Liberty's Kids
Liberty's Kids (stylized on-screen as Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776) is an American animated historical fiction television series produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation, originally broadcast by PBS on its PBS Kids block from September 2, 2002 to April 4, 2003, with reruns airing on most PBS stations until October 2004.[1]
Liberty's Kids | |
---|---|
Title card | |
Genre | Historical fiction |
Created by | Kevin O'Donnell Michael Maliani |
Developed by | Andy Heyward Michael Maliani Kevin O'Donnell Robby London |
Written by | Doug McIntyre |
Directed by | Judy Reilly Marsha Goodman Einstein |
Presented by | Walter Cronkite as the voice of Benjamin Franklin |
Voices of | Kathleen Barr Reo Jones Chris Lundquist D. Kevin Williams |
Theme music composer | Matthew Gerrard |
Opening theme | "Through My Own Eyes" performed by Aaron Carter and Kayla Hinkle |
Ending theme | "Through My Own Eyes" performed by Aaron Carter and Kayla Hinkle |
Composer(s) | Stephen C. Marston Craig Marks |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 40 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Andy Heyward Michael Maliani Robby London |
Producer(s) | Kevin O'Donnell Kaaren Brown |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company(s) | DIC Entertainment Corporation Melusine Productions |
Distributor | DIC Entertainment |
Release | |
Original network | PBS (PBS Kids) |
Original release | September 2, 2002 – April 4, 2003 |
The series was based on an idea by Kevin O'Donnell and developed for television by Kevin O'Donnell, Robby London, Mike Maliani, and Andy Heyward. It received two Daytime Emmy nominations, in 2003 and 2004, both for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program (Walter Cronkite, playing Benjamin Franklin).[2] Its purpose is to teach its viewers about the origins of the United States. Like the cartoon mini-series This Is America, Charlie Brown earlier before, Liberty's Kids tells of young people in dramas surrounding the major events in the Revolutionary War days.
The theme song was performed by Aaron Carter and Kayla Hickle.
Celebrity voice talents such as Walter Cronkite (as Benjamin Franklin), Sylvester Stallone (as Paul Revere), Ben Stiller (as Thomas Jefferson), Billy Crystal (as John Adams), Annette Bening (as Abigail Adams), Dustin Hoffman (as Benedict Arnold), Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Baron von Steuben), Liam Neeson (as John Paul Jones), Whoopi Goldberg (as Deborah Sampson), and Don Francisco (as Bernardo de Gálvez) lend credence to characters critical to the forming of a free country, from the Boston Tea Party to the Constitutional Convention.
The episodes run a half-hour, including commercials. During PBS airings, these are replaced by segments that include "The Liberty News Network" or LNN (a newscast delivered by Cronkite summarizing the events of the episode, with each including his trademark sign-off "that's the way it is"), "Mystery Guest" (a guessing game where the kids guess a historical figure, who often is a character in the episode), "Now and Then" (a segment comparing life in the Revolutionary Era and today), and "Continental Cartoons" (a rebus word guessing game). The LNN segments were produced and art directed by designer Mike Bundlie.[3]
Plot
Benjamin Franklin and four fictional associates of his in their experiences during the American Revolution. Although the series spans 16 years from the Boston Tea Party in 1773 to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, no main characters appear to age much, except for Dr. Franklin.
Characters
Fictional characters
- Sarah Phillips (voiced by Reo Jones) – A bright-eyed redheaded girl from England, Sarah travels to the Thirteen Colonies in 1773 at age fifteen in search of her father, Major Phillips, who was last heard exploring the region of Ohio; upon her arrival, she is warmly welcomed by and lives as a guest of Benjamin Franklin. Her mother, Lady Phillips, remains in England and is a good friend to Dr. Franklin. However, with the possibility of a war between the American colonists and the English mother country, she decides that she will become a reporter for Franklin's newspaper in order to offer a more balanced perspective to the press. Sarah believes firmly in the power of words and equal rights for all, and is not afraid to speak her mind. At the start of the series, she is a firm loyalist, which sparks many arguments between her and James. Later in the series, Sarah has a change of heart and realizes how much she has come to understand the people of the colonies and ends up supporting the Revolution. Some men know the way to her heart – good manners; when this happens, James can seem almost jealous, although near the end of the series she appears to feel "more than friendship" for James. Throughout the series, Sarah and James grow closer. At the end of the series, her mother, Lady Phillips, joins Sarah and her father in the United States and Sarah hopes to explore more of her adopted country.
