Original subtitles

Who would think of independence married to her?

I feel an absolute fool.

That's good for you, John.

I tell you, Franklin, it's positively indecent.

John, they're young and they're in love.

Not them, Franklin. Us.

Standing down here, waiting for them to, uh...

Well, what will people think?

Don't worry, John. The history books will clean it up.

Well, it doesn't matter.

I'll not appear in the history books anyway. Only you.

Franklin did this and Franklin did that,

and 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

then the three of them, Franklin, Washington and the horse,

conducted the entire revolution all by themselves.

I like it.

I beg your pardon, gentlemen.

It is indeed an honor to meet the two greatest men in America.

Certainly the greatest within earshot anyway.

I'm not an idle flatterer, Dr. Franklin.

My husband admires you both greatly.

Then we are doubly flattered,

for we admire very much that what your husband admires.

Uh, did you sleep well, madam?

Hmm? Huh!

Oh. Uh...

Well, I mean, did you lie...

Damn it, you know what I mean.

Yes, John, we know what you mean.

Tell us about yourself. We've heard precious little.

What's your first name? Martha.

Martha!

He might at least have told us that.

Your husband doesn't say very much.

Most silent man in Congress.

I have never heard him utter three sentences together.

Not every man's a talker, John.

Yes, it's true, you know. Tom is not a talker.

Oh, he never speaks his passions

He never speaks his views

Whereas other men speak volumes

The man I love is mute

In truth I can't recall

Being wooed with words

At all

Even now

Oh, don't stop, madam.

No. Tell us, how did he win you?

And how does he hold on to a bounty such as you?

Well, surely you've noticed that Tom is a man of many accomplishments.

Of course.

Author, lawyer, statesman, architect, farmer.

And still one more that I hesitate to mention.

Don't hesitate, madam. Don't hesitate.

No, tell us. What else can that redheaded tombstone do?

He plays the violin

He tucks it right under his chin

And he bows

Oh, he bows

For he knows Yes, he knows

That it's hi-hi-hi-diddle diddle

'Twixt my heart, Tom and his fiddle

My strings are unstrung

Hi-hi-hi

Hi

I am undone

The violin, madam?

I hear his violin

And I get that feeling within

And I sigh Oh, I sigh

He draws near, very near

And it's hi-hi-hi-diddle diddle

And goodbye to the fiddle

My strings are unstrung

Hi-hi-hi

Hi

I'm always undone

That settles it, John. We're taking up the violin.

Very well, madam. You have us playing the violin. What happens next?

Next, Mr. Adams?

Yes. What does Tom do now?

Why, just what you'd expect.

We dance.

Dance?

Dance? Incredible!

One, two, three. One, two, three!

Who's playing the violin?

John, really?

John, you can dance.

We still do a few things in Boston, Franklin.

Hi-hi-hi

Hi

When heaven calls to me

Sing me no sad elegy

Say I died

Loving bride

Loving wife, loving life

For it was hi-hi-hi-diddle diddle

'Twixt my heart, Tom and his fiddle

And ever 'twill be

Hi-hi-hi

Hi

Through eternity

He plays the violin

He plays the violin

Look! Look, Franklin, he's done it. He's written it.

"Dear Mr. Adams, I am taking my wife back to bed.

"Kindly go away. Your obedient, T. Jefferson."

Incredible!

You know, perhaps I should have written

the declaration after all.

At my age, there's little doubt

the pen is mightier than the sword.

For it's hi-hi-hi-diddle diddle

And God bless a man who can fiddle

And independency

Hi-hi-hi Hi-hi-hi

Hi Hi

Ya-da-da-da-da Ya-da-da-da-da

Through eternity Through eternity

He plays the violin He plays the violin

Violin Violin

Violin Violin

Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia's absent,

and North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

And what follows is a complete and up-to-date list

of all the committees of this Congress,

now sitting, about to sit or just having sat.

"A committee formed to investigate a complaint made against

"the quality of yeast manufactured by Mr. Henry Pendleton's mill

"designated as the Yeast Committee."

"A committee formed to consider the most effective method

"of dealing with spies

"designated as the Spies Committee."

"A committee formed to think, perhaps to do,

"but in any case, to gather, to meet, to confer, to talk,

"and perhaps even to resolve that each rifle regiment

"be allowed at least one drum and one fire attached to each company,

"designated as the Drum and Fife Committee."

"A committee formed to..."

Where is that committee?

What do you think of it, Doctor? Democracy?

What Plato called

"a charming form of government

"full of variety and disorder."

I never knew Plato had been to Philadelphia.

Ben, I want you to see some cards

I've gone and had printed up.

Ought to save everybody here a lot of time and effort,

considering the epidemic of bad disposition

that's been going on around here lately

"Dear sir, you are, without any doubt, a rogue, a rascal,

"a villain, a thief, a scoundrel and a mean, dirty,

"stinking, sniveling, sneaking, pimping, pocket-picking,

"thrice double-damned no-good son-of-a-bitch."

And you sign your name. What do you think?

I'll take a dozen right now.

A-ha! Here it is.

"A committee formed to answer all congressional correspondence,

"designated as the Congressional Correspondence Committee."

All right, Franklin, enough socializing. There's work to be done.

Good morning, John. What?

Good morning.

Oh. Good morning, good morning.

Now then, let's get to it. Get to what?

Unanimity, of course. Look at that board.

Six nays to win over in little more than a week.

"A committee formed to consider the problem of counterfeit money

"designated as the Counterfeit Money Committee."

Oh, God! What...

All right, John, all right.

Where shall we start?

Well, what about Delaware?

