1776 Broadway’s version of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence is portrayed in 1776. It has representatives of the original thirteen colonies that gathered in the swealtering heat of a Philadelphia summer as the Continental Congress argued. Within itself, it is divided over the question of American Independence. The men have grown tired of listening to John Adams' repeated pleas for Independence. In fact, Adams himself had grown weary of …showed first 75 words of 525 total…

…showed last 75 words of 525 total…last step for Adams. While Franklin is clearly on his side, Dickinson is against him. The other Pennsylvania delegate, the (follow the crowd) James Wilson, has long been on Dickinson’s side. But when the final vote takes place, and it is Wilson's vote that will make Independence either live or die, Wilson’s vote with Franklin in order to "remain one of many" rather than "be remembered as the man who prevented American Independence".