Connie Norton
Navy Elementary School
Herndon Virginia
89025
ABSTRACT: Students will understand why, when our Fathers, signed the Declaration of Independence they were placing in jeopardy their freedom, property and lives.
SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN OUTLINE:
Read the play, "An Imaginary Trial of George Washington," PLAYS, February, 1974.
Brainstorm and discuss the events depicted in this play.
Lecture on significant events leading to the adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence. Create a time-line on the chalkboard or overhead projector while tracing these events. (See attached time-line and event descriptions).
Make a set of puzzle cards matching dates and events.
Complete research of the following people:
Write a poem on either an event or an individual studied. Conference on writing.
Make a mural that depicts the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Write a short essay titled "What the Declaration of Independence Means to Me."
Make a bulletin board display of activities in this lesson plan.
ENRICHMENT: Introduce "1776 A New Musical." Interpret the music and discuss. Be sure this is appropriate for your grade level. Remember - "A nation creates music - the composer only arranges it." - Mikhail Glinka
Time-line of some significant events leading to the adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence.
1765 Stamp Act - The English imposed a tax on most papers involving business transactions, newspapers, playing cards and other items.
1767 Townshend Duties - The English imposed duties on the colonies on imports of lead, glass, paint, paper and tea.
1770 Boston Massacre - English troops occupied Boston because of American opposition to the Townshend Duties. The hostility of the citizens on March 5, 1770, caused a crowd to pelt the soldiers in the front of the Boston Customhouse with snowballs, sticks, and other things. The soldiers fired killing five and wounding six others. 1772 Committee of Correspondence - Begun in Massachusetts. Through correspondence thoughts and grievances were shared by the colonies.
1773 Tea Act - Empowered the East India Tea Company to export tea directly. This caused damage to American merchants.
1774 Intolerable Acts - 1. Allowed certain people accused of crimes to be tried in England rather than local trials. 2. Provided for the quartering of troops in the homes of citizens. 3. Allowed the King to appoint members of the Governor's counsel rather than be elected.
1774 First Continental Congress - All colonies except Georgia were represented in Philadelphia. The colonies problems were discussed. A message was sent to King George III stating the colonists were loyal to him, but the rights of the colonists must be respected. The Congress decided to stop trading with England until they were allowed to take part in governing themselves.
1775 Lexington and Concord - The British sent 700 soldiers to Concord to seize arms stored there. As they passed through Lexington they were faced with colonial militia. A shot was fired causing the British to open fire killing eight Americans and wounding ten. The British found few military stores in Concord, but on their way back to Boston they were repeatedly ambushed by colonial militia. The British lost 73 killed, 174 wounded and 26 soldiers missing.
1775 Second Continental Congress - All colonies were represented. A Continental Army was decided upon and George Washington was chosen Commander-in-Chief.
1776 Common Sense by Tom Paine was published - Tom Paine stated that King George III was a tyrant and it was time for the colonies to break away from England.
1776 July 2nd - Congress adopted a motion made by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia "that these United Colonies are, and ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
1776 July 4th - The Declaration of Independence was signed.
The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal and all people have the same basic rights. Governments are formed to protect people's rights and if these rights are not protected the government can be changed. This document was written by Thomas Jefferson and it proclaimed that the colonies had broken away from England.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Blum, John and others. The National Experience -- A History of the United States to 1877, and Second Edition. N.Y.; Harcourt. Brace and World. Inc.. 1968
"An Imaginary Trial of George Washington." Wolman. Diana. Plays The Drama Magazine for Young People. February. 1974. pp. 23-35
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On March 30, 1989. Elizabeth Preston gave permission to have this play copied for this lesson plan. It may be used in a classroom setting anytime. If this play is to be produced, permission must be obtained.
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An Imaginary Trial of George Washington In defense of the Father of our Country
by Diana Wolman
Characters
JUDGE, appointed by the King of England BAILIFF
LORD NORTH, lawyer for the Crown
JOHN ADAMS, lawyer for the defense
GEORGE WASHINGTON, the defendant
Witnesses:
TOM PAINE
JOHN HANCOCK
RICHARD HENRY LEE
THOMAS JEFFERSON
PATRICK HENRY
BENEDICT ARNOLD
PAUL REVERE
MARY HAYES (Molly Pitcher)
ETHAN ALLEN
RACHEL SALOMON
MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE DEBORAH GANNET
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
CITIZENS
SCENE 1
TIME: 1780.
