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Liberty!
1997 7.8 (9 votes) 1 Seasons
Official Website
Genres
Documentary Drama
Networks
PBS

Liberty!

Overview

Dramatic documentary about the birth of the American Republic and the struggle of a loosely connected group of states to become a nation.

Key Crew

Director: Ellen Giffard, Muffie Meyer

Writer: Ronald Blumer

Top Cast

Victor Garber
Victor Garber

John Dickinson

Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy

Abigail Adams

Alex Jennings
Alex Jennings

King George III

Anthony Heald
Anthony Heald

Philip Vickers Fithian

Colm Feore
Colm Feore

Alexander Hamilton

Peter Donaldson

John Adams

Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang

George Washington

Jefferson Mays
Jefferson Mays

James Madison

Seasons

Season 1 (1997)

No overview available.

6 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Reluctant Revolutionaries: 1763-1774
1997-11-23

In 1763, the capitol city of America is London, George Washington is lobbying for a post in the British army, and no one thinks of Boston harbor when they hear talk of tea parties. In a dozen years, the colonies are on the brink of rebellion. What happens to bring this country so quickly near war with England?

Runtime: 54 min
Episode 2: Blows Must Decide: 1774-1776
1997-11-23

A total break from Great Britain remains hard for Americans to imagine, even after shots are fired at Lexington and Concord. Words push matters "Over the Edge" in 1776. Common Sense argues that it is the natural right of men to govern themselves. The Declaration of Independence declares this same idea a "self-evident" truth. For Americans, there is no looking back. There will be war with England.

Runtime: 55 min
Episode 3: The Times That Try Men's Souls: 1776-1777
1997-11-24

Days after the Declaration of Independence is signed, a British force arrives in New York harbor. Washington and his troops are driven to New Jersey. With only a few days of enlistment left for many of his volunteers, a desperate Washington leads his army quietly across the Delaware River on the day after Christmas, 1776, to mount a surprise attack on a sleeping garrison in Trenton.

Runtime: 54 min
Episode 4: Oh Fatal Ambition: 1777-1778
1997-11-24

The "united" states remain in dire need of funds and military support. Congress dispatches Benjamin Franklin to France in hopes of creating an alliance which will provide both. Meanwhile, a British army marches down the Hudson River trying to cut off New England from the other colonies. The British are crushed by Americans at Saratoga. The French enter the conflict on the American side.

Runtime: 55 min
Episode 5: The World Turned Upside Down: 1778-1783
1997-11-25

The British hope to exploit the issue of slavery and to enlist the support of loyalists in the south. They fail. After a series of brutal engagements, the British army heads for Virginia, only to be trapped by the miraculous convergence of Washington's army and the French fleet at Yorktown. The end of the war is at hand.

Runtime: 54 min
Episode 6: Are We to Be a Nation?: 1783-1788
1997-11-25

Peace comes to the United States, but governing the world's newest republic is no simple task. Congress is ineffectual and individual states act like sovereign nations. By the time the Constitutional Convention convenes in 1787, many wonder if the country can survive. The long ratification process helps define what sort of nation the United States is to be—a process that continues to this day.

Runtime: 55 min

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