When a woman has lived in exciting times
and has taken part in great events,
it would seem as though those occasions would be what she remembers most vividly,
but I don't find that true at all.
I of course remember every detail of our first inaugural ball,
how I had worked to make it the brilliant affair that it was.
There were guests there from all over the world,
dignitaries, diplomats and statesmen.
I remember, too, how nervous I was.
Yet there were other times, neither happy nor gay,
when the future of our country was at stake.
We were at war. The city of Washington was under siege.
On the not too distant horizon we could see cannon fire,
and we knew that before very long,
the capital would be in the hands of the enemy.
The President was with his troops,
and we were the last group left in the White House,
gathering up the more important documents of state.
We remember the Declaration of Independence.
It would've been bitter medicine to have lost our declaration as well as our independence.
I was about ready to leave, when I looked up
and saw the portrait of our late president George Washington.
We sorely needed his military leadership at this time,
when we were in such great danger of losing everything for which he had fought.
I couldn't let the general fall into the enemy's hands at this late date,
so I cut him out of his frame, carefully,
for I had faith that in a matter of days or weeks
I would be climbing up this same ladder,
putting the general back into his place of honour,
for this I knew:
Once you've tasted freedom, you cannot live without it.
Those were exciting times,
but the memories I cherish most are the memories that are deep in my heart.
They begin at our family home in Virginia
on the night my father returned from the Revolutionary War.
My father had always liked the life on the plantation,
he liked the gaiety, the parties, the hunt.
He liked our life as it was then.
He had ordered us when he left for the war
to give the biggest party that had ever been given in our house.
He said he wanted every room lighted, so he could see it from miles away.
And this was the night he was coming home.
And we'd invited the whole countryside to welcome him.
These were kind of occasions my father loved,
gay times, good times, the life of the planter in Virginia.
We could hardly wait to see how happy he'd be
to find himself in the midst of all of his old friends.
John, what's the matter?
Nothing, Wife.
I want to thank you all for coming.
And now I have things to say to my family,
if you'll excuse us, please.
Why, John!
Come!
John, are you ill?
No, my dear, I'm not ill.
But father, remember, you...
you wanted us to give you a party when you returned and...
and you weren't very nice to our friends.
Our true friends are not here, daughter.
It was going to be such a lovely party.
And what will they think of us?
Wouldst thou be concerned with what others think of thee
more than what thou thinkest of thyself?
Do you find my speech strange to your ears, daughter?
Yes, father.
John, what happened to you?
Many things, wife.
Hast thou heard of a battle called the Battle of Kings Mountain?
Yes, we have had news of it.
It was in that battle I was wounded.
Wounded? Oh, my dear husband, why didn't you let us know?
I lay there in the fog, waiting for the end,
for death. - Poor John.
There.
In the first light of dawn, I saw a figure coming through the fog.
And he came to me.
A man I had not seen in 25 years, an old friend,
one I had often gone to meetings with when I was a boy
and lived in the Quaker faith.
Have I not told you of my friend John Todd?
Yes, John, you have.
He picked me up in his arms.
He said,
"Friend Payne...
"Friend Payne, that we have met this way is an act of providence."
As he bent over to bind my wounds,
the enemy opened fire again, and he was struck down.
Had he not been shielding me with his body, I...
I would have taken that bullet.
He died for me, Dolly.
But he lived long enough to make a pact with me.
I pledged myself that I would return to the Quaker church.
I said I would free my slaves,
I would sell our land here
and go to Philadelphia.
I told him my pledge just before he died,
that our families would be joined,
that our daughter would marry his son, John.
You...
You promised him, father, that...
that I would be married to his son?
This was my promise to him.
But father...
I can't marry a man I... I have never even seen.
I can't marry a man I don't even know, I don't even love.
No, father, you don't mean that.
You...
All my protests and tears did not change my father's mind.
We moved to Philadelphia and lived in a house on this square.
I was forced by father's given word
to stand up in the meeting house and marry John Todd.
In the presence of this assembly, I take thee, Dorothea Payne, to be my wife,
promising, with divine assistance,
to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband
until death shall separate us.
In the presence of this assembly, I take thee, John Todd, to be my husband,
promising, through divine assistance,
to be unto thee a loving and faithful wife until death shall separate us.
The bride groom and the bride will now sign the marriage certificate.
Friend Todd first.
Each friend of the society will now come forward and sign the marriage certificate.
Mrs Todd...
Won't you say it now?
Say what? - That you love me.
I'll never say it, sir.
Dolly. - Yes, Mr Todd?
I've planned out a house. We'll start building it in spring.
Tell me how you like it.
It's very nice.
I wish you'd come out and take a look at the grounds.
It's a beautiful place, lots of elm trees.
You've seen it, Mr Todd, that's enough.
Well, Mrs Todd, that isn't enough, I want you to like it.
You see, this part will be built all of stone.
I haven't put the trees on the drawing,
but there's a huge tree right along here which will shade the kitchen.
I think you'll feel differently about things when you get in your own house.
Your father and mother are very nice to us,
very kind and understanding, but...
Well, it just isn't the same as being in your own house.
I know you'll feel differently. - Do you?
Well, you'll feel more like you're married.
I'll never feel as if I'm married to you, Mr Todd,
and I hope you'll never feel as if you're married to me.
Now, Dolly,
we're going to be married for a long, long time, all our lives,
not just these five weeks we've been married,
but for years, until we grow old.
I know that.
Well, someday between now and that time, you'll realise how much I love you.
And you'll love me, too, I'm sure of it.
I'll never love you.
Just pretend you do, say you do. Just once, see how it feels.
I'll never say it.
I'll never say, "I love you."
Yes, you will.
I know you will, you have to.
Dolly, I didn't mean to hurt you.
I'm just clumsy and awkward about things.
I know everything I do and everything I say now is wrong.
Sometimes I think I may go out of my mind, Dolly, you hate me so much.
I never promised you anything but hate.
I know, you are right, we shouldn't have been married.
I don't blame you for the way you feel.
But I don't know what to do about it, Dolly.
If I left you, I think I'd die thinking about you.
Dolly...
Let me put my arms around you.
I just have to.
You don't know how much I love you.
You can't know how I feel.
You've never been in love.
You've never known what it is to see all the goodness in the world in one person,
and to know she's unattainable.
To know that the whole world thinks she belongs to me,
and she doesn't, she never will.
It's pain, Dolly.
It's real pain.
It digs deep into you.
I look at you and I think...
There's not even pity, because you don't know, you don't understand.
And I think
someday I'll take you in my arms and all the pain and ache will go out of me.
I'm ashamed.
I'm so ashamed.
Dolly, I... I've never even kissed you.
Excuse me. - Congratulations.
Thank you.
Oh, grandfather, how are you? - Fine.
There aren't words for the way I feel!
Dolly, are you happy now?
Look.
He's smiling.
Dolly, it's our anniversary.
But John...
Jewellery is against your belief.
Well, it isn't against yours, and I want you to be happy.
For my happiness you'd go against your belief?
Doll, I have another belief.
It's my belief in you and our marriage and our son.
That's a strong belief, too.
That's why I want to give you this present on our first anniversary.
It's been a good year, Dolly.
It's been an eventful one.
I'm embarrassed, John, I didn't remember it was our anniversary,
and I have no present for you.
Oh, yes, you have.
One present I've wanted every day for the past year.
And you're the only one who can give it to me.
A year ago, you told me you'd never say, "I love you, John."
