1776 - Molasses To Rum

[@SugarDemon1035]

As an arrogant Massachusettser, this song brings me great shame. So often we pretend slavery was a "southern" phenomenon - when the truth is that the North and the South profited equally from slavery. Only difference is that is happened to be more visible in the South.

[@LtBrown1956]

Sugar, you should not have the sins of your ancestors on your soul. as a side note, the north actually profited more when you count the financial and investment communities who financed the ship building and the actual trade ventures to africa and back. this is especially true if you consider that a large proportion of the slaves were sold in the Caribbean (not part of US). That is why (actually one of two main reasons) that states like NY, NJ, and Mass are much wealthier than states like Miss and La.

[@sharonmahoney9333]

Slavery was but one of the trades that benefited the North, and not for long once abolitionism took hold. The Industrial Revolution meant that the North, with its manufacturing base, was able to create more wealth on less land through manufactured goods than the agrarian South, which relied on the free labor of slaves to grow and harvest raw materials.

[@PCCphoenix]

That explains the final stanza: Mr. Adams, I give you a toast! Hail Boston, Hail Charleston... Who stinketh the most?

[@DavidbarZeus1]

@@sharonmahoney9333You'd be surprised. Shipping magnates in the North continued to ply the slave trade even after Congress abolished it. Yankee slave ships could be seen around Africa as late as the 1850's, something that some Southerners would complain about

[@dangelo1369]

@@LtBrown1956 No. While the North did greatly benefit from the slave trade, it was the South and the planter class that chose to defend the institution even when one of their own showed that it was detrimental in the long run titled: "The Impending Crisis of The South" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Impending_Crisis_of_the_South Even after the Civil War, the same planter class did everything in their power to defeat Reconstruction and to reinstitute slavery by other means: www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/home/ Jim Crow laws, penury laws, sharecropping and convict leasing were all part of a design to resteal and benefit from African labor despite changes in laws and the amending of the Constitution. It's ramifications are felt, even today; it's called "The Black Tax" blacktaxed.com/

[@seattlevixen]

Not only his haunting voice, but how still all the men are, listening to the words, knowing deep down they've participated and benefited from everything he's saying.

[@littleeva]

I am an old lady. I saw 1776, on Broadway in 1970 and during that song, you could hear a pin drop in the theater; which was amazing because on that day, the AC went out (it was August) and they had to open the doors so people could get air.

[@johnjamele]

I saw this at a dinner theater in Washington, DC in June 1982 with about 300 other High School students, and you absolutely could have heard a pin drop in the theater during it- and the applause afterwards from us 16-17 years old was deafening.

[@0knox]

someone ought to open up a window

[@ashleysmith8402]

I bet everyone in that theater was singing will someone open up a window.😂😂

[@hudsony777]

I was there, too. It was a powerful production, unforgettable. Unforgettable finale. DaSilva...Daniels...Vestoff...Buckley...Howard...I was not yet 13.

[@1brewski2]

We saw it in Toronto in 71 or 72. Shoulda heard the comments of those Canadians on the way out of the theater.

[@peterbanderas8184]

As the song grows darker so does the room... the shadows swallow up everyone in the room till they are nothing but faceless shapes lit by the crossed light coming from the shuttered windows... Very powerful imagery and song.

[@mellabartinez]

Must've been fall. I hate how quickly it gets dark in fall. Must've sucked to not have electricity back then.

[@karenkaren3189]

I saw it in the theatre in 1969....the audience was stunned into silence

[@loveinthetimeofsocialism]

my teacher said they’re all like that because they’re all stuck in their own minds, thinking about what rutledge was telling them

[@aceofspadesguy4913]

@@mellabartinez It was in the weeks leading up to July 2nd, so we can safely say it wasn't fall. Iirc this was June.

[@MichaelMurphy-wv4so]

That's a very astute assessment.....I never noticed the lighting.....I always loved the song. But I will from now on. Have an upvote and a thanks.......the lighting reminds me of the color of rum and currency etc

[@gazeboist4535]

Honestly, what I love most here is Bartlett's comment near the end: "For the love of God, Mr Rutledge, please." (implicitly: "you know it's rude to talk about this in the open.")

[@PapaLobo94]

“They know! They just don’t care!” - Batman

[@ruadhrose]

Yes well that’s a normal reaction when faced with one’s own hypocrisy so blatantly.

[@dndboy13]

i mean at that point the lyrics were "fondle them" so you know, yikes my man.

[@michaelwilliamybarra2409]

@@dndboy13 Even more yikes is the fallowing lines, "But don't FINGER them! They're prime. They're prime". ugh

[@Mousy677]

From what I know of the script Bartlett isn't annoyed but desperate.

[@PaperbackWizard]

What I love most about this song is the lyrics always emphasize that the ships carry "Bibles and slaves". These aren't just greedy men dealing in slavery, these are hypocrites who spread the "word of God" while they do it.

[@vegasjhon9455]

The bible is practically a slave owner's manual.

[@kipleyjazztrio]

Look up William Wilberforce

[@PaperbackWizard]

@@kipleyjazztrio I know who he is. They made the movie "Amazing Grace" about him.

[@r.hudsonmadeo5745]

You are assigning 21st century morals to prehistory men and women. The Bible is rather agnostic about slavery.

