Original subtitles

[whoosh]

[dramatic tone]

NARRATOR: News is the first draft of history.

It is immediate and takes place in real time.

Legends take longer to develop and are

sometimes based on myth.

This Fox News series looks at the truth behind the legend.

[crickets chirping]

[music playing]

[grunting] Father!

It's all right, son.

One of you must lead me around the Jamaica Pass.

No.

We're Americans.

I admire a man of principle.

But you are my prisoner, and you must

take me to Washington's troops.

If you refuse, I will shoot you through the head.

[dramatic music]

[click]

[muffled explosion]

(SINGING) My country 'tis of thee--

[shouting]

--sweet land of liberty, land where my fathers died,

land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside,

let freedom ring.

[fire crackling]

[chickens chirping]

NARRATOR: Pushed to their limits by an oppressive empire,

a determined group of rebels unites--

[gunshot]

--under the cause of liberty.

[explosion]

Their quest for freedom will unify a people,

ignite a revolution, and forge a new system of government.

[explosion]

In time, these brave men and women

will come to be known as the American Patriots, Americans,

men and women from all walks of life

and every corner of the world, bound

by the promise of liberty.

[music playing]

But before the Revolution, there are no Americans,

only British subjects, colonists without a nation of their own.

But behind every nation stands its people.

And beyond every legend lies the truth.

When people think of the origins

of the American Revolution, they generally

point to the financial conflict, taxation

without representation.

But beyond the economics, the revolution is a class war.

The British view the American colonists

as an inferior group of people.

This means that the American Revolution is about much

more than political or financial independence.

It's a fight to achieve the American identity.

NARRATOR: The struggle for an American identity

begins in Boston as colonists, tired of being oppressed

by an empire that sees them only as a source of revenue,

begin to take action.

Two of the first men to fight back against British tyranny

are Sam Adams and John Hancock, who start

by avoiding British taxes.

I'm looking for something special

and beyond his Majesty's reach.

Well, John Hancock was the heir to a import-export

business and was one of the richest

men in Massachusetts and probably

the most famous smuggler.

[music playing]

[chatter]

Hancock, you are under arrest.

Outrageous.

Gentlemen, please.

I think it best that we did not interfere

with the Sheriff's business.

John Hancock's ship, The Liberty,

is seized by the British because he

was supposedly smuggling wine.

They felt that acts passed by the British regulating

American trade were too burdensome, as were the taxes.

And they felt entitled to free trade.

NARRATOR: The charges brought against Hancock lack evidence,

which presents an opportunity for one of Boston's

sharpest lawyers, John Adams.

Mr. Adams, if you would be so kind.

Thank you, your honor.

Adams says every man in a free country deserves a fair trial.

He believes that.

And he will not waver from that belief throughout his life.

Is there any evidence of any kind

whatsoever regarding my client and these spurious accusations?

Mr. Hancock owns the largest home in the city.

Well, by that rationale, let us convict King George himself

of smuggling here today.

[laughter]

Shall my liberty be destroyed by a collector for a debt

without the common indulgence and lenity of the law.

So it is established.

While rich men like John Hancock can afford legal help,

most are not so lucky.

[shouting]

You have no right to do this!

NARRATOR: Across the colonies, tax collectors

are given authority to search and seize personal property

in place of unpaid taxes.

Seize all the records.

The key to understanding the colonies

and the colonists themselves is they

feel as though they're protecting something

that everybody in the empire enjoys,

the rights of Englishmen.

There were a group of merchants and political activists

that were primed to watch for oversteps by Parliament.

And they were primed to protest it as soon as it happened.

You cannot simply search a man's home

and seize his property without proper cause or provocation.

But how do we respond?

What recourse do we even have?

I propose that we establish an association

for the purpose of resisting these attacks on our rights.

Hear, hear.

DAVID SMITH: This group created a political organization

called the Sons of Liberty.

The power and the passion behind these protests

really sort of took Parliament by surprise.

As the Sons of Liberty take to the streets,

the British army occupies Boston and, under General Thomas Gage,

sets out to crush the uprising.