Yes, I remember. - And you never have.
I've been hoping someday it'd slip out, you'd forget.
Please, John, don't.
You've made me like you in spite of myself,
and I'm content with our marriage.
Isn't that enough?
I can't help it if I keep asking myself
how much happier I'd be if I married a man I wanted to marry,
if I hadn't been mated as the beasts in the field are mated,
if I hadn't been ordered to be your wife.
But Dolly, you're the mother of our son.
Yes, I know.
I thought you'd learn to love me by now.
Love isn't something a woman learns like reading and writing.
It's something she knows by heart.
Dolly, I know that you love me.
Every instinct I have tells me you love me. Why don't you say it?
Because it's all I have left.
Oh, I'm not complaining about my life with you, John, it's good, and...
and you're good.
I love our son, and I'm glad he's here,
but I miss part of my life, because you and my father took it away from me.
There's an excitement about falling in love that I'll never know.
It's a whirlwind that catches you up and transports you out of yourself
into something that's more divine than mortal.
How do you know all these things? - Every woman knows them.
Though I don't think about them often, but...
sometimes when I see a boy and girl walking down the street together
or when I hear that someone's getting married because she's in love,
then I remember my promise to myself on our wedding day.
Oh, I know you think it's foolish, John,
but somehow it makes up a little bit for what you and my father took away from me.
I'll do anything you say, John, anything.
But I'll never say it.
I'll never say, "I love you", and don't ask me to again.
You're wrong, Dolly.
Someday you'll come running to tell me you love me.
Then a plague, a horrible plague,
yellow fever swept over Philadelphia.
Father was stricken.
He died in mother's arms.
And then my little boy, our son, was taken, too.
Everyone was ordered to leave the city.
Well, Dolly, they expect me back there.
They need every man they can get to help evacuate the city,
Well, why don't you go tomorrow then,
and stay here today and rest? - They need me now.
Say, John, I'd be glad to take the ladies up to the camp.
You can ride back to the city with Luke.
Oh, fine. Thank you, Mr Evans.
Well, goodbye, Doll.
Come back to us as soon as you can, John.
Iwill.
Drive me to town, Luke, hmm?
Mrs Payne, Mr Todd has been stricken with fever.
No! Where is he? - At the bridge.
Have you seen... Have you seen my husband, John Todd?
John...
John, I'm here.
You said, one day I'd come running to tell you I love you.
I love you, John.
I love you with all my heart.
John...
John!
Oh, no!
Now when I can, it's too late.
Oh, forgive me, my beloved, forgive me.
The next two years were bitter and lonely ones for mother and me,
but time somehow spreads a healing tissue over the deepest of wounds.
Philadelphia was the national capital in those days,
and when the congress was in session,
the city was overcrowded with the officials of the government.
The public taverns were noisy and dirty, and the food wretched.
So mother and I decided that we could be useful as well as practical.
Good afternoon, sir. - May I see the widow Payne?
Oh, yes, sir, won't you come in? - Thank you.
I'll tell the Widow Payne you're here, sir. - Thank you.
I hope it's a wise venture.
The thought of strange people living in our house...
There's a gentleman downstairs who wants to see the Widow Payne.
Oh, is he a lodger? - I believe so, Miss Doll.
What's he like? - Now, mother...
Don't forget about the price of the rooms and the rules.
The rules?
Yes, the use of spirits, the use of tobacco, and promptness at meals.
Now, be firm about it.
Doll, I can't. I wouldn't be able to say a word to him.
You go.
Me?
Amy. Amy, you talk to him. You know so much more about those things than we do.
Miss Dolly, that wouldn't be right.
All right, mother.
I'll go.
Remember to say, "This is a respectable home for respectable persons."
All right, mother.
Widow Payne?
No, I'm the widow Todd.
Widow Todd?
I've come for lodgings. - Oh, you have?
Well, er... we plan...
a respectable home for respectable people.
Yes.
And there is a rule about... - ...not smoking in one's bed.
Yes, that's one of them.
And of course we will not permit our guests to arrive at their lodgings in that state...
to which strong water brings weak men?
Nor will we allow our guests to gather in their quarters...
roistering friends into pass the bottle.
Won't you sit down?
Thank you.
Of course I shall need a rather large room.
Are you blushing, Widow Todd?
Is there any reason why I should, sir?
I don't know. Women's blushes are a great mystery to all men.
After all, we were not expecting applicants quite so soon.
The sign has just gone up.
I just took it down and threw it in the fire.
I saw the boy with it half a mile away and followed him here.
You won't need it anymore. Do you have a good cook?
Yes, we have... - And a place to stay for my horses?
Yes, there's a stable... - Do you like horses?
Yes, I like them very much.
You are blushing, widow Todd.
Do you have references?
Personal, political or financial?
Personal and financial.
Blushing again, widow Todd.
Mother.
This is my mother, the widow Payne.
I am Senator Aaron Burr, madam, your obedient servant.
Senator Aaron Burr of New York? - The same.
You don't mind having a senator in your house, I hope?
I would be honoured, senator. - Then I have one vote.
Widow Todd, if I promised not to try out my speeches on you,
won't you say yes, too?
Well, I'm afraid I have to, senator. After all, you took down our sign.
That's because I hope to have the privilege of finding other suitable lodgers for you.
How many do you plan to take in?
Four. - Four.
That'll be three beside myself.
Shall we say the French charge d'affaires and maybe one cabinet member
and a judge or another senator?
Sounds like a most distinguished company, senator.
I'll do my best.
May I see my quarters now, widow Todd?
Certainly, sir. Right this way.
Oh, Amy...
Amy, would you show senator Burr to the master bedroom, please?
Senator Burr? Well, bless your soul.
Come right this way, senator.
Just think!
Cabinet members, foreign ministers, judges, and senator Burr.
Doll, it is a good beginning, isn't it?
I hope so, mother.
Oh, what a fine horse!
He's yours then.
Oh, thank you, you're very kind, but I couldn't accept such a wonderful gift.
Well, if you won't, I'll have to turn him out or shoot him.
Oh, you wouldn't do that.
You know, I would if you wouldn't accept him.
I believe you might.
Come on, boy, run for your life. Come on.
I like living in your house.
Mother will be very pleased when I tell her that.
Mother?
Aren't you pleased?
Well, it's very flattering to know that the lodger likes his lodgings.
Oh, I'm not talking about the lodgings, I'm talking about you.
Hows the sketch coming?
Oh, you widows are too experienced in fending people off.
That's very good.
You're wrong, widow Todd. There's no softness in the hair,
and the eyes haven't that right kind of blue... they are blue, aren't they?
The lips haven't that full...
I just wanted to seal our bargain.
About the horse, you said you'd take him.
Indeed I did. And I think it best that I start taking him home right now.
Widow Todd?
Shall I bring the sketch?
It's not a very big rock, and I can push it along the road
for losing my bet. - What bet?
When I first saw you walking down the stairs in your house,
I foolishly bet myself that within one week I'd kiss you, and this is my last day.
How very odd.
When I saw you, I bet that our first lodger would be much too much of a gentleman
to try such tavern tricks.
That's sad. Then we both lose our bets.
It's very unlucky to start a long friendship like that.
It is, really.
Thank you.
You're a beautiful creature.
Thank you for a very nice ride.
You at least have made a conquest.
Jack, be sure to cool him off well. - Yes, sir.
Well, James... the horse kick you?
No, Aaron, why? - You look as though you're in pain.
That look might be either deep passion or a bad toothache.
