Liberty's Kids

Two teenage reporters, James and Sarah, cover the events of the Revolutionary War for Ben Franklin's newspaper, The Philadelphia Gazette.

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Season 1

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The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party

Colonists in Boston rebel against "taxation without representation" by throwing a fortune in tea into the harbor (12/16/73).

The Intolerable Acts

The Intolerable Acts

In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passes the "Intolerable Acts," including "quartering." Boston becomes an occupied city (3/74-6/74).

United We Stand

United We Stand

At the First Continental Congress, representatives of each colony meet as a group for the first time. Sam and John Adams argue that the Intolerable Acts are not just a New England problem, they are an "American problem."

Liberty or Death

Liberty or Death

Patrick Henry, the greatest speaker of his day, stirs the South to the cause of freedom with his famous "Give me Liberty or give me death!" speech (3/23/75).

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere and William Dawes spread the word that the "British are coming!" on the eve of "the shot heard 'round the world."

The Shot Heard Round the World

The Shot Heard Round the World

The Revolutionary War begins with the battles of Lexington and Concord. Minutemen -- citizens taking up arms -- fight the powerful, experienced Red Coats.

Green Mountain Boys

Green Mountain Boys

Trouble erupts in the New Hampshire Grants when settlers are forced from their homes (1770-1775). Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold reluctantly join forces to capture Fort Ticonderoga in New York, expanding the war beyond New England (5/10/75).

The Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress

The colonies decide they need a national army. John Adams nominates George Washington -- over other candidates who include the President of Congress, John Hancock -– to lead the new force.

Bunker Hill

The first major battle of the war. The Americans, with little ammunition, "don't shoot until they see the whites of their eyes." The battle results in a victory for the Crown, but at such a high cost to the British that the American cause gains needed momentum.

Washington Takes Command

Washington Takes Command

George Washington arrives in Boston to take command of the army (7/3/75). He has no idea if the New Englanders will follow a Virginian, but he is a born leader and quickly takes charge of the defense of Boston.

Postmaster General Franklin

Postmaster General Franklin

Ben Franklin is named the first Postmaster General of the colonies (7/26/75). When Patriot mail falls into the hands of the British, James and Sarah agree to carry important letters safely to New York.

Common Sense

Thomas Paine publishes his famous pamphlet. It is an instant best seller, read by everyone from General George Washington to the lowest private in the army.

The Turtle

The first attempt to sink a ship with a submarine fails (9/6/76). Still, the blockade of New York is weakened by another example of Yankee ingenuity.

The First Fourth of July

The First Fourth of July

As Hessians arrive off the coast of Staten Island (7/4/76), John Adams finally convinces Congress that independence is the only answer to the colonies' problems. They ask Thomas Jefferson to write the first draft of a "Declaration of Independence."

New York, New York

New York, New York

At the Battle of Long Island, Washington fights the British in open field battles -- with catastrophic results (8/27-29/76).

One Life to Lose

One Life to Lose

A failed peace conference between the British Admiral Howe and John Adams and Ben Franklin convinces the American leaders that the British have no interest in making peace (9/11/76).

Captain Molly

Ben Franklin, appointed to a commission to negotiate a treaty with the French, sails for France aboard the Reprisal (10/24/76). Fort Washington surrenders, a catastrophe for the American cause (11/12/76).

American Crisis

American Crisis

The low point of the war for the Americans. Washington's adjutant, General Joseph Reed, questions the Commander’s ability to lead. General Lee ignores Washington's orders and is eventually captured by the British (12/13/76).

Across the Delaware

Across the Delaware

Washington re-crosses the Delaware River on Christmas Day. His troops defeat the sleeping Hessians at Trenton (12/26/76). Washington lights campfires to make it look like his men are bunking down for the night, then marches to Princeton and another victory (1/2/77).

An American in Paris

An American in Paris

Ben Franklin sets up residence in Paris and begins his uphill battle to enlist France in the American cause (12/28/76). Franklin's hopes are bolstered when news of the victories at Trenton and Princeton reach France (3/77).

Sybil Ludington

Sybil Ludington

Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington makes her own "midnight ride" in Westchester County, New York (4/26/77). Benedict Arnold fights for "respect" from Congress.

