lonely, forlorn, Creature here."  

For this imagined trip, Edwards incorporated details from the trip that Adams, Franklin, and Edward Rutledge made to Staten Island in September 1776 for their summit with Lord Howe . On September 9, Adams recorded that, "At Brunswick, but one bed could be procured for Dr. Franklin and me, in a Chamber little larger than the bed, without a Chimney and with only one small Window."  

Jefferson's Notes of Proceedings in the Continental Congress explains that, "the clause... reprobating the enslaving the inhabitants of Africa, was struck out in complaisance to South Carolina & Georgia, who had never attempted to restrain the importation of slaves, and who on the contrary still wished to continue it. our Northern brethren also I believe felt a little tender under those censures; for tho' their people have very few slaves themselves yet they had been pretty considerable carriers of them to others." Edwards puts these words into Edward Rutledge's mouth in the song "Molasses to Rum" (see below).  

New York, courteously , abstained from the vote for independence on July 2nd and the vote confirming the Declaration of Independence on July 4th.   

It is true that Rodney rode through the night in order to arrive in Philadelphia just in time to break Delaware's one-to-one vote on independence. But Adams did not tell Thomas McKean to "ride down into Delaware and fetch back Caesar Rodney!", as he does in  1776.  

After using the element of time to show how slowly Congress was moving in June 1776, it makes sense that July 2nd, July 4th, and August 2nd were conflated, so that the play can quickly transition from debating independence itself to debating the document, to signing the document. The actors' final pose is meant to mirror Robert Edge Pine's unfinished painting, "Congress Voting Independence" (ca. 1784-1788) — not the more famous "Declaration of Independence" painting by John Trumbull.

Dickinson was absent from the vote on July 2nd, and did not sign the Declaration of Independence. Within days of July 4th, Dickinson was serving as Brigadier General in the Pennsylvania Associators, the local militia.   

In The Declaration of Independence: The Evolution of the Text , Julian Boyd explains the change from inalienable to  un alienable as follows: "This alteration may possibly have been made by the printer rather than at the suggestion of Congress. The Rough Draft reads 'inalienable' without any indication of change made in Congress. None of the copies made by Jefferson has the form 'unalienable'... The copy printed by Dunlap and inserted in the Rough Journal of Congress is the first official copy that has the form 'unalienable,' though it will be noticed that the copy taken by John Adams used that spelling. Both forms were apparently current in the eighteenth century but, since this is the only change in Jefferson's spelling made by Congress—or by any of the Committee—and since none of Jefferson's copies indicate a change made by Congress, it may possibly be that we are indebted to John Dunlap, or a faulty proofreader, for this one." Combine this analysis with the likelihood of one of the members of the Committee of Five supervising Dunlap's first printing (as they were instructed to do by Congress), and you get John Adams working with John Dunlap to insert his preferred spelling. But all of this is conjecture, and as Boyd notes, both spellings were technically correct at the time.  

A few more corrections and fun facts:

Ben Franklin and the Turkey

"The Egg" was actually a last minute addition to the play. The official poster had already been created, and Edwards took inspiration from the artwork for a new, lighter number in Act 2.  

Washington's Dispatch about Lewis Morris

Near the end of Act 2, a dispatch from George Washington sways Lewis Morris of New York to sign the Declaration even though New York had, courteously , abstained from voting for it. In reality, Lewis Morris had left Congress sometime in June and was serving as brigadier general of the Westchester County militia in New York in July 1776. He didn't sign the Declaration until after he returned to the Continental Congress in September. It is true that Morris's estate, Morrisania, was vandalized by the British after the Battle of Long Island, and had to be rebuilt after the war. It is also true that Morris's children, specifically his three oldest boys, fought in the Revolution.  

William Daniels  is  John Adams.

No, not literally. But Daniels, arguably the star of  1776 , has portrayed John Adams and his family members multiple times. After  1776 , he played John Adams again in  The Rebels  in 1979. His first television appearance was as a young John Quincy Adams in  A Woman for the Ages  in 1952. In 1976, he played an older John Quincy Adams in the PBS miniseries  The Adams Chronicles . He also played Samuel Adams in the 1978 TV movie,  The Bastard .

