The Man Without a Country

Question

Hackett, Walter (adaptation)

Characters

NARRATOR
COLONEL
AARON BURR

LT. PHILIP NOLAN
PROSECUTOR
DEFENSE COUNSEL
JUDGE

PRESIDENT JEFFERSON
CAPT. SHAW
LT. MITCHELL
FIVE OFFICERS

VOICES, at least six
CAPT. LANE
CAPT. RANKIN
NAVY SECRETARY

DOCTOR

SCENE 1

NARRATOR: Fort Massac is a small yet strategic United States Army outpost that stands on the muddy banks of the lower Mississippi River. In this year of 1805, its officers and men are lonely and none too happy about it. But on this particular day the outpost is buzzing with excitement. A famous guest has come to visit—Aaron Burr! Aaron Burr, former Vice-President of the United States, rabid Federalist, master politician, smooth-tongued orator; Aaron Burr, the man who had killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. The Colonel, disappointed that Mr. Burr’s visit will be a brief one, attempts to prolong his stay.

COLONEL (Graciously): Are you sure I can’t get you to change your mind, Mr. Burr? You’re welcome to remain here as long as you wish.

AARON BURR: Thank you, Colonel, but I’m afraid I must be leaving within the next day or so.

COLONEL: Pressing business?

BURR (Mysteriously): Yes, of a sort.

OFFICER (Surprised): We thought this was a pleasure trip, Mr. Burr.

BURR (Dryly): My career has never allowed me to relax long enough to seek pleasure. Suppose we call this a journey of observation. By the way, I hope to talk more with some of you gentlemen before I leave.
COLONEL: All of us will look forward to that, sir.
BURR: And now if you will excuse me, I’ll go to my quarters. I’m rather tired. (Knock on door is heard.) Yes?
PHILIP NOLAN: It’s Lieutenant Nolan, sir. I have the tobacco you asked for this morning.

BURR: Thank you, Nolan. Sit down.
NOLAN (Surprised): Thank you, Mr. Burr.
BURR: You haven’t been in service too long, I take it.
NOLAN: No, sir. Going on four years.

BURR: Do you like the Army?
NOLAN (Slowly): Why, yes, sir.
BURR: The pay of a junior officer isn’t very much, eh?
NOLAN: No, sir.

BURR: Ever get tired of this duty? (Pause) Don’t be afraid to speak up, Nolan. Remember, I once was in the Army, too, so I have an idea how you younger officers think.
NOLAN (Hesitantly): To be frank, Mr. Burr, life on a frontier post like this is just about the most boring existence in the world. (Hastily) Of course, I wouldn’t want the Colonel to hear me say that.
BURR (Laughing): Of course not.
NOLAN: There’s another thing—

BURR (Encouragingly): Go on.
NOLAN: I happen to be in debt.
BURR: I’ m sorry to hear that.
NOLAN: I’ve been thinking of applying for a transfer.

BURR: Perhaps I could help you on that, Nolan. (Slyly) But it wouldn’t mean you would be transferred to another post.
NOLAN (Puzzled): No?
BURR: No, it would mean a great chance for you. A chance for fame and position and money—a great deal of money.
NOLAN (Intrigued): Where is this place, sir?

BURR (Excitedly): In a new country. A new, glorious empire. Nolan, there is a place for you in that empire. But before I tell you more, you must swear to say nothing to anyone. Not a word! Do you agree?
NOLAN (Enthusiastically): Yes. I swear it! (Pause)
1ST VOICE (Reading rapidly): “Washington, D.C., July 3, 1807. To all commanding officers of United States Army posts in the Mississippi River sector: You are hereby commanded to apprehend and secure the persons of Aaron Burr, General James Wilkin-son, and any other such conspirators guilty of attempting treason and plotting to seize a portion of these United States, on which to fashion a new country of their own. . .Signed, John Clarke, Secretary of War.”
PROSECUTOR: To sum up my case as prosecutor on this board of court martial: Gentlemen, I accuse the defendant, Lieutenant Philip Nolan, of the crime of treason against the United States of America. He is guilty of actively abetting the most odious political plot in the entire history of our beloved country. (Loudly) I tell you we have not seen his kind since the days of the infamous Benedict Arnold.

DEFENSE COUNSEL: Objection!
JUDGE: Objection overruled.
DEFENSE: But, sir, I can present conclusive evidence that will prove that Philip Nolan—
PROSECUTOR (Interrupting): There is not a bit of doubt that Philip Nolan knowingly entered into a clandestine agreement with Aaron Burr to undermine the safety of his own native land. You have heard me question him concerning his dealings with Burr. And what has been his reply? That he is under oath to say nothing of what transpired between them.

DEFENSE: Objection!
JUDGE: Objection overruled.
PROSECUTOR: And why did Philip Nolan sell his soul? For the empty promises of an egotistical dreamer who promised him money and fame. That is why Philip Nolan broke the oath of fidelity to our country that he took at the time of his enlistment.
NOLAN (Shouting): You’re a liar! (Sound of gavel is heard.)

