Freedom: A History of US
Based on the books by Joy Hakim, this star-studded sixteen-part mini-series gives an account of the history of the United States, from colonial times to the present, as its people struggled valiantly against inequality and injustice on an endless quest for freedom.
- 2003-2003
- 1 season
- PBS
- Documentary
Based on the books by Joy Hakim, this star-studded sixteen-part mini-series gives an account of the history of the United States, from colonial times to the present, as its people struggled valiantly against inequality and injustice on an endless quest for freedom.
Season 1 Episode Guide
16 Episodes 2003
Episode 1
Independence
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
The Colonies declare independence from England; Boston Tea Party; Paul Revere's midnight ride; George Washington; Samuel Adams.
Episode 2
Revolution
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
The independent Colonies create a new government; George Washington and Thomas Jefferson become presidents; Lewis and Clark expedition.
Episode 3
Liberty for All
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Religious freedom; Salem witch trials; Trail of Tears; Gold Rush; Daniel Boone; Andrew Jackson; James K. Polk.
Episode 4
Wake Up America
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Industrial revolution brings steamboats, the Erie Canal and the railroad; women rally for equal rights.
Episode 5
A Fatal Contradiction
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Slavery; abolition movement; Underground Railroad; Frederick Douglass; Abraham Lincoln.
Episode 6
A War to End Slavery
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
The Civil War; the battles of Bull Run, Antietam and Gettysburg; Ulysses S. Grant; William T. Sherman; Lincoln's assassination.
Episode 7
What Is Freedom?
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Reconstruction in the South begins after the Civil War; a new era of segregation begins with Plessy vs. Ferguson.
Episode 8
Whose Land Is This?
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Immigrants become targets of white prejudice, while settlers and soldiers massacre western American Indians or force them onto reservations.
Episode 9
Working for Freedom
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
A new labor movement emerges for workers' rights; Susan B. Anthony paves the way for women's right to vote.
Episode 10
Yearning to Breathe Free
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
The Statue of Liberty symbolizes what's best about America; Mother Jones brings child labor to the forefront; Jane Addams creates Hull House.
Episode 11
Safe for Democracy
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
The Wright brothers; the United States joins World War I; women's right to vote; prohibition.
Episode 12
Depression and War
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
America crashes into the Great Depression; Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal; Adolf Hitler rises to power.
Episode 13
Democracy and Struggles
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
America strives to rebuild democracies throughout the world; the Cold War begins and the fear of Communism spreads.
Episode 14
Let Freedom Ring
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights marches; high school is integrated; John F. Kennedy becomes president.
Episode 15
Marching to Freedom Land
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
Assassinations of President Kennedy and Marting Luther King, Jr.; war in Vietnam; non-violent civil rights resistance.
Episode 16
Becoming Free
Mon, Aug 24, 2026
America prospers into the new millennium and rallies together following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.