(Originally written as a one-act play in 2021)
1776
(In a farmhouse, there is a living area with a large table to the right side and three wooden chairs, two on the right and one on the left; one door at the left that leads outside and one door at the right that leads to the kitchen. William is pacing the room, and then abruptly opens the outside door)
William: (Shouts outside) Benjamin, get in here! (Leaves the door open and sits on one of the chairs on the right)
Benjamin: (Slouches in from outside) Yes, Father?
William: Sit down, Son; I want to speak with you. (Benjamin closes the door and sits on the chair on the left, slumping in the seat) Now, seeing as you are nearly a man and I have barely said five words to you since your birth, you know that me summoning you here must be of great import.
Benjamin: (Borderline sullen) Yes, Father.
William: (Pauses when sensing the sass, then chooses to ignore it) Hm. So, I have been observing your behavior these past few months, and I can no longer remain silent whilst you engage in activities that are becoming increasingly destructive, both to yourself and to this family.
Benjamin: I do not know of what you speak, Father.
William: (Reaches beside his chair and holds up a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag) Have any idea from whence this came, then? Are you concerned of late about the welfare of rattlesnakes, perchance?
Benjamin: (Stands abruptly) Give that back!
William: Mind your tone, insolent pup. (Benjamin slowly sits again) Whilst you are under my roof, you will fear and tremble before me as any child should before their sire! Now, what is this – (Shakes the flag at Benjamin, then angrily snaps it back to the floor next to his chair) all about? Tell me it is anything but you getting yourself mixed up with those… treasonous, rabble-rousing, rebellious anarchists!
Benjamin: They are called Patriots, Father!
William: Patriots, my foot! If they actually were patriots, they would remain loyal to their King!
Benjamin: But when a king is not loyal to his subjects and treats them little better than serfs, what choice do they have but to fight for their freedom, their rights, their dignity?! That is patriotism, Father – loyalty to one’s country and to the people in it!
William: (Holds his hands over his ears and rocks back and forth) Treason talk! Treason talk! La-la-la-la-la-la!
Benjamin: (Makes a sound of disgust) You just do not understand! You, with your life of comfort and ease, what would you know what the rest of us suffer?
William: (No longer holding his ears) In what house did you grow up? You seem to forget that, back in my day, I survived not one but two bouts of smallpox, along with having to serve in the French and Indian War, even though I had no interest in fighting over which country took more of the Native peoples’ lands, but did I complain? No, I did my duty! Not to mention that this farm is hardly Buckingham Palace, and every day I labor to keep you fed, and clothed, and sheltered! As a matter of fact, this is the longest amount of time I have sat in one place in over 25 years!
Benjamin: That is all well and good, but relatively speaking, you live a life of luxury.
William: Ha! You have a funny way of seeing the world – you get that from your mother.
(A woman enters from the door on the right, wiping her sweaty face with a burned apron)
Mary: (Nearly breathless) You called, William?
William: This does not concern you, Mary – back to the kitchen with ye, and do not show your face again unless it is to say that dinner is served!
Mary: Of course! (Turns and mutters) Tyrant. (Labors back in the kitchen)
William: And so, Benjamin, I am not familiar with this luxury in which you believe I reside: do explain.
Benjamin: Think on it, Father: whilst thousands live on the streets or out in the woods, scrambling for scraps, we are able to eat wholesome meals every day, and have two entire rooms to call our own.
William: Well-earned, I thank you.
Benjamin: And all that you say you suffer, you know that would be lessened if the taxes on… everything were not so many nor so high!
William: Heh! Do not remind me of those – barely make enough to prevent us from living in the woods.
Benjamin: And remember when we had to house those soldiers last winter, in our home, whilst we struggled not to freeze to death in the barn?
William: Like it or nay, that was our duty.
Benjamin: It should not have been! Practically made a servant, on your own property! Just one of many Intolerable Acts – (William scoffs) yes, Intolerable, I say! And not being allowed to have our own town meetings; the port of Boston closed; civilians fired upon! We must break free from our chains of slavery, Father!
William: (Crooks an eyebrow at him) And whilst you are breaking your supposed chains, will you also be breaking the actual chains currently on the actual enslaved people in this country, hm?
Benjamin: (Fidgets) Uh….
William: Well?
Benjamin: (In a small voice) Baby steps.