What I see of Boston is a complete collapse

of law and order.

NARRATOR: But the Sons of Liberty

find new ways to fight back.

Dr. Joseph Warren sets up a spy ring,

which includes Paul Revere, a silversmith who practices

dentistry on the side.

Paul Revere was a working man.

And he was among the people most affected

by some of the shutdowns of business

that occurred as Boston became a hotbed of dissent.

Yeah, that should do it, Dr. Warren--

two new teeth and a proper smile to charm

the ladies, huh, or perhaps the general's wife, huh?

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: Between two Sons of Liberty,

the cost of a new tooth might be a tip from a spy.

Surely, you will consider this adequate payment.

[music playing]

Boys, let's start cleaning up.

We've got some work to do tonight.

NARRATOR: When Parliament tries to force the colonists to pay

taxes on British tea, tensions in Boston

reach a boiling point.

Then the Sons of Liberty lead a protest that will reverberate

across the Atlantic.

To the harbor!

[cheers]

The Boston Tea Party may be the culmination of years

of pent-up anger, but it's also a strategic act of nonviolence.

The perpetrators dress up to conceal their identities.

But another purpose is symbolic.

By masquerading as Mohawk Indians,

the Patriots also send a message that they,

like the Native people before them, identify as American.

We're going to turn Boston Harbor into a teapot.

KIRK ELLIS: The Boston Tea Party is political theater

at its finest.

They throw the modern-day equivalent of $3 million

worth of tea into the harbor.

And of course, that gets immediate attention

from the British crown.

NARRATOR: The Sons of Liberty are now targets

of General Gage and his army.

And when the British march 15 miles outside Boston

to find them, Joseph Warren sends

Paul Revere with a warning.

[music playing]

The Regulars are coming out!

The Regulars are coming out!

[banging on door]

How many are there?

Nearly 1,000 Regulars on the range, just hours away.

They aim to start a war.

I'd best ride to Concord right away.

Sound the alarm.

Then I'll go with you.

No, no.

John, it's too dangerous.

NARRATOR:

We must rally with the militia.

There's a minute company here, in Lexington.

Our place is with the delegation.

Congress convenes in Philadelphia in a few weeks.

We need to begin our travel immediately.

You'll have your moment.

NARRATOR: As British troops arrive in Lexington,

Hancock and Adams flee, heading deeper into the safety

of Patriot territory.

[birdsong]

To the front.

March.

Stand by.

Stand by.

Hold your ground.

[gunshot] [neighing]

[gunshots]

Cease fire!

Cease fire!

Cease fire!

Cease fire!

[gunshots]

[drumbeat]

[water lapping]

[gunshots]

NARRATOR: As shots are fired at Lexington

Green, a colonial uprising--

Fall back!

NARRATOR: --becomes a full-scale rebellion.

While many believe the militia who fight the British

at Lexington and Concord are just a disorganized group

of civilians, they are actually a well-drilled infantry,

some of whom fought in the British army.

While they prove their courage in this initial encounter,

they are a long way from the discipline and organization

required to win a war.

For that, they must become a true army

and unite behind their leader.

Once American blood get shed-- and this is when Americans are

first starting thinking of American blood--

the real question behind all of this is,

do the American colonists consider themselves Englishmen,

or do they consider themselves American?

NARRATOR: In the aftermath, delegates from all 13 colonies

meet in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress.

The first order of business-- choosing a commander

to lead the colonial militias, which,

for now, have the British army trapped in Boston.

In terms of your options about who's going to be commander

in chief, on one hand, you got John Hancock, who's really

put himself out there, this rich merchant

with no military experience now saying, ah,

I'm going to lead the army.

Hancock wants the glory.

We must have a commander in chief

for all the colonies, Sam.

[gavel bangs]

The chair recognizes Mr. John Adams of Massachusetts.

Mr. President, gentlemen, thousands

of loosely affiliated volunteers have surrounded

the British army at Boston.

I hereby propose that this Congress adopt this army

before Boston and appoint as its commander Colonel

George Washington of Virginia.

