Original subtitles

And independency

Heigh, heigh, heigh

Heigh

Ya da da da la

Through eternity

He plays the 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 fife attached to each company...

designated as the Drum and Fife Committee.

A commitee 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.

Oughta save everybody here a lot of time and effort...

considering the epidemic of bad disposition that's been going on.

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, saqueador...

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. - Aha! 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 commitee 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 sufferin' terrible.

But you got him safely home.

I did, but I doubt he'll never 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.

John, face facts, will ya? If it were just Read standin' 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...

Oh, 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. I suggest you get your own house in 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 screamin' no...

and you're determined to leave it the same way, ya 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, sweetJesus!

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.

Oh, 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 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 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 beJohn Adams who comes to his senses.

Mr. President, the War Committee will heed General Washington's request.

A party consisting of Chase, Franklin and myself will leave immediately.

Is, uh...

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.

SweetJesus!

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

and a promise is a promise.

Yeah, but they's something we could do.

It's too late now. But don't you worry none.

Earthquake is bound to be a good man,

once he's married up with you.

It ain't never gonna be like it could've been with you.

I know, Daisy.

I know.

Oh, Abner.

I wish it could be otherwise

Otherwise, I'm sorry we met at all

I'm sorry we ever had to start with

Those wonderful dreams You broke my heart with

! wish there was some other way

Like it is Our backs is against the wall

Just seems that

- Fate put this heart of mine - Fate put this heart of mine

- Under some Injun sign - Under some Injun sign

- Or otherwise, you'd still be mine - Or otherwise, you'd still be mine

- All mine - All mine

- Or otherwise - Or otherwise

- You'd still be mine - You'd still be mine

Time, Daisy.

I done it.

It was all my fault.

I ruined my own boy.

- Mammy, I got something to say. - Hush.

I never should've give Abner that tonic.

- I should've known-- - Now, Mammy, I'm gonna be heard.

I said, hush.

Why didn't I have more sense?

- Why didn't I realize--? - Well, you gonna listen to me.

Would you hush up?

You little pipsqueak.

You hush up.

- What? - For once, you gonna hush

and stay hushed.

I got some private talking to do with my boy,

and by gum, I'm going to do it.

- But, Pappy, I was only gonna try-- - Now you get, woman, get.

I'll see when you when I get back in Dogpatch.

If I takes a notion to.

- But, Pappy, I-- - Get!

I has spoken!

Boys, come in here.

Boys, come here.

I want you to listen to this and listen careful

because I think I got a way how to get you out of your miserable condition.

- Well, what is it? - A special potion

developed by our beloved founder, Jubilation T. Cornpone.

Oh, Pappy, we've taken enough tonics and potions already.

Yes, but you haven't taken Cornpone's powerfully potent,

perpetually passionizing and romanticizing potion.

Pappy, could that potion romanticize me

and put these boys back the way they was?

Well, son, all I can tell you is that when I was your age,

I had a mite of your trouble myself, so I took me a little swig of that potion.

- And what happened? - As I wiped my lips,

your sweet, ugly little Mammy come a-walking by.

And I can only tell you that that dried-up, sawed-off little creature

looked to me like Lillian Russell, Gloria Swanson

and a plate of pork chops rolled into one.

What are we waiting for? Come on.

Just a minute.

There's one mighty special and important condition

that goes with this potion.

You see, it only works if you really wants it to work.

Oh, I does, Pappy,

more than anything else in the whole world.

Well, then get a-going. That wedding ain't waiting for man or beast,

and with Earthquake, that covers both ends.

Right. Come on.

Western Union, please.

I wants to send a telegram to Marryin' Sam, Dogpatch, U.S.A.

Message?

Well, just three words:

Stall, stall, stall.

All right, Sam. We only got 20 minutes.

So start festivitating the festivities.

Earthquake, why don't you wait till we's relocated.

No, sir. With all this shuffling around,

the queen liable to shuffle herself right out in the deck.

Right, Cousin Romeo?

You're so right, Cousin McGoon.

- So start festivitating. - Very well.

Dearly beloved, we is gathered here today--

Earthquake, I can't do it.

Can't do what?

I can't shortchange you.

You wants a $8 wedding, I gotta get into a $8 mood.

There's no way of knowing how long it's gonna take me to get there.

I'm there.

Dearly beloved--

Dearly belove--

Dearly beloved--

Dearly beloved!

Come on, Sam, we ain't got much time.

So hurry up and get down to the I does-es.

Well, that's right, Sam, proceed.

Only I do wish, Earthie, dear, that you'd wait

till all the rest of my kinfolk get here.

Account of this wedding is gonna mean so much to them.