There are several references to  1776  in Daniels' later work. In an episode of  St. Elsewhere  set in Philadelphia, his character, Dr. Marc Craig, walks past Independence Hall and remarks, "I don't know what it is about this place, every time I'm here, I feel like singing and dancing." Daniels' character on  Boy Meets World , Mr. Feeny, teaches at John Adams High School in Philadelphia.  

Saltpetre and Pins

John and Abigail really did correspond about these products. In a letter dated April 5, 1776 and mailed with the "Remember the Ladies" letter of March 31st, Abigail wrote, "You inquire whether I am making Salt peter. I have not yet attempted it, but after soap making believe I shall make the experiment." Similarly, in July 1775, Abigail wrote, "Not one pin is to be purchased for love nor money". 

How does the dialogue in  1776  compare to the real life speeches and writings of these characters?  

John Hancock, Scene 1: "I now call the Congress' attention to the petition of Mr. Melchior Meng, who claims twenty dollars' compensation for his dead mule. It seems the animal was employed transporting luggage in the service of the Congress."

"The Committee of Claims reported, that there is due, ... To Melchior Meng, for twenty one days hire of this waggon and horses, carrying money to Virginia, the sum of £15" - Journals of the Continental Congress, 6 June 1776

Abigail and John Adams, "Yours, Yours, Yours": "I am, as I ever was, and ever shall be—Yours... Yours... Yours..."

"I am as I ever was and ever shall be Yours, Yours, Yours" - John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams , 16 February 1780

Abigail Adams, "Yours, Yours, Yours": "I live like a nun in a cloister, / Solitary, celibate, I hate it."

"I have been like a nun in a cloister ever since you went away, have not been into any other house than my Fathers and Sisters, except once to Coll. Quincys." - Abigail Adams, Letter to John Adams , 12 November 1775

John Adams, Scene 4: "It doesn't matter. I won't appear in the history books, anyway—only you. Franklin did this, Franklin did that, Franklin did some other damned thing. Franklin smote the ground, and out sprang George Washington, fully grown and on his horse. Franklin then electrified him with his miraculous lightning rod, and the three of them—Franklin, Washington,  and  the horse—conducted the entire Revolution all by themselves."

"The History of our Revolution will be one continued Lye from one End to the other. The Essence of the whole will be  that Dr Franklins electrical Rod, Smote the Earth and out Spring General Washington. That Franklin electrified him with his Rod — and thence forward these two conducted all the Policy Negotiations Legislation and War ." - John Adams, Letter to Benjamin Rush , 4 April 1790

George Washington (Dispatch read by Charles Thomson), Scene 5: "Oh, how I wish I had never seen the Continental Army. I would have done better to retire to the back country and live in a wigwam."

"I have often thought how much happier I should have been, if, instead of accepting of a command under such Circumstances I had taken my Musket upon my Shoulder & enterd the Ranks, or, if I could have justified the Measure to Posterity, & my own Conscience, had retir'd to the back Country, & lived in a Wig-wam..." - George Washington, Letter to Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Reed , 14 January 1776 Edward Rutledge, Scene 7: "Then what's that I smell floatin' down from the North—could it be the aroma of  hy -pocrisy? For who holds the other end of that filthy purse-string, Mr. Adams? Our northern brethren are feelin' a bit tender toward our slaves. They don't keep slaves, no-o, but they're willin' to be considerable carriers of slaves—to others! They are willin', for the shillin'..."

"our Northern brethren also I believe felt a little tender under those censures; for tho' their people have very few slaves themselves yet they had been pretty considerable carriers of them to others." - Thomas Jefferson, Notes of Proceedings in the Continental Congress

John Adams, "Is Anybody There?": "I see / Fireworks! / I see the Pageant and Pomp and Parade! / I hear the bells ringing out / I hear the cannons' roar!"

"It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." - John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams , 3 July 1776

John Adams, "Is Anybody There?": "Through all the gloom, / Through all the gloom, I can / See the rays of ravishing light and / Glory!"

"Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory." - John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams , 3 July 1776

John Adams: "Good God!"