MAN: Hear, hear.

[applause]

[pounding]

When John Adams announces that George Washington is the best

man to lead, it's widely agreed by the other delegates,

except perhaps for John Hancock.

NARRATOR: With Washington's appointment,

the colonial militias become the Continental Army.

But before Washington arrives to take command,

his army faces annihilation.

Looking to hold the British within Boston,

continental troops take the high ground around the harbor,

setting up fortifications not on the more famous Bunker Hill

but on Breed's Hill, where most of the action in the

misnamed battle takes place.

Among the people fighting in this

particular engagement are Joseph Warren,

as head of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety.

Sure you want to be up here, sir?

You sure you don't want to be back in the rear?

It's bound to get ugly up here.

I'm here for the same reasons you are.

NARRATOR: While the Continental Army relies on volunteers,

the British are known as the most disciplined

fighting force in the world.

Forward march!

[marching]

Fire!

[gunshots]

[exciting music]

Stay down.

Seize it!

Move it!

For god's sake, man, the gun!

[coughing]

Let's fire it.

Get in position!

OK.

[explosion]

Reload.

[explosion]

Bunker Hill is considered a defeat for the colonists.

But the casualties are so high on the British side,

and this prompts people in the British government

and the British press to say, one more victory such as this,

the war will be lost.

NARRATOR: Though Bunker Hill is a moral victory

for the Americans, the Continental Army

won't last long without equipment and resources.

To find them, Benjamin Franklin heads the secret committee

in Congress.

Our army is only as good as its intelligence.

Well, we will need funds to recruit spies.

Morris, I need you to find some deep purses and go digging.

The Revolution had the potential

to be a great equalizer.

You have great men, though, that are put together in this very

difficult circumstance.

You have Benjamin Franklin, who is a genius at many things

but knows nothing, really, about army supply.

You have Washington, who has never commanded anything larger

than a regiment, and now he's commander in chief of an army

that he has to build.

My God.

This is my army?

We didn't see any of you Virginians up at Bunker Hill.

If we'd have been there, friend,

them redcoats wouldn't have ran you boys off.

[punches]

[crowd shouting]

[gunshot]

There's no Massachusetts or Virginia in this army.

We face a common enemy.

Do you hear me?

This is an American army.

[emotional music]

With his army falling apart and the standoff with the British

dragging on, Washington needs hope,

and he gets it from an unlikely source.

Presenting Miss Phillis Wheatley, sir.

Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American poet

to be published.

She became, by some reports, George

Washington's favorite poet.

I have been much affected by your poem.

Would you do me the great honor of reading it?

It would be my sincerest pleasure.

"Proceed, great chief, with virtue on thy side.

Thy every action let the goddess guide.

A crown, a mansion, and a throne that shine, with gold unfading,

Washington, be thine."

However undeserving I may be of such encomium, the style

and manner exhibit a striking proof of Wheatley's

great poetical talents.

A Royal Proclamation is issued that those people who will not

pledge loyalty to the crown will be considered traitors

and should be hung.

King George has declared us rebels.

From this day forward, you are the Continental Army of

the United Colonies of America.

Yeah!

Yeah!

[shouting]

Raise our flag.

[music playing]

[explosion]

NARRATOR: After nearly 11 months of siege,

George Washington is able to build a unified army

and finally break the British hold on Boston.

[shouting]

It's all part of this emerging American identity.

And identities often take shape in opposition

to something else.

Had there been no common enemy, it's

quite likely that an American identity

would not have formed at all.

NARRATOR: The British army is forced

to retreat to Nova Scotia.

But the reprieve will be short-lived.

Anticipating the enemy's next move,

Washington takes his young army to New York,

believing the port city will be the next target

for the British.

[birdsong]

Shoulder you're firelocks.

Rumor has it the King George has hired Hessian mercenaries,

and they're on the way with Admiral Howe's fleet.

There is a victory for Washington

in the siege of Boston in as much

as the Regulars evacuate Boston.

But they're going to come back.

And he knows that his army really isn't used to fighting.