Sad thing to see them on the wrong side after all this time.

Any news of Rodney? Yes. McKean's back.

Thomas!

"A committee formed to study the causes

"of our military defeat in Canada."

Thomas,

how did you leave Caesar? Is he still alive?

Aye, but the journey to Dover

was fearful hard on him.

He never complained, but I could see

the poor man was suffering terrible.

But you got him safely home.

I did,

but I doubt he'll ever set foot out of it again.

That leaves you and Read split down the middle. Will he come over?

I don't know. He's a stubborn ignoramus.

Work on him. Keep after him till you wear him down.

Look, John, face facts, will you?

If it were just Read standing in our way,

it wouldn't be so bad,

but look for yourself, man.

Maryland, Pennsylvania and the entire South. It's impossible!

Well, it's impossible if we all stand around complaining about it.

To work, McKean! One foot in front of the other!

I believe I put it a better way.

Never leave off until tomorrow...

Shut up, Franklin.

But what good will it do?

You know Dickinson. He'll never give in.

And you haven't heard the last of Rutledge either.

Never mind about them. Your job is George Read.

Talk him deaf if you have to,

but bring us back Delaware.

There's a simpler way.

What?

This'll break the tie.

All right, John, who's next?

"A committee formed to keep secrets

"designated as the Secrets Committee."

Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Now, I suggest you try to get your own house into order

and I'll take a crack at old vacant-face.

Lord, look at him stuff himself.

Ah, Mr. Chase!

How about it, Chase? When are you coming to your senses, man?

Please, Mr. Adams, not while I'm eating.

Mr. Wilson, sir?

It's time to assert yourself.

Tell me something. When you were a judge,

how in hell did you ever make a decision?

The decisions I made were all based on legality and precedence.

But there is no legality here

and certainly no precedent.

Because it's a new idea, you clot!

We'll be setting our own precedent!

No, Mr. McKean. No, no, no!

Damn your eyes, Read!

You come into this world screaming "no,"

and you're determined to leave it the same way, you slimy worm!

The Congress is waiting on you, Chase!

America is waiting! The whole world is waiting!

What's that? Kidney?

Leave me alone, Mr. Adams!

You're wasting your time.

If I thought we could win this war,

I'd be at the front of your ranks.

But you must know it's impossible.

You've heard General Washington's dispatches.

His army has fallen to pieces.

Washington is exaggerating the situation

in order to arouse this torpid Congress into action.

Why, as chairman of the War Committee,

I can state for a fact

that the army has never been in better shape.

Never have troops been more cheerful.

Never have soldiers been more resolute.

Never have training and discipline been more spirited.

Oh, good God.

May we have your ears, gentlemen?

Mr. Thomson has a dispatch.

"From the Commander, army of the United Colonies in New York,

"dispatch number 1, 157,

"to the Honorable Congress, John Hancock, president.

"Dear sir, it is with the utmost despair that I must report to you

"the disorder and confusion

"that reign in every department."

Oh, sweet Jesus!

"The Continental soldier is as nothing ever seen

"in this or any other century.

"He is a misfit, ignorant of hygiene,

"destructive, disorderly

"and totally disrespectful of rank.

"Only this last is understandable,

"as there is an incredible reek of stupidity amongst the officers.

"The situation is most desperate

"at the New Jersey training ground in New Brunswick

"where every able-bodied whore in the..."

Whore?

"In the colonies has assembled.

"There are constant reports of drunkenness,

"desertion, foul language,

"naked bathing in the Raritan River,

"and an epidemic

"of the French disease."

"I have placed this town off-limits to all military personnel

"with the exception of officers.

"I beseech the Congress to dispatch the War Committee to this place

"in the hope of restoring

"some of the order and discipline we need to survive.

"Your obedient,

"G. Washington."

That man would depress a hyena.

Well, Mr. Adams, you're chairman of the War Committee.

Do you feel up to whoring,

drinking, deserting and New Brunswick?

There must be some mistake.

I have an aunt who lives in New Brunswick.

You must tell her to keep up the good work.

Come, come, Mr. Adams.

You must see that it's hopeless.

Let us recall General Washington

and disband the Continental Army

before we're overwhelmed.

Yes, indeed. The English would like that, now, wouldn't they?

Why not ask them yourself?

They ought to be here any minute.

And when they hang you, Mr. Adams,

I hope you will put in a good word for the rest of us.

Face facts, Mr. Adams.

A handful of drunk and disorderly recruits

against the entire British Army,

the finest musket men on Earth.

How can we win?

How can we even hope to survive?

Answer me straight, Chase.

If you thought we could beat the Redcoats,

would Maryland say yea to independence?

Well, I suppose...

No supposing.

Would you or wouldn't you?

Very well, Mr. Adams.

Yes, we would.

Then come with me to New Brunswick

and see for yourself.

John, are you mad?

You heard what Washington said. It's a shambles.

They're pushing you into it, Johnny!

What do you say, Chase?

Go ahead, Sam. It sounds lively as hell up there.

All right. Why not?

And maybe it'll be John Adams

who comes to his senses.

Mr. President, the War Committee

will heed General Washington's request.

A party consisting of Mr. Chase, Dr. Franklin

and myself will leave immediately.

Is that...

Is that satisfactory with you, Dr. Franklin?

Wake up, Franklin! You're going to New Brunswick.

Like hell I am. What for?

The whoring and the drinking.

All right, Chase! Move all that lard. Not a moment to lose.

Left, right, left, right. Left, right, left, right.

Left, right, left!

Mr. McNair, all this talk of independence

has left a certain foulness in the air.

My friends and I would appreciate it

if you could open some windows.

