''Liberty's Kids'' (stylized on-screen as ''Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776'') is an American animated

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

television series produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation, and originally aired on PBS Kids from September 2, 2002, to April 4, 2003, with reruns airing on most PBS stations until October 10, 2004. 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, initially under the name of ''Poor Richard's Almanac''. It received two Daytime Emmy nominations in 2003 and 2004 for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program ( Walter Cronkite, playing

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

). Its purpose is to teach its viewers about the origins of the United States. Like the earlier cartoon mini-series '' This Is America, Charlie Brown'', ''Liberty's Kids'' tells of young people in dramas surrounding the major events in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

and the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The show features celebrity voice talents, such as

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

anchorman Walter Cronkite (as

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

(as Paul Revere), Ben Stiller (as

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

), Billy Crystal (as

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. With a career spanning over four decades, she is known for List of Annette Bening performances, her versatile work across screen and stage. Bening has received List of awards an ...

(as Abigail Adams), Dustin Hoffman (as

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

), Michael Douglas (as

Patrick Henry Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. May 18, 1736une 6, 1799) was an American politician, planter and orator who declared to the Virginia Conventions, Second Virginia Convention (1775): "Give me liberty or give m ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

(as Baron von Steuben), Liam Neeson (as

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

), Whoopi Goldberg (as Deborah Sampson), Charles Shaughnessy (as King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

), Michael York (as Admiral Lord Richard Howe), Don Francisco (as

Bernardo de Gálvez Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid, 1st Count of Gálvez (23 July 1746 – 30 November 1786) was a Spanish military leader and government official who served as colonial governor of Spanish Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New S ...

), and Aaron Carter (as Joseph Plum Martin) who lend credence to characters critical to the forming of a free country, from the

Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a seminal American protest, political and Mercantilism, mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, during the American Revolution. Initiated by Sons of Liberty activists in Boston in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colo ...

to the Constitutional Convention. The episodes run a half-hour, including 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 segment art was directed by designer Mike Bundlie. During syndicated airings, these are replaced by commercials.

Plot

Benjamin Franklin and four fictional associates experience the

. Although the series spans 16 years from the

in 1773 to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

becoming the first U.S. president in 1789, no main characters appear to age much, except for Dr. Franklin.

Characters

Fictional characters

* Sarah Phillips (Reo Jones) is a bright-eyed, red-headed teenage girl from England who travels to the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

in 1773 at age 15 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. With the possibility of a war between the American colonists and England, she decides to become a reporter for Franklin's newspaper to offer a more balanced perspective to the press. Sarah believes firmly in the power of words, equal rights, 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, Sarah 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; James can seem almost jealous when this happens. Throughout the series, Sarah and James grow closer. At the end, her mother, Lady Phillips, joins Sarah and her father in the United States and Sarah hopes to explore more of her adopted country. She is the only character to appear in every episode. * James Hiller (Chris Lundquist) is a 14-year-old (1773) American teenage colonist who works as an apprentice journalist for Franklin's newspaper. He 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, 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 the people receive an honest view of what is happening. In the process, he also faces the less positive aspects of the political conflict, which 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 him. He is very laid-back and is constantly reminded of his bad etiquette and poor table manners by Sarah. At the end, James intends to start his own newspaper, following in the steps of his mentor. * Henri Richard Maurice Dutoit LeFevbre ( Kathleen Barr) is an energetic, rambunctious 8-year-old French boy (1773). He shares a similar tragic story as James; when he was 6 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, three weeks into the voyage an illness broke out aboard the ship, killing half of those on board, including 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 he 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 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/bugle corps of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

. Curious and fearless, the only thing Henri values more than his freedom is finding a family. At the end, he returns to France with Marquis de Lafayette, whom he had become close to almost as a son. It is implied that Lafayette adopts Henri as his foster-son. * Moses (D. Kevin Williams) was born in Africa, brought in chains to North America as a slave, and sold on the block in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. Because of his ingenuity, Moses learned to read, forge metal, and buy his

freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

, 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 he is a free man. He eventually moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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 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, Moses reveals a plan to set up a school for free black children, 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

(Cork Ramer) * Major General William Alexander * Colonel

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...

* Brigadier General George Rogers Clark ( Norman Schwarzkopf) * Major General Thomas Conway * Margaret "Molly" Corbin * Major General Horatio Gates * Major General

Nathanael Greene Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

(John Michael Lee) * Nathan Hale *

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

( Andrew Rannells) * Charles Lee * Colonel John Jameson – appears in "Benedict Arnold" *

( Liam Neeson) *

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, and military leader who then became a national hero in Poland, the United States, Lithuania, and ...

– a Pole in Continental Army * Colonel James Livingston * Colonel John Laurens * Captain John Parker * John Paulding – appears in "Benedict Arnold" * Joseph Plumb Martin ( Aaron Carter) * Israel Putnam – he appeared in the "Bunker Hill" and "The Turtle" episodes. * Colonel Joseph Reed * Deborah Samson aka Robert Shurtleff ( Whoopi Goldberg) * John Sullivan * Benjamin Tallmadge – appears in "Benedict Arnold" * Isaac Van Wart – appears in "Benedict Arnold", no lines * Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (

) – a Prussian officer in the Continental army. * David Williams – appears in "Benedict Arnold", no lines * Anthony Wayne * Udeny Wolf-Hutchinson (Carl Beck) * Dr.