They're not ready for war.

Damn you, [inaudible],, pick up that musket.

[horse whinnies]

Our lookouts report the sightings of British ships

off the coast of Sandy Hook, your excellency.

We're not ready for this.

The signal isn't lit.

[suspenseful music]

If the British were here, we would barely

have a chance to make a stand.

There is no discipline in this army.

An army needs a loftier goal than mere survival.

The only answer now is to declare our independence.

NARRATOR: To draft America's Declaration of Independence,

Congress chooses a skilled writer and radical thinker from

Virginia, Thomas Jefferson.

But to do so, Jefferson must confront his internal conflict

over the issue of slavery.

Mr. Jefferson?

Bob, what have I told you about interrupting me?

I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson.

It's only that-- what are you writing?

It's for the Congress, political matters.

It doesn't concern you.

NARRATOR: As a tobacco farmer and a Virginian,

Jefferson supports the inequality of slave ownership.

Yet he writes the immortal phrase,

"All men are created equal," the cornerstone of the emerging

American identity.

While a glaring contradiction, it

doesn't invalidate his words.

Jefferson truly wants to liberate future generations

from slavery.

So he attacks the slave trade in his Declaration.

That decision heightens tensions between the Northern

and Southern colonies at the very time

they need to come together.

When Jefferson said all men are created equal,

no one in 1776 knew exactly what he meant.

But the important thing was that they

were fighting for independence.

And how it was phrased turned out

to be a much bigger deal later.

This became this beacon toward which Americans have felt

they had to strive ever since.

NARRATOR: On July 4, 1776, Congress approves Jefferson's

Declaration, and Washington's army

gets the unifying cause it needs to stand up to the British.

When, in the course of human events,

it becomes necessary for one people

to dissolve the political bands which have connected--"

King George III, who was a meticulous record-keeper

and kept a journal, wrote an entry on July 4,

1776 that said, today, nothing has happened.

If only he knew what was going on thousands of miles

away across the Atlantic.

[cheering]

NARRATOR: While the Declaration unites patriots

from across the colonies, British warships

surround Washington's meager New York stronghold.

General William Howe invades Long Island

with 20,000 hardened British troops

determined to outmaneuver and overpower

the young Continental Army.

One of you must lead me around the Jamaica Pass.

If you refuse, I shall shoot you through the head.

BOY: No!

It's all right.

[exciting music]

Fine.

I'll take you there.

NARRATOR: Howe forces a local tavern keeper to lead him

along a little-used path called the Jamaica

Pass, outflanking Washington.

The continental force is crushed, sending its survivors

fleeing in confusion.

With his army trapped against the East River

and facing destruction, Washington's only chance

to save the Revolution is to run.

Get every skiff you can muster.

Keep the campfires burning along the heights

so the British think we are settled for the night.

We must not make a sound.

While Washington's retreat from New York under the cover

of fog is a lucky break, it's also

one of the wisest decisions he makes.

It allows him to preserve his army

and learn from his own mistakes.

He now realizes the British are counting

on their overwhelming numbers and want

to force him into a direct conflict on their terms.

To succeed, Washington now must find a new, American way

of fighting.

[gunshot]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Forced from New York, George Washington

is pushed back to Pennsylvania.

Patriot morale is at an all-time low.

Many Americans are losing hope.

If Washington can't bring them a victory,

they might not be Americans much longer.

If the Americans had been too successful early on,

then they wouldn't have had their character tested.

NARRATOR: Facing a larger, better-trained army,

Washington must rely on the ingenuity of young officers

like Alexander Hamilton and Henry Knox, self-taught

American military strategists.

Henry Knox is a bookseller from Boston.

He has no background in artillery other than loving

to read books about artillery.

And the American officer corps is filled by people like this--

scholars and teachers and farmers who find in war

an innate ability that serves Washington's purposes

very well.

HENRY KNOX: Imagine, if you will,

that Captain Hamilton here is a standard 3-pound field piece.

Using such a gun in the traditional manner,

your potential targets are limited.

Oh.