Well, what about the flies?

The windows, Mr. McNair.

Open the windows, close the windows.

Sweet Jesus!

Oh, say, do you see what I see?

Congress sitting here in sweet serenity

I could cheer, the reason's clear

For the first time in a year

Adams isn't here

And look, the sun is in the sky

A breeze is blowing by

And there's not a single fly

I sing hosanna

Hosanna

Hosanna, hosanna

And it's cool

Come, ye cool, cool, conservative men

Our like may never ever be seen again

We have land, cash in hand

Self-command, future planned

Fortune thrives, society survives

In neatly ordered lives

With well-endowered wives

Come sing hosanna

Hosanna

In our breeding and our manner

We are cool

Come, ye cool, cool, considerate set

We'll dance together to the same minuet

To the right, ever to the right

Never to the left, forever to the right

Let our creed be never to exceed

Regulated speed

No matter what the need

Come sing hosanna

Hosanna

Emblazoned on our banner

ls keep cool

To the right, ever to the right

Never to the left, forever to the right

Hands attach, tightly latch

Everybody match

I have a new dispatch

"From the Commander, army of the United Colonies in New York,

"dispatch number 1, 158,

"to the Honorable Congress, John Hancock, president.

"Dear sir, I awoke this morning to find that General Howe

"has landed 25,000 British regulars and Hessian mercenaries

"on Staten Island,

"and that the fleet, under the command

"of his brother, Admiral Lord Howe,

"controls not only the Hudson and the east rivers,

"but New York Harbor,

"which now looks like all of London afloat.

"I can no longer, in good conscience,

"withhold from the Congress my certainty

"that the British military object

"at this time is Philadelphia.

"Happy should I be if I could see the means of preventing them,

"but, at present, I confess I do not.

"How I wish I had never seen the Continental Army.

"I would have done better to retire to the back country,

"and to live in a wigwam.

"Your obedient,

"G. Washington."

What we do, we do rationally

We never, ever go off half-cocked, not we

Why begin till we know that we can win

And if we cannot win, why bother to begin?

We say this game's not of our choosing

Why should we risk losing?

We're cool, cool men

Mr. Hancock,

you're a man of property, one of us.

Why don't you join us in our minuet?

Why do you persist in dancing with John Adams?

Good Lord, sir, you don't even like him.

That is true. He annoys me quite a lot

But still I'd rather trot to Mr. Adams' new gavotte

Why? For personal glory? For a place in history?

Be careful, sir. History will brand him and his followers as traitors.

Traitors, Mr. Dickinson? To what?

The British Crown or the British half crown?

Fortunately, there are not enough men of property

in America to dictate policy.

Perhaps not, but don't forget that most men with nothing

would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich

than face the reality of being poor.

And that is why they will follow us...

To the right, ever to the right

Never to left, forever to the right

Where there's gold, a market to behold

Tradition that is old

Reluctant to be bold

I sing hosanna

Hosanna

In a sane and lucid manner

We are cool!

We're the cool, cool, considerate men

Whose like may never, ever be seen again

We've got land, cash in hand

Self-command, future planned

And we'll hold to our gold

Tradition that is old

Reluctant to be bold

We say this game's not of our choosing

Why should we risk losing?

We're cool

Cool

Cool, cool men

How'd you like to try and borrow

a dollar from one of them?

You want some more rum, General?

General?

Lord, I ain't even a corporal.

Yeah, well, what's the army know?

Here, son. There you go.

Sit down, gentlemen. The chair rules it's too damn hot to work.

Well, General, what's it like out there?

You probably know more than me.

Sitting here?

Sweet Jesus, this is the last place

to find out what's going on.

I'm aiming to join up.

What are you talking about?

You don't have to join up.

You're in Congress.

What's that got to do with it?

Well, you don't see them rushing off to get killed, do you?

They sure are great ones for sending others, I can tell you that.

Hey, who sits here?

Caesar Rodney of Delaware.

Where are you from, General?

Watertown.

Now where's that?

Massachusetts.

Well, then you belong over there.

But be careful.

There's something about that chair

that makes a man awful noisy.

You seen any fighting?

Sure did.

I see's my two best friends get shot dead on the very same day.

And at Lexington it was, too.

Right on the village green.

When they didn't come home for supper,

their mamas went down the hill looking for them.

Mrs. Lowell, she found Timothy.

Right off.

But Mrs. Pickett...

She looked near half the night for William.

He went and crawled off the green

before he died.

Mama, hey, Mama

Come looking for me

I'm here in the meadow

By the red maple tree

Mama, hey, Mama

Look sharp

Here I be

Hey, hey

Mama, look sharp

Them soldiers, they fired

Oh, Ma, did we run

But then we turned round

And the battle begun

Then I went under

Oh, Ma, am I done?

Hey, hey

Mama, look sharp

My eyes are wide open

My face to the sky

Is that you I'm hearing

In the tall grass nearby

Mama, come find me

Before I do die

Hey, hey

Mama

Look sharp

I'll close your eyes

My Billy

Them eyes that cannot see

And I'll bury you

My Billy

Beneath the maple tree

And

Never again

Will you whisper to me

Hey

Oh, Mama

Look sharp

The secretary will now read the report

of the Declaration Committee.

Mr. Thomson.

"A declaration by the representatives

"of the United States of America,

"in general Congress assembled.

"When in the course of human events

"it becomes necessary for one people

"to dissolve the political bands

"which have connected them with another

"and to assume among the powers of the Earth

"the separate and equal station

"to which the laws of nature

"and of nature's god entitle them,

"a decent respect to the opinions of mankind

"requires that they should declare the causes

"which impel them to the separation.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,

"that all men are created equal.