Lafayette Arrives

Lafayette Arrives

The 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette arrives after an eventful journey from France and offers his services to Congress (7/27/77). After at first being turned down he is sent to George Washington, who virtually adopts him as his son.

The Hessians Are Coming

The Hessians Are Coming

General Horatio Gates defeats Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga (10/17/77). Benedict Arnold is the true hero of the battle but is angered when he fails to receive proper recognition.

Valley Forge

James, Sarah, and Henri are there as George Washington and his Continental Army endure a horrible winter at Valley Forge. Baron von Stueben drafts a training program for the army and helps Washington's troops become a professional fighting unit.

Allies at Last

News of the American victory at Saratoga helps pave the way for Ben Franklin to negotiate a treaty with France. The treaty obligates the French to help fight the Revolutionary War (2/6/78).

Honor and Compromise

Honor and Compromise

The States struggle to unite politically before the arrival of the French Ambassador (5/9/78-7/8/78). Charles Henry Lee nearly costs the Americans dearly at he Battle of Monmouth when, in direct violation of his orders, he orders a retreat (6/28/78).

The New Frontier

The New Frontier

In the Ohio territory, Shawnee Chief Cornstalk and his people are caught between the Americans and the British, with tragic results (11/77). In Philadelphia, inflation makes life difficult for working people and leads to the "Fort Wilson" riot (10/79).

Not Yet Begun to Fight

Not Yet Begun to Fight

In a long, desperate battle, John Paul Jones and his wildly outgunned Bonhomme Richard defeat the British Serapis off the coast of England (9/23/79).

The Great Galvez

The Great Galvez

Spanish Governor Bernardo de Galvez aides the American cause by capturing Baton Rouge (9/21/79), Natchez (10/5/79) and Mobile (3/13/80) from the British. James and Henri sail down the Mississippi, seeking Galvez.

In Praise of Ben

In Praise of Ben

Sarah returns to Philadelphia and is reunited with Moses, James and Henri. Henri gets into a scrape with a Tory boy when the Tory makes disparaging comments about Ben Franklin.

Bostonians

Sarah and Henri join the Adams family in Massachusetts just as John and his son John Quincy return from France and are reunited with Abigail (8/2/79). John is asked to write the Massachusetts Constitution (8/9/79).

Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold

James, Sarah and Henri are there when Arnold tries to hand West Point over to British (9/21/80). Arnold's plot is uncovered when his accomplice Major Andre is captured (9/23/80).

Deborah Samson: Soldier of the Revolution

Deborah Samson: Soldier of the Revolution

Deborah Samson masquerades as a man so she can enlist in the Continental army (5/20/1782-10/23/83). Washington and French general Rochambeau disagree on whether to try to retake New York or move south against Cornwallis (1/81-5/81).

Conflict in the South

Conflict in the South

General Nathanael Greene replaces Horatio Gates as the American commander in the south (10/16/80). Trying to win the hearts and minds of the Southern populace, he leads Cornwallis on a six-month chase that exhausts the British troops and leads Cornwallis to move into Virginia (12/80-3/81).

James Armistead

James Armistead

Virginia slave James Armistead joins Lafayette and spies on Benedict Arnold (3/81). Then, working as a double agent, Armistead provides false information to British General Cornwallis (7/81).

Yorktown

The climactic battle of the war. Moses' brother Cato, a soldier on the British side, is sent into harm's way by Cornwallis and is aided by a sympathetic Hessian soldier. After a long siege, Cornwallis surrenders.

The Man Who Wouldn't Be King

The Man Who Wouldn't Be King

Ben Franklin and John Adams sign the peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War (11/30/83). At Newburgh, New York, some members of Washington's officer corps want him to become King and take over the country.

Going Home

With the signing of the Treaty of Paris, loyalists are forced to leave their homes. Many slaves move to Canada to avoid being returned to slavery. American soldiers return home, many of them to abject poverty.

Born Free and Equal

Born Free and Equal

Massachusetts slave "Mum Bett" sues for her freedom (5/28/1781). When she wins, she renames herself Elizabeth Freeman (8/81). With this decision and that in the case of another slave, Quok Walker, Massachusetts has abolished slavery (1783).

We the People

America's leaders meet at a convention in Philadelphia and decide to write a radical new Constitution. Ben Franklin, in his final moment on the world stage, helps forge the "Great Compromise" on legislative representation.

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