Why, of course, my dear.

With the bombing and all, they just can't wait

to get into their nice, new home.

- Naturally. - With their new, rich relative.

Most assuredly, my--

Rich relative? Who?

- Why, you, of course. - Me?

You don't think a Scragg would let another Scragg go homeless,

as long as they was related to anyone as well-heeled

as the world's dirtiest wrestler.

You mean you want these three miserable Scraggs

to come and live with us?

Why, of course.

You is a first-class provider, Cousin McGoon.

- The others will be along directly. - Others?

I sent Speedy McRabbit out to tell them all the good news.

I knew you'd want it that way, Earthie, dear.

- Well, no, I never counted on-- - Hi, Cousin Earthie!

Say, look who's here.

Why, it's Uncle Unbearable Scragg and his three darling children,

Unthinkable, Unwashable and Unhuman.

Say hello to your new, rich relative.

- Hi, Cousin Earthie. - Thanks for the invite.

- When do we eat? - Hi, cousin.

Why look who come out of the swamp?

Hi, Cousin Earthie.

It's Unappetizing Scragg and his two dazzling daughters,

Priceless and Liceless.

- Welcome to the family, cousin. - He sure is generous.

Hi, Cousin Earthie.

Oh, well, upon my soul, it's the Bar Harbor Scraggs.

Yeah, they've been barred from every harbor in the country.

The children will be here in the morning.

What time is you serving dinner?

Well, Sam, ain't you got some marrying to do?

I sure has.

Well, batten down your hatches and grab hold of each other

while I lets fly with my $8 wedding.

Dearly beloved

We is gathered here today

He's startin' to dearly beloved

To put an unfortunate Miserable critter away

Better he was hung first

Remember poor Adam Who got married and so began

That miserable race of creatures

- Known as the married man - Married man

Then think about Samson

- Who was Israel's strongest male - The strongest

Till little Delilah went

- And give him a ponytail - Ponytail

State your objections Or forever hold your peace

He's telling you State your objections

You signing a genuine, ironclad Permanent lease

Never no escape clause

Don't let me influence you In saying those fatal words

- Fatal words - Just let me remind you

- Getting married is for the birds - For the birds

Now if you still wants This little gal as your lawful mate

By powers invested I pronounces you man and--

Wait. Hold on there.

Hold it, Sam, stop the wedding.

That's right, stop the wedding.

Did you say, Stop the wedding?

That's right, I'm gonna claim Daisy Mae for myself.

You'll laugh out of the other side of your faces when Pappy gets here

with his Cornpone's passionizing and romanticizing potion.

- There ain't no such potion. - Oh, yes, there is.

Now, wait a minute.

Maybe there is and maybe there isn't, but I gotta say something.

This here lovely young gal's been in love with this fine boy all her life.

And even if it means giving up my passport to ecstasy

and giving up all these fine family ties,

I'm willing to make the sacrifice.

Hold on. What about our passport?

Besides, there ain't no such potion.

Oh, yes, they is. I've got it. I've got it.

- Here it is, son. - Thanks, Pappy.

Now, remember, son, it only works if you really and truly wants it to work.

Oh, I does, Pappy. I sure does.

What's in that jug, Pappy?

Just a little old creek water, Mammy. Just some plain old creek water.

- Daisy. - Oh, Abner.

Li'l Abner, does you take Daisy Mae For your wife?

I does

- And, Daisy, is you agreed? - I reckon I always was

And now with my blessings I pronounces you--

Wait! Look who's here, our big, oversized husbands.

Pappy, give me that jug.

Put them back The way they was

Oh, they is back The way they was

They's uncouth and unpleasant But at least they is present

Doing things that we prefer

Welcome back the way you were

And now with my blessings, I pronounces you--

Wait. Wait. Stop the wedding.

- Your time is up. - But I'm almost done.

But the plane and the bomb are on their way.

- But I got just three more words. - Not a word, not a syllable.

Three itty-bitty words.

Out, do you hear me? Out. On your way.

We're not leaving without our statue of Jubilation.

- Right, Mayor Dawgmeat? - Right. Let's go get our statue.

Yes, come on. Let's get our statue.

Take it easy, now. Don't hurt it. Take it down.

Something fell out of the statue.

Hey, look, there's some writing here,

- signed Abraham Lincoln. - There are trucks waiting--

Abraham Lincoln?

Here, just listen to this.

Because of his lack of strategy, his military blunders,

and his general ineptness,

which almost single-handedly enabled the North

to win this Civil War,

a grateful government dedicates this statue

of General Jubilation T. Cornpone,

proclaiming it a national shrine.