Still, it's always difficult to tell from Madison's face what is going on in Madison's mind.
I was wondering if I know that lady.
I don't think so, James.
Well, I wish I did.
She's the mistress of a lodging house just around the corner.
I promise you, the first chance I get, I'll present you.
Good day, James. - Good day.
I've found a friend.
Great pleasure to have you in our home, gentlemen.
Madam, this seems like a heavenly dream.
Ah, they've come back.
Count!
So you got my message. - And came post-haste.
Well, Ainsworth, is it all I said it was? - All that and more.
Let me present my two friends who've come to live in your home.
First, Count D'Arignon, the French charge d'affaires to the United States.
And my colleague, senator Ainsworth. - It's a great pleasure, gentlemen.
I'd like to see senator Burr, please.
Yes, sir, won't you come in? - Thank you.
Quite a change from the White Horse Tavern.
For the first time since I left France, I feel as if I have a home, madame.
Excuse me, senator Burr. There's a gentleman to see you.
Oh, yes. Show him in, Amy. I'm expecting him.
That's your new lodger. Judge Sears of the Supreme court.
Judge who? - Judge Sears.
You're wrong, Aaron. It's only your humble servant.
Well, James, you really are a man of action.
Yes, I just happened to be passing by,
and I thought maybe this was a good chance to present me to, er...
Yes, erm... Mrs Payne, this is congressman James Madison.
He's asked to be presented.
I'm honoured, Mr Madison. - How do you do?
He's a bachelor, but the father of the constitution.
Mrs Todd, Mr Madison. - How do you do?
Are you the James Madison of Virginia? - Yes, I am.
My husband used to read me your articles on the Federalists.
I thought they were magnificent.
You did? - Yes.
Well, I thought they were pretty good myself.
When James says he thinks that something is pretty good, he means it's almost perfect.
It is nice to see someone from Virginia, Mr Madison.
We lived in Virginia until just a few years ago.
You can feel that the moment you walk into this house.
Mrs Todd, I was wondering, have you room for one more lodger here?
Have we, mother?
Well, I had rather promised senator Burr I'd hold the room for Judge Sears.
Well, er... don't you think that since Mr Madison is here and Judge Sears isn't,
we might forget about the judge?
But after all, a judge of the Supreme court is quite a useful thing to have around.
But a fellow Virginian is a fellow Virginian.
Well, thank you. Now, if you'll forgive me, I'll fetch my luggage.
You never would suspect that that quiet, gentle man
is the great James Madison, would you?
No.
But your cousin Patrick Henry doesn't think he's such a quiet, gentle man.
Well, you Virginians really do stick together, don't you?
When I saw that look of disappointment on his face,
I didn't have the heart to turn him away.
If he'd heard you say that, he would've run a mile.
He's very shy around the ladies.
Here's Judge Sears now.
And you, widow Todd, will have the pleasure of telling him
that you've given away his room to a mere congressman.
I just happened to have my luggage outside.
So we see.
Excuse me, can I get you something, Mr Madison?
Thank you.
Dolly will be down in just a moment, senator.
Than you, Mrs Payne.
I hope you won't be late for the play. - No, we have plenty of time.
Why don't you move your queen? You could put him in check.
You're right, Aaron, but I never like to see my queen in danger.
You look lovely, widow Todd. - Thank you, senator.
Good night, mother. - Have a good time at the play.
We will, dear.
Thank you.
I'm sorry I won't be able to see the end of your game, gentlemen.
Goodnight. - Goodnight.
Goodnight.
C'est a' vous dejouer. - What?
I think it is your move, Monsieur.
Yes, yes, I guess it is at that.
What is the play to be about?
Oh... usual nonsense.
This is the first time I've been to the theatre since we moved to Philadelphia.
You're in one every day of your life. All the world's a stage.
This is not the theatre, Mr Burr.
No, this is a tavern, but you'll find it much more amusing than the theatre.
Evening, colonel Burr. - Evening, Randy.
Just wait, sir.
Aaron Burr.
The man we want as president of the US. - That's right, senator.
Well, the politicians may have something to say about that.
Colonel, when the time comes, we won't worry about politicians,
will we, boys? - No, we'll follow Burr.
Wine has made you eloquent. - Where you lead, Mr Burr, we follow.
A pint for Thomas. I'll remember that, Thomas.
Take good care of the colonel, Tessie. - Yes, sir.
How do you do, senator? - Hello, Jake.
Any French wine tonight? - Yes, colonel.
Why did you bring me to this place? - I thought you'd like it.
These people are much more amusing than those players on the stage.
They're different certainly.
Would you like to leave and go on to the theatre?
No. - Don't tell me, widow Todd,
that you're beginning to find the dark side of the street attractive.
I don't know, Mr Burr. There's a note of excitement about you,
and somehow it seems to be echoed by these people here.
In this room is every kind of evil hunger that the Gods invented.
There's hunger wealth, for power, for danger, for adventure.
What is your evil hunger, Mr Burr?
You think I have one? - You're not an ordinary man.
I'll drink to that.
And to the hidden streams of life and the dark places to which they flow.
To you, widow Todd.
No, Bryan! No!
Move the tables back.
Mandy? Lock the doors.
Sit still.
He's hurt.
Pick it up with your left hand.
Pick it up, or I'll run you through!
You let her alone!
From now on it gets a little rough,
so I'll take you out through that door that leads to the courtyard.
If you see the watch, keep going alone.
Open up and be searched.
Why are we stopping?
I think our borrowed steed is rather short of wind. We ought to give him a breather.
I think I need one, too.
Have you had enough excitement for one evening?
Enough for a good many.
We'll look upon the whole thing as a visit to the theatre.
You have a very odd way of making danger attractive.
Have I?
Goodnight.
Good morning.
Oh, good morning, Mr Madison.
This must be an important day in the congress.
What makes you say that?
You look like a man who's about to pass a law.
What do you think of the... Here, let me.
Oh, thank you.
What do you think of the lawmakers that you've met, Miss Dolly?
They're not as wise as friends claim,
nor as stupid as their enemies report. - Yes.
Somehow I feel they're just about like everybody else.
You're right, no better and no worse.
Dolly... I mean, Miss Todd,
I've been thinking of a little plan that concerns you.
Me? - Yes.
I have a bill before congress which prohibits any American
from engaging in the operation of slaveships.
Well, that sounds like a wonderful bill. Will they pass it?
No, not unless I can convince the opposition
that liberty and slavery can never live hand in hand.
You sound like my father the day he set his slaves free.
He told them,
"I'm not doing this for you, nor for myself,"
"nor to serve my own conscience."
"I'm doing this because our nation that has just been born"
"will be stronger when all men are free."
Would you tell them that tomorrow night, just as you said it to me?
Tomorrow night?
Ah, I forgot. I haven't told you about my plan.
Now you said that lawmakers are just like everybody else.
Oh! The flowers look lovely, Doll. - Aren't they pretty?
Now let me see...
The Vermont and Massachusetts men will be here.
The ladies will be South Carolina and Virginia.
Mrs Tillson, Maryland, Mrs Makin, Pennsylvania,
New York, New Jersey and Delaware.
I think they'll mix very nicely.
Oh, Amy. Be sure that everything that comes out of the kitchen is very hot.
Get things on the table as fast as possible.
They can be more leisurely clearing off the table.
How many girls did you get? - Three, Miss Dolly, for the table. And myself.
That's fine, Amy.
As soon as the men get seated, take the flowers off the table.
