The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780 – Onward)
The British Army under General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states. Meanwhile, one of the most respected American generals betrays the cause and defects to the British. Supported by the French Army and Navy, Washington’s Continental Army wins the decisive victory at Yorktown. Peace is restored, independence is won, and Americans aspire for a more perfect union.
Episodes
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The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780 – Onward)
S1 E6 - 2h 10m
The British Army under General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states. Meanwhile, one of the most respected American generals betrays the cause and defects to the British. Supported by the French Army and Navy, Washington’s Continental Army wins the decisive victory at Yorktown. Peace is restored, independence is won, and Americans aspire for a more perfect union.
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The Soul of All America (December 1777 – May 1780)
S1 E5 - 1h 53m
Washington’s Continental Army emerges from the harsh winter at Valley Forge to fight the British Army in the inconclusive Battle of Monmouth. But the alliance with France changes the war and moves it to other theaters. Navies battle off England’s coast and in the Caribbean, while armies advance into Indian Country and the southern states. Together, the British Army and Navy capture Charleston.
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Conquer by a Drawn Game (January 1777 – February 1778)
S1 E4 - 1h 55m
As America braces for a third year of devastating war, British commanders launch campaigns to take Albany and Philadelphia. General Howe beats General Washington at Brandywine and Germantown, while the Continental Congress flees Philadelphia. But the Americans’ surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga opens the door for France to officially support the United States.
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The Times That Try Men’s Souls (July 1776 – January 1777)
S1 E3 - 1h 54m
The Revolution, now a war for American independence, faces its toughest challenge yet as General Washington tries to defend New York City from invasion by sea. The resulting Battle of Long Island is a huge defeat for the Americans, who narrowly escape and spend the next several months on the run. In late December, Washington’s army regroups and prepares to attack an outpost in Trenton, New Jersey.
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An Asylum for Mankind (May 1775 – July 1776)
S1 E2 - 2h 4m
New Englanders rush to surround the British Army in Boston, but as war begins Americans find themselves sharply divided. After the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, George Washington of Virginia arrives to command the newly created Continental Army. In July 1776, the Continental Congress issues the Declaration of Independence, insisting on the people’s right to resist tyranny and govern themselves.
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In Order to Be Free (May 1754 – May 1775)
S1 E1 - 1h 56m
American colonists oppose efforts by the British Crown and Parliament to seize greater control in North America, escalating simmering tensions over land, taxes, and sovereignty into violent confrontation. After protestors dump tea in Boston Harbor, the British government enacts martial law in Massachusetts. Fighting at Lexington and Concord ignites a war that will last eight years.
Extras + Features
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George Washington: Farmer, Patriot, Commander
S1 E2 - 4m 56s
In the spring of 1775, George Washington accepts the role as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Washington is 43 years old, one of the richest men in America and the enslaver of over 300 people. He is an imposing figure with an adhesive memory and the ability to instill confidence in his subordinates. His first task is to turn a ragtag group of Patriots into a fighting army.
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One of the Most Extraordinary Expeditions in American History
S1 E2 - 6m 57s
George Washington has Boston surrounded but lacks the artillery to threaten the British-held city. He dispatches Henry Knox to Fort Ticonderoga to retrieve guns he can use to capture the city. Knox leads a daring expedition to haul 55 guns weighing more than 64 tons across rivers, lakes and mountains and deliver them to Washington, spelling doom for the British in Boston.
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The Battle of Quebec
S1 E2 - 8m 18s
Benedict Arnold leads his army north up the Kennebec River as part of the American invasion of Canada. His forces lose much of their provisions and face terrible winter weather, causing many to turn back. Benedict Arnold's force launches an assault on their target, Quebec City, on New Year's Eve that turns disastrous for the Patriots.
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The Declaration of Independence & Birth of the United States
S1 E2 - 11m 47s
Thomas Jefferson is tasked with writing a first draft of what will become the Declaration of Independence. In it, Jefferson writes that all men are created equal with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. While proclaiming that all men are created equal is a revolutionary idea, it does not extend to Native Americans, women, or African Americans.
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John Peters... an enemy to Congress?
S1 E2 - 2m 5s
John Peters was the most respected man in his small settlement. In 1774, his neighbors picked him to represent them in the First Continental Congress. But when Peters sensed other delegates in Philadelphia “meant to have a serious rebellion,” he refused. From then on, he would face suspicious Patriots, threats of execution, and even pressure from his own father to become “a friend to America.”
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Preview: An Asylum for Mankind
S1 E2 - 30s
New Englanders rush to surround the British Army in Boston, but as war begins Americans find themselves sharply divided. After the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, George Washington of Virginia arrives to command the newly created Continental Army. In July 1776, the Continental Congress issues the Declaration of Independence, insisting on the people’s right to resist tyranny and govern themselves.