"They're endowed by their creator

"with certain inalienable rights,

"that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,

"that to secure these rights..."

Jefferson! We're back, and we've got Maryland.

That is, we will, as soon as Chase

gets through telling the Maryland assembly

what we saw in New Brunswick.

He's in Annapolis right now,

describing a ragtag collection

of provincial militiamen

who couldn't drill together, train together

or march together.

But when a flock of ducks flew over

and they saw their first meal in three full days,

sweet Jesus, could they shoot together!

It was a slaughter.

A slaughter.

They're reading the declaration.

Good God! How far have they gotten?

"To render the military independent of

"and superior to the civil power."

"independent of and superior to..."

Nothing to fear.

It's a masterpiece.

I'm to be congratulated.

You?

For making him write it.

Oh, of course.

It's a masterpiece, I say

They will cheer every word, every letter

I wish I felt that way

I believe I can put it better

Now then attend as friend to friend

Our Declaration Committee

For us I see immortality

In Philadelphia City

A farmer, a lawyer

And a sage

A bit gouty in the leg

You know, it's quite bizarre

To think that here we are

Playing midwives to an egg

Egg? What egg?

America. The birth of a new nation.

If only we could be sure

of what kind of a bird it's going to be.

Tom has a point. What sort of bird shall we choose

as the symbol of our new America?

The eagle.

The dove.

The turkey.

The eagle.

The dove. The eagle!

The eagle. The turkey.

The eagle is a majestic bird.

The eagle is a scavenger,

a thief and a coward.

A symbol of over 10 centuries

of European mischief.

A turkey?

The turkey is a truly noble bird.

Native American. Source of sustenance of our original settlers.

An incredibly brave fellow who will not flinch

at attacking a regiment of Englishmen

single-handedly!

Therefore, the national bird of America is going to be...

The eagle!

We're waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp

Of an eaglet being born

Waiting for the chirp, chirp, chirp

On this humid Monday morning

In this congressional incubator

God knows the temperature's hot enough

To hatch a stone, let alone an egg

We're waiting for the scratch, scratch, scratch

Of that tiny little fellow

Waiting for the egg to hatch

On this humid Monday morning

In this congressional incubator

God knows the temperature's hot enough

To hatch a stone

But will it hatch an egg?

The declaration will be a triumph. I tell you, a triumph.

If I was ever sure of anything, I'm sure of that.

A triumph.

And if it isn't,

we've still got four days left

to think of something else.

The eagle's going to crack the shell

Of the egg that England laid

Yes, sir, we can tell, tell, tell

On this humid Monday morning

In this congressional incubator

And just as Tom here has written

Though the shell may belong to Great Britain

The eagle inside belongs to us

And just as Tom here has written

We say, "To hell with Great Britain"

The eagle inside belongs to us

"and to do all other acts and things

"which independent states may of right do.

"And for the support of this declaration,

"we mutually pledge to each other our lives,

"our fortunes and our sacred honor."

Thank you, Mr. Thomson.

The Congress has heard the report

of the Declaration Committee.

Are there any here who wish to offer alterations,

deletions, amendments to this declaration?

Mr. President!

Gentlemen!

Gentlemen, please!

Colonel McKean, I saw your hand first.

Mr. Jefferson,

it's a funny paper you've written, Tom, but somewhere in it,

you mention Scottish and foreign mercenaries sent to destroy us.

Scottish, Tom?

That is in reference to a Highland regiment

which stood against us at Boston.

It's more likely Germans wearing kilts

to disguise their being there.

I ask you to remove the word

and avoid giving offense to a good people.

Mr. Jefferson?

The Reverend...

Witherspoon.

Mr. Jefferson, nowhere do you mention

the Supreme Being.

Now, surely this was an oversight,

for how could we hope to achieve a victory without His help?

Therefore, I most humbly suggest the following addition

to your final sentence.

"With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence."

Mr. Jefferson?

Mr. Read.

Among your charges against the king, Mr. Jefferson,

you accuse him of depriving us

of the benefits of trial by jury.

This is untrue, sir.

In Delaware, we've always had trial by jury.

In Massachusetts, we have not.

Well, then I suggest that the words

"in many cases" be added.

Mr. Jefferson?

"In many cases"? Brilliant!

I suppose every time you see those three words,

your puny chest will swell with pride

over your great historical contribution.

It's more memorable

than your unprincipled whitewash

of that race of barbarians!

Race of barbarians?

Why, I'll have you...

Colonel McKean, Mr. Read, that's enough!

Mr. Hopkins. I've no objections, Johnny.

I'm just trying to get a drink.

I should've known. McNair, get him a rum.

Mr. Bartlett.

Mr. Jefferson.

I beg you to remember that we still have friends in England.

I see no purpose in antagonizing them with such phrases as...

"Unfeeling brethren" and "enemies at war."

Our quarrel is with the British king, not the British people.

Be sensible, Bartlett.

Remove those phrases,

and the entire paragraph becomes meaningless.

And it so happens that it's one of the most stirring and poetic

of any passage in the entire document. Now...

We're a Congress, Mr. Adams, not a literary society.

I ask that the entire paragraph be stricken.

Mr. Jefferson?

Good God.

Jefferson, when are you going to speak up for your own work?

I had hoped that the work would speak for itself.

Mr. Hancock?

What is it, Mr. McNair?

I can't say I'm very fond of

"The United States of America"

as a name for a new country.

I don't care what you're fond of, Mr. McNair.

You're not a member of this Congress!

Mr. Sherman.