Good heavens, it's a national shrine.

And you can't deface a national shrine.

You can't deface it, you can't move it, and you can't bomb it.

You're absolutely right. Stop that plane. Notify Washington.

Citizens of Dogpatch, the evacuation is ended.

And now with my blessings I pronounces you...

- Wait. - Why?

This joyful event can't be consummated

until we pays homage to the one man who made all this possible.

Who romanticized this boy?

Who put them back the way they was?

And who saved our town from being bombed?

None other than that beloved man that's sitting up there

on that even more beloved horse, Jubilation T. Cornpone.

Though he's gone to his reward

His mighty torch is still lit

First in war, first in peace First to holler, I quit!

Oh, it was Jubilation T. Cornpone Unshaven-and-Shorn-pone

Jubilation T. Cornpone He really saved the day

Why, it was Jubilation T. Cornpone Unshaven-and-Shorn-pone

Jubilation T. Cornpone He really saved the day

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 is 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 River, 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 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.

Oh, 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 me

Whose like may never, ever be seen again

We have 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, cool

Cool, cool, cool 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.

Sittin' here? SweetJesus...

this is the last place to find out what's going on.

I'm aimin' to join up.

What are you talkin' 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 ya?

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

Hey, who sits here?

Caesar Rodney of Delaware.

Where are you from, General?

Watertown.

- 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'd 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, their mamas went down the hill lookin' for 'em.

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 lookin'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 hearin'

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 ya

My Billy

Beneath the maple tree

And

Never again

Will ya 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 we 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, 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...

sweetJesus, 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 the...

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 ten centuries of European mischief.

- The 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! - 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 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 its 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 wearin' kilts to disguise their bein' there.

I ask you to remove the word and avoid givin' offense to a good people.

Mr. Jefferson?

- The Reverend, uh... - Witherspoon.

Mr. Jefferson, nowhere do you mention the Supreme Being.

Surely this was an oversight, for how could we hope to achieve a victory...

without his help?

Therefore, I 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. Barlett. - 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 cause 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 paragraph be stricken. - Mr. Jefferson?

Oh, 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'm not 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.

BrotherJefferson, 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!

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

- Have you heard what they're doing? - I heard.

And 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'd give up some liberty in order to obtain 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.

Uh, 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 has 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.

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.

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 this 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 callin' 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. 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, 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...

floatin' 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 feelin' a bit tender toward our slaves.

They don't keep slaves.

Oh, no.

But they're willin' to be considerable carriers...

of slaves to others.

They're willin'...

for the shillin'.

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

Laden with Bibles and rum

Who drinks a toast to the Ivory Coast

Hail, Africa the slavers have come

New England with Bibles

And rum

Then 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

'Tisn't morals 'Tis 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

Laden with Bibles and slaves

'Tis Boston can boast to the West Indies's 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!

Livin' gold!

Gold from Angola!

Guinea, Guinea, Guinea!

Blackbirds for sale

Ashanti, ebo, ebo, ebo!

Blackbirds for sale

Handle them!

Fondle them!

But don't finger them!

They're prime 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

Laden 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, uh...

Well, 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?

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 dyin' 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 bastardly 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 antislavery 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'd 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 greatJohn 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 pig-headed.

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.

Only the discontentment.

Can you really know so little about yourself?

And 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.

Mr. Adams!

Are you up there, Mr. Adams?

What do you want?

There's a delivery down here for ya.

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.

- 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?

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. 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

Is anybody there

Does anybody care

Does anybody care

Your humble and obedient...

Is 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

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

Is 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

Is 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...

- We've spawned a new race here. - Revolution?

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.

I pray God some relief arrives before the armada, but fear it will not.

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!

Place before mankind the common sense of the subjects.

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, and 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.

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?

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.

Now vote, damn you!

Mr. President, the fair colony of South Carolina...

- says yea. - South Carolina says yea.

- North Carolina says yea. - North Carolina says yea.

- Georgia. - Georgia says yea.

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 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.

Oh, 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'd 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 ofJames 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 is yea.

Mr. Secretary, Pennsylvania says yea.

The count, being twelve to none...

with one abstention...

the resolution on independence...

is adopted.

It's done.

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 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...

in my own way...

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.

Good-bye, gentlemen.

Gentlemen of the Congress...

I say yea, John Dickinson.

Very well.

Are there objections to the declaration being approved as it now stands?

- I have one, Mr. Hancock. - You, Mr. Adams?

Yes. 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's 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.

Step right up, gentlemen. Don't miss your chance to commit treason.

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, hangin' won't be so bad.

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

But look at Read there. He'll be dancin' 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 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...

25,000 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.

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.