[@Nexus2126]

In the midst of the argument over a part of the Declaration of Independence removing slavery, Edward Rutledge, delegate from South Carolina, calls out the Northern colonies on the subject. This is easily the most haunting and uncomfortable part of this entire film.

[@ruadhrose]

Nexus258 It was the 2nd most stirring piece in the entire musical. Mostly because it was uncomfortably true.

[@lisabellamy8424]

The other part that haunts me is “Mama, Look Sharp.” The song of the young man dying on the field was in sharp contrast to them dying in Vietnam. John Cullum’s performance here is still a painful reminder of the history we refuse to acknowledge and for which we refuse to make amends...

[@randeman]

@@lisabellamy8424 Always brings on misty eyes here.

[@DavidOatney]

I find that Yankees still don't know their history. They don't realize that it was slavery and the slave trade that made the North-and especially New England-very rich. Opposition to slavery began to grow in earnest when Congress abolished the African slave trade, and the New Englanders-who wouldn't keep slaves themselves, largely-couldn't profit from it anymore. Thank God slavery is gone. The hypocrisy surrounding it on all sides was widespread. But it remains so even today, when the Left uses race as a political crutch.

[@DavidOatney]

@@boxman7044 the Dems are still a race-bating party, they just change the bigotry of the hour when it suits them.

[@marksman48]

John Cullum should have gotten an Academy Award for his performance. I have seen so many musicals and there are almost no other numbers that come close to affecting me as much as this one. Saw it as a 16 year old kid in a theater and was astounded by this performance.

[@gracegenevieve3235]

Would have to look it up, but willing to bet he did win a Tony. Not a bad accomplishment.

[@karenkaren3189]

I saw it also as a teenager in the late 60’s......the audience didn’t clap afterwards. Too stunned.

[@ktkat1949]

@@gracegenevieve3235 He did not win a Tony for 1776. However : He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including Shenandoah (1975) and On the Twentieth Century (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for each. In 1966 he gained his first Tony nomination as the lead in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, in which he introduced the title song, and more recently received Tony nominations for Urinetown The Musical (2002) (Best Actor in a Musical) and as Best Featured Actor in the revival of 110 in the Shade (2007).

[@strangebrew1231]

The academy awards mean nothing to how good something is. It should not be winning one to be the standard of “this is good”

[@black_sheep_nation]

You mean Tony Award? Oscars are Films. Emmys are television.

[@tracygittins6343]

I sang this one on stage here in Belgium about five years ago. Every night I left the stage exhausted and in tears.

[@zarinaa1135]

You must have an amazing voice to have the courage to sing this publicly! Applause for you sir!

[@snookumsjack]

Your country now has it's own Slaver History Arabs. Are you still crying?

[@scrapmetalgear6152]

@Angharad Keltik That's nothing to be proud of...

[@ktpinnacle]

Well done. And what a great opportunity. IMO, one of the great show stoppers in stage history.

[@freddie-fucknmercury891]

I used to practice this song when I was in Ohio, my roommates hated my ass.

[@8bithymnist887]

What I think it fascinating about this song psychologically is Rutledge is essentially arguing that slavery is so atrocious a reality, it shames everyone there to acknowledge its existence in the Declaration. He sub-consciously recognizes the evil of the institution but he can't accept the Northern attempt to condemn it because to do so would be to recognize what he is partial to. One of the greatest actor performances for a musical.

[@kallandar13]

I disagree. He recognizes consciously the brutality of slavery. What he objects to is Northerners pretending to have no part of it, when they’re the ones running the ships that bring slaves to America.

[@michaelgadeke5712]

I'm inclined to agree with tdudleypdx

[@aceofspadesguy4913]

I don’t think he really cares about his part in it, that’s how he’s made his wealth. He’s taking issue with the North’s self hypocritical self righteousness. Sure, they may not own slaves themselves, but they still profit from the slave trade.

[@BigWillyG1000]

The 18th West had this miraculous discovery slavery was evil even those practicing it. Romans never saw a reason to defend it the way those who pushed things like "scientific racism" in the 18th and 19th century. Romans never saw slavery as wrong. Even the defenses of slavery you get after 1700 reflect a culture that has realized it is as heart wrong.

[@geordi5054]

@@kallandar13 That's exactly what he says. Sort of abridged analysis by 8Bit Hymnist.

[@JOHN----DOE]

This is one of the greatest numbers in the history of musicals. In addition to an incredible performance, incredibly meaningful content. John Cullum is without peer.

[@letolethe5878]

John Adams can't meet his eyes.

[@rickymay583]

Pausen Think true, because he knows he's right. For as crass as he was, Rutledge did make a considerable point: the North didn't keep slaves, but they still profited from the Triangle Trade, thus showcasing the hypocrisy they were displaying. I'm not defending the issue, just presenting from the South perspective at the time.

[@ruadhrose]

Ricky May Actually there were still slaves in some of the “Union” states. Maryland, Delaware and even a few in Pennsylvania up until 1860 and beyond. Hell even US Grant still had slaves through the war.

[@DavidbarZeus1]

@@rickymay583Not only that, but Massachusetts was actually the first state to legalize slavery, even if it wasn't BLACK slavery

[@Isildun9]

It's hard to argue with the truth.