SETTING: A courtroom in Colonial America. Judge's bench, a large table,is at right. There is a chair behind table, and a British flag stands beside chair. The witness stand is at center. Several rows of chairs at left, facing center, represent the gallery. In front of the first row of chairs are two tables, for defense and prosecution, with paper and documents on them.
AT RISE: JUDGE sits at bench.
WITNESSES and CITIZENS sit in gallery. ADAMS and WASHINGTON sit in first
row, at one table. LORD NORTH stands center, holding document. BAILIFF
stands near JUDGE. BAILIFF holds long wooden staff.
BAILIFF (Striking floor with long wooden staff): Hear ye, hear ye! The trial of George Washington for treason against the British Crown is now in session.
JUDGE (striking gavel on table): Lord North, as lawyer for the Crown, will you please read the bill of particulars?
NORTH (Reading from legal document): First: After pledging loyalty to his country and his king, as subject and officer. George Washington has taken up arms against his government in an effort to overthrow it. Second: He has conspired with other subjects of His Majesty to overthrow the rightfully established government of England by force and violence. Third: He has surrounded himself with people of low character -- anarchists, robbers, smugglers -- who have incited the people to riot and made treasonous statements in public. (NORTH places document on judge's table.)
JUDGE: George Washington, step forward. (WASHINGTON steps forward to face JUDGE.) How do you plead, guilty or not guilty?
WASHINGTON: Before God and man, as history is my witness, I am not guilty!
JUDGE: Take the stand. (WASHINGTON walks to witness stand, sits. NORTH approaches witness stand.)
NORTH: Your full name, please.
WASHINGTON: George Washington.
NORTH: Where and when were you born?
WASHINGTON: February, 22, 1732, at Bridges Creek, Virginia.
NORTH: Occupation?
WASHINGTON: Farmer.
NORTH (Surprised): A farmer, did you say?
WASHINGTON (Proudly): Yes. To me there is nothing more rewarding than to plant and watch living things grow. I would like above all to be able to return to my beloved Mount Vernon.
NORTH (with sarcasm): And can you explain just how you, a lover of the land, became Commander-in-Chief of this handful of rebellious subjects?
WASHINGTON: This honor came to me by default, so to speak. All of us are farmers, or workers, or merchants. We are not soldiers by training or desire. I, at least, had some experience as an officer under General Braddock in the recent French and Indian War. In the spring of 1775, five years ago, the second Continental Congress appointed me Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and this responsibility I undertook with great humility and a sense of duty.
NORTH (interrupting angrily): May I interpose here, Your Lordship, that this man is most responsible for all our troubles today. I can show that it was Washington and probably Washington alone who kept the Revolution alive. He was the only man among these rebels who combined military experience with a sense of organization and an ability to deal with men. Oh, I am willing to admit his personal superiority of character and love for justice. But, in the year and a half from November 1776 to the spring of 1778, the Revolution would have collapsed had we killed or captured only this one man.
PAINE (In gallery; Rising): Aye, those were the times that tried men's souls. I remember well that bitter winter at Valley Forge. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will always shrink from service to his country.
JUDGE: You, there, what is your name?
PAINE: Tom Paine. And I wish to say that--
JUDGE (Angrily): Your turn will come. Indeed it will! (PAINE sits. NORTH takes seat in first row of gallery at left.) Mr. Adams, as lawyer for George Washington, do you have anything to say at this time?
ADAMS (Rising): I would like to ask the defendant some questions, if I may. (Approaches witness stand) General Washington, what duties have you performed in the past?
WASHINGTON: I have been a surveyor, a soldier, an officer....
ADAMS: And how did you carry on these activities?
WASHINGTON: Very faithfully, Mr. Adams. I have always been loyal to my work and to my superiors.
ADAMS: What was your attitude toward the conflict with the English government at first?
WASHINGTON (Slowly): At first I never dreamed of separation from our mother country. Even after I became Commander-in-Chief, we officers would nightly toast George's health. (Soberly) But now I am convinced that separation is the only possible solution.