JUDGE: I might warn the prisoner that any such further remarks might result in adversely swaying the members of this board of court martial. The prosecution may proceed.
PROSECUTOR: I simply repeat what is obvious: Lieutenant Nolan should be adjudged guilty.
JUDGE: Has the defense anything to say?
DEFENSE: Sir, Lieutenant Nolan wishes to speak for himself.

JUDGE: Proceed.
NOLAN (Quietly): For two days I have sat here and listened as the charges have piled up against me. I have heard the prosecution deliberately distort every statement, every answer I gave.
PROSECUTOR: I object.
JUDGE: Sustained.

NOLAN: I readily admit that I listened to Burr’s offer to join him.
PROSECUTOR: Then why didn’t you come forward and unmask him?
NOLAN: Because I was under oath to him to say nothing.
DEFENSE: I object. Lieutenant Nolan is not now being cross-examined. I request the court that he be allowed to finish uninterrupted.

JUDGE: Continue, Mr. Nolan.
NOLAN: I swear that I rejected Burr’s offer, but I realize that in any court of justice it is possible for an innocent man to be falsely accused of the wrongs done by others. (In a rising voice) For the past two weeks I have seen other officers—men guilty of the same crime I allegedly committed—go free. Free because this board wishes to find them free.
VOICES (Ad lib): Liar! That isn’t true! Traitor! (Etc.)
JUDGE: Silence! This court will come to order! (After a pause) Are you finished, Mr. Nolan?

NOLAN (Passionately): No! I know well what the verdict will be. I know I will be made an example of the fate in store for others.
JUDGE: Mr. Nolan, I believe it has been easily established that you have been unfaithful to your country, that you have committed against the United States—
NOLAN (Angrily): Damn the United States! I wish I may never hear of the United States again!
NARRATOR: Lieutenant Nolan’s heated statement caused a stir in the courtroom. When the judge and the board of court martial conferred to make their decision regarding Lieutenant Nolan, there was no question in anyone’s mind what the verdict would be.

JUDGE: The prisoner will rise and face the board. (After a pause) Philip Nolan, the board of court martial, subject to the approval of the President, decrees that you shall never again hear the name of the United States! You will be taken to New Orleans and delivered to Lieutenant Mitchell, Acting Naval Commander, and be confined there until further notice from the President.
JEFFERSON: “Washington, D.C., October 28, 1807. To Secretary of the Navy Crowninshield. Your deposition relative to the case of Philip Nolan received and noted. You are hereby empowered to turn the prisoner over to Captain Ethan Shaw, commander of the Nautilus, now in New Orleans. Sincerely yours, Your obedient servant, Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States.”
CAPT. SHAW: Lieutenant Mitchell, I can’t say I like this duty.
LT. MITCHELL: Sorry, Captain Shaw, but I’m just carrying out my orders.

SHAW: I understand. Go on and read the rest of the order.
MITCHELL: “You will provide him with such quarters, rations, and clothing as would be proper for an officer of his late rank. The officers on board your ship will make arrangements agreeable to themselves regarding his society.”
SHAW (Gloomily): That is going to be a pleasant situation. Go on.
MITCHELL: “He is to be exposed to no indignity of any kind, nor is he ever unnecessarily to be reminded that he is a prisoner. . . “

SHAW: And I suppose that is going to be an easy order to obey.
MITCHELL: “But under no circumstances is Philip Nolan ever to hear of his country again, nor to see any information regarding it; and you will caution all your officers that these rules are not to be broken. It is the unswerving intention of the government that he shall never again see the country which he has disowned. Before the end of your cruise you will receive orders with regard to transferring the prisoner. Respectfully yours, W. Southard, Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy.” (Pause)
SHAW: Well! How is Nolan taking this news?
MITCHELL: I don’t think he realizes just what his sentence entails.

SHAW (Grimly): He’ll soon learn.

The Man Without a Country, by Edward Everett Hale, adapted by Walter Hackett. leman, by Moliere, adapted by Lewy Olfson. © This play is reprinted from Plays, The Drama Magazine for Young People with the permission of the publisher Plays/Sterling Partners Inc. 897 Washington Street #600160, Newton, MA 02460

Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

Which detail helps develop a theme about corruption in the play?

(1 point)
Responses

The Colonel tries to convince Burr to stay at Fort Massac.
The Colonel tries to convince Burr to stay at Fort Massac.

Captain Rankin is the first officer to break the rules of Nolan’s exile.
Captain Rankin is the first officer to break the rules of Nolan’s exile.

The court condemns Nolan to a lifetime of exile while guilty people go free.
The court condemns Nolan to a lifetime of exile while guilty people go free.

The Navy Secretary refuses to investigate Nolan’s case after all records of him were lost.
The Navy Secretary refuses to investigate Nolan’s case after all records of him were lost.
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Answer 1

The detail that helps develop a theme about corruption in the play is:

The court condemns Nolan to a lifetime of exile while guilty people go free.

This detail highlights the injustice and corruption in the judicial process, suggesting that decisions are made not based on fairness but on political motives and prejudices, reinforcing the theme of corruption in authority.