Brother Jefferson, I noted at least

two distinct and direct references

to the British Parliament in your declaration.

Do you think it's wise to alienate that august body

in light of our contention

that they've never had any authority over us anyway?

This is a revolution, damn it!

We're going to have to offend somebody.

Brother Hancock!

John. John.

You'll give yourself an attack of apoplexy if you're not careful.

Have you heard what they're doing to it?

Have you heard? I heard.

And, so far, that's just our friends.

Can you imagine what our enemies will do?

The word "parliament" will be removed wherever it occurs.

They won't be satisfied till they remove

one of the "F's" from Jefferson's name.

Courage, John. It won't last much longer.

Mr. Dickinson.

Mr. Jefferson,

I have very little interest in your paper,

as there's no doubt in my mind

that we've all but heard the last of it.

But I am curious about one thing.

Why do you refer to King George as a tyrant?

Because he is a tyrant.

I remind you, Mr. Jefferson,

that this tyrant is still your king.

When a king becomes a tyrant,

he thereby breaks the contract

binding his subjects to him.

How so?

By taking away their rights.

Rights that came from him in the first place?

All except one.

The right to be free comes from nature.

And are we not free, Mr. Jefferson?

Homes entered without warrant.

Citizens arrested without charge.

And in many places,

free assembly itself denied.

No one approves of such things,

but these are dangerous times.

Be careful, Mr. Dickinson.

Those who give up some of their liberty

in order to obtain a little temporary safety,

deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Mr. Wilson.

Do we in Pennsylvania

consider King George a tyrant?

Well, I don't know.

He...

Oh. Uh...

No. No, we don't.

He's not a tyrant.

In Pennsylvania.

There you are, Mr. Jefferson.

Your declaration does not speak for us all.

I demand the word "tyrant" be removed.

Very well.

Just a moment, Mr. Thomson.

I do not consent.

The king is a tyrant

whether we say so or not.

We might as well say so.

But I already scratched it out.

Then scratch it back in.

Put it back, Mr. Thomson.

The king will remain a tyrant.

Mr. Hewes.

Mr. Jefferson.

Nowhere do you mention deep-sea fishing rights.

Oh, good God! Fishing rights!

How long is this piddling to go on?

We have been here for three full days.

We have endured, by my count,

85 separate changes,

and the removal of close to 400 words.

Now, would you whip it and beat it till you break its spirit?

I tell you that document

is a masterful expression

of the American mind!

If there are no more changes,

then I can assume the report of the Declaration Committee has been...

Just a moment, Mr. President.

Look out.

I wonder if we might prevail upon Mr. Thomson

to read again a small portion of Mr. Jefferson's declaration.

The one beginning "He has waged cruel war."

"He has affected... He's combined...

"He's abdicated... He's plundered...

"He's constrained... He's excited... He's incited...

"He's waged cruel war." Here it is.

"He's waged cruel war against human nature itself

"in the persons of a distant people who never offended him,

"captivating and carrying them

"into slavery in another hemisphere,

"Determined to keep open a market

"where men should be bought and sold,

"he has prostituted his..."

That will suffice, Mr. Thomson.

I thank you, sir.

Mr. Jefferson,

I can't quite make out what it is you're talking about.

Slavery, Mr. Rutledge.

Oh, yes.

You're referring to us as slaves of the king.

No, sir. I'm referring to our slaves.

Black slaves.

Why didn't you say so, sir?

Were you trying to hide your meaning?

No, sir.

Just another literary license, then.

If you like.

I don't like at all, Mr. Jefferson.

To us, in South Carolina,

black slavery is our peculiar institution,

and a cherished way of life.

Nevertheless, we must abolish it.

Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate

than that these people shall be free.

I am not concerned with the book of fate right now, Mr. Jefferson.

I'm more concerned with what is written in that little paper there.

That little paper there

deals with freedom for Americans.

Oh, really?

Mr. Adams

is now calling our black slaves "Americans."

Are they, now?

Yes, they are.

They're people and they're here.

If there's any other requirement, I've never heard of it.

They are here, yes, but they are not people, sir. They are property.

No, sir. They are people

who are being treated as property.

I tell you, the rights of human nature

are deeply wounded

by this infamous practice.

Then see to your own wounds, Mr. Jefferson,

for you are a practitioner!

Are you not?

I have already resolved

to release my slaves.

Then I'm sorry,

for you've also resolved

the ruination of your personal economy.

Economy. Always economy.

There's more to this than a filthy purse string, Rutledge.

It's an offense against man and God.

It's a stinking business, Mr. Rutledge.

A stinking business.

Is it really, Mr. Hopkins?

Then what is that I smell

floating down from the North?

Could that be the aroma of hypocrisy?

For who holds the other end of that filthy purse string, Mr. Adams?

Our Northern brethren

feeling a bit tender toward our slaves.

They don't keep slaves.

Oh, no.

But they're willing to be considerable carriers

of slaves to others.

They're willing.

For the shilling.

Or haven't you heard, Mr. Adams?

Clink, clink.

Molasses to rum

To slaves

Oh, what a beautiful waltz

You dance with us

We dance with you

In molasses and rum

And slaves

Who sail the ships out of Boston

Ladened with Bibles and rum?

Who drinks a toast to the Ivory Coast?

Hail Africa, the slavers have come

New England with Bibles

And rum

And it's off with the rum and the Bibles

Take on the slaves, clink, clink

Then hail and farewell to the smell

Of the African coast

Molasses to rum

To slaves

'T isn't morals, 'its money that saves

Shall we dance to the sound

Of the profitable pound?

In molasses and rum

And slaves

Who sail the ships out of Guinea

Ladened with Bibles and slaves?