Men don't like to talk over flowers.
I think they enhance the picture.
They slow down the conversation.
My idea of a good party is where everybody talks at once.
Be sure that the gentlemen have extra-thick cuts of roast.
Oh, yes, maam.
Now, I'll go up and get some rest, and you'd better do the same, mother.
Amy.
Please say a little prayer
that Mr Madison's supper party does all the things he wants it to do.
Miss Dolly, I can't say a prayer over just a supper party!
You can over this one, Amy.
Indeed you can.
Port and cigars for the gentlemen, Amy.
We'll have to talk Madison into this quite frequently.
I didn't think he had it in him.
Mr Madison is from Virginia, gentlemen.
There's nothing he enjoys more than his little suppers with his friends.
What I can't understand, Mr Madison,
is why a charming gentleman like yourself has never married.
Neither can I, sir.
You now that women have a lot more wisdom than most men think.
I've never met one that would have me.
You come to my house on the 25th.
I'll show you six, all of them young and pretty.
Now, six seems a good many wives to start out with.
I think I'd rather start out with just one, like most of the gentlemen I know.
Oh, Mr Madison!
Isn't he droll?
I know the one I'd choose if I were you, sir.
You do, ma'am?
There's one thing I know nothing about. That's politics.
But I never will forget my father saying it.
"I'm not doing this for you, nor to serve my own conscience,"
"but because our new-born nation will be stronger when all men are free."
I liked it because it made the United States seem like a little pink and white baby
with a blue bonnet on.
Ladies... ladies, shall we leave the gentlemen to their port and cigars?
Oh... I'm sorry.
Gentlemen.
When this bill comes up, all I'll remember will be this supper.
You know how my vote will go.
I hope it will go the right way, sir. - Goodnight.
Mr Madison. - Goodnight, my dear. Have a lovely evening.
I'll see you later, James. I see things more clearly now.
We need some good, clear thinking on this bill. Goodnight.
Oh, Dolly, it was a lovely party.
Even though I shouldn't say it, I had a wonderful time.
Ladies, I want to thank you.
I'll never be able to say the things I want to say.
I couldn't say them if I stood here all night.
You know, I worked on those men for months.
I buttonholed them in corridors, I plagued them in taverns,
and all I ever got was, "No."
And tonight?
And tonight, Dolly, this little supper party and the things you said
and the things you made them say
may be just the thing we need to pass the bill tomorrow.
That would be nice, Mr Madison.
It may be the first step in the fight against slavery.
Do you really think it has a chance of passing?
It may, it may, it may.
And if it becomes the law, Dolly, it will be your law.
My law? - Yours and nobody else's.
Oh...
Oh, I... I never felt so important in all my life.
I'll be back in a moment.
Oh, you startled me, Aaron.
Is that all? Then I'll do it again.
Did your supper make history?
It went off very well, thank you, sir.
It can only mean that Mr Madison
had another dull and totally unnecessary law ready to be passed.
It's a very good bill, Aaron.
I know the salve trade act is not only impractical,
but is quite impossible to enforce.
But if it is enforced, it may mean the beginning of the end of slavery.
I know every phrase and syllable on it, and it won't work.
Come on, we're going to the Clinton ball.
Oh, I couldn't stand another party tonight. - And see how politics really are played.
All right, I'll get my gloves and shawl.
It'll help you to get the dull taste of congressman out of your mouth, too.
Mrs Todd, may I present my friends.
Senator and Mrs Mason. - How do you do?
Governor and Mrs Trubshaw. - Delighted.
And Mr Justice Drake. - It is indeed an honour.
Good evening, Senator. - Senator?
Sir, you mean the next president of the United States.
Yeah...
You're the first to put in words what everybody knows.
Gentlemen, these good wishes are deeply appreciated,
even though they are a trifle premature.
Now, when one has the good fortune to dance with Mrs Todd,
only a fool would waste time talking politics.
Goodbye.
I can't believe that I know the man who's to be the next President of the United States.
And a very different kind of president he'll be, too.
Oh, I'm sure of that.
No, I'm serious, Dolly.
When I was in Europe last year, I couldn't help wondering what would happen
if a really strong power,
one with great armies and navies, attacked this country.
I think we'd raise greater armies,
the way we did during the Revolutionary War.
Ah, that time we were lucky. Next time we have to be strong.
There's too much talk about democracy these days
and too little purpose in rule.
We need a president who can pull the states together
and make them into a real nation in spite of themselves.
If I were a man, I think I'd love politics.
Instead of politicians?
There's something very special about sunday,
about the sunshine.
The way people look as they stroll along,
families together, young men and young ladies,
seems to be the best day of the week for everybody.
You didn't like Philadelphia when you first came here, did you?
No.
I miss the life in Virginia.
But there's so much of me here now.
I wish I had those first few years here to live over again.
I wasn't very wise about my marriage, Mr Madison.
I didn't realise how much it meant to me until it was all over.
I heard John Todd was a fine man.
He was. He made me very happy.
But I was extremely wilful.
I have many regrets, Mr Madison.
Well, you can't live with regrets. - I know that.
And there's a good deal of happiness still left in the world.
I suppose everybody has said, "lf I had my life to live over again,"
"how differently I would live it." - Yes, I'm sure of that.
I've said it often.
And should I marry again,
I'd try to make up for all the things I failed to do for John.
Are you thinking about marrying again?
Every widow thinks about marrying again, Mr Madison.
I had hoped that you would be.
Had you? - Yes.
This time, I must be deeply in love before my marriage.
I know now the part a wife should play in a husband's life.
I think you should marry a man
because he wants you more than anything else in the world,
because he wants you to be a part of his plans, his ambition, and his work.
No matter how difficult a task he sets out to do,
you make it possible for him to do it.
I hope he'll need me.
That's one thing I must be certain,
that my husband needs me.
He needs you, Dolly.
Sometimes I'm positive that he needs no one but himself.
Then other times, he seems so alone,
as though he needed someone very badly.
I hope you'll forgive me for speaking so frankly,
but you are his friend,
and there are times when I feel I know you better than I do Mr Burr.
You seem to understand me.
I suppose it's because we're both from Virginia.
Yes. I suppose that's the reason.
Well, shall we walk a bit? - Yes, James.
Er, tell Mrs Todd the horses are outside, Amy.
Mrs Todd is having tea with Mr Madison and another gentleman.
Oh, senator, won't you come and have a cup of tea?
You know Mr Jefferson. - Yes, indeed. How are you, Thomas?
It's nice to see you, Aaron. - I don't suppose you've heard the news.
News? ls there news?
Mr Jefferson has been named to run against Mr Adams for the presidency.
Well, congratulations, Thomas.
And congratulations to you, too, James, I feel that you must've had a hand in this.
Two hands, Aaron. No man did more to get me the nomination.
I wish I deserved that compliment.
Let's drink to Mr Jefferson.
Yes.
A toast in tea.
Symbolic of that party in Boston that makes it possible for any man
to offer himself as the leader of his people.
To you, Mr Jefferson. - Thank you, Aaron.
I'm glad that Jefferson was nominated instead of me.
Are you?
Now Adams will win the election, Jefferson will be out of the way,
so will your friend Madison.
Don't you like Mr Madison?
No, I'm jealous. - Oh, Aaron...
Well, not really, but those adoring glances, haven't you noticed them?
I know he's fond of me.
Fond of you? He's madly in love with you. So am I.
Why do you keep James dangling around? - I don't.