- James Hiller (voiced by Chris Lundquist) – A young American colonist who works as an apprentice journalist for Franklin's newspaper. James holds a great deal of respect and admiration for Dr. Franklin and his works, particularly his invention of the lightning rod, as when he was an infant both his parents died in a fire caused by a lightning strike. Street-smart and impulsive, James pursues the revolution from a slightly one-sided perspective – something that prompts Sarah to counter his views. An apprentice in Franklin's Print Shop, James believes firmly in the American cause and will do almost anything to ensure that the people receive an honest view of what is happening. In the process, he also faces the less positive aspects of the political conflict that eventually forces his patriotic fervor into a new maturity. He highly values his friends, Sarah and Henri. He can be a little protective of Sarah while he attempts to keep Henri out of trouble, acting somewhat like an older brother figure to Henri. He is very laid-back and is constantly reminded of his bad etiquette and poor table manners by Sarah, toward whom he shows feelings of what might be "more than friendship". At the end of the series, James intends to start his own newspaper, following in the steps of his mentor.
- Henri Richard Maurice Dutoit LeFevbre (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – An energetic, rambunctious French boy, Henri shares a similar tragic story as James. Several years earlier, when he was six years old and still living in France, his parents made an agreement with a merchant for seven years of labor in exchange for passage to North America. However, during the voyage an illness broke out aboard the ship, killing half of those on board, including both Henri's parents. The merchant decided to make Henri his cabin boy and treated him very cruelly, until James and Moses discovered him locked in a cage while collecting a new printer from the merchant. Together they smuggled Henri off the ship and the boy found a home in Benjamin Franklin's workshop. While he speaks French fluently, Dr. Franklin has insisted that Henri learn to speak, read, and write in both English and French. Henri's small size has proved more than useful to Sarah and James, though he has a tendency to land himself in all sorts of trouble while not fully understanding the dangers of the war. His lookout on life is that of a "huge party for his benefit" and he has been labeled a "magnet for trouble." In later episodes, he serves on the drum and bugle corps of the Continental Army. Curious and fearless, the only thing Henri values more than his freedom is finding a family of his own. At the end of the series he returns to France with Marquis de Lafayette, whom he had become close to during the series almost as a son. It is implied that Lafayette adopts Henri as his foster-son.
- Moses (voiced by D. Kevin Williams) – Born in Africa, Moses was brought in chains to North America as a slave and sold on the block in Charleston, South Carolina. Because of his ingenuity, Moses learned to read, forge metal, and buy his freedom from his master, thus freeing himself from the slavery of the American south. To keep from being confused for a runaway slave, Moses is required to carry papers proving that he is a free man. He eventually moved to Philadelphia and found work at Dr. Franklin's Print Shop. His brother, Cato, had not been so fortunate but later escaped, joining the British troops as a soldier to earn his freedom. Cato appears again at the end of the series when he does not tell on an African American Patriot spy, James Armistead, whose spying was crucial to the American victory at Yorktown, which ends the war for American independence. Moses looks out for Dr. Franklin's young wards, especially Henri. Like Henri, he values his freedom more than anything. Iron-willed Moses will never allow anyone to strip him of his dignity, despite his or her feelings on race. By working at the Print Shop, Moses hopes to educate children of all colors in the ideals of America so that everyone may one day be free. At the end of the series, Moses reveals a plan to set up a school for free black children, both boys and girls, but only to Dr. Franklin and Marquis de Lafayette. Cato goes to Canada with Mrs. Radcliffe, a British loyalist and friend of Sarah and her mother.
