1776
Broadway's version of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration ofIndependence is portrayed in 1776. It has representatives of the original thirteen coloniesthat gathered in the swealtering heat of a Philadelphia summer as the ContinentalCongress argued. Within itself, it is divided over the question of AmericanIndependence. The men have grown tired of listening to John Adams' repeated pleas forIndependence. In fact, Adams himself had grown weary of the delegates' ability to agreeon anything, let alone an issue as important as Independence. Adams explains hissituation, and tells his frustrations to his wife, through letters and imagined Adams and Ben Franklin ultimately decide tha
Jefferson to come toPhiladelphia, believing that "the sooner his problem is solved, the sooner our problemwill be solved. A split Delaware votegoes back in favor of Adams when a dying Caesar Rodney is brought to Philadelphiafrom his death bed. Lee returns from Virgina with the proposal, opening up the issue to debate. The Members of Congress assigned to the Declaration Committee (Franklin,Adams, Roger Sherman of CT, and Robert Livingston of NY) avoid writing thedocument, and elect the well written Thomas Jefferson. " Dickinson, meanwhile, tries to keep the opposition to Adams in tact while,General George Washinton's courierrepeatedly brings discouraging dispatches from thebattlefront. Adams argues with Pennsylvania's John Dickinson, who is strongly opposed toindependence. Pennsylvania becomes the last step for Adams. But when the final vote takes place,and it is Wilson's vote that will make Independence either live or die, Wilson's vote withFranklin in order to "remain one of many" rather than "be remembered as the man whoprevented American Independence". Adams and Franklin suggest thewriting of a "declaration", to spell out "their goals and aims" and "reasons for separation". Jefferson, however, is unable toconcentrate starting the document because he is thinking for the young bride he leftbehind in Virginia 6 months earlier. While Franklin is clearly on hisside, Dickinson is against him. In a major compromise, Jefferson resentfuly agrees toremove the slavery clause in order to win back the two Carolinas. The other Pennsylvania delegate, the (follow the crowd)James Wilson, has long been on Dickinson's side. After much battle, the proposal gets put up for vote, but not beforeDickinson insures that the vote must be unanimous.
Common topics in this essay:
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Wilson Dickinson's,
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Jefferson Philadelphia,
Declaration Independence,
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Henry Lee,
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sooner solved,
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Acceptance Essays
