Sherman Edwards (composer) had been inspired to write 1776 because of his interest in history

• In his 30s, he began tinkering with his idea of a musical comedy dealing with the behind the scenes aspects of the events leading to the creation of the Declaration of Independence

• On his 40th birthday (in 1959), he left his salaried position in academia to pursue the project full-time

• Spent several years writing the songs for the show

• Around 1965, he realized he'd need to work with a skilled librettist to help flesh out the story and characters. However, he was met with countless rejections from writers concerned about the viability of the project — including one from Peter Stone

• Edwards decided to write the libretto himself, pulling from the following resources:

  • ​Rare Manuscript Room of the New York Public Library

  • Pennsylvania Historical Societies’ libraries

  • His own extensive personal library of American history

• 1967-68: Edwards's version was met with skepticism from producers, who felt the play didn't have any "modern" relevance. This was compounded by the nation's newfound cynical view of patriotism in the wake of the Vietnam War.

​

Sherman's material finally caught the eye of producer Stuart Ostrow, who thought the story's anti-establishment streak might be compatible with the national sentiment of '60s America.

• Ostrow felt that, for a stage production to succeed, the libretto would need to be rewritten.

• Ostrow approached Peter Stone. This time, Stone was taken by both Ostrow's enthusiasm and Edwards's music, and he accepted the project.