[Program Notes]
    Program notes on the Liberty! mini-series provided by PBS.

Episode 2 November 23, 10:00-11:00pm EST

Blows Must Decide

By the fall of 1774, British troops occupy Boston. Its port has been closed. Thirteen colonies, who until now have had little in common with one another, take faltering steps to unite in reaction to this aggression. But even after shots are fired at Lexington, there is great disagreement about what to do next. A bestselling pamphlet, Common Sense, by Thomes Paine, helps turn the tide toward independence. It further questions the very nature of monarchy, stating that it is the right of men to govern themselves. On July 2, 1776, independence is declared. Two days later, Congress passes Thomas Jefferson's eloquent Declaration of Independence, a document that introduces the idea that "all men are created equal." A fight for independece is being transformed into a political revolution.


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