Featured Media

You will now view a feature film that dramatically portrays the events related to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. For this you will need access to a copy of 1776 (1972).

1776 is a playful film version of the Tony Award-winning musical. Historically, the film manages to convey the conflict, trials, and tribulations that the Founding Fathers endured in the spring of 1776, just prior to their declaration of independence from Britain. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson are featured characters, and the early division between northerners and southerners over slavery is also depicted. The film offers a history lesson wrapped in the frivolity of a Hollywood musical.

Watch the film, then read the following essay about the historical accuracy of 1776: "1776" by Thomas Flemming in Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies.

Next, discuss the following questions with your colleagues or reflect on them in your journal:

1. Considering its accuracies and inaccuracies, is it better to have sufficient factual background information before watching 1776, or can the film be watched as a way of introducing the study of the historical period? (Note: Following either approach allows for discussion of Hollywood's shaping of history.)
2. What specific historical content does the film provide?
3. Which scenes or portions of the film make history particularly memorable?
4. Think about ways to shorten the viewing time required to show this film. Are there sections of the film that are irrelevant to the history that you can skip without losing viewer interest or losing important aspects of the story?
5. Does the fact that the film is "dated" and is a musical negatively impact its usefulness?