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John Adams:
Now, what do you know about the people, Dickinson? You don't speak for the people; you represent only yourself. And that precious status quo you keep imploring the people to preserve for their own good is nothing more than the eternal preservation of your own property. John Dickinson:
Mr. Adams, you have an annoying talent for making such delightful words as "property" sound quite distasteful. In heaven's name, what's wrong with property? Perhaps you've forgotten that many of us first came to these shores in order to security rights to property, And that we hold these rights no less dear than the rights you speak of. John Adams:
Yes. So safe, so fat, so comfortable in Pennsylvania. John Dickinson:
And what is this independence of yours except the private grievance of Massachusetts? Why is always Boston that breaks the King's peace? My dear Congress, you must not adopt this evil measure. It is the work of the devil. Leave it where it belongs: in New England
Now, what do you know about the people, Dickinson? You don't speak for the people; you represent only yourself. And that precious status quo you keep imploring the people to preserve for their own good is nothing more than the eternal preservation of your own property. John Dickinson:
Mr. Adams, you have an annoying talent for making such delightful words as "property" sound quite distasteful. In heaven's name, what's wrong with property? Perhaps you've forgotten that many of us first came to these shores in order to security rights to property, And that we hold these rights no less dear than the rights you speak of. John Adams:
Yes. So safe, so fat, so comfortable in Pennsylvania. John Dickinson:
And what is this independence of yours except the private grievance of Massachusetts? Why is always Boston that breaks the King's peace? My dear Congress, you must not adopt this evil measure. It is the work of the devil. Leave it where it belongs: in New England
Full Transcript
00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:06.368
NOW, WHAT DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT THE PEOPLE, DICKINSON?
00:00:06.437 --> 00:00:09.905
YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE.
YOU REPRESENT ONLY YOURSELF.
00:00:09.974 --> 00:00:12.207
AND THAT PRECIOUS STATUS QUO...
00:00:12.276 --> 00:00:15.477
YOU KEEP IMPLORING THE PEOPLE
TO PRESERVE FOR THEIR OWN GOOD...
00:00:15.546 --> 00:00:20.716
IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE ETERNAL
PRESERVATION OF YOUR OWN PROPERTY.
00:00:20.785 --> 00:00:24.998
MR. ADAMS, YOU HAVE
AN ANNOYING TALENT...
00:00:24.001 --> 00:00:29.658
FOR MAKING SUCH DELIGHTFUL WORDS
AS "PROPERTY" SOUND QUITE DISTASTEFUL.
00:00:29.727 --> 00:00:33.228
IN HEAVEN'S NAME, WHAT'S
WRONG WITH PROPERTY?
00:00:33.297 --> 00:00:36.565
PERHAPS YOU'VE FORGOTTEN THAT
MANY OF US FIRST CAME TO THESE SHORES...
00:00:36.634 --> 00:00:39.101
IN ORDER TO SECURE
RIGHTS TO PROPERTY...
00:00:39.169 --> 00:00:43.505
AND THAT WE HOLD THESE RIGHTS NO
LESS DEAR THAN THE RIGHTS YOU SPEAK OF.
00:00:43.574 --> 00:00:47.977
YES. SO SAFE, SO FAT, SO
COMFORTABLE IN PENNSYLVANIA.
00:00:48.002 --> 00:00:50.579
AND WHAT IS THIS
INDEPENDENCE OF YOURS...
00:00:50.648 --> 00:00:53.215
EXCEPT THE PRIVATE
GRIEVANCE OF MASSACHUSETTS?
00:00:53.283 --> 00:00:56.384
WHY IS IT ALWAYS BOSTON
THAT BREAKS THE KING'S PEACE?
00:00:56.453 --> 00:01:00.489
MY DEAR CONGRESS, YOU MUST
NOT ADOPT THIS EVIL MEASURE.
00:01:00.557 --> 00:01:02.725
IT IS THE WORK OF THE DEVIL.
00:01:02.793 --> 00:01:07.696
LEAVE IT WHERE IT
BELONGS... IN NEW ENGLAND.