[@armorsmith43]

@Angharad Keltik > Slavery thrives with the advance of Islam Islamic culture propagated a lot of ancient Greek & roman culture. They preserved and developed medical and mathematical knowledge. They also continued and spread Greek & Roman patterns of slavery. The truth resists simplicity.

[@honeyjbc1]

Knocked it out of the park. Cullum was great! What a number.

[@39KHall]

Cullum has a great voice.

[@RosesNightengales]

Really wish there was an album with him in it :'(

[@HeshyRosenwasser]

@@RosesNightengales There is, but you have to scramble to get it ... www.amazon.com/Columbia-Pictures-Presents-Soundtrack-Recording/dp/B007KTD66E/ref=sr_1_6

[@RosesNightengales]

@@HeshyRosenwasser I think i have it i found them a looooooong time ago.

[@danielhayes7967]

He was enjoying this one.

[@michaelray4033]

0:40 Look at Jefferson. He knows what's coming. The acting in this film is astounding.

[@heatherhoward8064]

*This* is why movie musicals should use real singers. Actors like Johnny Depp and such I’m sure try their best, but they are simply not capable of this kind of depth, nuance and power. People who are not real singers have to spend so much energy and focus just trying to get the right notes out, there’s nothing left over for really acting the song, performing it to its full potential. I mean damn, listen to this guy!

[@seveng1147]

Johnny depp has been in a band for as long as he’s been an actor.. Johnny depp slander absolutely uncalled for and a terrible example considering he can sing …

[@lovelandfrog5692]

Chills. Chills every damn time.

[@armandocardona4478]

AND HOW--truer words were never spoken.

[@eddyindahouse8169]

Same

[@TheHachmom]

I first saw this when I was in high school, I never had trouble remembering the Triangle Trade.

[@zarinaa1135]

LOVE how the music turns into African drums halfway through! So freaky and really drives the point home.

[@clairegargiulo1489]

And you can hear the creaking of ship boards, like it's rocking back and forth in a dock.

[@PCCphoenix]

It does so right at the end of " 'Antigua, Barbados...we brung Bibles and _slaves!_ ' "

[@mikesnyder1788]

One of the most powerful songs ever sung on either stage or screen! My wife and I listen to "1776" every Fourth of July and this song always stops us in our tracks. Slavery was an abomination and the slave trade was a terrible chapter in our nation's history!

[@caseyknueppel9282]

"In EVERY nations history" sorry had to fix that. I hate when people say we were bad for having slaves when most of the world had slaves (even before african slave trade)

[@dangelo1369]

@@caseyknueppel9282 But the United States was one of the LAST countries to abolish it. Two wars were fought over it; The War With Mexico and The Civil War. From MY POV, as an African American, the question is apt: "Who stinkith the most?" To me, both sides are malodorous, even today.

[@caseyknueppel9282]

@@dangelo1369 what? Thats not true what so ever...Mauritania abolishes it in 1981...Portugal 1869, cuba was 1886, Brazil 1888, Puerto rico 1873 Bulgaria 1879, etc...i can continue..

[@caseyknueppel9282]

@Pitt udostępnia lol "war slavert and slavery are different" that was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I know where you're coming from because one was a orginized multi-continent trade. While the other was just taking slaves from rival tribs, etc..but slavery in general is slavery...

[@armorsmith43]

@Pitt udostępnia Yea no. The Transatlantic slave trade grew out of "war slavery". It intensified it to an ungodly scale you because scaling-up is what capitalism excels at, but it did originate from slave-trading networks that the Portuguese had contact with in North and West Africa.

[@ashleyking2002]

[RUTLEDGE, spoken] Our Northern brethren. Feelin' a bit tender toward our slaves. They don't keep slaves. Oh, no. But they're willin' to be considerable carriers of slaves to us. They're willing-for the shilling! Or haven't you heard, Mr. Adams? Clink. Clink (sung) Molasses to rum to slaves Oh, what a beautiful waltz You dance with us, we dance with you In molasses and rum and slaves Who sail the ships out of Boston? Laden with bibles and rum Who drinks a toast To the Ivory Coast? "Hail Africa, the slavers have come!" New England with bibles and rum And it's off with the rum and the bibles Take on the slaves, clink clink! Then hail and farewell to the smell Of the African coast! Molasses to rum to slaves 'Tisn't morals, 'tis money that saves Shall we dance to the sound Of the profitable pound? In molasses and rum and slaves Who sail the ships out of Guinea Laden with bibles and slaves 'Tis Boston can boast To the West Indies coast "Jamaica, we brung what ye craves!" Antigua, Barbados: "We brung bibles and slaves!" spoken) Gentlemen, you mustn't think that our Northern friends see our black slaves as merely figures on a ledger. Oh, no, they see them as figures on a block! Look at the faces at the auctions, gentlemen. White faces on African wharves. Seafaring faces. New England faces. "Put them in the ships. Cram them in the ships! Stuff them in the ships."Hurry, gentlemen! Let the auction begin! (sung) Ya-ha! Ya-ha-ma-cundah! (spoken) Gentlemen, do you hear? That's the cry of the auctioneer sung) Ya-ha Ya-ha-ma-cundah! (spoken) Slaves, gentlemen! Black gold! Livin' gold! Gold from: (sung) Angola Guinea, Guinea, Guinea Blackbirds for sale! Ashanti Ibo, Ibo, Ibo, Ibo Blackbirds for sale! Handle them, fondle them But don't finger them! They're prime! They're prime! Ya-ha! Ya-ha-ma-cundah! [HANCOCK[?], spoken] For the love of God, Mr. Rutledge, please! [RUTLEDGE] Molasses to rum to slaves Who sail the ships back to Boston Laden with gold? See it gleam! Whose fortunes are made In the Triangle Trade? Hail slavery: the New England dream! Mr. Adams, I give you a toast! Hail Boston Hail Charleston Who stinketh the most?

