Liberty!

1997 - 1997

The Reluctant Revolutionaries: 1763-1774

23rd November 1997

Episode 1

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?

Blows Must Decide: 1774-1776

23rd November 1997

Episode 2

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.

The Times That Try Men's Souls: 1776-1777

24th November 1997

Episode 3

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.

Oh Fatal Ambition: 1777-1778

24th November 1997

Episode 4

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.

The World Turned Upside Down: 1778-1783

25th November 1997

Episode 5

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.

Are We to Be a Nation?: 1783-1788

25th November 1997

Episode 6

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.

Top Cast

Victor Garber•Donna Murphy•Alex Jennings

Director

Ellen Giffard

Writer

Ronald Blumer

Documentary Drama

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

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Full Cast

Victor Garber Image

Victor Garber

John Dickinson

Donna Murphy Image

Donna Murphy

Abigail Adams

Alex Jennings Image

Alex Jennings

King George III

Anthony Heald Image

Anthony Heald

Philip Vickers Fithian

Colm Feore Image

Colm Feore

Alexander Hamilton

Peter Donaldson Image

Peter Donaldson

John Adams

Stephen Lang Image

Stephen Lang

George Washington

Jefferson Mays Image

Jefferson Mays

James Madison

Edward Herrmann Image

Edward Herrmann

Narrator

Philip Seymour Hoffman Image

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Joseph Plumb Martin

Jane Adams Image

Jane Adams

Sara Scott

Jake Weber Image

Jake Weber

Virginia Officer

Isiah Whitlock Jr. Image

Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Luke - Slave

Terrence Mann Image

Terrence Mann

General John Burgoyne

Mel Johnson Jr. Image

Mel Johnson Jr.

Jehu Grant

Paxton Whitehead Image

Paxton Whitehead

Horace Walpole

Remak Ramsay Image

Remak Ramsay

Thomas Hutchinson

Forrest Sawyer Image

Forrest Sawyer

Self - Host

Campbell Scott Image

Campbell Scott

Thomas Jefferson

Roger Rees Image

Roger Rees

Thomas Paine

James Naughton Image

James Naughton

Patrick Henry

Philip Bosco Image

Philip Bosco

Benjamin Franklin

Joris Stuyck Image

Joris Stuyck

Johann Ewald

Jamison Selby

Southern Patriot

Steve Zahn Image

Steve Zahn

American Sergeant

Francie Swift Image

Francie Swift

Baroness von Riedesel

Simon Jones Image

Simon Jones

Ambrose Serle

Daniel Gerroll Image

Daniel Gerroll

General Charles Cornwallis

Roberta Maxwell Image

Roberta Maxwell

Mercy Otis Warren

Byron Jennings Image

Byron Jennings

John Hancock

JD Cullum Image

JD Cullum

Nicholas Cresswell

Neil Maffin Image

Neil Maffin

Anti-Federalist

Stephen Temperley

Hector de Crevecoeur

Kali Rocha Image

Kali Rocha

Eliza Wilkinson

Mark Letheren Image

Mark Letheren

British Soldier

Douglas Weston Image

Douglas Weston

Sir George Collier

Austin Pendleton Image

Austin Pendleton

Benjamin Rush

John Ellison Conlee Image

John Ellison Conlee

Col. Henry Knox

Andreas Beckett Image

Andreas Beckett

Lieutenant Colonel Baum

David Bishins Image

David Bishins

Melancton Smith

Sebastian Roché Image

Sebastian Roché

Marquis de Lafayette

Rob Campbell Image

Rob Campbell

Noah Webster

Ronald Guttman Image

Ronald Guttman

Comte de Rochambeau

David Yelland Image

David Yelland

Edmund Burke

Mark Nelson Image

Mark Nelson

Loyalist

James Murtaugh Image

James Murtaugh

Anti-Federalist

Murphy Guyer Image

Murphy Guyer

Benjamin Gilbert

Sam Tsoutsouvas

Hugh Ledlie

Full Crew

Ellen Giffard Image

Ellen Giffard

Director

Ronald Blumer

Writer

Muffie Meyer Image

Muffie Meyer

Director

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