William: (Waves him off) Argh, you are all noise. You whine about trifles and cause a lot of turmoil for everyone, yet have no conception of how to get any of the real work done! We are fine as we are, Son, and any troubles we face are as temporary as everything else in life, just – leave it be!
Benjamin: (Stands in a passion) Never! Not whilst we live in oppression under a tyrant!
William: (Also stands) And what exactly do you plan to do with your newfound freedom? Go toss some more perfectly good tea into the harbor? (Gasps in horror) You were not part of that shameful display those ridiculous Sons of Liberty partook in, were you?!
Benjamin: (Sits) Only because I missed the planning meeting, to my eternal regret.
William: (Buries his head in his hands while sinking back into his chair) Oh, that I should live to see the day when a son of mine became a common rebel! Woe is me, that I must be confronted with his wrongheaded behavior, insensible to all reason – (Benjamin rolls his eyes, takes a knife and a stick out of his pockets, and starts whittling) not a single ounce of respect for his aged father, no gratitude, no – (Lowers his hands and sees Benjamin whittling) Are – are you – dare you whittle whilst I am speaking to you?!
Benjamin: (Stands again) Yes, Father, I dare: I dare to stand up for what I believe in, to fight for what is right, for myself and for my fellow Americans –
William: (Clutches his chest in horror) Ah!
Benjamin: – and if that means defying you and everything you represent, then so be it! (Pockets the knife and stick, stalks to the outside door, opens it, and turns back) I hold no anger in my heart toward you, Father: only pity. I just hope one day you fully understand how wrong you have been. (Exits, leaving the door open)
William: And I just hope one day you have a son JUST LIKE YOU!
1808
(In a farmhouse, there is a living area with a large table to the right side and three wooden chairs, two on the right and one on the left; one door at the left that leads outside and one door at the right that leads to the kitchen. Benjamin, older and looking very much like William, is pacing the room, and then abruptly opens the outside door)
Benjamin: (Shouts outside) Thomas, get in here! (Leaves the door open and sits on one of the chairs on the right)
Thomas: (Slouches in from outside) Yes, Father?
Benjamin: Sit down, Son; I want to speak with you. (Thomas closes the door and sits on the chair on the left, slumping in the seat) Now, seeing as you are nearly a man and I have barely said five words to you since your birth, you know that me summoning you here must be of great import.
Thomas: (Borderline sullen) Yes, Father.
Benjamin: (Pauses when sensing the sass, then chooses to ignore it) Hm. So, I have been observing your behavior these past few months, and I can no longer remain silent whilst you engage in activities that are becoming increasingly destructive, both to yourself and to this family.
Thomas: I do not know of what you speak, Father.
Benjamin: (Reaches besides his chair and holds up a “No Embargo!” sign) I know a rebel when I see one.
Thomas: (Slumps further) Oh Father, what would you know about tyranny and oppression?
Benjamin: (Drops the sign, flabbergasted) I – you – I would have you know that I risked my life to make this country free; I was fighting the rule of dictators before you were even born; and I will eat my hat if a son of mine claims to know more about tyranny and oppression than I do!
Thomas: Yes, Father, we know all about you risking everything so that Mother and I would be safe from tyranny and oppression.
(A woman enters from the door on the right, wiping her sweaty face with a burned apron)
Martha : (Nearly breathless) You called, Thomas?
Benjamin: This does not concern you, Martha – back in the kitchen with ye, and do not show your face again unless it is to say that dinner is served!
Martha: Of course! (Turns and mutters) Tyrant. (Labors back in the kitchen))
Thomas: But Father, do you not see that this Embargo Act closing our ports is destroying our economy and crushing our freedoms just as much as those Intolerable Acts did in your youth?
Benjamin: The two hardly can be compared.
Thomas: Well then, what about the Alien and Sedition Acts, directed against our own citizens, hardly 10 years ago! Were they not the same as those acts that you fought against as tyranny? And if our own presumably democratic government did it once, it could easily do it again!
Benjamin: And rightfully so, those treasonous, rabble-rousing, rebellious anarchists! They do not know how lucky they have it! (Thomas rolls his eyes, takes a knife and a stick out of his pockets, and starts whittling; Benjamin speaks to the middle distance and does not notice what Thomas is doing) You young people today have no idea what it is to suffer under actual oppression! You should be grateful for what my generation sacrificed so that you could live the life of luxury you do now! Why, back in my day….