[@michellejsmith9618]

This song gets to me every single time. Makes me FEEL "some type of way", every, single, time, and seriously want to "some type of", "Damage". This is why i don't listen to it, as often as i used to. Then again at the same time on the other hand, i love the song. 💯It's, The Truth💯 .

[@SilenceNova]

Thanks so much. I was looking for the full lines from the film. Also, love your avatar.

[@ashleyking2002]

@@SilenceNova thanks I did the musical for english honors and this song GOT TO ME I had to get the full lyrics

[@ashleyking2002]

@@michellejsmith9618 I feel the same way!! It makes me feel like an anti hero that needs to point out injustice

[@stepaniah2072]

Thanks for this. And I believe it was Josiah Bartlett from NH that stood up

[@fwsimon110]

“For the love of god Rutledge, please!” 7 words that describe this song perfectly

[@colleen4ever]

The ironic part is that John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife that if they didn't abolish slavery in the Declaration we would go to war over this same issue 100 years from now! Who knew he could predict the future?

[@robinjackson7882]

He was following the logic of it. Just as they didn’t remember the ladies, either, though Abigail urged John to do so.

[@MattLeger]

Would you believe this is the very same actor who went on to portray eccentric bar-owner Holling Vincoeur in the CBS series NORTHERN EXPOSURE? He also played an alcoholic stage actor hitting the skids in the original QUANTUM LEAP. Truly a very versatile talent...and he's still around at 93! John Cullum is a national treasure!

[@kennethwayne6857]

I've been blessed to see him onstage in six different shows over a period of almost 25 years. Musicals, modern plays and Shakespeare. Hits it out of the park every single time!

[@badwizard1312]

I saw Nothern Exposure before this play. I was amazed that the bartender could sing like this

[@Nyckname]

I'd love to be able to pay singers to occasionally start belting this out in Independence Hall.

[@PapaLobo94]

How much are your charging?

[@outb4thecount]

Such a powerful performance. I almost feel like I can see the scenes he's portraying.

[@gkennedy2998]

No matter how many times I watch this performance, the hairs on my neck stand up. John Cullum performed this on Broadway nightly for years. Can you imagine belting this out eight times a week?

[@black_sheep_nation]

I witnessed it at least 10 of those times.

[@flanplan5903]

John fucking cullum man. Holy shit, was he a talented actor or what? Happy 50th anniversary to this gem of a movie. I hope it gets a criterion release. My parents saw the revival of this in the 90’s and I watched this movie (and read the script) in high school. No doubt about it, this number is probably more powerful to watch in person than it is on the script or cast recording. I’ve never seen this show live before, so I am guessing that it is probably so fucking intense to the point where it reaches Daniel Day Lewis levels. I wonder how many people in the crew were scared shitless of Cullum after this number or gave him a round of applause.

[@kennethwayne6857]

Is a talented actor. Mr. Cullum is still with us, and at least until quite recently, still performing. He turned 93 in early March, I believe. Good health to him!

[@patriciatedwards8670]

A magnificent performance by John Cullum.

[@sosidecop64]

Patricia T Edwards Indeed. Vastly underrated. RIP.

[@danagrayson8778]

sosidecop64 thankfully John Cullum is still with us, and still acting. He was just on an episode of Madam Secretary last week.

[@sosidecop64]

Dana Grayson I think he passed earlier this year.

[@danagrayson8778]

sosidecop64 he is literally appearing on Broadway as we speak, he just joined the cast of "Waitress" less than a month ago. The man is currently alive. www.playbill.com/article/tony-winner-john-cullum-joins-broadways-waitress-october-12

[@sosidecop64]

Dana Grayson You are correct. I thought I read somewhere he had passed. My mistake.

[@suzankatzir2983]

What that man can do with his voice! He's still doing it in his 90s. Had a one man show last winter.

[@JaniceinOR]

Wow, that's amazing!

[@Flashjackmak]

"Ya love sausage but ya hate to see it made" the song

[@billfisher9238]

i think it's one of the great musical performances on film. ever. how i would have loved to see him do this onstage.

[@Loftur1172]

This isn't my favorite song in the movie, but it's absolutely my favorite performance. It's so good.

[@RokDocJekyl]

"Oh what a beautiful waltz..." At this Adams turns away. He knows the truth of it. What great performances.

[@clairegargiulo1489]

One of the most amazing musical songs ever. Is it just me, or does anyone else think Cullum's voice SOUNDS like molasses?

[@coloraturaElise]

I think he's trying to get that effect; you hear it even more on the bwy recording.