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Dunmore's Proclamation & Black Americans in the Revolution
S1 E2 - 9m 20s
Forty percent of white Virginians owned enslaved people, and farmers like George Washington lived in fear of a revolt. These fears come to reality when Virginia's royal governor, Lord Dunmore, issues a proclamation offering freedom to any enslaved individual who joins his fight against their Patriot masters. Some 800 men would join Dunmore, including some of George Washington's own slaves.
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"Common Sense" and the Birth of a New World
S1 E2 - 6m 36s
On January 9th, 1776, the pamphlet "Common Sense" is published in Philadelphia. The pamphlet immediately becomes a bestseller, selling tens of thousands of copies across America. In "Common Sense," Thomas Paine, the author and violent foe of aristocracy and monarchy, attacks the King and Parliament and offers Americans an alternative to British rule: true independence.
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Tea, Tar and Tyranny: How the Boston Tea Party Changed Everything
S1 E1 - 9m 26s
The British impose a new law on the colonies called the Tea Act, which is intended to stop smuggling and support the bankrupt East India Company. The act is deeply unpopular and prompts 50 to 60 Bostonians crudely dressed as Native Americans to dump 46 tons of British tea into the Boston Harbor. The British government responds by cracking down on Massachusetts, hoping to contain the rebellion.
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The Boston Massacre
S1 E1 - 7m 52s
On October 1st, 1768, General Gage and the British Army arrive in Boston to begin their occupation. Tensions continue to rise between Bostonians and the British until it erupts on March 5th, 1770 as British grenadiers respond to a quickly forming mob and fire into the crowd, leaving 5 dead. Although most of the soldiers are later exonerated, the event will come to be known as the Boston Massacre.
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Rising Tensions Didn't Keep European Settlers from Coming to North America
S1 E1 - 2m 56s
Tensions were rising between England and the colonies, but new arrivals and American-born colonists were eager to carve out new lives within North America’s interior. Thousands of English, Scots-Irish, German, and a small number of Jewish immigrants poured down the Great Wagon Road, running from Philadelphia to the Carolinas.
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The Shot Heard ’Round the World: Lexington, Concord and the Start of War
S1 E1 - 11m 39s
The Patriots catch wind of a secret British plan to move troops from Boston into Concord and they dispatch William Dawes and Paul Revere to warn other Patriots that the British are coming. The British attack a Patriot force in Lexington, but they are overwhelmed by hundreds of militiamen pouring in from the countryside and forced to retreat to Boston. The American Revolution has begun.
Schedule
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Image
The American Revolution
Conquer by a Drawn Game
Saturday
Dec 6
2 Hours 30 Minutes
General Howe takes Philadelphia, but the Americans' surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to support the U.S. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Soul of All America
Saturday
Dec 6
2 Hours 30 Minutes
The French-American alliance changes the war and moves it to other theaters; navies battle off England and in the Caribbean, while armies advance in Indian Country and the South; the British take Charleston. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Most Sacred Thing
Saturday
Dec 6
3 Hours
British General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states; supported by the French, a victory at Yorktown secures independence for the Americans. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Times That Try Men's Souls
Sunday
Dec 7
2 Hours
British General Howe defeats General Washington, forcing the Americans to abandon New York; Washington's army regroups in New Jersey before attacking an outpost at Trenton. -
Image
The American Revolution
Conquer by a Drawn Game
Monday
Dec 8
2 Hours 30 Minutes
General Howe takes Philadelphia, but the Americans' surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to support the U.S. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Times That Try Men's Souls
Monday
Dec 8
2 Hours
British General Howe defeats General Washington, forcing the Americans to abandon New York; Washington's army regroups in New Jersey before attacking an outpost at Trenton. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Soul of All America
Monday
Dec 8
2 Hours 30 Minutes
The French-American alliance changes the war and moves it to other theaters; navies battle off England and in the Caribbean, while armies advance in Indian Country and the South; the British take Charleston. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Times That Try Men's Souls
Monday
Dec 8
2 Hours
British General Howe defeats General Washington, forcing the Americans to abandon New York; Washington's army regroups in New Jersey before attacking an outpost at Trenton. -
Image
The American Revolution
The Most Sacred Thing
Tuesday
Dec 9
3 Hours
British General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states; supported by the French, a victory at Yorktown secures independence for the Americans. -
Image
The American Revolution
Conquer by a Drawn Game
Sunday
Dec 14
2 Hours
General Howe takes Philadelphia, but the Americans' surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to support the U.S. -
Image
The American Revolution
Conquer by a Drawn Game
Monday
Dec 15
2 Hours
General Howe takes Philadelphia, but the Americans' surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to support the U.S. -
Image
The American Revolution
Conquer by a Drawn Game
Monday
Dec 15
2 Hours
General Howe takes Philadelphia, but the Americans' surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to support the U.S.
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