"Good God! where are the Rights of English Men! where is the spirit, that once exalted the souls of Britons and emboldened their [faces] to look even Princes and Monarchs in the face." - John Adams, Draft of an essay , ca. January 1761

"Good God! What shall We say of human Nature? What shall We say of American Patriots? or rather what will the World Say?" - John Adams, Letter to Charles Lee , 13 October 1775

"Good God! Is this a public Man sitting in Judgment on Nations? And has the American People so little Judgment, Taste and Sense to endure it?" - John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams Smith , 26 September 1802

"Good God! Is a President of the U.S to be Subject to a private Action of every Individual? This will Soon introduce the Axiom that a President can do no wrong; or another equally curious that a President can do no right." - John Adams, Letter to Thomas Jefferson , 1 May 1812

By Emily Sneff

Last | Presenting the Facts

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Based on 6 kid reviews

I love 1776. It's my favorite musical. Great History lesson, funny, but still shows faults, showing that these people were humans too.

This title has:

• Great role models

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Appropriate for all ages, entertaining only to some.

• Great messages
• Too much sex
• Too much swearing
• Educational value
• Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

a great american movie!!!!!

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Review: ‘1776,’ When All Men, and Only Men, Were Created Equal

A revival of the musical about the Declaration of Independence underlines the gender imbalance among the Founding Fathers — and everything else.

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By Jesse Green

A transformation that’s either wondrous or scandalous, depending on your taste, occurs less than a minute into the Roundabout Theater Company’s otherwise disappointing Broadway revival of “1776.”

Barely a line has been uttered or a note sung when the performers, who identify as female, transgender and nonbinary, and are wearing more-or-less contemporary streetwear, hike up their black tights and white socks to simulate breeches, don buckle shoes in place of clunky boots, step into frock coats of various colonial cuts and become (thanks to Emilio Sosa’s outstanding costume design) our Founding Fathers. That includes Elizabeth A. Davis, who makes a very visibly pregnant Thomas Jefferson.

Though some will see the casting — which is diverse not just in gender but also in race and ethnicity — as a stunt and a travesty, I’m in the wondrous camp. Neither the 1969 musical nor (as “Hamilton” has proved) history itself is so frail as to crumple under new ways of looking at our theatrical and national past. Anyway, if you prefer, you can simply ignore the fact that these fathers aren’t men, and focus — or try to — on the plot, which encompasses nothing less than the months of negotiations and maneuverings that led, just barely, to the Declaration of Independence.

But if you are willing to allow yourself a double vision, as the directors Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus clearly hope, you can take independence a step further. The white maleness of the characters becomes a semi-translucent screen through which we see the many other people, including people like the cast, whom the Declaration never even considered.

For me, that double vision is the best thing about the production, which opened on Thursday at the American Airlines Theater. In theory, it deepens the ideas being batted about in the hot, fetid, fly-infested Philadelphia summer. So the “obnoxious and disliked” John Adams, as played by Crystal Lucas-Perry, who is Black, is not just an abolitionist on principle but in essence. And when Sara Porkalob, as the pro-slavery Edward Rutledge, dissects Adams’s hypocrisy in the song “Molasses to Rum” — showing how the North benefits from the slave trade as well as the South — the fact that she is Filipino American both intensifies and complicates the argument.

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‘1776’ Review: A Revolutionary Take on an Old Warhorse

By Bob Verini

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When the Tony-winning musical “1776” debuted on Broadway in 1969, it celebrated America’s ideals on the eve of its Bicentennial. Half a century later, a radical makeover brings critique front and center, while treating those ideals as a chimera rather than a promise fulfilled. The production’s pre-Broadway tryout at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., holds this truth to be self-evident: that the Declaration of Independence’s promises of freedom and justice were mere words, compromised and betrayed from the very moment of ratification.

Director Diane Paulus is no stranger to re-envisioning musical classics, having given new life to “Hair” and brought out the lessons in a circus-themed “Pippin.” Now she and choreographer/co-director Jeffrey L. Page go all-in on a political perspective, infusing librettist Peter Stone’s story of the Continental Congress with 20/20 hindsight. Never are we allowed to forget that the founders were self-interested fathers, heedless of women as thinking citizens and ready to consign people of color to history’s ashbin.