Historical characters depicted
Continental Army, Navy, and American militia
- George Washington (voiced by Cork Ramer)
- Major General William Alexander, Lord Stirling
- Colonel Ethan Allen
- Brigadier General George Rogers Clark (voiced by Norman Schwarzkopf)
- Major General Thomas Conway
- Margaret "Molly" Corbin
- Major General Horatio Gates
- Major General Nathanael Greene (voiced by John Michael Lee)
- Nathan Hale
- Alexander Hamilton (voiced by Andrew Rannells)
- Charles Lee
- Colonel John Jameson – Appears in "Benedict Arnold
- John Paul Jones (voiced by Liam Neeson)
- Tadeusz Kościuszko – A Pole in Continental Army
- Colonel James Livingston
- Colonel John Laurens
- Captain John Parker
- John Paulding – Appears in "Benedict Arnold"
- Joseph Plumb Martin (voiced by Aaron Carter)
- Israel Putnam – He appeared in the "Bunker Hill" and "The Turtle" episodes.
- Colonel Joseph Reed
- Deborah Samson aka Robert Shurtleff (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg)
- John Sullivan
- Benjamin Tallmadge – Appears in "Benedict Arnold"
- Isaac Van Wart – Appears in "Benedict Arnold", no lines
- Baron Friedrich von Steuben (voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger) – A Prussian officer in the Continental army.
- David Williams – Appears in "Benedict Arnold", no lines
- Anthony Wayne
- Udeny Wolf-Hutchinson (voiced by Carl Beck)
British Army and Navy
- John André
- John Burgoyne
- Guy Carleton
- Henry Clinton
- General Lord Charles Cornwallis (voiced by Ralph Fiennes)
- Admiral Lord Richard Howe (voiced by Michael York)
- General William Howe
- Richard Pearson
- Johann Rall – A Hessian Officer in British service.
French officers
- Marquis de Lafayette (voiced by Ben Beck)
- Comte de Rochambeau
- Johann De Kalb
- Admiral Comte de Grasse
Spanish Army
- Bernardo de Galvez (voiced by Don Francisco)
Native Americans
- Joseph Brant (voiced by Russell Means)
- Cornstalk (voiced by Russell Means)
- Abraham Nimham
Turncoats
- Benedict Arnold (voiced by Dustin Hoffman)
American family members
- Abigail Adams (voiced by Annette Bening)
- John Quincy Adams
- Peggy Shippen (voiced by Maria Shriver) – A British Loyalist before she was married to Benedict Arnold.
- Thomas Adams
American politicians
- John Adams (voiced by Billy Crystal)
- Jonathan L. Austin – Appears in "Allies at Last"
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Chase
- Silas Deane
- Benjamin Franklin (voiced by Walter Cronkite)
- John Hancock
- Patrick Henry (voiced by Michael Douglas)
- John Jay
- Thomas Jefferson (voiced by Ben Stiller)
- Henry Laurens
- Richard Henry Lee
- James Madison (voiced by Warren Buffett)
- Caesar Rodney
- Edward Rutledge
- Dr Joseph Warren
- Luther Martin
- John Dickinson
- Charles Pinckney
British politicians
- King George III (voiced by Charles Shaughnessy)
- Charles Fox
- Alexander Wedderburn
- Lord North
Other historical figures
- James Armistead
- Edward Bancroft
- David Bushnell
- Elizabeth Freeman aka Mum Bett (voiced by Yolanda King)
- James Craik – Appears in "Lafayette Arrives", no lines
- William Dawes
- Silas Deane
- Josiah Franklin – Appears in "In Praise of Ben", no lines
- James Franklin
- Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes
- Moses Michael Hays
- John Honeyman
- Edward Jenner
- King Louis XVI of France – Appears in "Allies at Last", no lines
- Sybil Ludington (voiced by Kayla Hinkle)
- Thomas Paine
- Samuel Prescott
- Paul Revere (voiced by Sylvester Stallone)
- Theodore Sedgwick
- Paul Wentworth
- Benjamin West
- Phillis Wheatley
- John Witherspoon
Episodes
The following are the Liberty's Kids episodes, with links to relevant historical articles.
