Jewells of Thought

The name William Daniels didn’t mean as much to me until yesterday. After I realized no other Independence type movie was to be on within this guide I turned to the Movie channel and was pleasantly surprised to find one specific show. It was called 1776 but it was a movie adaptation of the Broadway play.

Thankfully it wasn’t the DEI version of our Independence story. This was done with some fun and historical clarity that is remarkable for 1972. Plus a lot of singing and as a historian and musician I cannot stop thinking about how much we need to see this in America. I was so impressed by the actors and their singing prowess as well as dancing.

I only remember Bill Daniels as the teacher in Boy Meets World, Mr. Feeny. He is now 97 years old and has been married as of this year to his wife for 73 years. They were both thespians and have such an intriguing life. They are definitely a miracle in the world of acting to be married for over seven decades and still be happy together.

Daniels portrayed John Adams a legendary figure of the American Revolution. Quite a while ago I bought a book about his wife and their correspondence while he was away in the Continental Congress displaying his acerbic comments and annoying ways. Yet he was passionate about creating this Country for us. My goodness if only those stalwart Patriots could come back and teach our Country a few lessons right now. Adams, Franklin, Hankcock, Jefferson, Ceasar Rodney. These are just a few and Rodney was declared on his deathbed right before he signed the Declaration although he lived until 1784.

While watching this movie the names began popping into my head. After Grandpa Leo’s death I really became passionate about learning the Presidents and the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. I wrote them out constantly it was important for me to get to know what I could of them. Obviously I got out of the routine, but the names are still recognizable to me.

We need this passion to fight for the Country they believed in, but didn’t see as we have seen. They believed in fighting for our freedoms today, even if they couldn’t see those freedoms come to fruition in their lifetimes. They paid that price, they signed their death sentence so we could now forget everything they did for us. What about our descendants? Our Country won’t be the same one we leave to them as the Country they left to us!

Which president shows his passion that our Founding Fathers had for this Country? Which one says we are racist and which one says we have special qualities that should be protected and cherished? Who shows the most compassion for America’s values and Americans? Which one would get our Founding Father’s seal of approval?