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A point of view is established right away, in Brechtian strokes. Against a front cloth projection of John Trumbull’s famous July 4 painting – which ended Peter Hunt’s original production – in saunters Crystal Lucas-Perry in white top and black slacks, impressive black braids down her back. She looks up skeptically at the historical fellows, then at us, and embarks on John Adams’ opening speech about Congress defined as “three or more useless men,” to knowing laughter. Before you can say “Sit Down, John,” an entire company of multiracial, multiethnic performers identifying as female, trans and non-binary is revealed. In slow motion and eerily front-lit, they don 18th century outerwear, pull up their stockings and shed sneakers for buckled shoes. Let the play begin!

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This wide-open casting policy, to which “Hamilton” cracked open the door, is no stunt. Beyond offering prodigious talents some juicy roles traditionally closed to them (and inviting contemplation of other opportunities a boys’-club theater has jealously kept to itself), it instantly alienates us from any illusion that these characters are The Real Thing. Critics of “1776” have always argued that its efforts at realism are silly anyhow, with all the warbling and prancing going on. By setting aside verisimilitude, the production is freed up to contextualize the Continental Congress’s machinations through their consequences over the ensuing 200 years.

Thus, as Adams (Lucas-Perry), Jefferson (Elizabeth A. Davis) and Franklin (Patrena Murray) sing about “The Egg” of a new nation ripe for hatching, projected behind them is a collage of images of American activism from abolition to women’s suffrage to ACT-UP. Against that optimism, Southern delegate Edward Rutledge (Sara Porkalob) leads the coruscating indictment of the Triangle Trade, “Molasses to Rum,” in a full-stage evocation of a slave auction through group chorale and dance. Similarly, the Courier’s (Salome Smith) battlefield ballad “Momma, Look Sharp” is acted out by the ensemble in black shrouds, bringing out the universality of war’s scourges.

With the characters played as types, mere simulacra of historical figures who direct arguments out to – and often deliberately rev up – the audience, you have to figure something about the original material is going to get short shrift, and so it does: the simple, suspenseful pleasure of discovering how independence was won against all obstacles. Emphasizing the stakes for 21st century Americans lowers them precipitously for those living in the 18th; you just don’t feel the urgency or the frustration of patriots attempting to find common ground before Washington is defeated and all involved dangle at the end of British ropes.

That loss of narrative drive aside, there’s much pleasure to be had alongside the food for thought. Notable is the treatment of Sherman Edwards’s music and lyrics, which get unusual instrumentation (harpsichord coexisting with guitar, for instance, in John Clancy’s orchestrations), rhythm changes from 4/4 to waltz time, and spine-tingling choral work credited to AnnMarie Milazzo (who must have had a field day with the wide vocal ranges available to her, as opposed to the usual ho-hum tenors and baritones).

This is also the dancing-est “1776” ever, with even old Ben Franklin forgoing gouty leg for a soft-shoe. Some oddness is admitted, like an opening number reminiscent of “La Vie Boheme” from “Rent,” complete with seated choreography and John and Abigail Adams (Allison Kaye Daniel) dancing on the table. Delivering “He Plays the Violin,” a surly Martha Jefferson (Eryn LeCroy) shoves an elbow in our ribs so we get it’s not Tom’s bow she’s bragging about; writhing orgasmically, she’s more Molly Bloom than Molly Pitcher. As for the gesture the conservatives employ on “We never, ever go off half cocked,” the less said the better.

Still, the talent is there, and the audacious production concept – approved, we are pointedly told, by the Stone and Edwards estates – is never complacent. We need more theater that challenges, defiantly. This “1776” will move later this year to the American Airlines Theatre, the Broadway venue operated by the show’s New York co-producer Roundabout Theater Company, and subsequently go on tour. It will ruffle more than a few eagle feathers wherever it lands.

American Repertory Theater, Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge, Mass., 550 seats, $110 top. Opened, reviewed June 2, 2022; runs through July 24. Running time: 2 HOURS 45 MINS.