ADAMS: Thank you. That will be all. (Nods to WASHINGTON, who leaves stand and returns to seat. NORTH rises, walks over to stand before JUDGE.)
NORTH: Your Honor, I intend to prove to you that Washington has surrounded himself with men of low and treasonous character and I have witnesses to prove it. I now call to the stand John Hancock. (HANCOCK comes to witness stand. NORTH picks up copy of Declaration of Independence and approaches HANCOCK.) You are a smuggler by trade. Is that not correct?
HANCOCK: No, sir, a merchant, a rather wealthy merchant, I am glad to say, but one who respectfully disregards the hated duties imposed on our imports.
JUDGE (Sarcastically): I see. I shall write down--John Hancock, smuggler. (Picks up pen)
HANCOCK (Angrily): You may write what you please, but I, too, have written, knowing full well what the consequences might be. I was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, and I signed it in large bold letters to make sure that George III could read it without his spectacles. (Laughter from gallery)
JUDGE (Striking table with gavel): Order in the court!
NORTH: That will be all, Mr. Hancock. (HANCOCK leaves witness stand, returns to his seat.) Indeed, I wish to speak about that hateful document, which I now hold in my hand. Will Richard Henry Lee please take the stand? (LEE rises and walks to witness stand.) Mr. Lee, can you identify the document that I am now holding?
LEE: Certainly. That is the Declaration of Independence.
NORTH: And what was your connection with this piece of treachery?
ADAMS (Jumping up): I object, Your Honor, to the prosecutor's use of such prejudiced language to describe this noble expression of the free spirit of man.
JUDGE (Dryly): Objection overruled. (Adams sits.)
LEE: I am proud to state here that I am the one who made the original motion concerning independence, at the Continental Congress. May I read it to you? (Takes paper from pocket and reads) "RESOLVED: that these united colonies are, and ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
NORTH (Angrily): You will live to regret this rash notion of yours.
LEE (Proudly): On the contrary, I am glad that I said on that momentous occasion (Continues reading), "Let this happy day give birth to a new nation." In my opinion, July 4th will, in the future, be regarded as the birthday of these United States.
NORTH (with disgust): That is quite enough.
ADAMS (Stepping forward to witness chair as NORTH sits down): Now I would like to ask the witness: What is your opinion of General Washington?
LEE (Admiringly): Washington is more than a general. He is the embodiment of all that is noblest and best in the American people. Not only has he willingly served without any pay, but from his own pocket he has brought clothing for his men and sent aid to the destitute families of his companions in battle. I prophesy that Washington will go down in history as first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.
ADAMS: Thank you, Mr. Lee. (Spontaneous applause from gallery as LEE returns to seat. ADAMS follows. NORTH rises.)
NORTH: I call Thomas Jefferson to the stand. (JEFFERSON walks up to stand, sits down.) I ask you, sir, whether you recognize this paper.
JEFFERSON: Yes, I do.
NORTH: Will you read the opening words?
JEFFERSON (Reading): "In Congress, July 4, 1776, Unanimous Declaration of the United States of America..."
NORTH: Would you please state briefly in your own words, Mr. Jefferson, the purpose of that declaration.
JEFFERSON: We wished to make known to the world why we moved to declare our independence from the government of Great Britain. We listed the reasons for our act, including the tyrannical action of the present British king. We presented also--
NORTH (Interrupting impatiently): Would you say, Mr. Jefferson, that the words of the Declaration of Independence are, in truth, your very own words? Is it not true that you, in fact, are the author of this treacherous paper? (Brandishes paper)
JEFFERSON: Sir, I had the honor to be chosen by my colleagues at the Continental Congress to help in the writing of this document.
NORTH: Do you accept the doctrines announced in the paper?
ADAMS (From seat): Objection!
JUDGE (Realistically): Lord North, this line of questioning should not be continued since Mr. Jefferson is not now on trial.
NORTH (To JUDGE): Very well. I wish, sir, to submit this Declaration to be marked Exhibit A.
JUDGE: Is there evidence that the defendant, George Washington signed this document?