[@errk25]

I remember seeing this film in the 70's in high school. This song changed me as a teenager and has stuck with me ever since. Years later I watched John Cullum in the TV series Northern Exposure which is one of my favorite all time programs. I didn't make the connection until he did some singing in series. I was blown away.

[@lisalee84]

Ditto, ditto. :) ......

[@suzankatzir2983]

It took me until his performance as Green's father in ER, singing "I Remember it Well" with Judy Parfitt.

[@iamdornsky]

Same here. I remember when his character on Northern Exposure started singing, then you knew he was an accomplished singer.

[@FanboyFilms]

I first saw him on Northern Exposure, but it was actually a guest-shot on Quantum Leap where he was playing Man of La Mancha that I realized he must be a legitimate Broadway singer.

[@56squadron]

Yes... only in my case it was a middle school field trip in the 70's to see it... and I staggered out of the theater changed forever. I think that was the moment I truly became an American, because for the first time in my young life I understood what it meant. And Howard Da Silva's Franklin is the best that was ever done.

[@Mousy677]

Cullum isn't a tenor (which this role is scored for) and that does mean that this loses the dramatic irony of the voice of traditionally the not-many-thoughts lover-boy coming out with these... genuinely horrible sentiments, but something about his acting throughout the whole show and especially this song is both extremely unsettling and compelling. The guy who plays Rutledge in the 1997 revival gives Molasses to Rum a kind of "irony", which is still rather unpleasant because of the subject matter, but Cullum for one thing really gets the "we have been stuck in this damn room in hundred-degree heat and miserable humidity for far too long, we have been declared traitors and threatened with hanging and now you're all going to open your hypocritical mouths? Well, I can make you regret even being born" which I kind of imagine would have been seeping in by this point. It's a genuinely fantastic portrayal of complete, poisonous contempt towards everybody who happens to have the misfortune to be in his line of sight, and it's also one of the scenes where the Brechtian staging really justifies itself. The blocking usually creates a 'distance' between the singer and the rest of the characters during songs to imply that obviously they aren't really SINGING this with the lighting (like in Cool, Cool, Considerate Men) but especially during the 'auction' it's noticeable that while Cullum is lit a little more it's more of a practical decision and he mostly just has the same lighting as everybody else. As in, Rutledge is actually jumping on the table in the diegetic world of the show and acting all this out while presumably everybody else is just completely frozen with horror.

[@yusinadiana]

Cullum should get an award for this performance.

[@kt9166]

Just watched this for the first time in a while, due to reading a NYT article about the 91-year-old John Cullum performing a virtual one-man-show for Broadway. The clip makes me think of seeing it every night during its three week run at the movie theatre I was working at in Denver. The audiences were not large, as the film did not do well, but every night this performance stunned the theatre goers. They wanted to applaud the song, Cullum's magnificent performance, but were bewildered. How can you applaud such a heinous thing as approval of slavery? They were stunned, and every night they came out of the movie theatre talking about it, the meaning of it all. One of my most vivid memories of this, which has become one of my favorite films of all time. Thank you so much for posting the clip.

[@henn863]

John Cullum should have received an Oscar nomination for this song alone.

[@detectivefiction3701]

I *love* John Cullum's voice!

[@valerieverdi2730]

This important song needs John Cullums magnificent voice to do it justice. Just marvelous. As a young teenager I learned a sad truth from this song. It made me do research and I was confronted by my naive ideas.

[@christopherahern2768]

Best villain song ever

[@RosesNightengales]

Edward Rutledge is a Villain ? O.o How so?

[@libRteedude]

I wouldn't even call him a villain. More like a political opponent whose reticence to follow the heroes is based on how it could affect him and his constituents. From his perspective, Adams and his ilk want him to fight in a war that could cost them everything, then act indignant when the South want certain concessions made in pledging their allegiance to the Revolution. The song's not even about the South's villainy, but the North's hypocrisy in hating slavery with words and profiting from it in practice. If anything, Rutledge is providing a massive reality check to Adams and Jefferson, showing they're just as flawed (and maybe even evil) as they think the South is.

[@Backinblackbunny009]

His constituents were the few hundred richest plantation owners. Only the rich had any voice. It wasn't fidelity to the people of his state, it was fidelity to his class. Slavery wasn't just immoral it was also terrible for the economy of the slave states by depressing the wages of all paid labor. Plantations were literally a return to feudalism with a evil American flourish.

[@libRteedude]

@@Backinblackbunny009 The same could easily be said about the North. Despite what the musical claims, the North was not filled with only impoverished peasants. All the businessmen and merchants were profiting from the slave trade as well, they just didn't partake in it as directly.

[@Backinblackbunny009]

Only a tiny fraction, the slave trade was terrible for almost everyone else especially northern farmers and tradesmen that bordered slave states.

[@emte4236]

My dad made us watch this every 4th of July. He wasn't patriotic, he just loved musicals. This one was my favourite song. Beautiful melody.

[@alexakl6445]

I've seen this movie many times - I think the first time was in '1976 when I was 12. It was the Bicentennial. It used to be a tradition for my mother and I to watch it every 4th of July and I'm still doing it and every single time I watch this performance, I get goosebumps and teary-eyed thinking of those poor souls and the hell they went through. Great and powerful performance by John Collum. Understandably, he has won Tony's and also nominations during hsi career which I think might be still going at near 90 years old.