'Ti's Boston can boast to the West Indies coast

Jamaica, we brung what ye craves

Antigua, Barbados

We brung Bibles

And slaves

Gentlemen, you mustn't think that our Northern friends

see our black slaves as merely figures in a ledger.

Oh, no.

They see them as figures on a block.

Look at the faces at the auctions, gentlemen.

White faces on African wharves.

Seafaring faces.

New England faces.

"Put them in the ships."

"Cram them in the ships."

"Stuff them in the ships."

Hurry, gentlemen. Let the auction begin.

Ya-ha, ya-ha-ma-cundah

Gentlemen, do you hear? That's the cry of the auctioneer.

Ya-ha, ya-ha-ma-cundah

Slaves, gentlemen!

Black gold!

Living gold!

Gold from Angola!

Guinea, Guinea, Guinea!

Blackbirds for sale

Ashanti, Ibo, Ibo, Ibo!

Blackbirds for sale

Handle them!

Fondle them!

But don't finger them!

They're prime

Ya-ha, ya-ha-ma-cundah

For the love of God, Mr. Rutledge, please.

Molasses to rum

To slaves

Who sail the ships back to Boston

Ladened with gold

See it gleam

Whose fortunes are made in the triangle trade

Hail slavery, the New England dream

Mr. Adams, I give you a toast

Hail, Boston

Hail, Charleston

Who stinketh the most?

Mr. Rutledge, please!

Mr. Hewes.

Dr. Hall.

Don't worry, John. They'll be back.

Aye, to vote us down.

Adams! Franklin!

It's done. I have it.

And the Maryland Assembly's approved it.

I told them about one of the greatest

military engagements in history

against a flock of...

What's wrong?

I thought...

You'll have to forgive them, Mr. Chase.

They just suffered a slight setback.

And after all, "What is a man profited

"if he shall gain Maryland and lose the entire South?"

Matthew, Chapter 16, Verse 26.

McNair.

Oh, I know. The flies.

No.

The rum.

Well, what are we all sitting around for, hmm?

We're wasting time. Precious time.

Thomas, I want you to ride down into Delaware

and fetch back Caesar Rodney.

John, are you mad? It's 80 miles, and he's a dying man.

No, he's a patriot.

John, what good will it do? The South's done us in.

And suppose they change their minds?

Can we get Delaware without Rodney?

God! What a bastardy bunch we are.

Stephen, I want you to...

I'm going to the tavern, Johnny.

If there's anything I can do for you there, let me know.

Chase.

Bartlett!

What's the use, John? The vote's tomorrow morning.

There's less than a full day left.

Roger.

Face facts, John. It's finished.

I'm sorry, John.

We have no choice, John.

The slavery clause has got 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.

You forget yourself, sir.

I founded the first anti-slavery society on this continent.

Don't wave your credentials at me.

Perhaps it's time you had them renewed.

The issue here is independence.

Perhaps you've forgotten that fact, but I have not.

How dare you jeopardize our cause

when we've come so far!

These men,

no matter how much we may disagree with them,

are not ribbon clerks to be ordered about.

They're proud, accomplished men. The cream of their colonies.

And whether you like it or not,

they and the people they represent

will be part of this new nation you hope to create.

Now either learn how to live with them or pack up and go home.

In any case, stop acting like a Boston fishwife.

Good God. What's happened to me?

John Adams. The great John Adams.

What have I come to?

Law practice down the pipe.

Farm mortgaged to the hilt.

At a stage in life when other men prosper,

I'm reduced to living in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia.

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 anyone else right now.

Very well, John. What is it?

The entire South has just walked out of this Congress,

George Washington is on the verge of total annihilation,

and the precious cause for which I have labored these several years

has come to nothing.

And it seems that I'm obnoxious and disliked.

Nonsense, John.

That I am unwilling to face reality.

Foolishness, John.

That I'm pigheaded.

Ah, well, there you have me, John.

I'm afraid you are pigheaded.

Well, yes.

Oh, Abby.

Has it been any kind of a life for you?

God knows I haven't given you very much.

I never asked for more.

After all, I am Mrs. John Adams.

That's quite a lot for one lifetime.

Is it, Abby?

Well, think of it, John. To be married to the man

who is always the first in line to be hanged...

Yes. The agitator.

Why, Abby?

You must tell me what it is. l...

Well, I have always been dissatisfied. I know that.

But lately, I find that I reek of discontentment.

It fills my throat and it floods my brain.

Sometimes I fear there is no longer a dream,

but only the discontentment.

Oh, John.

Can you really know so little about yourself?

Can you think so little of me

that you'd believe I'd marry the man you've described?

Have you forgotten what you used to say to me? I haven't.

"Commitment, Abby.

"Commitment.

"There are only two creatures of value on the face of this Earth.

"Those with a commitment,

"and those who require the commitment of others."

Do you remember, John?

Yes, I remember.

McNAIR: Mr. Adams!

Mmm.

Are you up there, Mr. Adams?

What do you want?

There's a delivery down here for you.

What is it?

Where did it come from? Who sent it?

Compliments of the Concord Ladies' Coffee Club

And the Sisterhood of the Truro Synagogue

And the Friday Evening Baptist Sewing Circle

And the Holy Christian Sisters of St. Claire

All for you

John

I am as I ever was

And ever shall be

Yours, yours, yours

Yours

Abigail, what's in these kegs?

Saltpeter, John

McNair!

McNair, go out and buy every damned pin you can find in Philadelphia.

Pin? What sort of pin?

Well, I don't know. Whatever the ladies use for their sewing.