00:01:07.765 --> 00:01:11.001
BROTHER DICKINSON, NEW ENGLAND HAS BEEN
FIGHTING THE DEVIL FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS.
00:01:11.999 --> 00:01:13.636
AND AS OF NOW, BROTHER SHERMAN,
00:01:13.999 --> 00:01:16.505
THE DEVIL HAS BEEN
WINNING HANDS DOWN.
00:01:16.999 --> 00:01:20.999
WHY, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, HE'S
SITTING RIGHT HERE IN THIS CONGRESS.
00:01:20.511 --> 00:01:24.479
DON'T LET HIM DECEIVE YOU. THIS
PROPOSAL IS ENTIRELY HIS DOING.
00:01:24.548 --> 00:01:26.999
OH, IT MAY BEAR VIRGINIA'S NAME,
00:01:26.055 --> 00:01:30.001
BUT IT REEKS OF ADAMS,
ADAMS AND MORE ADAMS.
00:01:30.999 --> 00:01:32.721
LOOK AT HIM. READY TO
LEAD THIS CONTINENT...
00:01:32.001 --> 00:01:35.001
DOWN THE FIERY PATH
OF TOTAL DESTRUCTION.
00:01:35.325 --> 00:01:39.999
OH, GOOD GOD! WHY CAN'T YOU
ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT ALREADY EXISTS?
00:01:39.797 --> 00:01:43.265
IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR
SINCE CONCORD AND LEXINGTON.
00:01:43.333 --> 00:01:45.768
DAMN IT, MAN, WE'RE
AT WAR, RIGHT NOW!
00:01:45.836 --> 00:01:49.001
YOU MAY BE AT WAR. YOU...
BOSTON AND JOHN ADAMS.
00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:51.084
BUT YOU WILL NEVER
SPEAK FOR PENNSYLVANIA.
00:01:51.001 --> 00:01:54.999
NOR FOR DELAWARE. MR. READ,
00:01:54.178 --> 00:01:57.001
YOU REPRESENT ONLY
ONE-THIRD OF DELAWARE.
00:01:57.614 --> 00:01:59.682
THE SENSIBLE THIRD, MR. RODNEY.
00:01:59.075 --> 00:02:02.001
SIT DOWN, OR I'LL
KNOCK YOU DOWN.
00:02:02.999 --> 00:02:07.389
SIT DOWN, ALL THREE OF YOU! McNAIR,
DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT DAMN DOG!
00:02:07.999 --> 00:02:10.001
FETCH ME A RUM.
GET THE DOG FIRST.
00:02:10.999 --> 00:02:12.999
I ONLY GOT TWO HANDS.
00:02:12.596 --> 00:02:16.001
[All Shouting]
00:02:17.001 --> 00:02:20.001
CHRIST, IT'S HOT!
00:02:22.084 --> 00:02:24.773
[Barking]
00:02:30.001 --> 00:02:33.999
OH. PLEASE DO GO ON, GENTLEMEN.
00:02:33.751 --> 00:02:36.999
YOU'RE MAKING THE ONLY
BREEZE IN PHILADELPHIA.
00:02:37.001 --> 00:02:39.001
MR. ADAMS,
00:02:39.069 --> 00:02:43.999
PERHAPS YOU COULD
CLEAR UP SOMETHING FOR ME.
00:02:43.001 --> 00:02:45.056
AFTER WE HAVE
ACHIEVED INDEPENDENCE,
00:02:45.999 --> 00:02:48.363
WHO DO YOU PROPOSE WOULD
GOVERN IN SOUTH CAROLINA?
00:02:49.767 --> 00:02:51.999
THE PEOPLE, OF COURSE.
00:02:51.001 --> 00:02:55.001
WHICH PEOPLE, SIR? THE
PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA...
00:02:55.172 --> 00:02:57.572
OR THE PEOPLE OF MASSACHUSETTS?
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Movie Summary
A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.
Actors
John Adams
Caesar Rodney (de)