NORTH: No, sir, he did not sign it, but we shall introduce conclusive evidence that the defendant in fact supported the views of the Declaration.
JUDGE: Admitted. (NORTH hands document to JUDGE)
NORTH (To JEFFERSON): I have no further questions for the witness. (JEFFERSON leaves stand and returns to his seat.)
JUDGE: Who is your next witness, Lord North?
NORTH: Patrick Henry, of Virginia.
JUDGE: Patrick Henry, step forth! (HENRY stands up to take his seat.) Take the stand. (He goes to witness stand.)
NORTH: You are a Virginian?
HENRY: The distinction between New Yorker, New Englanders, Virginians, and Pennsylvanians, is no more. I am not a Virginian, sir. I am an American.
JUDGE: Yes, I hear you've been inventing that word lately. And you have been making treasonous statements. haven't you?
HENRY: What I said is merely that Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third ...
JUDGE (Striking gavel on table): Treason!
HENRY (Continuing calmly): George the Third may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.
JUDGE: Do you realize what you are saying, you bold young man? You shall hang for this!
HENRY: Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
JEFFERSON: (Speaking from his seat): He speaks the way Homer wrote.
JUDGE: You will hang, all right, you may be sure of that. (To JEFFERSON) And you, too, Mr. Jefferson.
FRANKLIN (From his seat): We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. (Applause from gallery)
JUDGE (Enraged): Order in the court or I shall clear the room!
NORTH: Your Lordship, I can prove that the rebels who follow Washington are not only traitors to their king and government, lawbreakers and men of low character, but they are godless creatures, unnatural in their behavior and blasphemous to God himself. In proof, I now call forth the next witness, Thomas Paine. (PAINE goes to witness stand, faces JUDGE. JUDGE holds up book.)
JUDGE: I have here a copy of an abominable piece of writing by one Thomas Paine, in which the author denies all religion and all established churches of God. Are you the author of this, Mr. Paine?
PAINE: I am. And if I am on trial for having written it, then I say that I am guilty of believing that this is an age of reason - that human beings should use their common sense and not merely follow what other generations before them believed or said.
NORTH: What do you believe in exactly, Citizen Paine?
PAINE: As I have written: The world is my country. All mankind are my brethren. To do good is my religion. I believe in one God and no more.
NORTH: You have only recently come to this land, haven't you?
PAINE: Four years ago, in 1776.
NORTH: And what was your work in England?
PAINE: At various times I have been a stay-maker, a cobbler, a civil servant, and laborer in a weaver's shop.
NORTH: How did you get to America?
PAINE: I was fortunate enough to secure a letter from Benjamin Franklin when he was in England.
NORTH: And you have been preaching armed rebellion ever since, have you not?
PAINE: It is my belief that the period of debate is closed. Arms, as the last resort, must decide the contest.
NORTH: You admit that, then, do you?
PAINE: Admit, indeed! I boast of it. Why, it is only common sense.
Why should a huge continent be tied to a little island thousands of miles
away? Why should the colonists submit to laws which hurt their trade and
industry? Why --
JUDGE: And just what do you think will happen when rabble like you
take over and make your own government?
PAINE: Independence would result in a democratic form of government and establish in America an asylum for mankind, a haven of refuge for the oppressed peoples of the world. We have every opportunity and encouragement before us to form the noblest, purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world all over again.
NORTH: If you are finished, Mr. Paine, you may leave the stand! (PAINE leaves witness stand and returns to his seat.)
JUDGE: Who is your next witness, Lord North?
NORTH: The next witness will be someone who actually heard George Washington incite soldiers to fight their king, someone who saw him make plans to rebel against the rightful government of these colonies, one who can identify him as the chief ringleader of the rebellion -- a man who only last week had breakfast with him. I now call to the stand -- Benedict Arnold. (BAILIFF crosses left.)
BAILIFF (Calling offstage): Benedict Arnold! (ARNOLD enters, as witnesses and CITIZENS stare at him in surprise.)
CITIZENS (Ad lib; shouting): Traitor! Informer! (Etc. JUDGE pounds gavel angrily.)
JUDGE: Order in the court! (ARNOLD takes witness stand. CITIZENS grow quiet.)
NORTH: What is your name?