Franklin, Jefferson, what are you all sitting around for?

Didn't you hear a word I said before?

Oh, never mind about that.

Now, here's what I want you to do.

John, I'm not even speaking to you.

It's too late for that, damn it. There's work to be done.

Jefferson, go find Rutledge.

Don't come back until you've worn him down.

Now, you're both Southern aristocrats.

If he'll listen to anybody, he'll listen to you.

Franklin, out of that chair!

What good is the South if you can't deliver Pennsylvania, hmm?

Talk to Wilson.

Get him away from Dickinson.

That's the only way to do it. Go on, now, both of you.

John...

Time's running out, damn it.

Now move.

I'm still from Massachusetts, John.

You know where I stand.

I'll do whatever you say.

No.

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?

I stand with the General.

Well, lately, I've had the oddest feeling that he's been

writing to me.

I have been in expectation

Of receiving a reply

On the subject of my last 15 dispatches

ls anybody there?

Does anybody care?

Does anybody care?

"Your humble and obedient..."

"ls anybody there?

"Does anybody care?"

Does anybody see what I see?

They want me to quit

They say, "John, give up the fight"

Still to England, I say

Good night, forever, good night!

For I have crossed the Rubicon

Let the bridge be burned behind me

Come what may

Commitment!

The croakers all say we'll rue the day

There'll be hell to pay in fiery purgatory

Through all the gloom, through all the gloom

I can see the rays of ravishing light

And glory

ls anybody there?

Does anybody care?

Does anybody see what I see?

I see fireworks

I see the pageant and pomp and parade

I hear the bells ringing out

I hear the cannons roar

I see Americans

All Americans free

Forevermore

How quiet, how quiet the chamber is

How silent, how silent the chamber is

ls anybody there?

Does anybody care?

Does anybody see what I see?

Yes, Mr. Adams.

I do.

Dr. Hall.

I didn't know anyone was...

I'm sorry if I startled you.

I couldn't sleep.

And 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.

That was written by Edmund Burke,

a member of the British Parliament.

Good night, Mr. Adams.

Good night.

It's never been done before.

No colony has ever broken from the parent stem in the history of the world.

If you have grievances, and I'm sure you have,

our present system must provide

a gentler means of redressing them

short of revolution.

We've spawned a new race here.

Rougher, simpler,

more violent, more enterprising, less refined.

"My quartermaster has no food, no arms, no ammunition,

"and my troops are in a state of near mutiny."

No army, no navy... THOMSON: "I pray God some relief arrives

"before the armada, but fear it will not."

No arms, no ammunition,

no treasury, no friends.

And when they hang you, Mr. Adams,

I do hope you'll put in a good word for the rest of us.

England closing in, cutting off our air.

There's no time!

To place before mankind the common sense of the subject...

The issue here is independence.

Perhaps you've lost sight of that fact, but I have not.

"We mutually pledge to each other our lives

"our fortunes and our sacred honor."

Can you really know so little about yourself?

Very well.

The Congress will now vote on Virginia's resolution on independence.

Thank you for coming, Caesar.

God bless you, sir.

The secretary will call the roll.

And I remind you, gentlemen,

that a single "nay" vote

will defeat the motion.

Mr. Thomson.

New Hampshire?

New Hampshire says yea.

New Hampshire says yea. Massachusetts?

Massachusetts says yea.

Massachusetts says yea. Rhode Island?

Rhode Island says yea.

Rhode Island says yea. Connecticut?

Connecticut says yea.

Connecticut says yea. New York?

Mr. Secretary, New York abstains courteously.

New York abstains.

Courteously.

New Jersey?

New Jersey says yea.

New Jersey says yea. Pennsylvania?

Mr. Secretary, Pennsylvania is not ready.

Please come back to us later.

Pennsylvania passes. Delaware?

Just a moment.

Delaware, by majority vote...

Aye.

Says yea.

Delaware says yea. Maryland?

Maryland says yea.

Maryland says yea. Virginia?

Virginia says yea.

Virginia says yea. North Carolina?

North Carolina yields to South Carolina.

South Carolina?

Well, Mr. Adams?

Well, Mr. Rutledge.

Mr. Adams,

you must believe that I will do what I promised to do.

What is it you want, Rutledge?

Remove the offending passage from your declaration.

If we did that, we would be guilty

of what we ourselves are rebelling against.

Nevertheless remove it,

or South Carolina will bury now and forever

your dream of independence.

John, I beg you, consider what you're doing.

Mark me, Franklin,

if we give in on this issue,

posterity will never forgive us.

That's probably true, but we won't hear a thing.

We'll be long gone.

Besides, what will posterity think we were? Demigods?

We're men, no more, no less,

trying to get a nation started against greater odds

than a more generous God would have allowed.

First things first, John. Independence. America.

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 that wrote it.

I wrote all of it, Mr. Adams.

There.

There it is, Rutledge. You have your slavery. Little good may it do you.

You now vote, damn you!

Mr. President, the fair colony of South Carolina

says yea.

South Carolina says yea.

North Carolina says yea.

Georgia?

Georgia says yea.

Pennsylvania, second call.

Mr. President,

Pennsylvania regrets all of the inconvenience

that such distinguished men as Adams, Franklin and Jefferson

were put to just now.

They might've kept their document intact

for all the difference it will make.

Mr. President,

Pennsylvania says...

Just a moment.

I ask the delegation to be polled.

Dr. Franklin, don't be absurd.

A poll, Mr. President. It's a proper request.

Yes, it is.

Poll the delegation, Mr. Thomson.

Dr. Benjamin Franklin.

Yea.

Mr. John Dickinson.

