| Liberty's Kids |
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Information AboutLiberty's Kids |
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Its premise is to teach its audience of 7 - 12-year-olds about the origins of the United States of America. Much like the CBS cartoon mini-series '' This Is America, Charlie Brown '' years before, ''Liberty's Kids'' tells of young people in dramas surrounding the major events in the Revolutionary War days. Celebrity voices such as Walter Cronkite (as Benjamin Franklin ), Sylvester Stallone (as Paul Revere ), Ben Stiller (as Thomas Jefferson ), Billy Crystal (as John Adams ), Dustin Hoffman (as Benedict Arnold ), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Baron Von Steuben ) lend credence to characters critical to the forming of a free country, from the Boston Tea Party to the Constitutional Convention . MAIN CHARACTERS (FICTIONAL ASSOCIATES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN)
:A bright-eyed fifteen year old young woman from England, Sarah comes to the Thirteen Colonies in search of her father, Lord 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. 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 power of words and equal rights for all, and is never afraid to speak her mind. 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...and that is by having good manners (Nathan Hale and Udeny Wolf-Hutchinson are good examples); when this happens, James can seem almost jealous.
:A young man orphaned in childhood because of a lightning storm, fourteen-year-old James greatly admires Benjamin Franklin, whose invention of the lightning rod saved many from the same tragedy. Zealous, 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; almost like a little brother. He is often laid back and is constantly reminded of his bad etiquette by Sarah, toward whom he sometimes, inadvertently, shows feelings of what might be "more than friendship."
:A small, but comedic and energetic eight-year-old boy from France , Henri's parents died on the voyage to America and the ship's captain exploited Henri afterwards. James and Moses 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 benefeit" and has been labeled a "magnet for trouble." Curious and fearless, the only thing Henri values more than his freedom is finding a family of his own. Near the end of the series Henri returns to his native France as the adopted son/ward of the Marquis De Lafayette , with whom he has developed a strong bond.
:Born in Africa , Moses was brought in chains to America as a slave. 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. He eventually moved to Philadelphia and found work at Dr. Franklin's Print Shop. His brother, Cato, had not been so fortunate and escaped, later joining the British troops as a soldier. He 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 leaves to set up a school for children of all races. Although the series spans 14 years from the Boston Tea Party in 1773 to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, Sarah, James and Henri never appear to age. HISTORICAL CHARACTERS DEPICTED Continental Army, Navy, and American militia
British Army & Navy
French officers Spanish Army
Polish Volunteers Native Americans Turncoats American Family members American politicians
British politicians Other Historical Figures
THEME The opening theme to Liberty's Kids, 'Through My Own Eyes' is performed by Aaron Carter , who also voices Joseph Plumb Martin , and Kayla Hinkle, a country singer who voices also Sybil Ludington . EPISODES The following are the Liberty's Kids episodes, with links to relevant historial articles. # The Boston Tea Party # The Intolerable Acts # United We Stand # Liberty Or Death # Midnight Ride # The Shot Heard Round The World # Green Mountain Boys # The Second Continental Congress # Bunker Hill # Postmaster General Franklin # Washington Takes Command # Common Sense # The First Fourth Of July # "New York, New York" # The Turtle # One Life To Lose # Captain Molly # American Crisis # Across The Delaware # American In Paris # Sybil Ludington # Lafayette Arrives # The Hessians Are Coming # Valley Forge # Allies At Last # Honor and Compromise # The New Frontier # Not Yet Begun To Fight # The Great Galvez # In Praise Of Ben # Bostonians # Benedict Arnold # Conflict In The South # Deborah Samson # James Armistead # Yorktown # Born Free and Equal # The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King # Going Home # We The People Fundings: Corporation For Public Broadcasting Viewers Like You Cigna FUNDING All 40 episodes of Liberty's Kids that were aired on PBS between 2002 and 2004 were funded by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting and by contributions to your PBS stations from Viewers Like You TRIVIA
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