《高级英语》 精品课程 第一册 制作人： 徐李洁

Unit Sherman Edwards & Peter Stone

Teaching Objectives 1. To get familiar with the historical background of the time; 2. To get familiar with the main characters in the play 3. To learn words and expressions of the

I. About the play 1776 is a musical comedy, but it breaks the unwritten rule that musical comedies aim at providing light entertainment with a full treatment of the revolution for independence and the founding of the United States. It has a noble theme and a noble set of characters. When on stage, the play makes the audience feel breathlessly involved. The power of this play comes both from the forceful drama of history and from its interesting insights into the interplay of human nature and political destiny at a moment of historic significance. The show provides America with an interesting history lesson. Here is how the republic was made.

II. About the authors The idea of 1776 came to its composer lyricist Sherman Edwards, who worked on it for nearly a decade before bringing it to Peter Stone who was to become the librettist. Peter Stone(1930- ) studied at Bard and Yale, and wrote in France for 12 years. Later he won an Oscar for the film script of Father Goose. After the success of 1776 on Broadway, he wrote the script for its filmed version. Sherman Edwards(1919- ) was educated at New York University and Cornell where he majored in history. A song writer and occasional actor, it was history that gave him the idea for In this paly, the misty figures who influenced American history, such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, together with their faces and hearts, were worked out. The authors somehow make dry-as-dust history come alive and succeed in captivating and fascinating the reader.

III. About the characters in the play 1. John Hancock ( ): political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence. So the term “John Hancock” is often used to mean a signature. Governor of Massachusetts, he opposed to the Stamp Act.

2. John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States (1797–1801). Hailing from New England, Adams, a prominent lawyer and public figure in Boston, was highly educated and represented Enlightenment values promoting republicanism. A conservative Federalist, he was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States.secondPresident of the United StatesNew England BostonEnlightenmentrepublicanismFederalistFounding Fathers of the United States

3. Stephen Hopkins ( ): colonial governor of Rhode Island and political leader in the American Revolution. An early and strenuous defender of colonial rights. 4. Roger Sherman ( ): American political leader. He helped to draft and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the strongest proponents of the new Constitution and was prominent in Connecticut colonial and state politics.

5. Lewis Morris ( ): American political leader, signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner in New York state. He was prominent among the opponents of British politics and was influential in the Continental Congress..

6. Benjamin Franklin ( ): Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S.O.S. January 6, 1705[1]] – April 17, 1790) was[1] one of the Founding Fathers of the UnitedFounding Fathers of the United States of America States of America. A noted polymath,polymath Franklin was a leading author and printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster,political theoristpoliticianpostmaster scientist, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He formed both the first public lending library in America and the first fire department in Pennsylvania.satiristdiplomatAmerican Enlightenmenthistory of physicselectricitylightning rodbifocalsFranklin stove odometerglass 'armonica'lending libraryfire department

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)1 was the third President of the United States (1801– 1809) and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776). An influential Founding Father, Jefferson envisioned America as a great "Empire of Liberty" that would promote republicanism.21third President of the United States Declaration of IndependenceFounding FatherEmpire of Libertyrepublicanism2

IV. Historical Background Magna Carta or Magna Charta: a feudal charter of liberties issued (1215) at Runnymede by King John under the coercion of the barons and a group of churchmen under Langton. Thomas Paine: (1737—1809)—British political writer and radical pamphleteer. He emigrated to Pennsylvania (1774) and supported the American colonies against Britain in his pamphlet “Common Sense” (1776) and in his series “The Crisis” (1776) Samuel Adams (1772—1803) – American revolutionary, organizer of the Boston Tea Party and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence (1776).

Concord and Lexington: sites of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775) The triangle trade– A slave ship left a European port for West Africa with guns, spirits and other goods for African chieftains. From the west coast of Africa, loaded with slaves, it sailed to the Americas. There the slaves were sold and after buying cotton, tobacco, molasses, gold and silver, etc., the ship returned to Europe. The sea routes formed a triangle, hence the name.

A chronology of the American revolution 1763– the British Parliament passed the Royal Order, reserving to the King the disposal of Western lands beyond a certain line. 1764—The Sugar Act was adopted, taxing Americans for the purpose of raising money to pay the expenses of British officials and soldiers in the colonies. 1765– the Quartering Act passed by the Parliament required Americans to help house and feed British regular troops stationed in the colonies. The Stamp Act was approved, paling tax upon newspapers, legal documents of all types, insurance policies, licenses and even dice and playing cards in America; Sons of Liberty was founded during the summer of this secret organization was formed to organized the opposition to the stamp Act.

1766—The British Declaratory Act asserted that Parliament had full authority to make laws abiding the American colonists “in all cases whatsoever”; 1767—The Tea Act supplemented by another Tea Act in 1773 provided that the East India Company had the right to sell tea directly to agents or consignees in the colonies. In effect it amounted to giving the company a monopoly of the tea business in America; 1770—The Boston Massacre occurred in which three Americans were killed and two were wounded by the British troops;

1773—The Boston Tea party took place. On a December night, a disciplined group of fifty men at a signal from Sam Adams and disguised as Mohawk Indians rushed to the British tea ships and dumped all the tea (342 chests) into the harbour; 1774—The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on September 5, the Congress passed a series of resolutions known as the Declaration of Rights. Included in the Declaration were statements of the inherent rights of the colonists and protests against the actions of the British government 1775—The battle of Lexington and Concord, in which the first shots “ heard round the world” were fired, started the War of Independence; the Second Continental Congress met for the first time on May 10, 1775.

1776—The Second Continental Congress approved and issued the Declaration of Independence; 1777—the Articles of Confederation were put forward, but they were not ratified until 1781; 1778—The Franco-American Alliance brought to Americans the military and economic assistance they sorely needed; 1781—The Yorktown campaign ended, the British troops surrendered and the War of Independence was over; 1783—The final treaty between the United States anf the Great Britain was signed in Paris

IV. Question for discussion What are the respective positions of John Adams and Franklin?