I like him. I like his ideals.
His ideals! They're the same as Jefferson's.
You don't really think that men like that can run these so-called United States, do you?
Well, of course I do. - They can't. History proves that.
Where the people rule, they're ruined.
This country will never become a nation until the power to rule is in proper hands.
The United States are a long way from being united.
You yourself fought to make this country a free nation.
I'm still fighting to make it a nation, not a collection of tribes.
That's what it is now.
New England and the southern states beat out the tom-toms over the tariff,
New York and Pennsylvania hold war dances and yell against the taxes.
Every so-called citizen wants everything for himself
and to leave nothing for the other man.
A country so divided and a people so selfish
makes a very tempting dish.
Aaron, that's no way to take defeat. - Defeat?
I'm not defeated.
And when this union of states breaks up, I'll pick up the pieces.
Jefferson and Madison can have their day now,
I'll have mine later.
Not that way, Aaron, no.
I'll preach freedom and rebellion in the same breath,
I'll lead and the rebel will follow, and in the end I'll rule.
I'll rule without election, I'll rule without congress.
Aaron, that's treason.
You shouldn't talk like that. Too many men have died for our liberty.
Treason? You may call it treason, but I call it destiny.
Your destiny and mine.
Aaron, you frighten me when you talk like that.
I'm going to rule this country alone.
Only you will be at my side, always.
Have you got the carriage? - Yes.
Might I suggest you redraft the bill?
I'll think about it.
Dolly, this is a surprise! Have you been in the gallery,
listening to the debates? - No, James.
Fisher Ames and Guiles put on quite a show. I thought they'd never finish.
Is there somewhere I may speak to you?
I mean, privately. - Why, of course.
Sit down right here. No one will disturb us.
Hadn't we better go somewhere else?
I know women are not supposed to come in here.
No, no, it's all right. Nobody will mind.
You seem troubled, Dolly. Sit down.
I am troubled.
I'm troubled about something that women are not supposed to be concerned with at all.
I thought a woman's hand was always needed
when there was a problem to be solved.
Even in politics? - Yeah.
Yes, there have been women involved in politics,
Cleopatra, Du Barry, old Queen Elizabeth, you're not alone in history.
Then my coming here to talk politics doesn't seem strange to you?
No, I think it's delightful.
Have you a bill you want me to sponsor?
No, I'm afraid I have a lot of questions.
Well, that's good.
There's no better place for a citizen to ask questions than in the hall of Congress.
James,
isn't it true that man's effort to be free has always failed?
Yes.
Yes, that's been the record for the past 8.000 years, up until now.
Are you afraid we'll fail again?
I don't know.
Is that a bad thing to say? - I don't think so.
I often ask myself that.
I have doubts, too, very often.
But then I tell myself,
"This is the last great hope of man, and we can't let it fail."
But it is in danger, isn't it? - Yes.
I sometimes wonder how we had the courage to fight for it.
Maybe it's something in the American soil, some kind of strength that comes up to men.
Maybe it's something in the air, clear and heady,
that makes us want to be free.
But whatever it is, we have it and we'll keep it, if the people want it.
That's just it. Some people don't want it.
They want a ruler. They want advantages for themselves.
They want to take away from the many and give power to the few.
No, no, some people want that.
But they're not people who understand freedom.
How would you define freedom, James? What do you say it is?
I don't know.
If I were called upon here
by the representatives of the people, my colleagues,
to define freedom,
now what would I say?
I'd say freedom is the right of every man to look upon every other man and say,
"I'm no better than you are, and you're no better than I am.
"I'm not yours, and you're not mine,"
"but together we can be the strongest of all men."
"Together we can make laws to settle our disputes."
"Together we can devise and work out a way of life"
"that will be good for all of us."
"This was the reason we fought to be free,"
"and this is the way we live in freedom."
ls there some question from the member?
Yes, there is.
What will happen if this idea of freedom were attacked by a strong enemy?
I only know I've had one glimpse of freedom,
and now I can't live without it.
And I and all men like me will die fighting those who try to shut it off.
You have doubts, I have them, too,
but I also have this, and I'll give it to you.
That this blessed dream of free men governed by their own laws
will take shape and grow, Dolly,
until it includes all people, all races, all kinds, all together.
This is all I have, this blessed dream,
it's all I have to offer to still your doubts.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make a speech.
Oh, James, it's all so clear to me now.
You're not crying?
No.
No, I'm not crying.
I know something now it seems I've always known.
I know now, James, that...
I love you.
I've been trying to say those same words to you since the first day I saw you.
And now I didn't even have to propose.
No man has ever made a more beautiful proposal.
See here, you two. This table is for making laws, not for making love.
It's all right, Hugo.
Oh, forgive me, Mr Madison, I didn't know.
I never dreamed.
Neither did I.
I want you to have this necklace now,
and you're to wear it for the first time at your wedding.
It was your great-grandmothers.
Oh, I remember this.
You used to wear this in Virginia.
Only on great occasions.
Oh, it's a wonderful present.
Thank you, mother.
I couldn't give it to you the last time, but this time you must have a beautiful wedding.
I think I can brag of you to our friends.
"Dolly", I'll say, "is married to James Madison,"
"a truly great man."
Yes, he is, mother.
His love is the kind that will last forever.
And his life and his dreams are the kind that a woman can really share.
Er, what does Aaron Burr think about this, Doll?
I haven't told him yet.
But I will tonight.
I thought we might take supper out tonight.
I'd like to be spared the sight of Madison smugly denying
that he engineered Jefferson's nomination.
We could go someplace where we're not known.
Aaron...
I'd like to tell you something.
Not about politics, I hope?
No, it's about us.
What do you want to tell me?
Well, I hope you'll understand this.
It's not very easy to explain.
I guess when things like this happen, they are always a little...
What are you trying to say?
I'm going to marry James Madison.
I knew it. Yesterday on the hill, I knew it.
No, Aaron, I didn't know until today myself.
Why are you doing this? - Because I love him. I love him very deeply.
I'm sorry, but... - You're sorry!
That's very touching, widow Todd,
but you'll be more sorry as time goes on. - Aaron, you're hurting me.
Think I'll fail? Have you lost faith in me? - No, please, Aaron...
Let me go.
You'll never forget me, Dolly, if you marry a dozen Madisons.
And I'll never forget you.
Never.
James Madison and I were married.
After the election, when our friend Tom Jefferson lost the presidency to John Adams,
my husband and I moved to Virginia,
where James was a member of the Virginia legislature.
We spent four wonderful and happy years on his family estate.
Dolly! - Yes?
Look, we have some visitors. - Look, they can get their eyes open.
You know what his name is? - No.
John Adams. - Why?
Well, look at him.
Mr Madison, sir. - Oh, yes, fella.
This came by courier from Washington, sir.
Oh, good. Thank you.
It's from Tom Jefferson. - Oh, I hope he's coming to visit us.
He's one person I'd love to see.
He wants us to visit him.
He's going to run for president again. - That is good news.
He says, "You must come to Washington and help me campaign."
I could close the house in a very few days.
"...going to be an exciting campaign."
He has Aaron Burr running for his vice president.
He says that should ensure New York and Massachusetts.
But Tom and Aaron seem to be such strange running mates.
Yes, old Tom's probably swung Burr around to his way of thinking.
This last paragraph is for you.
"Dolly, I'm counting on you to keep things running smoothly."
Now what are you thinking up?
I was just thinking how happy we've been here in Montpelier these past four years.
