A more perfect argument

Editor's note: The following text is a transcript of a podcast story. To listen to the story, click on the arrow beneath the headline above.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, June 5th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a classic musical to get you in a patriotic spirit.

We are less than a month away from America’s semiquincentennial, and it’s not too early to start planning your celebratory entertainment choices. 

There are plenty of patriotic movies out there, but Collin Garbarino suggests lovers of Broadway might want to try out the mostly forgotten musical 1776.

[“Overture”]

COLLIN GARBARINO: The musical 1776 debuted on Broadway in 1969 and got a film version in 1972. It’s a surprisingly joyful adaptation of the Continental Congress’ thorny debates over the question of independence.

The musical begins with a morose John Adams complaining that he can’t get any traction for his resolution on independence.

JOHN ADAMS: I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a Congress!

Adams is played with gusto by William Daniels, who many listeners will remember as Mr. Feeny on Boy Meets World. Just a bit of trivia—later this month, Daniels and his wife Bonnie Bartlett will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary, a rarity in Hollywood.

One of John Adams’ only friends in the Continental Congress is the venerable Ben Franklin. A man who shares his ardent desire for independence but nonetheless manages to maintain a sunnier disposition.

BEN FRANKLIN: John, why don’t you give it up. Nobody listens to you, you’re obnoxious and disliked.

JOHN ADAMS: I’m not promoting John Adams. I’m promoting independence.

BEN FRANKLIN: Inevitably they can’t help connecting the two.

The story really gets going when Franklin and Adams manage to convince one of the delegates from Virginia to take up the resolution. If independence isn’t seen as merely the cause of some rabble-rousing New Englanders, then maybe some of the other colonies will join in.

JOHN ADAMS: [singing] I say vote “yes”!

CONGRESS: Sit down, John!

JOHN ADAMS: Vote for independency!

Eventually, a young dreamy delegate named Thomas Jefferson gets tasked with drafting a “declaration.” Part of the musical deals with Jefferson’s writer’s block and the subsequent alterations and amendments demanded by the other delegates. 

Who would have thought watching a committee edit a governmental document could be so entertaining?

JOHN ADAMS: For a man of only 33 years, you possess a happy talent for composition and a remarkable felicity of expression.

1776 isn’t going to appeal to everyone. First, it’s more than two and a half hours long, so folks with short attention spans might struggle. Second, if you dislike those cheesy Broadway musicals of yesteryear, then this film might make you cringe. It’s certainly not as hip and self-aware as Hamilton. 

Also, the movie was rated G in 1972, but rating standards were a lot looser back then. These delegates tend to take God’s name in vain as they verbally abuse one another. There are also a couple of instances of innuendo.

But for a Broadway musical, it’s surprisingly historical. Of course, the story simplifies the stances of many characters.

JOHN DICKINSON: [singing] Oh say, do you see what I see? Congress sitting here in sweet serenity.

The overall tone of the film is patriotic, but it still shows the messiness of the legislative process. Most notable is the musical’s readiness to tackle the historical hypocrisy of proclaiming freedom while maintaining slavery.

It even includes the historical fact that Jefferson originally included a passage in the Declaration condemning the slave trade, claiming it was contrary to nature. How could Thomas Jefferson say all men are created equal while he kept other human beings enslaved? What can I say? Jefferson was a complicated guy.

John Adams opposed slavery and thought its condemnation necessary. The southern states opposed the language and demanded it be struck from the document. In the musical, they claim the New England opponents of slavery have benefited from the arrangement just as much as they have. 

The price of freedom from Britain was a moral compromise regarding the plight of America’s enslaved.

EDWARD RUTLEDGE: [singing] Molasses, to rum, to slaves… Who’ll sail the ships back to Boston?

1776 is a deft piece of work. It’s a light-hearted patriotic musical that manages to show that 250 years ago the fight for independence was a rather precarious thing. 

But perhaps one of the most important things about the movie is that it reminds us that from its inception, America has included strong-minded people holding differing opinions. 

The question is: “How much are we willing to compromise for the sake of unity?” 

Part of the genius of this film is that it doesn’t offer us any easy answers. 

Americans today still find themselves divided. Refusing moral compromise might be the more courageous path, but it doesn’t necessarily bode well for national stability.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

MAST: 1776 is currently available to stream for free on Tubi.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.