No. | Title | Dates | Written by | Subjects covered | Mystery guest | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Boston Tea Party" | 1773 December 16 | Doug McIntyre | Boston Tea Party | Samuel Adams | September 2, 2002[4] | |
Sarah arrives in America aboard the Dartmouth,[5] but Moses, James and Henri are not the only ones who meet the ship. Sam Adams leads a gang of patriots dressed as Indians aboard to destroy the tea and the kids are caught in the middle. (Note: Due to the episode title with the inspired subject, Henri throws the parsley in the water and loudly yells, "No taxation without representation!" at the British Redcoats.) | |||||||
2 | "The Intolerable Acts" | 1774 March | Doug McIntyre | Intolerable Acts | Phillis Wheatley | September 3, 2002 | |
James, Sarah, Henri and Moses are stuck in Boston at the home of Phillis Wheatley when Boston is under curfew due to the Acts. Weddebrun castigates Franklin. | |||||||
3 | "United We Stand" | 1774 September | Larry B. Williams | First Continental Congress | Abigail Adams | September 4, 2002 | |
James covers the First Continental Congress, while Sarah travels to Boston to supply the resistance movement. The Powder alarm incident is also Mentioned. | |||||||
4 | "Liberty or Death" | 1775 March | Doug McIntyre | Give me Liberty, or give me Death! | Patrick Henry | September 5, 2002 | |
Having travelled to Virginia to buy a new press, Moses sees his brother Cato about to be sold into slavery and attempts to stop it, while the kids hear that Patrick Henry is about to rally the southern patriots. | |||||||
5 | "Midnight Ride" | 1775 April | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward | Midnight Ride of Paul Revere | Paul Revere | September 6, 2002 | |
James and Sarah travel to Boston with a message from the Mechanics, reconnoitre with Dr. Warren, and join Paul Revere and William Dawes on their midnight ride. | |||||||
6 | "The Shot Heard Round the World" | 1775 April | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward | Battles of Lexington and Concord | John Parker | September 9, 2002 | |
James and Sarah witness the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where Sarah's cousin Tom is killed. | |||||||
7 | "Green Mountain Boys" | 1775 May | Jay Abramowitz | Capture of Fort Ticonderoga | Ethan Allen | September 10, 2002 | |
James and Sarah meet up with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in Vermont, watch them drive away a portly landowner, then stow away with Allen and Benedict Arnold when they capture Fort Ticonderoga. | |||||||
8 | "The Second Continental Congress" | 1775 May | Larry B. Williams | Second Continental Congress | John Hancock | September 11, 2002 | |
A British spy urges James and Henri to find out what is going on in the closed sessions of the Second Continental Congress. Meanwhile, Sarah and Moses schmooze George Washington, a delegate to the Congress and the newly chosen general of the Continental Army. | |||||||
9 | "Bunker Hill" | 1775 June 17 | Robby London Jim Fisher Jim Staahl | Battle of Bunker Hill | Joseph Warren | September 12, 2002 | |
James witnesses the Battle of Bunker Hill from the American camp, while Sarah is in the British camp looking for a British soldier who knew her father, who is killed in action. Dr. Joseph Warren is also killed in the fighting, much to James' grief. | |||||||
10 | "Postmaster General Franklin" | 1775 July | Bill Dial | Benjamin Franklin | John Adams | September 13, 2002 | |
James and Sarah attempt to deliver mail between Philadelphia and New York, meeting with a committee of correspondence on the way. Meanwhile, Franklin is appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress. | |||||||
11 | "Washington Takes Command" | 1775 July | Jim McGrath | Siege of Boston George Washington | George Washington | September 16, 2002 | |
The gang winters in Boston, where General Washington takes command and lifts the British occupation of Boston. James joins Henry Knox on his sojourn to Fort Ticonderoga. | |||||||
12 | "Common Sense" | 1776 January | Marc and Elaine Zicree | Common Sense | Thomas Paine | September 17, 2002 | |
Ben's old friend Thomas Paine comes by to ask them to print his book Common Sense, which makes the case for breaking away from Britain. James and Henri are inspired, but Sarah is repulsed by the notion of rebellion and will not even read it. | |||||||
13 | "The First Fourth of July" | 1776 July | Brooks Wachtel | Declaration of Independence | Thomas Jefferson | September 18, 2002 | |