Oh, we'll come back here after the election.
Jefferson will make our country a model for every nation on earth.
He has to win this election, Doll.
And you want to help him, don't you, James?
Yes, I do. All I can.
And I want to help you, all I can.
We had moved to Washington,
and now that the campaign was over,
we were spending our fifth wedding anniversary alone,
as we had planned.
James!
That's the most beautiful fan I've ever seen.
Why not? It's for the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
Yes, very useful things, fans.
Open your present. - Oh, yes.
Yes. Now let me...
A snuff box?
Well, Dolly, you're really trying to make a dandy out of me, aren't you?
Don't you like it? - Oh, I certainly do.
Oh, you'd better. I had to go all the way to New York for it.
Well, it's overwhelming.
I'm going to make a point of offering snuff to everybody in the capital,
so they can... admire it.
And I shall blush modestly behind my fan at your elegance.
Which reminds me, I must have a new gown and turban made to match my beautiful gift.
Of course now I have to have new Waistcoats to house this beautiful object.
You'll be the centre of attraction, my dear husband.
Mr Madison, please, sir.
Mr Wilson and Mr Quinnan, some other gentlemen, to see you.
Tell them to come in, please.
This is the evening we were going to spend alone.
Public life and private plans seldom walk together.
They may not stay very long.
Don't ask them for supper. - I won't.
They probably came by to tell us about the electoral college vote. Gentlemen?
Mr Madison, we've been tricked. - Tricked?
Jefferson and Burr are tied.
Seventy-three votes for each. Here's the calculation.
You mean the election will go to the House of Representatives for a decision?
It will indeed, ma'am. - And there is danger there for us.
We're about to sit in council with Mr Jefferson on this matter tonight.
Gentlemen, I'll see you in a few moments.
I'm sorry, Doll.
This is a poor end to our little celebration.
Maybe we should've stayed in Virginia.
James, you must not let Aaron Burr be named president.
I feel this is my fault in a way.
I wrote the election law.
Burr found a loophole.
I didn't write a very good law, Doll.
I tell you, I have a feeling about it.
When the House votes, we'll defeat Jefferson two to one.
Two to one, gentlemen! I swear it won't be less than that, Aaron.
Or should I say Mr president?
All we need is nine more votes.
Nine votes, and Jefferson buried in the vice presidency once again.
A fate he richly deserves.
Mr Alexander Hamilton, sir.
Tell him I'm not here.
Mr Burr?
I hope you'll pardon my presence, but my business is urgent.
And private.
No, please stay, gentlemen.
Yes, Mr Hamilton?
I'm here to ask you again to stop this folly and end this farce
and to notify the House of Representatives
that you ran for the vice presidency, not for the presidency.
And why should they believe me any more than they believe you?
Your claim to the presidency, Mr Burr,
is distasteful, dishonest, and personally repugnant to decent men.
And how do men like yourself feel about it?
Aaron Burr,
whatever influence I have, I shall use against you at this time.
And any time in the future that you are presumptuous enough to run for public office,
I shall oppose you.
Have you all heard enough? - Mm-hmm.
So have I. Jason, show Mr Hamilton to the door and then open the window.
Won't you all join me?
You turned him out!
And you did it beautifully, Mr president, beautifully.
I don't think he'd never swing the federalist vote for Jefferson.
I don't know. He may be meddlesome, but he's clever.
We must find a way to offset him.
Let me think now.
Aaron, if I were you, I would go to the city of Washington as soon as possible.
I'd talk to every congressman down there.
This thing needs just a little horse-trading,
and I think you can trade horses better than Hamilton.
My, oh my, oh my, why didn't I think of that?
I'll sleep on it and let you know in the morning.
A trip to Washington this time of year might be very pleasant.
Hamilton will try to swing New York and may pick up a few votes.
The Federals will hold the line, they hate Jefferson.
Everyone hates him.
They hate Madison, too.
What about John Marshall?
Do you mind if we discuss this in the morning instead of tonight?
Oh, certainly. - Certainly, Mr president.
Jason will show you to the door. - Yeah, we were just leaving.
Aaron, I don't know what you'll think of me for coming here like this,
but I had to see you for a few minutes. - I dreamt of you in every room in this house.
I know what you think of a woman meddling in politics.
But I can't let you go on doing what you're doing
without pleading with you to change your course.
You look exactly the same.
What course?
This pretention to the presidency.
Pretention?
Madison send you here? - No, Aaron.
Don't tell me you're running errands for Mr Jefferson.
No one knows I'm here. - Why did you come then?
Aaron,
once you told me that you loved me.
Once?
I thought I told you more often than that.
I also told you I was gonna become the President of the United States,
and as I recall, you were very happy to know the man who might gain that high office.
Now you're here to gain political advantage for your husband.
I'm here because this is more important than my husband or Mr Jefferson or you or me.
Speak for your own side, madam. It's very important for me.
So important, in fact, that I'm going to Washington tomorrow to ensure its success.
To influence the House vote by trading and truckling with men you despise.
Aaron, that's sneaking into the presidency by the back door.
Serve your four years as vice president.
Mr Jefferson did it. Mr Adams did it.
You can only add to your political strength by doing the same.
At this moment, I'm stronger than Mr Jefferson.
I'm stronger than Madison and Hamilton, too.
Then why do you cheapen yourself by going to Washington to buy and beg votes?
Cheapen myself?
Dolly,
to prove to you that this is my destiny, I won't go to Washington.
I won't lift a finger to further my own cause.
Does that make you happier?
Thank you, Aaron.
I know why you're here.
You won't admit it to yourself right now.
You keep saying, "That's all over, that's done with."
But it will never be over between us, Dolly, never done with.
Aaron, I don't want you to say these things.
I'll always say them.
And when my day comes,
I'll find some way to have you at my side.
Goodbye, Aaron.
Aaron Burr did yield,
and Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated President of the United States.
He appointed my husband Secretary of State.
Mr Jefferson asked James and me to go with him
on his first official inspection of the president's house.
To my astonishment, he said he had a job for me, too.
He was a widower and wanted me to become
the official hostess of Washington City and the president's house.
I was delighted, of course, but in no way prepared for what I was to find
when Mrs John Adams opened the front door for us.
The contractor had promised to finish the president's house many months before,
but materials were scarce, good workmen hard to find,
and through somebody's bad judgement,
the house had been built in the midst of a swamp.
Mrs Adams led us to the kitchen
to show us the three feet of water covering the floor.
The East Room, the great and magnificent ballroom for entertaining European royalty,
was unfinished, unpainted,
with an enormous line of wash hanging from one end to the other.
Standing in the midst of all this confusion, Mr Jefferson gave me my assignment.
I was to make the president's house warm, beautiful and friendly,
so that every American would feel it was his unofficial home.
It was the most difficult assignment I had ever had,
but Mr Jefferson was not a man you failed.
It was not too long before the work was done,
and we were giving lovely parties.
Oh, Dolly.
I was just telling Jonathan,
the four of us ought to try and arrange a little trip Virginia right after the session.
I'd love it. Wouldn't you, James?
James can't take any trips to Virginia.
Jefferson won't let him get out of Washington.
There's plenty of reason to stay here right now,
especially for the man Jefferson's picked to succeed him.
Jonathan, don't say things like that.
James has no ambition to succeed Mr Jefferson.
That is the truth.
Now, don't try to pull the wool over my eyes, James.
Any man in the United States would like to be president.
Mr Aaron Burr!
