What I found most interesting was just how wrong I was about the Declaration of Independence. I was always taught that there was a unified fight for independence. I knew that the Continental Congress fought over funding for the war, but I never knew the extent to which the Southern States didn’t want to secede from Britain. I found it interesting how 1776 was able to tell a serious story through music also while using comedy. I never realized how much the other states didn’t like Adams and Massachusetts, and I think 1776 did a very good job at displaying this.
PHOUS makes me question what actually happened during these time periods. In 1776 the people in the Continental Congress are portrayed as regular people, while in reality the delegates were some of the richest people in the colonies. I know that the film is probably inaccurate, yet I was still able to learn a lot from it.
Contrasting the style of 1776 to Hamilton 1776 uses a more classical style of music, while Hamilton is much more modern and upbeat. Both are very successful portraying their story while using different strategies. Hamilton represents a more modern America while telling a story about the past. The play accomplishes this by using minorities as all the characters, and using rap and hip hop music to tell the story. Meanwhile, most of the main characters in 1776 are white males representing what the Continental Congress actually looked like.
I also found the movie extremely interesting in regard to the portrayal of the Northern States. Throughout my education, I was always taught about how great the Northern States were throughout history. We never heard the counterarguments against the Northern States. I also never realized that the other states didn’t like Massachusetts and John Adams. I was very surprised that the film was able to teach us this through songs & jokes.
I was also surprised and impressed by the film being able to teach us using different songs and by adding comedy here and there. I was also surprised by how different the Declaration of Independence was from when I learned about it years ago in school.
I really like your comparisons of the two plays, and think that the two differnt styles are incredibly useful in portraying history in modern day america. For some people, the music style in 1776 is appelaing, and they are able and willing to learn and take in history from that, whereas many others may find that type of musical boring. Accordingly, Hamilton does an incredible job filling the gap and providing a modern alternative for people who want to visually learn, but not be put to sleep through a music style that does not suit their preferences.
I also was super surprised by the Southern states not wanting to leave Britain. I thought everyone was on the same boat. I also thought that Adams was a beloved guy among all of the colonies, but I guess not. I feel like in school I was always taught how great of a guy Adams was, so it never occurred to me that people actually hate him. A little bit of a bias on my end.
I also never knew that the southern states did not want to secede from England. I thought it was interesting that many of the colonies were willing to sacrifice a decent trade partner as well as an ally for a causes that not too many people believed in.
I agree I had never seen the two before but they make it easy to follow along and are a great way to learn more about our country
I definitely agree with your critique of 1776’s portrayal of the Congressional delegates. One of my biggest issues with the film is that it portrays a divide between Loyalists and Patriots as aristocrats and the working class, respectively, whereas in reality, everyone holding governmental was a member of the elite class. Also, some of the characterizations of specific delegates are just wrong. Though the ideals of the Declaration might suggest otherwise, Thomas Jefferson was by no means an abolitionist, yet I found that there were moments where he was somewhat portrayed as one.
I agree with your remarks on the film 1776. It was a battle just to get all of the states to sign and unite for a common cause the had little effect on many of the states. When Adams was asked if the lower classes would want to stay with Britain or leave, he responded with “Most men would rather face the possibility of being rich than the reality of being poor”. They were not sure that a revolution would change their way of life, but they were willing to take their chances.