James attempts to find out more about the debate over the Declaration; he rounds up delegates from New Jersey and Delaware. Meanwhile, Sarah goes through Thomas Jefferson's trash. | |||||||
14 | "New York, New York" | 1776 July | Jim McGrath | New York and New Jersey campaign; Battle of Long Island | Lord Stirling | September 19, 2002 | |
Sarah visits Mrs. Radcliffe, a New York Loyalist. Meanwhile, James witnesses the loss of New York City to the British and Henri pretends to be an American spy. | |||||||
15 | "The Turtle" | 1776 September | Bill Dial | The Turtle | David Bushnell | September 20, 2002 | |
Hearing rumors of a sea monster in New York Harbor, the kids investigate and stumble across David Bushnell and his prototype submarine. They also run into Admiral Richard Howe, the commander of the British fleet in New York. | |||||||
16 | "One Life to Lose" | 1776 September | Jay Abramowitz | Nathan Hale | Nathan Hale | September 23, 2002 | |
The kids discover that Nathan Hale is a spy and witness his execution. Meanwhile, James is almost impressed into the British Navy and Franklin attends the Staten Island Peace Conference. | |||||||
17 | "Captain Molly" | 1776 November | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward | Battle of Fort Washington Margaret Corbin | Thomas Jefferson | September 24, 2002 | |
Sarah encamps with Margaret Corbin at Fort Tryon, while James witnesses the loss of Forts Tryon and Washington to the British. | |||||||
18 | "American Crisis" | 1776 December | Marc and Elaine Zicree | The American Crisis, New York and New Jersey campaign | Robert Bell | September 25, 2002 | |
James and Sarah witness the terrible conditions of the Continental Army after defeats in New York and New Jersey and return to Philadelphia to help Thomas Paine publish The American Crisis. | |||||||
19 | "Across the Delaware" | 1776 December | Jim McGrath | Washington's crossing of the Delaware Battle of Trenton | John Honeyman | September 26, 2002 | |
James learns of a plan to attack the British before enlistments run out, then crosses the Delaware with Washington before the Battle of Trenton. | |||||||
20 | "An American in Paris" | 1776 December | Bruce Franklin Singer | Franklin in France, Forage War | Silas Deane; Alexander Hamilton | September 27, 2002 | |
Franklin, now ambassador to France, works tirelessly to get military aid from the French foreign minister Vergennes. Meanwhile, James meets up with Capt. Alexander Hamilton on the way to Washington's winter encampment at Morristown, New Jersey, and Sarah contracts smallpox in Boston, recovering with the assistance of Abigail Adams in what is today Quincy, Massachusetts. | |||||||
21 | "Sybil Ludington" | 1777 April | Jay Abramowitz | Sybil Ludington Battle of Ridgefield | Sybil Ludington | September 30, 2002 | |
James goes to Connecticut to learn of Colonel Henry Ludington and instead learns of the exploits of the "female Paul Revere". Meanwhile, Sarah is again with Benedict Arnold and both witness the destruction of Danbury by the British. | |||||||
22 | "Lafayette Arrives" | 1777 September | Michael A. Medlock | Marquis de Lafayette Battle of Brandywine | Baron de Kalb | October 1, 2002 | |
Lafayette arrives in Philadelphia and meets the kids before offering his services to the Continental Congress. He is later wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. | |||||||
23 | "The Hessians are Coming" | 1777 June | Jim Fisher Jim Staahl | Saratoga Campaign | Philip Schuyler | October 2, 2002 | |
Both James and Sarah witness the Battle of Saratoga, Sarah from her coverage of Benedict Arnold and James from the vantage point of being tied to a Hessian deserter. | |||||||
24 | "Valley Forge" | 1778 February | Marc and Elaine Zicree | Valley Forge, Conway Cabal | Baron von Steuben | October 3, 2002 | |
James and Sarah see the hardship that Joseph Plumb Martin and other foot soldiers endure during the war; Washington faces a possible mutiny; von Steuben drills Washington's troops. | |||||||
25 | "Allies at Last" | 1778 February | Bruce Franklin Singer | Franco-American Alliance Rhode Island Loyalty Oath | Jonathan L. Austin; Moses Michael Hays | October 4, 2002 | |
In Passy, Franklin is able to negotiate a treaty of alliance and an audience with King Louis XVI. Meanwhile, James and Moses travel to Newport, Rhode Island and meet with Jewish merchant Moses Michael Hays while Sarah and Henri remain in occupied Philadelphia...and they hate it. | |||||||
26 | "Honor and Compromise" | 1778 June | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward | Articles of Confederation Battle of Monmouth | Henry Laurens; Abraham Nimham | November 4, 2002 | |