• Production: A presentation by American Repertory Theater and Roundabout Theatre Company of a musical in two acts written by Peter Stone, based on a concept by Sherman Edwards and music and lyrics by Edwards.
• Crew: Directed by Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus. Choreography, Page; sets, Scott Pask; costumes, Emilio Sosa; lighting, Jen Schriever; sound, Jonathan Deans; projections, David Bengali; music supervisor, David Chase; orchestrations, John Clancy; vocal design, AnnMarie Milazzo; music director, Ryan Cantwell; production stage manager, Alfredo Macias.
• Cast: Crystal Lucas-Perry, Patrena Murray, Elizabeth A. Davis, Liz Mikel, Joanna Glushak, Sara Porkalob, Allison Kaye Daniel, Eryn LeCroy, Gisela Adisa, Nancy Anderson, Becca Ayers, Tiffany Barbour, Allison Briner Dardenne, Mehry Eslaminia, Shawna Hamic, Oneika Phillips, Lulu Picart, Sushma Saha, Ariella Serur, Brooke Simpson, Salome Smith, Sav Souza, Grace Stockdale, Jill Vallery, Rose Van Dyne, Sabrina K. Victor, Imani Pearl Williams.

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Review: Although more like C-SPAN than ‘Hamilton,’ ‘1776’ at Ahmanson is still a solid ride

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The white men of history have left the building. Jeffrey L. Page and Diane Paulus’ nontraditional, ethnically diverse revival of the Tony-winning musical “1776” — now at the Ahmanson — offers one last glimpse of the pale, powdered Founding Fathers of U.S. textbooks before banishing them completely from the proceedings.

Gisela Adisa — the Black actor who plays John Adams in the national tour — stands alone before a projection of John Trumbull’s painting “Declaration of Independence.” She looks up at it, then glances pointedly over her shoulder at the audience. No words are necessary: That was a chamber full of very white men — unambiguously, homogeneously, monochromatically white, unequivocally, unquestionably, unapologetically men.

There were plenty of people in the Colonies in 1776 who were neither white nor male — they didn’t end up in the paintings or history books because they hadn’t been invited into the chamber. These omissions have caused untold suffering for nearly 250 years, and it’s hard to look back on the Founding Fathers now without seeing the ways they failed the nation America is still struggling to become.

That’s where “1776” comes in. Even in its original form, “1776” isn’t a soft-focus hagiography. Book writer Peter Stone and composer and lyricist Sherman Edwards deliver an unflinching look at the ugly eleventh-hour deadlock over slavery that nearly stopped American independence in its tracks. In an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson slipped in antislavery language. The Southern states wouldn’t sign until he took it out. In its original 1969 staging, the musical suggested that this concession was a necessary evil, the cost of doing business. In the musical, Benjamin Franklin tells John Adams that there’s only so much men can accomplish at one time: “First things first! Independence! America! For if we don’t secure that, what difference will the rest make?”

Fifty years have elapsed since the original musical. In the wake of “Hamilton,” the Trump presidency and the murder of George Floyd, the new revival is definitely less ready to forgive Franklin for his pragmatism — Adams’ reluctance to play ball is the proper attitude. And yet, at the same time, Page and Paulus’ vision isn’t a smear campaign or a bid to invalidate the Founding Fathers’ accomplishments. They made really big mistakes. The equality they promised was a lie. As a result, people have suffered and died. But American history didn’t end in 1776. It’s still going on.

At least in terms of drama, that project starts with getting the white guys out of the picture. They might as well leave their clothes behind, though. After appearing in modern dress, the all-female-identifying, nonbinary and transgender cast members slip on frock coats, pull their white socks up to their knees and step into buckle shoes to become Colonial Americans, only deconstructed and in full color. Emilio Sosa’s costume design brings “Hamilton” to mind, inevitably, as does the nontraditional casting. The process has been fraught: Shortly after the 2022 Broadway production debuted, cast member Sara Porkalob publicly criticized the musical’s treatment of race and gender , especially with how the number “Molasses to Rum” transpired.

