1776 is a 1972 American historical musical drama film directed by Peter H. Hunt and written by Peter Stone, based on his book for the 1969 Broadway musical of the same name, with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Set in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776, it is a fictionalized account of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The film stars William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden, John Cullum and Blythe Danner.
Portions of dialogue and some lyrics were taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants of the Second Continental Congress.
Plot
John Adams, representing Massachusetts in the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, laments the body's refusal to debate his motion to declare the colonies' independence from Great Britain and instead to discuss more trivial matters. Disliked by most of his fellow Congressmen, he frequently seeks advice and comfort from his wife, Abigail. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, one of the few who enjoys Adams' company due mainly to their shared dream of independence, suggests someone else propose the independence resolution. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia eagerly agrees, and he rides home to get authorization from the state legislature to do so.
Lee returns, proposes the resolution and, over the objections of John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, leader of the Conservative faction seeking reconciliation with Britain, Congress agrees to debate the question, which becomes heated as tempers flare. Caesar Rodney of Delaware, suffering from cancer, collapses and is forced to leave during the debate, depriving Adams of Delaware's vote. A new delegation from New Jersey arrives and votes in favor of independence (Franklin receives word that his son William, the Royal Governor of New Jersey, has been arrested). Seeking to kill the motion, Dickinson successfully moves that an independence vote be unanimous on the grounds that "no colony be torn away from its mother country without its own consent." To salvage the motion, Adams asks for a postponement to draft a declaration of grievances. President of the Congress, John Hancock, breaks the tie vote in favor of a declaration and appoints Adams, Franklin, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia to a Committee of Five to write it. Despite his determination to go home to his wife, Martha, Jefferson reluctantly agrees to be the primary writer. After a full week passes without Jefferson's being able to complete the task, Adams summons Martha to Philadelphia; Martha charms both Adams and Franklin, and Jefferson finishes the draft.
To convince Samuel Chase of Maryland to support independence, Adams agrees to accept General George Washington's plea to visit the army encampment in New Brunswick, New Jersey, taking Franklin and Chase with him. After the members return to their lodgings, a young military courier arrives and sadly relates to Congressional custodian Andrew McNair how his two best friends were killed in battle at Lexington.
After Adams and Franklin return from New Jersey, the Declaration is read to the full Congress, which begins accepting many amendments. Jefferson agrees to almost all of the changes, except striking language referring to King George as a "tyrant" and objecting to slavery. Edward Rutledge of South Carolina leads the Southern members in walking out in protest just as Chase returns with Maryland's vote supporting independence. Frustrated at Adams's refusal to compromise, Franklin tells him that to achieve the primary goal of independence Adams must accept that those with opinions contrary to his will be part of their new nation. Badly shaken, Adams again seeks counsel from Abigail, and thanks to a delivery of much-needed saltpeter from her and a sudden decision from Georgia delegate Lyman Hall to support independence, Adams finds the strength and will to continue.
On the day of the vote (July 2, 1776), Adams and Jefferson agree to drop the slavery provision, and Rutledge and the other Southern states vote for independence. With Delaware divided, Rodney is brought back to support independence by majority vote of its three representatives. Eventually, all states vote for independence except divided Pennsylvania and New York, whose remaining representative, Lewis Morris, has abstained throughout the proceedings. When Dickinson rises to vote against the proposal, Franklin moves that the Pennsylvania delegation be polled: he votes for independence and Dickinson votes against it, leaving the question up to James Wilson. Not wanting to be remembered for casting the decisive vote against American independence, Wilson votes in favor. Dickinson resigns from Congress and vows to join the army to support the fight against the British, even though he believes it to be futile.
As the members prepare to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Morris receives word that his estates have been destroyed and his family moved to safety. Despite not being authorized, Morris signs anyway. As McNair tolls Independence Hall's Liberty Bell, one member per state signs, establishing the United States of America.
Cast Delegates An asterisk (*) indicates an actor or actress who was also in the original Broadway cast.