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Congratulations to the writers and to John Cullom for making a song so enrapturing and yet so viscerally uncomfortable. Well done, truly.

[@antoniusbritannia8217]

For the love of God, Mr. Rutledge. . .

[@ashleysmith8402]

Will someone shut that man up.

[@0knox]

@@ashleysmith8402 NEVER

[@miamcintosh7983]

@@0knoxNEVER!!!

[@DavidbarZeus1]

I recently learned something interesting. Just before this scene, Jefferson says that he has resolved to free his slaves, and he is often attacked for never actually doing so in life. What I learned is that it was legally IMPOSSIBLE for him to free his slaves, no matter how much he despised slavery. Virginian law required that freed slaves be given $200 by his former masters so that he doesn't become a burden on the economy as a result, and if a freed slave belonged to someone who owed money, the freedman could be enslaved again in payment of the debt. As Jefferson died $107,000 in debt, he couldn't financially afford to free his slaves. He would end up further in debt, and his slaves would just be slaves to someone else in order to pay his debt.

[@lamagiduneinstant76]

Wesley Molt ~ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS EXPLANATION - I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS FOREVER AGO. IT NEVER JIVED FOR ME..

[@Backinblackbunny009]

He freed his four biracial children with his slave Sally. Interestingly she was his dead wife's half sister.

[@dangelo1369]

That's not accurate: www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/slaves-who-gained-freedom However, do you absolve a thief for stealing just because he later goes against stealing as "immoral" while still possessing stolen goods?

[@sarcastic4982]

@@dangelo1369 if stealing was the norm at the time

[@K9TheFirst1]

I learned that freeing a slave also required an act of (the colony's) congress in order to be approved. And as anyone who has followed the process of passing *any* act in Congress, you should know that is not a speedy or likely process. Jefferson tried to amend the practice to give slaveowners more autonomy in the process, but the motion was resoundingly defeated.

[@kipleyjazztrio]

The coolest thing about this performance is it sang it live ... Nobody did that in musicals back then . But it was necessary for the song . And of course he sang it on Broadway and nailed it

[@ktpinnacle]

Fantastic play, fantastic film, and one of the most memorable scenes in a musical IMO.

[@lynnehenderson4140]

Every hair on my body stands on end no matter how many times I watch this---John Cullum took no prisoners!!!

[@melvinmayfield470]

There is NOTHING else like this anywhere! Have been CAPTIVATED by this play/musical, since I was priviledged, to see both the movie, and the B'way play (Originals!) back in 1972, when I was 10! Various odd-jobs(shining-shoes & packing groceries for customers in supermarkets, mostly), allowed the opportunity. What performances! Amazing pace & timing! GREAT-Writing!

[@loraross3598]

I saw J.D. Cullum play Master Harold in "Master Harold and the Boys" at the Wells Theater in Norfolk, VA season 85'-86. (I didn't have a clue who he was at the time.) After the show there was a question and answer session. My best friend and I turned around to see a person commenting on the show...It was John Cullum!!! He had come to see his son in the play. We nearly freaked out! "Molasses to Rum to Slaves" is my favorite song from 1776, as it's staged SO dramatically. I've seen a B'Way touring cast of 1776. I would love to have seen John Cullum in person in a B'Way musical. What a Voice and what Talent!!! John Cullum is definitely an American Treasure!!!

[@michaelnoll8348]

I believe he has the best voice of the entire cast. Incredible!!!!!

[@coloraturaElise]

Lee also is right up there vocally.

[@mrs.manherz2512]

No matter how many times I listen to this, it's always blows me away how amazing it truly is.

[@sophiejaycolt4374]

the dramatic backing places the audience in such an immersive state-- you really get the intensity, normalized brutality of slavery

[@haydenhayden8433]

This song is such an interesting and good example of a different sort of villain song. First, the music is written to make the listener uncomfortable. The orchestra and the vocal parts don't line up perfectly and they create funky chords that make it uncomfortable to listen too. The other thing is it is not a normal villain song. He's not singing about wanting or needing something, he's pointing out the hypocrisy of the Congress. It's interesting cause he is kind of viewed as the villain yet he is not much different from the rest of them. He simply decides to speak up. A truly remarkable song that shows how the other Congress are criticizing this vile practice while also participating in it.

[@letolethe3344]

No, no one who is intelligent views this as a "villain song", because it's much too complex and weighty for that. It implicates the entire country as "villains", not one person or faction.

[@OrionCorsari]

Forget for a moment, if you possibly can, the derision conveyed so perfectly in his voice and study his movement. Every step and every gesture in perfect harmony with the lyrics. A masterful and once in a lifetime talent.

[@Magicalmaticore]

I would like to point out that this is one of the only videos of this song despite multiples of all the other songs from the movie. Is it because people don't wanna admit how hypocritical the north really was or just because how descriptive he got about how the slaves were treated? Seriously.

[@Magicalmaticore]

Angharad Keltik i don't see how that has to do with anything I stated? I simply said how it was hard to find a video of this song then followed up by musing if it was because of hypocrisy or because of how detailed the song goes. I don't see how that has anything to do with "me needing to do research".