Nay.

Mr. James Wilson.

Judge Wilson?

There it is, Mr. Wilson. It's all up to you now.

The whole question of American independence

rests squarely on your shoulders.

An entirely new nation ready to be born or to die at birth,

all on your say-so.

Which will it be, Mr. Wilson?

Every mapmaker in the world is waiting for your decision.

Come now, James. Nothing has changed.

We mustn't let Dr. Franklin create one of his confusions.

The question is clear.

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

It would be a pity for a man

who's handed down hundreds of wise decisions

from the bench

to be remembered only for the one unwise decision

he made in Congress.

James, you're keeping everybody waiting.

The secretary has called for your vote.

Please.

Don't push me, John. I know what you want me to do.

But Mr. Adams is correct about one thing.

I'm the one who'll be remembered for it.

What do you mean?

I'm different from you, John.

I'm different from most of the men here.

I don't want to be remembered.

I just don't want the

responsibility.

Yes, well, whether you want it or not, James,

there's no way of avoiding it.

Not necessarily, John.

If I go with them,

I'll just be one among dozens.

No one will ever remember the name of James Wilson.

But if I vote with you,

I'll be the man who prevented American independence.

I'm sorry, John.

I just didn't bargain for that.

And is that how new nations are formed?

By a nonentity trying to preserve

the anonymity he so richly deserves?

Revolutions come into this world

like bastard children, Mr. Dickinson.

Half improvised and half compromised.

Our side has provided the compromise.

Now Judge Wilson is supplying the rest.

James.

I'm sorry, John.

My vote

Mr. Secretary, Pennsylvania says yea.

The count being 12 to none

with one abstention,

the resolution on independence

is adopted.

It's done.

Mr. Thomson,

is the declaration ready to be signed?

It is.

Then I suggest we do so.

And the chair further proposes,

for our mutual security and protection,

that no man be allowed to sit in this Congress

without attaching his name to it.

I'm sorry, Mr. President.

I cannot, in good conscience, sign such a document.

I will never stop hoping for our eventual reconciliation with England.

But because,

I regard America no less than does Mr. Adams,

I will join the army and fight in her defense

even though I believe that fight to be hopeless.

Goodbye, gentlemen.

Gentlemen of the Congress,

I say yea, John Dickinson.

Very well.

Are there any objections to the declaration

being approved as it now stands?

I have one, Mr. Hancock.

You, Mr. Adams?

Yes. Uh, Mr. Jefferson,

it so happens that the word is "unalienable,"

not "inalienable."

I'm sorry, Mr. Adams, but "inalienable" is correct.

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

I attended William and Mary, Mr. Adams.

Gentlemen, please!

Mr. Jefferson, will you yield to Mr. Adams' request?

No, sir. I will not.

Oh, very well. I withdraw it.

Oh, good for you, John.

I'll speak to the printer about it later on.

Very well, gentlemen.

We're about to brave the storm in a skiff made of paper.

And how it shall end,

God only knows.

That's a pretty large signature, Johnny.

So Fat George in London can read it without his glasses.

All right, step right up, gentlemen.

Don't miss your chance to commit treason.

Ooh.

Hancock is right. This paper is our passport to the gallows.

But there's no backing out now,

for if we do not hang together,

we shall most assuredly hang separately.

In my case, hanging won't be so bad.

One snap and it'll be all over, just like that.

But look at Read there.

He'll be dancing a jig long after I'm gone!

Gentlemen, forgive me if I don't join in the merriment,

but if we are arrested now,

my name is still the only one on the damn thing!

"From the Commander, army of the United Colonies in..."

Army of the United States in New York,

"dispatch number 1,209,

"to the Honorable Congress, John Hancock, president.

"Dear sir, I can now report with some certainty

"that the eve of battle is near at hand.

"Toward this end, I have ordered the evacuation of Manhattan

"and directed our defenses to take up

"stronger positions on the Brooklyn Heights.

"At the present time, my forces consist

"entirely of Haslet's Delaware Militia

"and Smallwood's Marylanders,

"a total of 5,000 troops to stand against

"twenty-five thousand of the enemy.

"And I begin to notice that many of us

"are lads under 15 and old men,

"none of whom could truly be called soldiers.

"One personal note to Mr. Lewis Morris of New York.

"I must regretfully report

"that his estates have been totally destroyed,

"but that I have taken the liberty of transporting Mrs. Morris

"and eight of the children to Connecticut and safety.

"The four older boys are now enlisted in the Continental Army.

"As I write these words,

"the enemy is plainly in sight beyond the river.

"How it will end, only Providence can direct."

"But, dear God, what brave men

"I shall lose

"before

"this business

"ends.

"Your obedient,

"G. Washington."

Very well, gentlemen.

McNair.

Go ring the bell.

Mr. President.

Mr. Morris.

To hell with New York.

I'll sign it anyway.

Thank you, Mr. Morris.

Stephen, sit down.

No.

I want to remember each man's face as he signs.

Very well.

Mr. Thomson.

New Hampshire. Dr. Josiah Bartlett.

Massachusetts.

Mr. John Adams.

Rhode Island. Mr. Stephen Hopkins.

Connecticut. Mr. Roger Sherman.

New York. Mr. Lewis Morris.

New Jersey. The Reverend John Witherspoon.

Pennsylvania. Dr. Benjamin Franklin.

Delaware. Mr. Caesar Rodney.

Maryland. Mr. Samuel Chase.

Virginia. Mr. Thomas Jefferson.

North Carolina. Mr. Joseph Hewes.

South Carolina. Mr. Edward Rutledge.

Georgia. Dr. Lyman Hall.