William Daniels as John Adams (MA)* David Ford as John Hancock (MA)* Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson (VA)* Ron Holgate as Richard Henry Lee (VA)* Howard Da Silva as Benjamin Franklin (PA)* Donald Madden as John Dickinson (PA) Emory Bass as James Wilson (PA)* John Cullum as Edward Rutledge (SC) William H. Bassett as Thomas Heyward Jr. (SC) (uncredited) Gordon De Vol as Thomas Lynch Jr. (SC) (uncredited) Nicolas Coster as Delegate (SC) (uncredited) Jonathan Moore as Lyman Hall (GA)* William Engle as Button Gwinnett (GA) (uncredited) Barry O'Hara as George Walton (GA) (uncredited) Roy Poole as Stephen Hopkins (RI)* Howard Caine as Lewis Morris (NY) John Myhers as Robert Livingston (NY) Richard McMurray as Francis Lewis (NY) (uncredited) Rex Robbins as Roger Sherman (CT) Frederic Downs as Samuel Huntington (CT) (uncredited) Peter Forster as Oliver Wolcott (CT) (uncredited) William Hansen as Caesar Rodney (DE) Ray Middleton as Thomas McKean (DE) Leo Leyden as George Read (DE) James Noble as Reverend John Witherspoon (NJ) Dick O'Shea as Francis Hopkinson (NJ) (uncredited) Fred Slyter as Richard Stockton (NJ) (uncredited) Charles Rule as Joseph Hewes (NC)* Jack De Mave as John Penn (NC) (uncredited) Jordan Rhodes as William Hooper (NC) (uncredited) Patrick Hines as Samuel Chase (MD) Andy Albin as William Paca (MD) (uncredited) Heber Jentzsch as Charles Carroll of Carrollton (MD) (uncredited) Daniel Keyes as Josiah Bartlett (NH) John Holland as William Whipple (NH) (uncredited)
Others
Blythe Danner as Martha Jefferson Virginia Vestoff as Abigail Adams* Ralston Hill as Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress* William Duell as Andrew McNair, Congressional custodian* Stephen Nathan as Courier Mark Montgomery as Leather Apron (uncredited)
Cast billing per on-screen opening and closing credits
William Daniels Howard Da Silva Ken Howard Donald Madden John Cullum Roy Poole David Ford Ron Holgate Ray Middleton William Hansen Blythe Danner Virginia Vestoff Emory Bass Ralston Hill Howard Caine Patrick Hines William Duell Daniel Keyes Leo Leyden Stephen Nathan Jonathan Moore James Noble John Myhers Rex Robbins Charles Rule
Soundtrack
Overture – Orchestra "Sit Down, John" – John Adams, Congress "Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve" – John Adams "Till Then" – John and Abigail Adams "The Lees of Old Virginia" – Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams "But, Mr. Adams" – John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston "Yours, Yours, Yours" – John and Abigail Adams "He Plays the Violin" – Martha Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" – John Dickinson, John Hancock, The Conservatives "Momma Look Sharp" – Courier, Andrew McNair, Leather Apron "The Egg" – Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson "Molasses to Rum" – Edward Rutledge "Compliments" – Abigail Adams "Is Anybody There?" – Charles Thomson, John Adams Finale – Orchestra
An original motion picture soundtrack album was released in 1972 by Columbia Records on vinyl LP records. It contains all the musical numbers, with the exception of "Cool, Cool Considerate Men" and "Compliments". The soundtrack also contains the edited versions of some of the musical numbers that were presented in full on the laserdisc and DVD releases. Although the Original Broadway Cast recording was released on CD in 1992, the film soundtrack remains unavailable in any digital format as of 2026.
Production Jack L. Warner bought the film rights to the musical for $1.25 million.
Many members of the original Broadway cast, including William Daniels, Ken Howard, John Cullum, and Howard Da Silva, reprised their roles for the film. Ralston Hill, Ron Holgate, David Ford, Charles Rule and others repeated their roles from the Broadway production, marking their only appearances in feature film. This was a decision Warner made himself after feeling he made a mistake by turning down Julie Andrews for the 1964 film adaptation of My Fair Lady in favor of Audrey Hepburn.William Daniels interview with William Daniels on Turner Classic Movies, April 16, 2017
1776 was also the only film of Donald Madden, who was not in the original Broadway cast.
Exteriors were filmed at the Warner Ranch in Burbank, California, the former Columbia Pictures backlot, where they built an entire street of Colonial Philadelphia. Most of the Colonial sets were destroyed by a fire in the mid-1970s.
The water fountain seen during the musical number "The Lees of Old Virginia", with Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Richard Henry Lee, became known to television viewers as the fountain seen during the beginning credits of the TV series Friends. This fountain for years sat directly across the street from the Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie houses, until it was relocated to the main entrance of the nearby Warner Studios lot.
Interiors were shot at the old Columbia studio on Gower Street in Hollywood. 1776 was among the final films shot at Gower Studios before the Warner/Columbia merger in 1971.
"Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" was cut from the film prior to its release and not included on the soundtrack recording nor on the first VHS tapes and laserdiscs. The Los Angeles Times stated "The song 'Cool, Cool, Considerate Men' depicts Revolutionary War–era conservatives as power-hungry wheedlers focused on maintaining wealth." According to Jack L. Warner, the film's producer and a friend of President Richard Nixon, Nixon requested the song be removed. He apparently saw it as an insult, as it suggested the conservatives were hindering American independence as they danced a minuet singing the song that included the stanza,