The Vice president of the United States.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Mr President.
Mr Burr. - Mr Vice President.
Mr Secretary.
Now, if you'll excuse me, Mr President, I'd like to look around a little.
Certainly, Mr Burr.
I might even find a friend here.
Aaron Burr. At last you come to one of my parties.
Hostess to the president.
What a magnificent title for you, widow Todd.
Well, it is a rather difficult task at times, but I manage to...
But an easy one to get, I'm sure.
All you had to do is to persuade me to step aside for Jefferson
and tell him and be rewarded.
I stepped down and you stepped up.
Aaron,
no one, not even my husband, knows I went to New York to see you.
I'll never tell him, madam.
I wouldn't want him to know how big a fool I've been.
Did you come here tonight just to humiliate me,
to say things you know are not true?
I came here to tell you that what you and Jefferson and Madison robbed me of,
I'll get myself.
You may plan, and Madison may dream,
it will do you no good.
Thomas Jefferson will be the last President of the United States.
That's irresponsible, Aaron.
You must end this suspicion, this madness.
This madness?
You know me better than that, Dolly.
What I start out to do, I do.
When it's done, you'll be the first to know.
Till then, Mrs Madison.
This is a tragic circumstance, James.
With your permission, sir. - Certainly.
Did Burr tell you about his duel with Alexander Hamilton?
Duel? No, what happened?
Courier just brought word they fought with pistols.
Burr killed him.
Oh, no! - Yes.
Well, Ned, have you come along for the fun?
Well, colonel, I always did want to see Mexico.
You'll see plenty of it if you follow me, soldier.
They still think we're going to attack Mexico. - That's all they talk about.
Blennerhassett's learning Spanish, the fool.
He won't have much opportunity for that in Washington.
It'll come in handy at the embassy dinner.
I thought he'd catch on by now.
You know, Jedson, you and I are the only ones who know
that we're going to war with the United States.
Now, our advisors are waiting.
That's agreed then.
We move down the river to the great gulf and then west and on to Mexico.
To Mexico, empire and glory.
But are you sure the United States army will be at war with Spain before then?
I'm quite sure. I'm also certain that we shall pick up followers by the tens of thousands.
It's government troops. They're on their way here.
Hear that? It's government troops. - Wait till the old man hears this!
Sounds like bad news. Might be trouble.
Colonel, government troops are headed this way under a forced march.
Government troops?
Who wants the honour of firing the first shot at them?
But Colonel Burr, he said they're government troops.
Politicians troops. Politicians who are trying to spoil our plans.
The hour has come.
We'll give them more than they bargained for, won't we, men?
We'll meet them on road tonight.
One good ambush, and they'll scatter like leaves in the storm.
Company commander, sound assembly.
Colonel Burr.
Yes, captain, didn't you understand my order?
Yes, colonel. But I joined you for foreign conquest,
not to fight the United States. Nor did my men.
And I'll not order them to ambush any soldier under the flag of my own country.
Captain, we pick no fight with them, they've come here to fight us.
But colonel, couldn't we parley with them,
get an explanation or give one?
The only explanation they understand is hot lead and plenty of it,
and we're the ones to give it to them, aren't we, men?
That's treason you're talking.
Treason, is it? - Yes, sir. Treason and rebellion.
Soldier, I'll tell you one thing, and the rest of you, listen to me.
You here with the thousands who have flocked to our banners
can beat these troops of the government
if you have the courage to do so.
Follow where I lead, and in one month,
you and I, all of us here,
will be the rulers of the United States.
If we win this first battle, we can win them all.
Listen to me.
Hold these men. They must listen.
We can win.
Come back, you must hear me.
I have a plan. A plan to take all the southern states.
And I have friends, powerful friends. Friends who are waiting for us to march in.
Listen to me!
Come back and listen, you cowards!
You're throwing away an empire.
You're a good barber, Jenks.
Thank you, Mr Burr. Thank you.
They don't really think I'm going to commit suicide, do they?
Well, some do, you know?
A fellow about three years ago did on the day they were going to hang him.
I done his hair the night before.
Done it real pretty, too. - They're a long way from hanging me.
Mr Burr, you're gonna have a new barber from now on.
Why? Are they gonna hang you?
No, I'm getting out. Out of jail, and out of Richmond, too.
Going back up to New Jersey, where I belong.
Jenks.
Do you go through Washington on your way home?
I suppose so. It's just as close that way as any other.
I have a letter I want you to deliver for me.
I'll give you $100 in gold.
$100?
And enough for your stage fare besides.
Mr Burr, I'm your man. - Good.
Deliver it to no one but the lady herself. - Yes, sir.
I told the gentleman you got scores of letters every day,
and they was delivered right in my hands.
But he said this is something different.
I'm Mrs Madison. - A gentleman in jail gave me a letter for you.
He asked me to give it to you personally, right in your own hand.
Thank you very much.
It's been a pleasure, ma'am, a real pleasure.
Oh, Doll.
I have a meeting with Tom. I won't be late.
James.
May I have a word with you?
Of course, darling.
That man just brought me this note.
From Aaron Burr.
Want me to read it?
I wish you would.
"Dear Dolly, I need a friend in this hour."
"You're the only one I can turn to."
"Will you... will you come to Richmond"
"if I ask you in the name of what we once meant to each other?"
"Hopefully, Aaron Burr."
Yes.
Do you think I should go?
I don't know, Doll.
Would it hurt you, politically I mean, if I did?
That wouldn't stop me if I wanted to do something.
I don't see why it should stop you.
People may talk.
That wouldn't bother either of us, would it?
It never has, James. - No.
I don't know what to do.
His letter is so full of humility.
It's so unlike him.
This is a bitter hour for him, James.
I don't doubt it.
If they find him guilty of treason, the penalty is death.
He could've been a great man.
He had such a brilliant mind.
I wonder what led him to this folly.
Please tell me what to do.
I wish I could, but I... I can't, Doll.
This is one of those times when no one can tell you what to do but yourself.
You'll find the answer.
Your decision be my decision, no matter what happens.
Forgive me.
I'll go on to the meeting.
Miss Dolly, you still in here, sitting in the dark?
I was just gonna put this night light here.
I didn't realise it was so late, Amy.
Is there something I can do for you before you go to sleep?
Yes, pack a box for me to take in the carriage.
We're leaving for Richmond tonight.
I don't hold with us traipsing down here all alone.
You going to the jailhouse to see Mr Burr.
Never thought I'd live to see my Miss Dolly doing a thing like this.
Mr Burr once did a great favour for me.
Now it's my turn to repay him.
Anytime he crooked his little finger, you'd go along.
You was that way the day you met him.
Is it so strange that I should pity a man who's facing death?
I have to do it. If I didn't, I'd regret it all the days in my life.
Well, I just hope it turns out all right.
You pray for me, Amy, and it will.
It's taking 'em a long time to reach a verdict.
Well, Burr's lawyers managed to throw dust in the judges eyes.
Mr Williams, you're a lawyer.
What did they mean when they said the traitor had committed no overt act?
Well, that's his defence. Under the law, that's pretty strong.
Didn't seem very strong to me.
His counsel claims that Burr committed no act of treason
and that his troops didn't fire on government troops at any time
and that his campaign was against Mexico and not against the government.
Well, everyone knows he planned to overthrow the government.
But what you know and what you can prove in a court of law...
ls the trial over, sir? - Huh?
Is the trial over? - Oh, yes, the trial is over,
but we're still waiting for the verdict of the court.