ARNOLD: Benedict Arnold.
NORTH: Have you ever seen the defendant before?
ARNOLD: Many times.
NORTH: What do you know about him?
ARNOLD: I have heard him make plans for the defeat of the British Army. I heard him order that Paine's book, Common Sense, be read aloud to all his troops to make them more willing to fight.
NORTH: Is there anything else?
ARNOLD: At a time when officers and men had not been paid for a long period, and their wives and families were close to starving, a number of Continental officers were ready to revolt. They were stopped from doing so by a letter from George Washington, asking them to act for the good of their cause and not according to their personal desires.
NORTH: Thank you. You have done a real service to His Majesty today.
ARNOLD: I am glad to have this chance to serve my King and to make amends for my former disloyalty.
ADAMS (From seat; sarcastically): And to get paid 6,000 British pounds.
JUDGE: You are out of order, Mr. Adams. Proceed, Lord North.
NORTH: Mr. Arnold, what was your position with Washington?
ARNOLD: I was a commanding officer. I took part in the famous battle of Saratoga and was largely responsible for Burgoyne's surrender.
NORTH: How do you feel about those activities now?
ARNOLD: I am willing to speak freely of the days when I erred. Truly I was a dupe. I now realize that I was wrong when I worked for the overthrow of His Majesty, King George III. I was blinded and full of false ideas. I wish to atone for those days and will eagerly identify any of the rebels you may wish me to point out.
NORTH: Thank you, Mr. Arnold. That is all for now. (BENEDICT ARNOLD steps down from stand and takes a seat in gallery. CITIZENS glare at him.) Your Honor, the prosecution rests. (NORTH crosses to sit in first row of gallery, behind prosecution table. JOHN ADAMS rises, crosses center.)
JUDGE: As attorney for the defense, you may now proceed, Mr. Adams. (ADAMS approaches JUDGE.)
ADAMS: On trial today stands a man whose name will go down in history as the father of his country, whose picture will be revered throughout the civilized world as the image of liberty and freedom. He is guilty only of following the Lord's will that truth should be told and that freedom be proclaimed throughout the land. I will show you that the colonies suffered long and grievously before they took the extreme measure of armed rebellion, and that they took this step only after all other measures failed because of the obstinacy of the British government. I will show that the followers of Washington are men and women from all walks of life, from town and country, from north, south and even the frontier. They are Presbyterians, Jews, Frenchmen, Germans, Poles, Negroes, frontiers men and housewives.
JUDGE (Testily): Yes! yes, Mr. Adams--get on with your case.
ADAMS: Your Honor, allow me to present character witnesses who will explain in their own words why they support George Washington and his struggle, of their own accord, without hope of award or glory. First, I call to the stand that outstanding citizen of Boston, Paul Revere.
REVERE (Walking up to stand): I am glad to appear here on Washington's behalf and also to correct a false impression that the court may be getting.
JUDGE: What impression is that, Mr. Revere.
REVERE: Perhaps you have assumed up to now that all of us in the Revolution are merchants -- or smugglers, as you choose to call them -- or even rich farmers. As a matter of fact, the majority of us are workers, and it is we -- mechanics, carpenters, rope makers, printers and joiners -- who organized the Sons of Liberty.
JUDGE: I have heard of you. What is your trade -- that is, when you are not riding a horse?
REVERE: Silversmith, sir . . . and as for the incident you are referring to, I was acting for the North End Club of the Sons of Liberty, and I am proud to say that it was our organization that prevented your men from capturing John Hancock at Lexington.
NORTH (Jumping up): Your Lordship, this insurrection has been brewing for a long time. Before you sits a member, nay, a leader of this mob, this mixed rabble of Scotch, Irish and other foreign vagabonds.
ADAMS: I object, Your Honor. Paul Revere and his type are the very strength of our community. It is the firm patriotism of these workers that will save our country. (NORTH sits down.)
REVERE: Indeed it will. (Boldly) We are determined to fight up to
our knees in blood rather than be ruled by tyrants, foreign or domestic.
As our song goes (Chants) --
Come rally, Sons of Liberty,
Come all with hearts united,
Our motto is "We Dare Be Free,"
Not easily affrighted!
