1776 John Adams - 7a - 7g

“Scottish, Tom?”

It’s in reference to a Highland regiment which stood against us at Boston.

“... in Delaware we have always had trial by jury.”

In Massachusetts we have not.

“Our quarrel is with the British King, not the British People.”

Be sensible, remove those phrases and the entire paragraph becomes meaningless. And it so happens it’s among the most stirring and poetic of any passage in the entire document..

“Mr. Jefferson?”

Good god, Jefferson! Don’t you ever intend to speak up for your own work?!

“... that they have never had any direct authority over us, anyway?”

This is a revolution, damnit! We’re going to have to offend somebody!

“John, you’ll have an attack of apoplexy if you’re not careful.”

Have you heard what they’re doing to it? Have you heard?!

“Yes, John, I’ve heard, but…”

And so far it’s only been our friends! Can you imagine what our enemies will do?!

“The word Parliament will be removed wherever it occurs.”

They won’t be satisfied until they remove one of the ‘F’s from Jefferson’s name!

“We in North Carolina…”

Good god! Fishing rights! How long is this piddling to go on? We have been sitting here for three full days! We have endured, by my count, 85 separate changes and the removal of close to 400 words! Would you whip it and beat it ‘til you break it’s spirit? I tell you, this document, is a masterful expression of the American mind!

“... in your little paper there.”

That ‘little paper’ there deals with freedom for Americans!

“Mr. Adams is now callin’ our black slaves Americans, are-they-now?”

They are! They’re people and they’re here, if there is any other requirement I’ve never heard of it.

(Song end)

Mr. Rutledge! Mr. Hewes! Dr. Hall!!

“No, a rum.”

Well? What’re you all sitting around for? We’re wasting time, precious time! Thomas! I want you to ride down to Delaware and fetch back Caesar Rodney!

“... and he’s a dying man!”

No! He’s a patriot!

“The South’s done us in!”

And suppose they change their minds? Can we get Delaware without Rodney?!

“What a bastardly bunch we are!”

Stephen…

“... if there’s anything I can do for you there, let me know.”

Chase…

“There’s left than a full day left!”

Roger…

“... the slavery clause has to go.”

Franklin, what are you saying?!

“It’s a luxury we can’t afford.”

A luxury?! A half million souls in chains and Dr. Franklin calls it a luxury! Maybe you should’ve walked out with the south!

“I founded the first anti-slavery society on this Continent!”

Don’t wave your credentials at me! Perhaps it’s time you renewed them!

(Franklin leaves to join Jefferson)

Good god. What’s happened to me? John Adams. The great John Adams. The wise man of the East. What have I come to? My law practice down the pipe, my farm mortgaged to the hilt, at a stage in life where other men prosper, I am reduced to living in Philidelphia… Philidelphia! Oh Abigail. What am I going to do?

“Do, John?”

I need your help.

“You don’t usually ask my advice.”

Yes, well.. there doesn’t appear to be anybody else around at the moment.

“Very well, John, what is it?”

The entire south has walked out of this Congress, George Washington is on the verge of total annihilation, the precious cause for which I’ve labored these several years has come to nothing, and it seems… it seems like I’m obnoxious and disliked…

“Nonsense John.”

… That I am unwilling to face reality…

“I’m afraid you are pig-headed.”

Has it been any kind of a life for you, Abby? God knows I haven’t given you much.

“... that’s quite a lot for one life-time.”

Is it, Abby?

“To be married to the man who is always first in line to be hanged!”

Yes, The ag-i-ta-tor. Why Abby? You must tell me what it is! I’ve always been dissatisfied, I know that, but lately, I find that I reek of discontentment! It fills my throat and floods my brain, and sometimes, sometimes I fear that there is no longer a dream, but only discontentment.

“Do you remember John?”

I remember.

“Mr. Adams…”

What?

“These’re for you.”

Just a minute, what are they? What’s in them? Who sent them?

“Yours..”

Just a moment, Abigail, what’s in those kegs?!

(Abby leaves)

McNair! Go out and buy every damned pin in Philadelphia!

“Pin? What sort of pin?”

I don’t know, whatever ladies use with their sewing! And take these kegs to the armory, hurry man! Franklin, Jefferson, what are you just sitting around for?

“John, didn’t you hear a word I said before?”

Nevermind that, here’s what you’ve got to do…

“John, I'm not even speaking to you!”

It’s too late for that, damnit! There’s work to be done!

“Talk and talk and talk!”

You’re both southern aristocrats, gentlemen, if he’ll listen to anybody he’ll listen to you!

(Jefferson leaves)

Get him away from Dickinson! That’s the only way to do it!

“I’ll do whatever you say.”

No, you’re the President of Congress. You’re a fair man, Hancock, stay that way. Tell me, Mr. Thomson, out of curiosity. Do you stand with Mr. Dickinson or do you stand with me?

“Are you hungry, John?”

No, I think I’ll stay.

“Yes, Mr. Adams. I do.”

Dr. Hall, I didn’t know anyone was…

“New Hampshire says ‘Yea’. Massachusetts…”

Massachusetts says Yea.

“Well, Mr. Adams?”

Well, Mr. Rutledge?

“Mr. Adams, you must believe that I will do what I have promised to do.”

What do you want, Rutledge?

“Remove the offending passage from your Declaration.”

If we did that we’d be guilty of what we ourselves are rebelling against.

“John, I beg you to consider what you’re doing…”

Mark me, Franklin, if we give in on this issue, posterity will never forgive us.

“... for if we don’t secure that what difference will the rest make?”

Jefferson, say something…

“What else is there to do?”

Well, man, you’re the one who wrote it!

(Jefferson deletes the passage about slavery)

There! There it is, Rutledge! You’ve got your slavery, and little good may it do you! Now vote, damn you!

“Most questions are clear when someone else has to decide them.”

It would be a pity for a man who handed down hundreds of wise decisions from the bench to be remembered only for the one unwise decision he made in Congress.

“The count being twelve to none with one abstention, the resolution on Independence… is adopted.”

It’s done. It’s done.

“I believe that fight to be hopeless. Goodbye gentlemen.”

Gentlemen of the Congress, I say ye John Dickinson!

“Gentlemen, are there any objections to the Declaration being approved as it now stands?”

I have one, Mr. Hancock.

“You? Mr Adams?”

Yes. Mr. Jefferson, it so happens the word is unalienable, not inalienable.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Adams. Inalienable is correct,”

I happen to be a Harvard graduate, Mr. Jefferson!

“No sir, I will not.”

Oh very well, I’ll withdraw it.

“Good for you, John.”

I’ll speak to the printer about it later.