Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776

Heyward, A. (Producer). (2002). Liberty's Kids: Est. 1776 [Television series]. Los Angeles: Melusine Productions.

Genre: Informational/Animated

Format: DVD

Recommended Ages: 5 years & up

In this television series, the Revolutionary War comes to life as the story is told through the eyes of three young characters. James Hiller is a young journalism apprentice who follows trouble anywhere for a story and tends to create his own trouble when he acts before thinking. Sarah Phillips is a young girl of British society who has just traveled to America only to be caught up in a political stir. Stubborn, intelligent, and quite snobby, she has strong opinions on issues such as slavery and doesn't hesitate to express them. Henri is a French orphan who seems to serve more as a comedic relief in his constant search for food. Together they run around sometimes stirring up trouble, while at other times they just get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. In these episodes the three young ones end up witnessing the Boston tea party and later fall victim to the squatting of British soldiers, as they took up residence in any home they liked for no charge at all. Within these episodes such historical figures as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin are introduced to children, as well as Phyllis Wheatley, the first African-American poet.

I throughly enjoyed watching this show. Not only did it make American history interesting, but it made it fun and exciting as well. I'm no history buff, but the facts seemed to be accurate and I'm quite certain that some of the things said by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams were actual quotes. Throughout the episodes, children are introduced to important historical figures, events, and documents, so this would be a perfect teaching aid for young children. The animation quality was decent as well. Not quite at the Disney level (which I would consider to be top of the line), but still of good quality, and still able to capture the setting and character expressions perfectly. At times, the dialogue seemed a little too scripted, which was no doubt because of their efforts to weave in historical accuracy, but at the same time I found myself appreciating the fact that I was able to learn from what they were saying. I would recommend this television series to children ages six and up. Younger children may not yet be able to understand the politics involved, but it will still serve as a good introduction to American history even though it will be mostly used for entertainment. Children aged 10-12 will probably get the most use out of it as they are more likely to seek information. I would therefore highly, HIGHLY recommend this series to teachers to use as an aid in the classroom. Libraries and parents shouldn't hesitate to own this series as well. Your children will be entertained AND learn...could there be anything better?

Olsen, T.A. (2008). Liberty's Kids [A review of the television series Liberty's Kids]. Retrieved May 4, 2010 from http://www.knowledgehouse.info/libertykid.html.

Olsen absolutely raves about this television series! She's clearly watched many episodes, and is therefore able to more thoroughly describe the plot and characters introduced, as well as articulate the themes within the plots. She describes the series as "an exciting adventure in which today's kids can discover the real heroes and events that gave birth to the United States of America....[it] touches on issues that are still current in modern America-taxation, freedom of the press, race relations, the role of government and gun control....it's refreshing to see that this show did not rewrite history, but portrays it accurately and patriotically." Olsen also points out that through the characters of Sarah and James, the story is also able to present both the British and American side of the Revolutionary War. Olsen also points out her surprise that several references to God and prayer were allowed within the dialogue, a fact that I didn't notice, but which I am also very pleased with. I enjoyed reading this review and found Olsen's excitement for the series contagious. All in all, a good review.

Note for Teacher: Although this series was aired in 2002, the DVD series was not published until 2008.