American History

Being the third President of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson is a man often associated with power and a reputation that commands respect. He is best known for being the primary author of the United States Declaration of Independence and as a patriot who devoted his time and efforts to promoting republicanism in the United States. His efforts were not in vain as he eventually led the struggle for the independence of the thirteen colonies in America who were then considered at war with the British Empire.

The statement of the United States Declaration of independence has been a major milestone in the consequent freedom of the American People that its adoption by the Continental Congress   the convention of delegates from the then governing Thirteen colonies of the United States   on the 4th of July is now commemorated annually as a federal holiday in the United States of America as the countrys  Independence Day .

The  adoption of the Declaration of Independence has been such a celebrated axis in the nations history that countless  recreations and renditions have been produced to further immortalize the momentous occasion. Fictional novels tackled issues regarding other possibilities that concerned the Declaration of Independence. Science fiction writer L. Neil Smith penned a story called  The Probability Broach   wherein the state of the nation shifts dramatically with the addition of a single word onto the document, while English Author Jeffrey Archer featured the document in his novel  Honour Among Thieves , a story where Saddam Hussein plans to steal the Declaration of Independence document and burn it on the 4th of July to get back at the United States for defeating Iraq in the gulf war.

In film, the Declaration played a major role in the  adventure movie National Treasure, a story where the document is said to carry a secret code that leads to a treasure trove of various historical artifacts.

Key figures that had to do with the drafting and signing of the Declaration were also commemorated in various media, such as the TV miniseries  John Adams , which featured one of the more prominent Founding Fathers,  John Adams, the countrys first Vice-President. Adams also played a key role in the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

The most widely-received interpretation of the adoption of the Declaration document though, is a musical film that came out  in 1972, the classic  1776  which was Directed by Peter Hunt.

A light-hearted musical which was adapted from a Broadway musical of the same name, 1776 is based on the actual events that led to the authoring and signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. Featuring the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, the film depicted these brave men that first signed the Declaration o Independence in a somewhat light-hearted manner, breaking every now and then into song. The main characters featured in the film are John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.

Since the character of Thomas Jefferson in the movie was based on a real person with the story based on actual events that transpired, the differences between the real Thomas Jefferson and the character so thoughtfully portrayed by  actor Ken Howard   who went on to make a name for himself from this role - are few and far between, aside of course from a few exceptions as well as the obvious ones like the real Thomas Jefferson not going around and singing his thoughts out all the time.

Virginias Greatest Lover
In the film Thomas Jefferson was characterized as a man who, as he was in his early thirties at the time, seemed more interested in his wife than in being assigned to draft the statement of declaration. As  the delegate from Virgina, Thomas Jefferson was portrayed as a great appreciator of women. He was considered in the film as a man who is often preoccupied with thoughts of women and romance, even earning himself the title of  Virginias greatest lover . His preoccupation with women   in the case of the films setting, his wife Martha Wayles Skelton   was the cause for his initial hesitation to pen the statement of declaration of independence, as he was at the time stricken with loneliness and longing for his wife whom he had married in 1772 but had to leave for a few months for the Continental Congress essential in the creation of the statement that went on to become the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.. Thomas Jefferson was considered the most suitable person to draft the Declaration of Independence due to his reputation as a writer. John Adams remedied this state of  writers block  on Thomas Jeffersons part by sending for Thomas wife Martha. The reunion with his wife proved effective as he was then able to spin the drafts for the Declaration of Independence.

In real life, Thomas Jefferson was indeed a very passionate man who had a past checkered with romance which he was said to admit to later  on in his life. (Wallechinsky  Wallace 2010). Prior to settling with his wife Martha Wayles Skelton   a young widow who was also an heiress, Jefferson was known to have been quite a Don Juan. He even attempted the seduction of one of his close friends wife (Wallechinsky  Wallace 2010).  Despite this, Jefferson was a very loyal husband. Living a happy marriage with Martha Wayles Skelton, the couple played beautiful music together figuratively and literally, as Jeffersons skill with the violin paired very well with Marthas accomplished harpsichord playing. This was also hinted at in the film through the song  He plays the Violin which was performed by Martha Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams in the movie. Also, in actual history, Martha Jefferson never traveled to Philadelphia to be with Thomas Jefferson. That part in the film was created to show the youthful side of Thomas Jefferson without having to ruin the unity of setting.

