Episode 6: Introduction
Clip: Episode 6 | 3m 8sVideo has Closed Captions
The American Revolution is not just the start of a nation, but an event that will change the world.
The idea of America, rooted in the American Revolution, is the belief in possibility. Everyone on both sides of the war, even those who were denied ownership of themselves, saw an opportunity worth fighting for. The Revolution will not only mark the beginning of a new nation, but it will have ramifications that will echo across the globe.
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Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and...
Episode 6: Introduction
Clip: Episode 6 | 3m 8sVideo has Closed Captions
The idea of America, rooted in the American Revolution, is the belief in possibility. Everyone on both sides of the war, even those who were denied ownership of themselves, saw an opportunity worth fighting for. The Revolution will not only mark the beginning of a new nation, but it will have ramifications that will echo across the globe.
From
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How to Watch The American Revolution
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ Jane Kamensky: I think to believe in America rooted in the American Revolution is to believe in possibility.
That, to me, is the extraordinary thing about the Patriot side of the fight.
I think everybody on every side, including people who were denied even the ownership of themselves, had the sense of possibility worth fighting for.
♪ The American Revolution changed the world.
It's not just about the birth of the United States.
It has ramifications across the globe, so studying the American Revolution, understanding it, and putting it in a global context, I think, is vitally important for us to understand why we are where we are now.
[Gunfire and shouting] ♪ Voice: Our country was thrown into great confusion by the long continuance of the war.
[Church bell ringing] The churches in Virginia were almost entirely shut up, and its holy ordinances unobserved.
Most of our men were engaged in the war.
Our town had now become a garrison.
Betsy Ambler.
♪ Narrator: Betsy Ambler of Yorktown, Virginia, had been 10 when the war began.
She was now 15 and had lived most of the intervening years away from home.
By the spring of 1780, she was back in Yorktown with her family.
Life there had changed.
The most populated parts of Virginia all lay within reach of the Royal Navy and any troops the British might land.
Governor Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Assembly chose to move the capital from nearby Williamsburg to Richmond, and, since Betsy Ambler's father had been appointed to the state government, her family would have to leave Yorktown again.
♪ George Washington had long known that Yorktown was particularly vulnerable.
As early as 1777, he had warned a Virginia militia commander against stationing troops there.
♪ Voice: I can by no means think it would be prudent to have any considerable stationary force at Yorktown.
Being upon a narrow neck of land, it would be in danger of being cut off.
The enemy might very easily throw up a few ships and land a body of men there who would oblige them to surrender.
[Washington] ♪
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Clip: Ep6 | 6m 41s | Daniel Morgan leads the British into a trap, securing a crucial victory for the Patriots. (6m 41s)
The Battle of Yorktown & The End of the American Revolution
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Clip: Ep6 | 10m 44s | Outnumbered and surrounded, General Charles Cornwallis surrenders, ending the American Revolution. (10m 44s)
Benedict Arnold Turns Traitor and Defects to the British
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Clip: Ep6 | 6m 4s | George Washington discovers that Benedict Arnold has abandoned his post and defected to the British. (6m 4s)
Bernardo de Gálvez & His Big Ambitions
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Clip: Ep6 | 3m 20s | When Spain enters the war, the governor of Spanish Louisiana sees his chance to retake West Florida. (3m 20s)
The Constitution & The Formation of A More Perfect Union
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Clip: Ep6 | 7m 17s | The American Revolution is over, and delegates convene to create a new system of government. (7m 17s)
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Clip: Ep6 | 2m 9s | The Continental Army was made up of ordinary Americans, like Joseph Plumb Martin. (2m 9s)
Elizabeth Freeman Successfully Sues for Her Freedom
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Clip: Ep6 | 1m 46s | Mumbet, later known as Elizabeth Freeman, would help bring an end to slavery in Massachusetts. (1m 46s)
General Nathanael Greene in the South
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Clip: Ep6 | 2m 38s | London’s Southern strategy falls apart as Nathanael Greene takes British outposts one after another. (2m 38s)
George Washington Stops a Mutiny
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Clip: Ep6 | 3m 1s | George Washington takes action when an unsigned manifesto starts circulating among his officers. (3m 1s)
James Forten Becomes a Privateer
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Clip: Ep6 | 2m 36s | James Forten was 14 when he signed onto a privateer to fight for his country. (2m 36s)
Preview: The Most Sacred Thing
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Preview: Ep6 | 30s | Victory at Yorktown secures independence. Americans aspire for a more perfect union. (30s)
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Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and...