Film: William Daniels And The Declaration Of Independence

Superior Essays
America gained independence through bloodshed, gory battles, and a plethora of heated debates among the founding fathers of our country. The Continental Congress-who in the end signed the Declaration of Independence- was ironically initially not unanimously united in the idea of creating an independent nation: The United States of America. It was transparent that the liberation could only occur effectively if the delegates were able to make decisions on issues that they had with cutting off ties with the mother country. This was what transpired in the feature film 1776 in Philadelphia among the delegates of thirteen colonies. Despite the small inaccuracies that some may consider the film to have, the film mainly portrays historically accurate …show more content…
Actors such as Howard Da Silva who played Benjamin Franklin, helped the film maintain its historical accuracy because he was able to encompass the personality of Franklin so well. In fact, his most notable works have been his portrayals of historical figures. His actions in the film, his look, and his deep yet dignified voice help advance the film. The successful portrayal of John Adams by William Daniels as a strong and powerful person who pushes toward independence, shows how important the topic of freedom is. He is well respected and not as mocked publicly by the congress as it imprecisely shows in the film, but the mockery of his abrasive efforts show how dedicated our forefathers were to gaining separation from Britain. Daniels success in establishing the role well can be the effect of his experience from the live play as well as his experience in other pictures. The role of Thomas Jefferson by Ken Howard was also successful partly because of his experience in other work such as Child’s Play, which he gained a Tony for. He represented the character as a congressman, but also as a man with passion for his love life and personal hobbies. His wife was actually not brought to town like the movie suggests and in reality was grieving over a miscarriage. Regardless of that minute inaccuracy, the representation of Thomas Jefferson was still well done since it showed him invested into matters other than just political. Jefferson’s struggle with writing the Declaration of Independence was something I found entertaining because it was interesting to see how he was going to create a document that would stand for everything his country was to stand for. Additionally, his constant lack of satisfaction with his work makes him more relatable and realistic. The depiction of the characters were historically accurate, but

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