A man   not just of words   but of his word
Another item of note that would relate the film version of  Thomas Jefferson to the real one is the spirited and outgoing portrayal of Thomas Jefferson in the movie 1776. Brave and outspoken, the movie Jefferson gets into arguments and debates with people. In one scene, he gets into an argument with other delegates regarding the alteration of the Declaration. At first yielding to the others requests of alteration and revisions, Jefferson eventually reaches his boiling point when John Dickinson, the Pennsylvanian delegate, calls for the removal of a phrase in the statement which claims that the King is a tyrant. Jefferson refuses to take out that part, stating that it is important that they call the King a tyrant since they are after all, staging a revolution against the British Empire due to these reasons. This was a moment for the character of Thomas Jefferson to shine out of his status of a mere writer, as he shows everyone that he meant what was written in the declaration draft and that he will stand true to his word.

Although the real Thomas Jefferson was indeed always true to his word, he was also never one for public  debate.  Freckled and sandy-haired, rather tall and awkward, Jefferson was eloquent as a correspondent, but he was no public speaker.   as the White House puts it (White House 2010). Thomas Jefferson was a man who was more confident when setting his words to paper rather than audibly voicing them out. This was exactly why he was chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence, as he is more suited to contributing his pen rather than his voice in the pursuit of the patriot cause. He was considered a  silent member  of the Congress upon adoption of the Declaration (White House 2010), and as such contributed to the Independence of the country as more like a  behind the scenes   person. In the subsequent years of his drafting the Declaration, he had worked hard to actualize what was written in it in the state of Virginia. The depiction of him in the film as a bold and outspoken man could probably have been for them to establish him as a man who was not exceptional with words, but also as one who could back his words up with action to showcase his steadfast belief in his words.

The differences that arose from the film version and the actual Thomas Jefferson were, as stated earlier, few and far between and were not so drastic as to cause an outrage from the American people. But then again, there is no pleasing everybody and although there were some reports of bad reviews from some critics who thought the film was done in bad taste and would shame the Founding Fathers, it was not too much to cause a stir or controversy around the film. After all, it is a musical retelling fashioned after a stage play. Any alterations were understandable as the filmmakers were given little time to showcase the developments to have been meticulously accurate about all the going-ons during the drafting and adoption off the Declaration of Independence. What is important is that they were able to convey the true message  of the film the struggle that the Founding Fathers had to undergo ensure the freedom of the American people as a nation. Add to that the fact that they delivered that message in the highly unlikely format of a lighthearted musical comedy, its a wonder there were so little creative liberties taken by the filmmakers.

As for the character of Thomas Jefferson, him being showcased as  an outspoken ladies man sure seems different and detracting from the image of the Founding Father weve come to learn of from the history books, but it ultimately reinforced the actual Thomas Jefferson persona a romantic, passionate man who stood by his words. His being the chosen to draft the Declaration of Independence itself is a major  testament to this fact. Thomas Jefferson went on to e the third president of the United States of America, following the footsteps of his dear friend John Adams, who was president before him.

It is also interesting to know that Thomas Jefferson passed away on the very date of the Declaration of Independences fiftieth anniversary, July 4, 1826.  At the age of eighty-three, he remained a very optimistic man to the very end. He had died in his mansion, the world renowned  Monticello . Equally as interesting, is that his close friend, John Adams himself, passed away on the same day, just a few hours after Jefferson. Both men played vital roles in the  Declaration of Independence as shown in the film 1776.