ADAMS: Thank you, Mr. Revere. (REVERE leaves stand, and returns to his seat.) Allow me to present one such person who is not easily affrighted -- Mrs. Mary Hayes! (MOLLY
PITCHER goes to witness stand.) Please tell the court your full name.
MOLLY: Mary Ludwig Hayes, sir.
ADAMS: By what name are you better known?
MOLLY: Molly Pitcher.
ADAMS: And I am sure our grandchildren will remember you as Molly Pitcher. Tell me, how did you acquire this unusual nickname?
MOLLY: It was at the Battle of Monmouth, in New Jersey. As you may remember, the day of the battle was very hot. Our noble patriots, fighting for independence, naturally suffered from the heat. I moved among them, offering water from my pitcher.
ADAMS: And a brave thing that was, too. But I also know that you did even more. Tell the court about the rest of your action in that battle.
MOLLY: My husband was firing a cannon. Suddenly, he fell to the ground. Immediately, I ran to his cannon and continued to fire it. (Proudly) For this action, George Washington gave me the rank of sergeant.
ADAMS (Admiringly): It was well deserved, and the cause must be a noble one to inspire a woman like you to take such drastic action. Thank you. That is all. (MOLLY PITCHER bows and leaves stand, returning to her seat.)
JUDGE: Who is your next witness?
ADAMS: Your Lordship, I wish to call to the stand Mr. Ethan Allen of Vermont. (ETHAN ALLEN goes to witness stand.)
JUDGE: Proceed with this witness.
ADAMS ( To ALLEN): Tell the court your full name and place of birth.
ALLEN: My name is Ethan Allen, and I was born at Litchfield, Connecticut, on January 10, 1738.
ADAMS: Do you know the defendant, George Washington?
ALLEN: Yes, Mr. Adams, quite well.
ADAMS: Please tell us what you did during the years of 1771 through 1775 that brought you into contact with George Washington.
ALLEN: I was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys of New Connecticut, now called Vermont. It was our boys who captured Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775.
ADAMS: What happened later?
ALLEN: On September 25, 1775, I was captured by the British near Montreal, and I remained their prisoner until I was exchanged on May 6, 1778.
ADAMS: Do you think your sacrifice worthwhile?
ALLEN (Fervently): I would do it all over again, if I had to, for the cause of the Revolution and for George Washington.
ADAMS: Your opinion of Washington is evidently high.
ALLEN (Firmly): The highest. He is a man of great courage and conviction to leave his comfortable home at Mount Vernon to risk danger in war.
ADAMS: Thank you, Mr. Allen. (ETHAN ALLEN returns to his seat.)
JUDGE: Have you more witnesses?
ADAMS (To JUDGE): Yes, Your Lordship. My next witness is not a man of war but a woman who came here of her own free will, to explain how she and others like her feel about George Washington. I call to the stand Mrs. Rachel Salomon. (RACHEL SALOMON approaches witness stand.)
RACHEL: Thank you, Mr. Adams. (She sits).
ADAMS: Will you explain why you came here today?
RACHEL: My husband, Haym, is now in jail, but I know that he wants to tell the world why he and other Jews, like Benjamin Nones, for instance, have gladly supported the Revolutionary cause.
ADAMS: Tell us something about your husband.
RACHEL: My husband was born in Poland. Ten years ago, we were forced to flee that country because of the large part he was taking in the struggle for Polish independence. In 1772, we came to New York, where Haym became a financier, gradually becoming wealthy. Then he became interested in the cause of independence. In 1776, he was arrested by the British and was supposed to be put to death, but he was released by the Hessians, whose language he could speak. Then, two years ago, he was put in jail again.
ADAMS: And does he believe in American independence?
RACHEL: Deeply. My husband is not a fighting man but he has helped the cause by giving of his own money and by helping to raise more. I'll never forget that Yom Kippur night. Yom Kippur, Mr. Adams, is the holiest of holidays for us. Nothing in the world, I had always thought, would ever make my husband interrupt these services. But a messenger came right into the synagogue, informing us that Washington needed money desperately for his army. Right then and there, my husband took up a collection, and Washington had his needed funds to carry on longer.
