This is the film version of the Broadway musical comedy about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Striving for historical accuracy the film starts in the days leading up to July 4, 1776. Continental Congressmen John Adams and Benjamin Franklin are shown trying to coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. The courage to undertake this momentous task as well as the tragic compromises on slavery are demonstrated in the actual documented letters and language in which they were done. This film vividly shows both the faults and the vittues of our founding fathers making them more than just figures in a history book.