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John Adams:
All right, gentlemen. Let's get on with it. Which of us will write our Declaration of Independence? Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
[singing]
Mr. Adams, I say you should write it. To your legal mind and brilliance we defer. John Adams:
Is that so? Well, if I'm the one to do it, they'll run their quill pens through it. I'm obnoxious and disliked, you know that, sir. Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
Yes, I know. John Adams:
But I say you should write it, Franklin. Yes, you. Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
Hell no! John Adams:
Yes, you, Dr. Franklin, you... Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
But... John Adams:
You... Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
But... John Adams:
You... Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
But... Mr. Adams, but, Mr. Adams, the things I write are only light extemporania. I won't put politics on paper, it's a mania. So I refuse to use the pen in Pennsylvania. Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman:
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. Refuse to use the pen!
All right, gentlemen. Let's get on with it. Which of us will write our Declaration of Independence? Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
[singing]
Mr. Adams, I say you should write it. To your legal mind and brilliance we defer. John Adams:
Is that so? Well, if I'm the one to do it, they'll run their quill pens through it. I'm obnoxious and disliked, you know that, sir. Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
Yes, I know. John Adams:
But I say you should write it, Franklin. Yes, you. Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
Hell no! John Adams:
Yes, you, Dr. Franklin, you... Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
But... John Adams:
You... Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
But... John Adams:
You... Dr. Benjamin Franklin:
But... Mr. Adams, but, Mr. Adams, the things I write are only light extemporania. I won't put politics on paper, it's a mania. So I refuse to use the pen in Pennsylvania. Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman:
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. Refuse to use the pen!
Full Transcript
00:00:01.532 --> 00:00:02.931
HE ALWAYS DOES.
00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:05.767
ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN,
LET'S GET ON WITH IT.
00:00:05.836 --> 00:00:08.956
WHICH OF US WILL WRITE OUR
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE?
00:00:10.441 --> 00:00:14.051
♪ MR. ADAMS I SAY
YOU SHOULD WRITE IT ♪
00:00:14.578 --> 00:00:16.878
♪ TO YOUR LEGAL MIND
AND BRILLIANCE WE DEFER ♪
00:00:16.947 --> 00:00:20.449
♪ IS THAT SO WELL, IF
I'M THE ONE TO DO IT ♪
00:00:20.518 --> 00:00:22.429
♪ THEY'LL RUN THEIR
QUILL PENS THROUGH IT ♪
00:00:22.453 --> 00:00:25.187
♪ I'M OBNOXIOUS AND
DISLIKED YOU KNOW THAT, SIR ♪
00:00:25.256 --> 00:00:28.223
YES, I KNOW. ♪ BUT I SAY YOU
SHOULD WRITE IT, FRANKLIN ♪
00:00:28.292 --> 00:00:30.999
♪ YES, YOU ♪
♪ HELL, NO ♪
00:00:30.093 --> 00:00:32.661
♪ YES, YOU DR. FRANKLIN, YOU ♪
00:00:32.729 --> 00:00:34.496
♪ BUT, BUT ♪
♪ YOU, YOU ♪
00:00:34.565 --> 00:00:36.731
♪ YOU ♪
♪ BUT ♪
00:00:38.802 --> 00:00:42.404
♪ MR. ADAMS BUT, MR. ADAMS ♪
00:00:42.473 --> 00:00:45.907
♪ THE THINGS I WRITE ARE
ONLY LIGHT EXTEMPORANEA ♪
00:00:45.976 --> 00:00:49.545
♪ I WON'T PUT POLITICS
ON PAPER IT'S A MANIA ♪
00:00:49.613 --> 00:00:53.482
♪ SO I REFUSE TO USE
THE PEN IN PENNSYLVANIA ♪
00:00:53.551 --> 00:00:57.319
♪ PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA ♪
00:00:57.388 --> 00:01:01.019
♪ REFUSE TO USE THE PEN ♪
00:01:11.968 --> 00:01:15.437
♪ MR. SHERMAN I SAY
YOU SHOULD WRITE IT ♪
00:01:15.506 --> 00:01:18.999
♪ YOU ARE NEVER
CONTROVERSIAL AS IT WERE ♪
00:01:18.309 --> 00:01:21.443
THAT IS TRUE. ♪ WHEREAS
IF I'M THE ONE TO DO IT ♪
00:01:21.512 --> 00:01:23.999
♪ THEY'LL RUN THEIR
QUILL PENS THROUGH IT ♪
00:01:23.514 --> 00:01:25.998
♪ I'M OBNOXIOUS AND DISLIKED ♪
00:01:25.148 --> 00:01:26.893
♪ YOU KNOW THAT, SIR ♪
YES, I DO.
00:01:26.917 --> 00:01:29.718
♪ SO I SAY YOU SHOULD
WRITE IT, ROGER, YES, YOU ♪
00:01:29.786 --> 00:01:33.622
GOOD HEAVENS, NO. ♪ YES,
YOU ROGER SHERMAN, YOU ♪
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Movie Summary
A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.