ADAMS: Why has Mr. Salomon been willing to risk his life, his wealth, all he has worked so hard to attain?
RACHEL: Perhaps the court will understand better when I read a part of a letter that George Washington sent to the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island. (She takes letter from pocket.) In his own words he has stated that (Reads) "the government of the United States will give to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." He has pledged to make America, once it is independent, a haven for all people of different faiths. At last Jews will have one country in which they can live and bring up their children without fear of persecution and banishment.
ADAMS: I am sure that your sentiments are shared by thousands of our fellow Americans. You may step down, Mrs. Salomon. (She returns to her seat.)
JUDGE (To ADAMS): Who is your next witness?
ADAMS: Your Lordship, our patriots have come from all over Europe. People who love mankind and hate oppression have come to our shores to help the cause of liberty. My next witness is the Marquis de Lafayette. (LAFAYETTE goes to the witness stand.) Will you give your full name, please?
LAFAYETTE: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette.
ADAMS: Why did you leave your home and family to come to America?
LAFAYETTE: I came to America in 1778, at great effort to myself and in defiance of my own king, because I wanted to help the cause of human freedom. At the first news of this quarrel, my heart was in it.
ADAMS: How did you manage to get here?
LAFAYETTE: I fitted out a ship which carried eleven other officers and myself to these shores.
ADAMS: Who were some of the people who came with you, or some other Europeans you met here?
LAFAYETTE: With me came the Baron de Kalb, who since died of his wounds at the battle of Camden. Also from Europe came Baron von Steuben of Prussia. From Poland came Thaddeus Kosciusko, an excellent artillery officer, and Count Casimir Pulaski, who unfortunately died at the battle of Savannah.
ADAMS: What happened to your ship?
LAFAYETTE: We were captured by the King of France, but managed to escape and resume our journey. After we landed at Georgetown, I traveled to Philadelphia and offered my services as a volunteer.
ADAMS: Tell us about your career in Washington's army.
LAFAYETTE: I immediately became a major-general and one of Washington's most trusted men, even though I was only nineteen. It was then that I came to respect and honor him. He is a genius as a military man, but even more important, he is the soul of fairness and humility.
ADAMS: I am glad that a man of your distinction was able to come to this courtroom today to speak in behalf of the defendant, George Washington. (LAFAYETTE rises and leaves stand.)
LAFAYETTE (As he returns to his seat): I consider it an honor to speak for George Washington.
ADAMS: I now call Miss Deborah Gannet to the stand. (DEBORAH GANNET, a young black woman, comes to the witness stand.) Will you give the court your full name, please?
DEBORAH: Deborah Gannet.
ADAMS: What is your occupation, Miss Gannet?
DEBORAH: Fighting for my country's freedom is my favorite one, sir, although I used to be a slave.
ADAMS: How do you know George Washington? DEBORAH: (Proudly): He is my commanding officer. ADAMS: How can that be possible for you, a woman?
DEBORAH: After the Governor of Virginia offered Negroes their freedom and fifty dollars to serve in the King's Army, the American army gave Negroes the same chance. I decided to disguise myself and enlist as a soldier under George Washington.
ADAMS: How long did you serve in the army?
DEBORAH: For seventeen months I was a member of the Massachusetts regiment without anyone suspecting my real identity.
ADAMS: Do all the regiments have both white and black troops?
DEBORAH: Most of them. Only Georgia and South Carolina bar slaves from signing up. As a Bostonian, I'm sure you know that among the first to fall in the Boston Massacre was a former slave by the name of Crispus Attucks. And I am proud that it was one of my people, Peter Salem, who killed that boastful British Major John Pitcairn. And--
JUDGE (Sharply): That is enough!
ADAMS: Just one more question. Why were you willing to lead a hard soldier's life for so long?
DEBORAH: I can't help thinking of the words of your wife, Abigail Adams, when she wrote: "I wish most sincerely there was not a slave in the province; it always appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me to fight ourselves for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have."
ADAMS: Thank you, Miss Gannet. That's all. (She returns to her seat.)
JUDGE: Who is your next witness, Mr. Adams?
ADAMS: I call Mr. Benjamin Franklin. (FRANKLIN wearing bifocal glasses and leaning on cane, comes up to stand.) How old are you, Mr. Franklin?
