250th Commission hosts free screening of “1776”
The Fairfax County 250th Commission is sponsoring a free screening of the movie “1776” on Sept. 18, 7 p.m., at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church.
The movie depicts the struggle to pass the Declaration of Independence. It is based on the musical of the same name.
Set in Philadelphia during the Continental Congress, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence before July 4 as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence.
As George Washington sends depressing messages describing one military disaster after another, the businessmen, landowners, and slaveholders in Congress all stand in the way of the Declaration, and a single “nay” vote threatens to forever end the question of independence. Large portions of the spoken and sung dialogue are taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the participants.
The movie screening is first come, first served. No tickets required. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The 250th Commission is organizing and publicizing history-related events throughout the county all year.
Here are a few upcoming events:
- Sept. 19-20 – Colonial Market & Fair at Mount Vernon.
- Sept. 25 – Oak Hill Open House, Annandale, 4-7 p.m.
- Sept. 26 and Oct. 31 – Old Town Fairfax Walking Tour, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Sept. 30 – Lunch at the Library: Jefferson’s Wolf, Mount Vernon, 12-1 p.m., featuring a discussion by the authors of a book on Jefferson’s troubling answer to the problem of slavery.
Related story: Mason District Arts Council brings history to life