mkm and I have been watching the HBO mini-series “John Adams“. It is a wonderful and fascinating look at the life of our 2nd president and founding father of the United States. If I were asked what historical figure I would like to meet, I would probably say John Adams (or perhaps his wife!).
I have always loved early American history and I think the first thing that put me on to this was the movie (and later I saw the Broadway show) 1776. This is a classic piece of American musical theater and is a great example of a musical that can put together wonderful songs with a series story.
There are two songs that stick out for me in 1776 and I am going to include them both here. The first appears near the end of the play when it looks like there is little hope for the congress to declare independence. John Adams has a solo where he sings about his vision of the future of America. The second scene is earlier when they are debating the declaration itself. Jefferson had included a paragraph that would have basically abolished slavery in America. We know that this paragraph actually existed and that congress removed it from the final document. What we don’t know is how the debate went. This 2nd scene is one idea.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzfTqA6IlBY&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPH-GX8TcRI&hl=en]