1776 Musical

I went to this musical in 2007 with my mom, her sister, and a 14-year-old girl who is my aunt’s neighbor. The musical was at Rodgers Memorial Theatre in Centerville, a non-profit organization supported by the community. The story is based on a book by Peter Stone and was turned into a musical by Sherman Edwards. It is about the Continental Congress and the debates they had about whether to declare independence from Great Britain and become the first colony to break off from their political mainland.

There was some humor and sexual innuendo. The point of the story is to show that our early founders had strengths and flaws just like any person. The history of our early country is amazing and I truly believe the founders were inspired by God in the documents they wrote and the incredible odds they had to overcome for peace and sovereignty.

The most notable departures from historic fact include: Martha Jefferson never traveled to Philadelphia to be with her husband, she was in fact extremely ill during the summer of 1776, having just endured a miscarriage; in actuality, the Pennsylvania delegation numbered ten, not three, and John Dickinson abstained until he finally left Congress to join the army; and the signing of the Declaration actually took place weeks, not minutes, after the final vote.