“Hamilton” does hover over this “1776,” like an envied and resented older sibling, both a blessing and a curse. If “Hamilton” is not your daddy’s Founding Father musical, “1776” is your daddy’s Founding Father musical. It’s really square. There’s no genre-busting hip-hop; its score is a mixed bag of mostly forgettable numbers with occasionally labored wordplay. The concept itself is counterintuitive: The Colonies are on the brink of war; George Washington is out in the field, preparing to face the mighty British army with a ragtag crew of drunken louts with chilblains; and we’re stuck in a hot, fly-blown room in Philadelphia watching the Second Continental Congress in what feels like real time. “C-SPAN: The Musical,” anyone? Of course, any criticism of “1776” must be tempered by the acknowledgment that it won the Tony for best musical, mysteriously beating “Hair.” (What was that all about? We may never get the full story.)

The first act has a lot of expository work to do, so much so that after a flurry of opening numbers, the show temporarily stops being a musical in order to introduce the delegates, their states’ and their personal positions on independence, and their feelings about one another. Scott Pask’s set with wooden chairs doesn’t add a lot of visual interest to this long conversation. Perhaps as a mnemonic strategy, each delegate is given a quirk, and the cast members here really play up the broad comedy of these characterizations: Stephen Hopkins from Rhode Island (Julie Cardia) swills rum; Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson (Joanna Glushak) is a condescending monarchist; Adams is “obnoxious and disliked”; Franklin (Liz Mikel) is self-congratulatory, pompous and lewd; and Thomas McKean (Dawn Cantwell) has a thick Scottish burr and carries a musket. This segment culminates in a thoroughly campy number by Virginian Richard Henry Lee (Shawna Hamic), which, despite being of questionable narrative value and tonal coherency, delighted the opening-night audience.

For me, this production didn’t really take off until Thomas Jefferson (Nancy Anderson), Adams and Franklin formed their subcommittee to draft the Declaration. The narrower spotlight gives the performers a chance to breathe and to shine. They bounce off one another well. Not being male, they have fun sending up the bawdy “locker-room” dialogue with which Stone liberally supplied our forefathers. For all the courage required to cast these roles in nontraditional ways, I had no trouble accepting these performers as the hoary historical figures I’ve seen represented in oil all my life.

The show, as written, has only two female roles, and they feel jury-rigged: Abigail Adams (Tieisha Thomas) chats with her husband in a series of waking visions, and the flirty soubrette Martha Jefferson (Connor Lyon) is brought in to cure Thomas of his writer’s block through erotic ministrations. These scenes, while playful, felt less necessary now that the main roles are also played by women. The music definitely benefits from subversion in gender roles. Both Adisa and Mikel sing beautifully, and music director Ryan Cantwell’s new orchestrations allow them wonderful opportunities to harmonize.

Although I felt completely on top of the dramatis personae during the second act (that exposition did its job) and could relax into the dry wit of the interactions, I still couldn’t quite get a handle on the overall tone. The characters, who have been established as very silly, start to get into some heavy stuff. In the showstopper “Momma, Look Sharp,” a messenger (Brooke Simpson) delivering a report from the battlefield breaks into a mournful solo from the perspective of a dead soldier, while the rest of the cast croons lugubriously in the shadows. Although gorgeously performed, it feels out of place or tacked on.

“Cool, Cool, Considerate Men,” a minuet performed by snooty conservative Dickinson and his minions, has an arch, cerebral bite of a New Yorker satire (Richard Nixon apparently lobbied for it to be cut). In the over-the-top “Molasses to Rum,” in contrast, Kassandra Haddock indulges in the villainy of her portrayal of pro-slavery South Carolinian Edward Rutledge. In the wake of the confused emotions provoked by these songs, I had a hard time relaxing into the sight of John Hancock taking up all the room on the Declaration with his massive signature.

But if the ride was a bit wobbly, in the end, I liked where this “1776” took me. The message, that the American experiment failed before it even began, isn’t a radical take on history at this point. We’ve been coming around to it now gradually for hundreds of years. We don’t have a lot of illusions left to shatter or sacred cows to tip. What feels fresh, and heartening, is the reminder that we don’t have to be limited forever by the errors of history. We can invite more people to the meeting. We just have to remember that nothing — except Independence Hall — is set in stone.

Where: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays (check for exceptions). Ends May 7 Tickets: $40-$155 (subject to change)  Info: (213) 972-4400 or centertheatregroup.org Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission COVID protocol: Masks are recommended. Updates available at centertheatregroup.org/safety

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