Regarding the muscial 1776...

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I know the musical fans on these boards are few and far in between, but this question has been nagging at me all weekend and I thought I would bring it here. In the movie, there are several scenes where congress takes various votes by state and there is one state that ALWAYS abstains...does anyone remember which state abstains from all voting?



Thank you! This was driving me crazy and I was too lazy to watch the movie to find the answer...I thought it might have been New York, but I wasn't absolutely sure but I sure knew where to go to get the answer...THANK YOU!!!



The movie took a few dramatic liberties with history.

It was a good thing that New York abstained in the deciding vote since it had been ruled that the vote for independence must be unanimous (i.e. that no colony opposed it - the movie had that correct). The New York delegates did not have permission to vote FOR independence by their legislature - but they could have easily canned the whole resolution by voting "nay." Thankfully they abstained instead.

Cesar Rodney's last minute arrival did break the delegation tie for Delaware (giving the colony a "yea" vote).

The climactic scene of the final vote in the movie 1776 is not how it went down. The whole plot point with James Wilson wanting to remain anonymous as opposed to being "the man who sunk the revolution" was pure drama made for the play. Pennsylvania representatives John Dickinson (who led opposition against independence) & Robert Morris were absent from Congress on July 2nd as a show of their opposition to the resolution. Their votes were recorded as abstentions. Thus Pennsylvania ended up with a three to two "yea" majority vote for independence.

July 2nd, 1776 is the actual independence day - this is the day the Declaration was voted on and passed. John Adams said that July 2nd would go down in history. The significance of the 4th is that was the day when the Declaration was made public to the American people. Not sure why the 4th was designated Independence Day and not the 2nd (maybe because "July fourth" just sounds better? It has less syllables!)



You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Thank you! This was driving me crazy and I was too lazy to watch the movie to find the answer...I thought it might have been New York, but I wasn't absolutely sure but I sure knew where to go to get the answer...THANK YOU!!!

You're welcome.



The movie took a few dramatic liberties with history.

It was a good thing that New York abstained in the deciding vote since it had been ruled that the vote for independence must be unanimous (i.e. that no colony opposed it - the movie had that correct). The New York delegates did not have permission to vote FOR independence by their legislature - but they could have easily canned the whole resolution by voting "nay." Thankfully they abstained instead.

Cesar Rodney's last minute arrival did break the delegation tie for Delaware (giving the colony a "yea" vote).

The climactic scene of the final vote in the movie 1776 is not how it went down. The whole plot point with James Wilson wanting to remain anonymous as opposed to being "the man who sunk the revolution" was pure drama made for the play. Pennsylvania representatives John Dickinson (who led opposition against independence) & Robert Morris were absent from Congress on July 2nd as a show of their opposition to the resolution. Their votes were recorded as abstentions. Thus Pennsylvania ended up with a three to two "yea" majority vote for independence.

July 2nd, 1776 is the actual independence day - this is the day the Declaration was voted on and passed. John Adams said that July 2nd would go down in history. The significance of the 4th is that was the day when the Declaration was made public to the American people. Not sure why the 4th was designated Independence Day and not the 2nd (maybe because "July fourth" just sounds better? It has less syllables!)
They didn't sing and dance, either.



please check off answered....courteously