The Continental Congress in York is divided among factions led by Richard Henry Lee and Samuel Chase. Meanwhile, Washington has to deal with opposition from General Charles Lee with regard to his battle strategy. | |||||||
27 | "The New Frontier" | 1779 October | Jay Abramowitz | Fort Wilson riot Cornstalk | Cornstalk | November 5, 2002 | |
In Philadelphia, James encounters mob violence against James Wilson. Meanwhile, Sarah is on the Ohio frontier, where she encounters her father and Shawnee chief Cornstalk. | |||||||
28 | "Not Yet Begun to Fight" | 1779 September | Brooks Wachtel | Battle of Flamborough Head | John Paul Jones | November 6, 2002 | |
Shipwrecked on her way back to England, Sarah is rescued by the Bonhomme Richard and in the midst of battle, John Paul Jones helps her see that her true loyalty lies with America. | |||||||
29 | "The Great Galvez" | 1780 March | Paul Diamond | Siege of Vincennes Battle of Fort Charlotte Bernardo de Galvez | Bernardo de Galvez; Charles Fox | November 7, 2002 | |
James is on the frontier, where he meets George Rodgers Clark and Bernando de Galvez, the latter at the Battle of Fort Charlotte. Meanwhile, Sarah is in England, but it no longer feels like home. | |||||||
30 | "In Praise of Ben" | Various | Phil Harnage | Benjamin Franklin | Benjamin Franklin | November 8, 2002 | |
When Sarah arrives back from England, she finds Henri fighting with a young boy. Henri explains that he has done this because the boy was saying bad things about Ben Franklin. The boy says he only said this because that is what his father said. So, Sarah, Moses and James explain to the boy and his father about Ben Franklin's life and inventions. | |||||||
31 | "Bostonians" | 1780 June | Bruce Franklin Singer | Cherry Valley massacre Adams Family | Joseph Brant | November 11, 2002 | |
Sarah again visits the Adams family, when John is drafting the Massachusetts Constitution and preparing for a diplomatic mission to Europe. Meanwhile, James learns the horrors of the war for Native Americans from Iroquois chief Joseph Brant. | |||||||
32 | "Benedict Arnold" | 1780 July | Jim Fisher Jim Staahl | Benedict Arnold | Benedict Arnold | January 20, 2003 | |
James is interviewing skinners when they capture British spy Andre, who is carrying blueprints of West Point. Finding out where he got them, James must later comfort Sarah when her friend, General Arnold, is unmasked as a traitor. | |||||||
33 | "Conflict in the South" | 1781 January | Jim Fisher Jim Staahl | Raid of Richmond Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War | Nathanael Greene | January 21, 2003 | |
James tags along with General Nathanael Greene on his campaign in the South. Meanwhile, Sarah is horrified when she finds out that Thomas Jefferson owns slaves. Thomas Jefferson admits that he does not like the fact. | |||||||
34 | "Deborah Samson: Soldier of the Revolution" | 1781 July | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward | Deborah Sampson Battle of Rhode Island | Deborah Sampson; John Laurens | January 22, 2003 | |
Sarah meets Deborah Samson, a female soldier who enlisted under the identity Robert Shurtleff. Meanwhile, General Washington attempts to organize an offensive with General Rochambeau from their base in Rhode Island and Vergennes attempts to organize a peace conference with the British. | |||||||
35 | "James Armistead" | 1781 September | Jay Abramowitz | James Armistead | James Armistead | January 23, 2003 | |
Encamped with Lafayette's army in Virginia, Henri enlists as a drummer boy and Sarah meets slave and double agent James Armistead. Meanwhile, General Washington prepares for a major offensive against the British. | |||||||
36 | "Yorktown" | 1781 October | Jay Abramowitz | Siege of Yorktown | Charles Cornwallis | March 31, 2003 | |
James and Sarah witness the epic battle of Yorktown. Meanwhile, Moses' brother may not get the freedom he was promised, since the British lost. | |||||||
37 | "Born Free and Equal" | 1781 August | Bruce Franklin Singer | Mum Bett | Elizabeth Freeman | April 1, 2003 | |
Sarah travels to the Berkshires and learns of Mum Bett, a slave who sues for her freedom and wins with help from attorney Theodore Sedgwick. Meanwhile, King George III is unwilling to admit that England has lost the war. | |||||||
38 | "The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King" | 1783 March, December | Jay Abramowitz | Newburgh Conspiracy, George Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief | Benjamin West | April 2, 2003 | |