[@Magicalmaticore]

Angharad Keltik um...okay? I mean I didn't come here for a history lesson but thanks anyways I guess. If I wanted an accurate view of history I most certainly wouldn't rely on this movie aftet all xD

[@DavidbarZeus1]

The North was being hypocritical because of how willing they were to trade in slaves, as the song states. "Mr. Adams, I give you a toast: Hail Boston, Hail Charleston, Who stinketh the most?" Charleston stinks of slavery, and Boston stinks of hypocrisy for preaching against slavery yet profiting off of slavery.

[@Magicalmaticore]

Oh I'm aware. Another fact that people seem to sadly forget.

[@ruadhrose]

And I have to wonder did Roger Sherman finally speak up because it just bothered him or because he knew it was very true.

[@MusicalTheatre1011]

John Cullom is just magnificent in this.

[@puppyfaces]

This song is the soul of the show; Momma Look Sharp is the heart

[@zarinaa1135]

THANK YOU A MILLION FOR THE LYRICS IN THE DESCRIPTION!!!!!!!

[@samvidas9599]

You realize you can also just turn the subtitles on, right?

[@zarinaa1135]

Samantha Vidas But subtitles never work. They always get the words wrong. Like Google Translate.

[@perfectsense3240]

This musical is just fantastic

[@seanhenasey5065]

One of the heaviest songs I’ve ever heard.

[@georgeofhamilton]

I love how everyone else sits there silent and motionless.

[@lorreinemclean7650]

Always been an amateur historian on Revolutionary period in our history. This song and reaction by those present show the various opinions and outcomes of our great Declaration of Independent decree. All actors suburb. Been watching this since 1997. Will continue watch this musical til end of my days. Superb Superb!

[@jamesloring7186]

Their worry, not ours, right now we have failing schools and discintigrating cities

[@cromulentwords]

The pipes on this man, holy lord

[@magiv4205]

The cracking of the whip made me shudder. So horriffic, but so good.

[@shadow9478]

The whole idea of the song is he's not glorifying slavery he's calling out the hypocrisy of the North. The north benefited from slaves just as much as the South did.

[@jonathonbartos3061]

Exactly. Which is why this song still hits so damn hard. At no point does Rutledge defend the institution of slavery. In fact, this song reinforces the inhumanity of the institution. But he is calling out the Northern delegates on their bullshit.

[@ktpinnacle]

Seen a number of great performances, and I include acting, stage and speech. Even political speeches. I can always rely on my emotions to identify the best I've seen, something historically fine. This is one of those numbers - and performances. I still can't get over it when i see Cullum's work here.

[@Hitomarokun]

This really happened. Singing, lighting, sound effects all.

[@antoniusbritannia8217]

They're willing, for the shilling.

[@gunsaway1]

I think that was the greatest performance in the entire movie!

[@pointillismjazz]

Art powerfully portrays political expedience which drives pivotal events such as Declaration of Independence... this indelibly prints the history of the triangle trade in imagination. John Cullum is a MASTER actor.

[@Mickkie]

😭😭I'll admit that i have ALWAYS had a Love-Hate-❤LOVE❤ relationship with the song. I've been watching 1776, since i was a Young Teen. This song, it just, breaks my heart, "EVERY" time i hear it. Even til' this day.7.18. '23. 😭😭

[@tlondonable]

After visiting DC and Arlington last week and see this movie yesterday, I had to buy it. Such a great movie. Especially this scene.

[@bonsaipal]

Astonishing voice, astonishing performance, unforgettable!

[@angieallen4884]

When I first saw this play, live on stage, I was shocked and angered and moved by this number to the point of tears. When I saw the film on DVD later, this rendition produced the same result. I use it fairly often to illustrate something that is not taught in school and that I did not learn until I was in my 30s.

[@black_sheep_nation]

Opening night, 1969. This song and performance were so powerful, that the audience was stunned into silence. Belatedly, three sentences into the next actor's dialogue, the audience jumped to their feet in thunderous applause. My grandfather produced and won the best set and lighting design for the original 1776. went to many performances. Collum's performance is burned in my memory. I assumed it was my 6 year old mind which made this song, and particularly the actor's delivery, was what lleft such an indelible impression. It was not. Every performer since has paled in comparison.

[@kathrynmolesa1641]

John cullum turned this in to a tour de force.

[@Cyberlucy]

He is such and amazingly trained singer. His diction is perfect, and his tone is beautiful.

[@zephyrus1161]

The guy who sang this in the production I was in was just terrifying when he sang and I'd just freak out back stage while he sang this

[@madidason3574]

Mr. Rutledge: AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! That one guy: For the love of god, Mr. Rutledge, please.

[@ktkat1949]

Not an American but saw this movie one July 4th. I was so impressed with it I went out and bought the VHS and then the DVD. I also commenced to read a lot about the Revolutionary war and the people involved in the signing of the Declaration. Fascinating history. It is so sad that the issue wasn't settled then. It appears the USA is still fighting this issue all over again today.

[@TheFattestLInHistory]

I mean, sort of, but I do not think in the way you are you thinking of it

[@elmhaven]

What a magnificent performance!!