If we can make the cannons more maneuverable,

then we may be able to take more opportunities

for enfilade firing.

Enfilade?

Firing down the line instead of straight into it.

Captain.

Right face.

ANDREW NELSON: The essence of conventional warfare, lines

of soldiers facing each other, that

actually makes your artillery fairly ineffective.

But what if you were to shoot at that column of soldiers

from the side so, as you hit one,

the bullet could pass through and maybe hit another?

Fire.

One cannonball can take down dozens of men this way.

Impressive, Col. Knox.

[horse neighs]

[bird calls]

NARRATOR: Washington has a creative plan of his own,

crossing the half-frozen Delaware River for a surprise

attack on Britain's Hessian mercenaries

in Trenton, New Jersey, on Christmas.

KIRK ELLIS: The British don't campaign in the winter.

Gentlemen don't do that.

And it's this kind of belief that Washington knows, having

been an officer in the British army,

that allows him to perpetrate the surprise attack in Trenton.

To fight!

To fight!

DAVID SMITH: It is sort of a hit and run

attack, throws the British completely off balance.

And that turns the tide of the Revolution.

That saves it right there.

I mean, people start flocking to the cause.

We may win this thing, after all.

[explosion]

Oh!

NARRATOR: Outnumbered and outmatched,

Washington's victory at Trenton gives the Revolution new hope.

But to win the war, America will need help.

[applause]

[music playing]

We thought, let's take the British's natural enemy

and try to encourage them to help us out.

The perfect person to convince the French to do something

was Benjamin Franklin.

Madam.

Oh.

[giggles]

He's sent to France to go secure foreign aid

from the French King.

He presents himself as he thinks the French court

wants to see him.

He's the rustic American with the coonskin cap on his head.

[clicks]

[whoosh]

It makes quite the splash in Versailles,

where everybody's wearing the powdered wigs and the makeup

and the elaborate dress for men and women.

He is absolutely not rustic, but he's playing a role.

NARRATOR: Thanks to the French alliance Franklin secures,

Washington traps British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown

and prepares to strike the killing blow.

The goal is to remove the fortifications at redoubt 9

and redoubt 10.

Colonel [inaudible] will lead the American assault.

Mr. Hamilton is quite capable, general, with many attributes

and talents, or so I'm told.

[crickets chirping]

Use your bayonets, boys.

Don't stop to fire.

It's the bloody Americans.

[gunshot]

Pull off!

Sound the alarms!

[explosions]

[exciting music]

NARRATOR: With their unlikely victory finally in reach,

continental forces unite under George Washington for

a final assault on Yorktown.

With Washington's army surrounding Yorktown,

Cornwallis has no choice but to surrender.

NARRATOR: Washington's victory at Yorktown

forces the British to begin the peace process.

But the war isn't over.

30,000 British troops remain in New York and Savannah,

and fighting rages between patriot and loyalist militias

in the South for another 18 months,

until an official peace treaty is signed.

Washington wins the Revolution.

But the thing is, after he won, he walks away from power.

All he wants to do is go home.

Oh, thank you, Martha.

You said you were done with all

this business when you retired.

Trust me, Martha, I'm not going anywhere.

[kisses]

NARRATOR: Though the war is over,

the young nation still needs Washington's leadership

to keep it from falling back into chaos.

He's called back into service, first to help create

a new constitution, and then to become

America's first president.

Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution

of the United States.

[cheers and applause]

KELSEY GRAMMER: On the surface, winning freedom

from British rule unites the 13 American colonies

as one nation.

But the founding fathers still have conflicting

ideas on the future of America.

Before their shared values can define a new American identity,

they must fight a bitter war of words,

one that pushes the country to the brink of collapse.

[applause]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Washington chooses two great figures of the Revolution

to serve in his cabinet, Alexander

Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

But the men who once united against the British

are now divided by competing visions

of what America should be.

Your plan is but the first step on the road to monarchy.

What is the national government for if not to lift

the states out of this crisis?

I would prefer anarchy to you turning America

into another Great Britain.