When interviewing Washington, James learns that officers in the Continental Army want to overthrow the government and install Washington as monarch, something Washington finds abhorrent. The episode ends with Washington going to Annapolis and resigning his commission on December 23, 1783. | |||||||
39 | "Going Home" | 1786 August | Jay Abramowitz | Shays' Rebellion | Daniel Shays | April 3, 2003 | |
James visits Daniel Shays, who is upset about the conditions Revolutionary War veterans are facing and leads a rebellion to shut the government down. In New York, Sarah again visits her Loyalist friend Mrs. Radcliffe, who ends up moving to Canada with Moses' brother Cato. Meanwhile, James considers buying a newspaper, Henri decides to go to France with Lafayette and Franklin returns to America with Lady Phillips. | |||||||
40 | "We the People" | 1787 May | Bruce Franklin Singer | Philadelphia Convention | James Madison | April 4, 2003 | |
James and Sarah attempt to find out what is going on at the Constitutional Convention, and Moses is upset that the constitution does not abolish slavery. Benjamin Franklin predicts that it will take another war to end slavery. |
Broadcast
The show was originally broadcast by PBS on its PBS Kids block from September 2, 2002 to April 4, 2003, with reruns airing on most PBS stations until October 2004.[1] The show has since been syndicated by DiC to affiliates of smaller television networks such as The CW and MyNetworkTV and some independent stations so that those stations can fulfill FCC educational and informational requirements. In 2008, it ran on History. The series aired on Cookie Jar Toons on This TV and on CBS's Cookie Jar TV block from 2012 to 2013. In 2017, it played on Starz Kids & Family, and, until August 2019, regularly aired on Starz Encore Family.[6] As of August 2019, the series only airs as a series-long marathon on Independence Day on Starz Encore Family.
Home media releases
PBS Home Video released a VHS/DVD boxset of the series in 2003 for educational purposes. The boxset contained 20 VHS's/DVDs which each contained two episodes each. The boxsets also came with resource guides. PBS also released a 6-DVD boxset of the series.
In June 2004, Ten-Strike Home Entertainment released 3 VHS's/DVDs of the series – The Boston Tea Party: The Movie, Give Me Liberty and The First Fourth of July, each containing three episodes, with the former being made in a feature-length format. The DVD version also came with an assortment of bonus features including a character guide, Historical Biographies and DVD-ROM features which are a printable coloring book and a web link. These releases were made for public use. Ten-Strike planned to release three more DVDs, titled Heroes and Traitors, American Battles and Daughters of the American Revolution in September 2004 respectively, but they were unreleased.
On October 14, 2008, Shout! Factory released Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[7] The 6-disc box set contains all 40 episodes of the series as well as several bonus features. This release has been discontinued and is out of print as Shout! Factory no longer has the distribution rights to the series.
On July 16, 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series on DVD in a 4-disc set.[8] Each disc contains 10 episodes each.
On February 14, 2017, Mill Creek Entertainment released Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series: Education Edition on DVD in Region 1.[9] The 3-disc set contains all 40 episodes of the series as well as in-depth study guides for all episodes and activity pages.
References
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 493–494. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- Liberty's Kids: Awards Internet Movie Database
- "Mike Bundlie IMDb". Imdb.com. IMDb.
- "DIC, Toys'R'Us To Create Original Show". hive4media.com. August 16, 2002. Archived from the original on September 8, 2002. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- Boston Tea Party Ships Boston Tea Party Historical Society
- "Liberty's Kids". Starz.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- "Liberty's Kids DVD news: Box Art for Liberty's Kids – The Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
- "Liberty's Kids DVD news: Announcement for Liberty's Kids – The Complete Series | TVShowsOnDVD.com". www.tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-09-05.
- 'The Complete Series: Education Edition' DVDs are Announced Archived 2016-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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