FRANKLIN: Seventy-four years old.
ADAMS: And interesting years they have been, too -- as well as useful ones.
FRANKLIN (Modestly): Well, you know what I say: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
ADAMS: Tell the court something of your background, please.
FRANKLIN: I was apprenticed to my older brother in Boston, but I ran away at the age of seventeen. Since then I have been a writer, the publisher of a newspaper, and an inventor of sorts.
ADAMS: You are very modest, but this assemblage knows that you are the author of Poor Richard's Almanac, that you started our first public library, that you are the inventor of the famous Franklin stove, bifocal glasses -- the kind Lord North is wearing (Laughter from gallery) -- and a number of other household helps. But right now we are interested most in your official duties.
FRANKLIN: I represented the colonies in England in 1765.
ADAMS: What was your advice to the British Parliament concerning The Stamp Act?
FRANKLIN: I told them then that it could never work. It was my warning that if the British army were sent to enforce it, a revolution might result.
ADAMS: Did you try in any other way to prevent this conflict?
FRANKLIN: Several times. The most recent was several years ago. I was negotiating with Lord Howe, on Staten Island. I suggested then that the matter could be peacefully settled on the basis of independence. But all he was instructed to offer was the King's clemency if we would stop fighting, with no guarantee of future liberty within the Empire. For years, Mr. Adams, I have striven to prevent just such a conflict as we are now having between brother and brother.
ADAMS: Despite your efforts, the conflict was not averted. What is your opinion of the situation today?
FRANKLIN: Once I wrote, "There never was a good war or a bad peace." Now I realize that rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God. (CITIZENS and other witnesses cheer.)
ADAMS: Thank you, Mr. Franklin. Two continents value your opinion.(FRANKLIN returns to his seat.)
JUDGE: Have you completed your case, Mr. Adams?
ADAMS: I have one final witness -- the defendant, George Washington. Will you come forward, General Washington? (GEORGE WASHINGTON goes to the witness stand.)
WASHINGTON: I appreciate this opportunity to thank the many friends of liberty who have spoken here today. (ADAMS takes Declaration from table.)
ADAMS: General Washington, you did not sign this Declaration of Independence. Why not? Did you think it was not justified?
WASHINGTON: No, sir. I could not sign the Declaration of Independence because I was on the battlefield with my soldiers when it was written. But I believe with all my heart in the ideas expressed in the Declaration. May I see it, please? (ADAMS hands Declaration to WASHINGTON.) This document specifically states (Reads): "Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; ... experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses ... evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."
JUDGE (Interrupting): General Washington, consider for a moment to what chaos such a doctrine may lead. If a dissatisfied people can, of their own will, overthrow their established government, what rule of law and order could possibly prevail?
NORTH (Ominously): If the court please, we can easily foresee the terrible consequences of this traitorous doctrine. Should this doctrine spread to other lands, the kingdom of Spain might lose the allegiance of Mexicans and of the Argentine. Brazilians might declare: Brazil for Brazilians! What would the world come to?
JUDGE: Indeed, this is the very heart of their treason.
ADAMS: You both forget that there is a right higher than the right of kings over their subjects. A government exists not for the sake of the rulers but only for the good of the people, and only by the consent of the governed. Governments exist to help the people secure the rights which are theirs as human beings.
JUDGE: What rights?
WASHINGTON: In answer to your question, allow me to quote what I
think is the heart of this Declaration of Independence (Reads):
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable
rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
-- That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form
of government becomes destructive of these ends. it is the right of the
people to alter or to abolish it ..." WASHINGTON returns to seat.).
ADAMS (To JUDGE): The defense rests.
JUDGE: Then let the defendant, George Washington, come forward. (GEORGE WASHINGTON rises, goes to JUDGE'S table and stands facing JUDGE.) George Washington, as defendant in this trial do you have anything further to say before we pass judgment?
WASHINGTON: Only history can pass judgment on our noble cause. But I believe firmly that history shall prove our cause was just, our path honorable, and that what we have started and fought for here and now will in the future lead this nation to greatness and leadership among the free peoples of the world. (Music of "America the Beautiful" is played as curtains slowly close.)
THE END