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot movement in Boston, Massachusetts, Bos ...

* Samuel Prescott

British Army and Navy

* John André * John Burgoyne * Guy Carleton * Henry Clinton * General Lord Charles Cornwallis Admiral Lord Richard Howe ( Michael York) * General William Howe * Richard Pearson * Johann Rall – a Hessian officer in British service

French officers and politicians

* Marquis de Lafayette (Ben Beck) * Comte de Rochambeau * Johann de Kalb * Admiral Comte de Grasse * Comte de Vergennes * King

Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

– appears in "Allies at Last", no lines

Spanish Army

( Don Francisco)

Native Americans

* Joseph Brant ( Russell Means) *

Cornstalk "Corn stalk" or "Cornstalk" may refer to: * The stem of a maize plant * ''Dracaena fragrans'' or cornstalk dracaena, a flowering plant * Cornstalk (Shawnee leader), a Shawnee Indian chief during the American Revolution (1720–1777) * Cornstalk, We ...

(Russell Means) * Abraham Nimham

Turncoats and spies

( Dustin Hoffman) * James Armistead * Edward Bancroft * John Honeyman * Paul Wentworth

American family members

* Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams (

) *

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

, older son of John Adams * Thomas Adams, younger son of John Adams *

Peggy Shippen Margaret Shippen (July 11, 1760 – August 24, 1804) was the second wife of General Benedict Arnold. She has been described as "the highest-paid spy in the American Revolution". Shippen was born into a prominent Philadelphia family with Loyalist ...

, wife of Benedict Arnold (

Maria Shriver Maria Owings Shriver ( ; born November 6, 1955) is an American journalist, author, a member of the prominent Shriver and Kennedy families, former First Lady of California, and the founder of the nonprofit organization The Women's Alzheimer's M ...

)

American politicians

( Billy Crystal) * Jonathan L. Austin – appears in "Allies at Last" * Samuel Adams *

Samuel Chase Samuel Chase (April 17, 1741 – June 19, 1811) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, signer of the Continental Association and United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryla ...

* Silas Deane *

( Walter Cronkite) *

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

( Michael Douglas) *

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

( Ben Stiller) * Henry Laurens *

Richard Henry Lee Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732June 19, 1794) was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence fr ...

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

( Warren Buffett) * Caesar Rodney * Edward Rutledge * Luther Martin * John Dickinson * Charles Pinckney * John Witherspoon

British politicians

* King George III of Great Britain ( Charles Shaughnessy) * Charles Fox * Alexander Wedderburn * Lord North

Other historical figures

* David Bushnell * Elizabeth Freeman aka Mum Bett ( Yolanda King) * James Craik – appears in "Lafayette Arrives", no lines * William Dawes * Josiah Franklin – appears in "In Praise of Ben", no lines * James Franklin * Moses Michael Hays *

Edward Jenner Edward Jenner (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. The terms ''vaccine'' and ''vaccination'' are derived f ...

* Sybil Ludington (Kayla Hinkle) * Thomas Paine * Paul Revere (

) * Theodore Sedgwick * Benjamin West * Phillis Wheatley

Episodes

The following table contains all 40 episodes of ''Liberty's Kids'', with links to relevant historical articles.

Season 1 (2002–2003)

Development

The show was originally known as '' Poor Richard's Almanac'' when the series was first announced in October 2000.

Broadcast

United States

The show was originally broadcast on PBS Kids and PBS from September 2, 2002 to April 4, 2003, with reruns airing on most PBS stations until October 10, 2004, a day before the launch of PBS Kids Go!. It later reran on Cookie Jar-branded blocks, including Cookie Jar Kids Network (formerly DIC Kids Network) on syndication from July 8, 2004 to August 29, 2009, again from September 25, 2010 to September 15, 2011, Cookie Jar Toons on

This TV This TV (also known as This TV Network and alternately stylized as thisTV) was an American free-to-air television network owned by Allen Media Broadcast Networks, LLC, part of the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios. Originally ...

from September 5, 2009 to September 27, 2010, again from September 26, 2011 to September 28, 2012, and Cookie Jar TV on CBS from September 22, 2012 to September 21, 2013, so that those respective stations, CBS, and This TV, that broadcast the blocks, could fulfill FCC educational and informational requirements. The show also reran on The History Channel on July 4, 2008. In 2017, it played on Starz Kids & Family, and, until August 2019, regularly aired on Starz Encore Family. Until July 4, 2021, the series only aired as a series-long marathon on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

on Starz Encore Family.

International

In 2005, it ran on Spacetoon in the United Arab Emirates. This was the only other country to get the series other than Australia (where it aired on 9Go!).

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. On April 24, 2004, Ten-Strike Home Entertainment, a subsidiary of

Bertelsmann The Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Bertelsmann (), is a German privately held company, private multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation based in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, ...

, acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to the series. On June 29, 2004, to coincide with

, the company released three VHS/DVD volumes - ''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. A pamphlet inside the releases also confirmed that three more DVDs - ''Heroes and Traitors'', ''American Battles'' and ''Daughters of the American Revolution'' would be released in September 2004, but they were unreleased. In October 2008, Shout! Factory released ''Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1. 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. In July 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released ''Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series'' on DVD in a 4-disc set. Each disc contains 10 episodes each. Later in February 2017, Mill Creek Entertainment released ''Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series: Education Edition'' on DVD in Region 1. 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

External links