Where would I find the jailor's office, please, sir?
Right around the corner of the building. - Thank you, sir.
Now, Miss Dolly, please be careful.
Yes, Amy, I will.
I saw him when he was a senator. I heard him make a speech.
I don't care if you saw him every day in your life. I say he's guilty.
He's innocent. - I'll bet you another dollar.
The verdict is to hang him.
It's a bet.
That's the easiest $3 I ever made.
Yes, ma'am? Something I can do for you?
I'd like permission to see Mr Aaron Burr. - Well, a lot of people would.
What's your name? - Mrs James Madison.
Uh, Mrs Madison, unless I can get a pass from the court, I...
Mrs James Madison? - Yes.
Mrs James Madison,
wife of the Secretary of State? - Yes.
Well, in that case, I think it'll be all right.
Come right this way.
Aaron.
Dolly, you're here. I knew you'd come. - Oh, I wish there was something I could do.
You're here, that's all that matters.
I've thought of every moment we spent together,
the rides we used to take, the times we danced,
and those wretched little inns you went to. - I've thought of those times, too.
And that time you came to my house in New York.
I should never have let you leave.
You did a fine thing for your country that day, Aaron.
I did that for you, Dolly. It's the only thing you ever asked of me, and I couldn't refuse.
Now you're here because you can't deny me anything.
Please understand, I came here to give you my sympathy.
Sympathy?
That's very touching, dear Dolly, but I don't need your sympathy,
yours or anybody else's.
The penalty for treason is... - ...death!
I met that bony old beggar once before, and now he's missed me once again.
The verdict of the court. "Not guilty."
I bribed the bailiff to listen to the vote.
Well, aren't you going to tell me you're happy?
lam.
I hope all of this has made you think, Aaron. - It has.
I'll never make the same mistakes again.
Then I am glad.
That's why I sent for you. Because we love each other.
And I wanted you here to see me triumphant.
Do you realise that this verdict of "not guilty" may not be popular with the people?
Popular? I should hope not.
I want them to hate me.
I want them to hate the laws that let me loose, the court that set me free.
I want to sow hate and reap a harvest of power.
But you just said that all of this had made you think.
It has.
It made me think of the power, fear and hate.
Don't you realise, Dolly, what this verdict will mean?
When they hear the news, when they hear I am free,
I'll walk out of this jail bigger than the whole government. Then you'll see their fear.
Oh, they'll try to attack me. They'll forget their famous laws and turn into a mob
and be shot down by their own soldiers. And then...
Then the weak, the greedy, the suspicious,
the evil men from all over the country will flock to my banner.
This time, I'll offer you the crown.
Mr Burr, better get your coat on.
The court's reconvening, and they're about ready to read the verdict.
If you please, Mrs Madison.
And this time, Mrs Madison, I won't fail.
He very nearly was president.
He's a brand new man, but you can't skin a fox before he's caught.
They'll skin him all right at the end of a rope!
Why are they wasting time? They should a shot him the day they caught him.
This is one hanging I'm not going to miss!
Arthur, I want you to wait here, please. - You don't want to stay around here.
I've got to hear what happens.
Court's dismissed. Ring the bell.
What's the verdict? - Not guilty.
Not guilty? Did you hear that?
Stop that bell! Stop that bell! Stop it!
Listen to me, everybody.
In there, they just pronounced Aaron Burr innocent.
I say he's guilty! - Yeah!
And I say Aaron Burr is a traitor! - Yeah!
The law states plain what happens to traitors.
Those judges know he's guilty.
Honest men stood up before them and told the truth about him.
I say, where's justice when such a man can get off scot-free?
If those judges are too lily-livered to hang a traitor, we can do it ourselves.
Yeah!
We can show 'em that a good hemp rope in a high oak tree
is better than all them law books.
Yeah!
We'll show 'em here today what a free man thinks of traitors.
Clem, go get that rope out of my wagon. - Yes!
And if he won't come out, we'll go in and drag him out.
Yeah!
Stop it! Stop it!
What is that, ma'am? - You must not do this, you must not.
Maam, don't you believe in justice?
Justice? Justice was never done by a mob.
Was that justice what those judges did in that court today?
Ma'am, you got a queer sense of justice.
She can tell about the traitor. Can't you, ma'am?
Tell him who you are, ma'am. Go ahead.
I'll tell him then.
This lady is Dolly Madison. - What?
The wife of the bigwig in Washington, James Madison.
And I charge her with bringing orders from the politicians in Washington,
orders for the judges to set Aaron Burr free.
That is not true.
Well, you might have saved his life in there, ma'am,
but you ain't gonna do it out here. - No!
I did not save his life.
I came to see Aaron Burr, but I brought no messages from Washington,
and I have not seen the judges.
So you've just come to see Aaron Burr?
All the way from Washington!
I came to give what comfort I could to a man I thought would be condemned to death.
Well, you haven't come in vain, Mrs Madison.
Here's the kind of justice a free man has for a traitor.
We'll show those judges what we think of their laws and courts.
Stop it! Stop it!
Please listen to me. - Go back to your husband!
If you follow that man and hang Aaron Burr,
you will put an end to freedom here today.
That's where you're wrong, ma'am. We're gonna put an end to Aaron Burr.
Yeah!
If you hang Aaron Burr in defiance of your laws,
you will right here prove those laws worthless, meaningless,
and you fought for blessed freedom to make those laws.
We made 'em, and we can break 'em.
You must not break them!
When you made those laws, you agreed to live by them and obey them.
If they're not strong enough to protect you,
strengthen them in orderly processes,
but never take them into your own hands in mobs like this.
This is not freedom.
But we're free men! We do as we like.
Freedom is something you live under law.
Your law says a man may be tried and judged by other men like himself,
according to the laws they've made together.
And if that man is found innocent by the law,
he shall be held innocent by the people.
What about Burr? ls he innocent? - Yeah!
Aaron Burr has already been tried, sir.
This is your trial, your testing time,
and the whole world is watching you here today.
Are you going to tell the watching world
by an act of violence and disobedience to your laws
that you're a people to weak to rule yourselves under law,
that you need the despotic hand of a tyrant, an emperor,
to rule you by force and fear?
Had Aaron Burr succeeded in his plan,
he would have abolished your laws, your courts, and your rights,
and you want to hang him for that,
yet here you are abolishing them all yourselves.
Oh, my countrymen, Aaron Burr is but the first to challenge your freedom,
he will not be the last.
Then we'll hang Aaron Burr and discourage all the rest!
That will not discourage them.
You and I must live the example of a free people.
We must prove to any man or set of men
who believe themselves cunning enough to destroy our freedom
that with clean hands and united hearts
we are able to deal with traitors as a people under law and with order.
Here he comes now, surrounded by your soldiers.
And remember, he's a free man under your laws,
and those are your soldiers under oath to protect your laws,
and if you try to take Aaron Burr from them, your soldiers will be forced to fire on you.
Mr Burr wants you to do just that.
He wants you to spill your blood here.
He wants you to hate him.
He needs your hate, he needs your fear, your fear and your hate will make him strong,
so that other traitors like himself will join him and again attack your freedom.
That is his plan, he told me that tonight.
Have him deny that if he can.
Come on!
If you truly want to destroy Aaron Burr,
don't try to hang him, don't make a martyr of him,
turn away from him! Let him pass among you in peace!
Turn your backs on him and let him pass,
on into the oblivion he has chosen for himself.
Mr Madison,
I love you very much.