[@up2my]

this and brian stokes michell's "this nearly was mine" from south pacific are my 2 favorite dramatic songs in broadway theatre. BRAVO

[@danielfigueroa3629]

177 Likes + 6 Dislikes = 1776 I added the 177th 👍!!! Yay I feel special! Whats interesting is how I ended up watching this video.🤔😳 Anyways, it did start with me googling "Who chose the bald eagle as the national symbol?" The answer is: Charles Thompson Oh and actor Ralston Hill is apparently playing his role in this film. Ok thanks for learning something new today, bye and God bless you much!

[@PlayNowPlayL8tr]

Thanks for the 👍 and the info i didn't know about Charles Thomson .Ben Franklin 's proposal for the Great Seal was devoid of birds completely ..although when asked :“For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. "....."For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America"......

[@danielfigueroa3629]

PlayNowPlayL8tr 👌That's sounds accurate, thanks for the info too!

[@Nyckname]

To quote Gary Trudeau, "Bravo for life's little ironies."

[@texan-american200]

We saw this in 1976 at our school auditorium. We were enjoying the movie and laughing at the funny parts, but when this part had us silenced and mesmerized. It was a powerful song with an equally powerful message.

[@randoldyer2223]

There are no words to explain how good this song is

[@lindaclark7868]

This song, rendered magnificently by John Cullum, always gives me goose bumps.

[@ericwade6186]

THIS song is excellent - a mirror to all of those who pretend their hands are not dirty.

[@TheFattestLInHistory]

Well, I think it is more just to show that it was not a black and white ‘south was evil and north was right and just’ narrative that holds in many people today and back then as well. My colleagues today obviously did nothing, nor did many of this parents and so on, so they should not inherently feel guilt of their race and personhood for that. It was for their time.

[@sosayweall_jpg]

@@TheFattestLInHistory no one is saying you should feel guilt for your race or personhood for the potential actions of your ancestors. no serious person would thrust that guilt upon you. that doesn't mean you still can't benefit from racial privilege and others suffer from racial prejudice and oppression. recognizing this is important so we can move forward toward a more equal/equitable society.

[@neal6912]

I listen to this every July 4 so I never forget how it all happened.

[@colleendelaporta617]

Same.

[@lucysnowe31]

Holling from "Northern Exposure" sure can sing! The amazing John Cullum!

[@TitaniumIris]

I've watched this movie every 4th of July for as long as I can remember. My mom had a copy of the theatrical release, which didn't include this song. I didn't see it until I bought a DVD 'extended edition once I moved away from my parents' house. It is SO uncomfortable to watch; as well it should be. My stomach hurdles, my breath becomes short, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I want to listen to this song because of the absolutely incredible performance. Still, at the same time, I don't want to be reminded of how tangled in slavery nearly every part of US and Western European history is. A stunning, heart-stopping performance that makes one viscerally feel, down in your bones, the profound stains the triangle trade put on history.

[@DavidbarZeus1]

I just watched this on July 4th again, as per my tradition, and I remembered something interesting about the passage that Rutledge complains about. Although in the movie they say the passage was about slavery, to me it sounds more like it's about the slave trade, which means the South would have actually supported it, and the NORTH would have been the ones to walk out. Also, it would make sense for it to be about the slave trade, as Virginia had been leading the fight to end it, and one of the first things they did after declaring independence on June 12 was to outlaw the international slave trade, and declaring any slave brought to Virginia's shores due to the slave trade would be immediately set free.

[@K9TheFirst1]

This needs to be taught more in school. Actually, a LOT of things concerning Slavery, the South, and the lead up to the Civil War and the War Itself - such as West Virginia had been admitted mid-war as a Slave State - needs to be taught. Especially the bits that are uncomfortable *because* of how it shows Slavery wasn't 100% Hell all the time. I can tell you a story of a slave woman who used a loophole in the system to earn money to free her husband and their children, which is never taught because some people say "it makes Slavery not look terrible."

[@karenlorentz5048]

I was luck enough to see him perform this on Broadway....stopped the show.

[@ainsleyzirkle2485]

Fun fact the actor who played Thomas Jefferson in the movie was actually 14 years younger than the actor who played Edward Rutledge even though Rutledge was supposed to be 5 years younger.

[@Arkelk2010]

This is a stunning song, and John Cullum is absolutely fabulous is singing--both technically and emotionally. I wonder what the effect on the rest of the cast was, hearing this eight shows a week.

[@sarahflanagan9345]

Always a rare event when Hollywood and Broadway speak truth about the history of slavery in the USA. I remember hearing this song for the first time and couldn't believe the honesty of these words.

[@Salemchevy]

The symbolism here is what gets me. But what most people don’t know is before the passage of the great 13 amendment and 14 and 15. The south did not have everyone owning slaves. Mostly it was rich southern Democrats that did. And when the north and Abraham Lincoln wanted to ban slavery they convinced the south to leave the union because they were told it is over rights.

[@albatross3607]

one word: goosebumps

[@thehulkmadsmash6716]

so powerful

[@jamesguthrie9454]

His arguement it that while the northern states do not own slaves and their hands are clean of that, it does not mean they are not also in the mud of slave trade.

[@valaedwards5951]

Saw this in Middle School, 7th grade. Now I have the DVD to watch it. Still an awesome movie.