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

Episode 6 November 25, 10:00-11:00pm EST

Are We to Be a Nation?

Monarchy is a thing of the past for the new nation--a fact that Americans proudly trumpet. Yet peace brings with it a new set of challenges: the country is bankrupt and the states find themselves squabbling with one another over many issues. There is no national army, no common currency and no strong government capable of dealing with these problems. A Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia in 1787, only to revise the Articles under which the country is run, instead creates a blueprint for an entirely new system of government. The new Constitution is fiercely debated, setting the terms of American politics to come, as Americans weigh the power of the federal government vs. the power of the states and of individuals. In the end, the Constitution is ratified, and a Bill of Rights is added as amendments. Americans have, in the words of James Madison, "accomplished a Revolution which has no parallel in the annals of human society." With the assumption that power flows upward from the people, the paradigm of modern politics is born.