Now we get into an era where allegiances,

party affiliations--

Jefferson versus Hamilton-- really

becomes this no-holds-barred, bare-knuckled fight.

[exciting music]

NARRATOR: Jefferson and Hamilton form

opposing political parties, Jefferson's

Democratic Republicans and Hamilton's Federalists.

Their new political battle continues

for a decade, when Jefferson runs for president himself.

While Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton fight

bitterly, their principal disagreement

shapes the American identity.

They're each man with strong personal convictions and ideas

based on reasoned argument.

But there is one thing that they agree on,

that a man lacking moral values can never become president,

a man named Aaron Burr.

Once, we fought to rid ourselves

of unjust taxes and tyranny.

NARRATOR: But needing Burr's New York votes, Jefferson

goes against his better judgment,

choosing Aaron Burr as his running

mate in the election of 1800.

Best of luck to you, Colonel Burr.

And to you, General Hamilton.

After all, it's only politics.

NARRATOR: Jefferson's power play works too well.

He and Aaron Burr end up in a tie for the presidency,

and Hamilton has a chance to sway

the election to his advantage.

Jefferson is a contemptible hypocrite.

Burr is an empty smile.

He is a hollow shell without honor.

I would rather have Jefferson as president.

You can't mean that.

Don't ever tell me what I mean.

What a choice this must have been for Hamilton, really.

I mean, how bad must this have been for Hamilton

to endorse Jefferson?

Because at least he's got the interest of the country

at heart, and he's not a damn snake like Burr is.

NARRATOR: Thanks to Hamilton's interference,

Jefferson wins the presidency, and Burr

becomes vice president.

But lacking power, Burr lashes out

at the man who sabotaged him, eventually

challenging Hamilton to a duel.

[firecrackers popping]

One week before their final encounter,

Hamilton and Burr meet at an Independence Day banquet

for veterans of the Revolution.

[chatter]

[inaudible].

He tried to save Montgomery.

(SINGING) Why, soldiers, why--

ALL: (SINGING) --should we be melancholy boys?

Oh, why, soldiers, why, whose business is to die?

What?

Sighing?

Fye!

Don't fear.

Drink on.

Be jolly, boys, 'tis he, you or I.

[laughter, applause]

NARRATOR: For Burr and Hamilton, the ideals of the Revolution

are long forgotten.

All that's left is political rivalry and hatred.

[ominous music]

Present.

[gunshot]

[gunshot]

NARRATOR: After years of fierce political rivalry,

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr

settle matters with a fatal duel.

[gunshots]

[gunshot]

[gunshot]

[strikes]

Hamilton!

I'm a dead man.

In the 18th century, you get hit in the gut, you're a goner.

But you're not going to die quickly.

NARRATOR: With the death of Alexander Hamilton,

Thomas Jefferson is the last man standing in their battle

to define America.

But the clash between their competing ideas--

Hamilton's strong federal government and Jefferson's

vision of states' rights--

continue to shape the country.

Jefferson, philosophically, was

a believer in small government.

That's what he said when he wasn't president.

When he was president, then, well, maybe this power isn't

such a bad thing after all.

And the real test came when the French government offered

to sell the western half of the Mississippi Valley

to the United States.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: With the Louisiana Purchase,

Jefferson doubles the size of the United States.

And in the years after his presidency,

America continues to strive for its manifest destiny,

expanding both a nation and what it means to be an American.

[patriotic music]

Exactly 50 years after crafting America's Declaration

of Independence together, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams

are dying on the very same day.

What day is it?

It's the fourth, Father.

It is a great day.

It is a good day.

[inhales shakily]

Thomas Jefferson survives.

[music playing]

NARRATOR: When Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die within hours

of each other on the nation's 50th anniversary,

the first chapter in American history

comes to a dramatic close, earned with tremendous courage

and perseverance.

Our nation stands on the sacrifice

of our founding patriots and the liberty

they fought so hard to achieve.

While our government does require constant evaluation

and revision, the core values of the patriots

remain firm, and so does their grand Democratic experiment

called the United States of America.

[music playing]