The Road to Liberty

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Road to Liberty: William Whipple

William Whipple was born in 1730 in Kittery, Massachusetts (now Kittery, Maine) into a seafaring family. After finishing school, he went to sea and became a ship captain by age 21, eventually amassing a small fortune.

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Road to Liberty: Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin—printer, writer, inventor, diplomat, and Founding Father—was the most widely recognized American on the world stage at the birth of the United States.

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Road to Liberty: Thomas Jefferson

Born on April 13, 1743, near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States.

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Road to Liberty: Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney was born October 7, 1728, on a sprawling farm in Kent County, Delaware. After losing his father in his youth, Rodney inherited wealth and responsibility that he used for the good of the new nation. At 27, Rodney was commissioned High…

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Road to Liberty: Oliver Wolcott

Oliver Wolcott, one of fifteen children, was born on November 20, 1726 in Windsor, Connecticut. Oliver’s great-grandfather served in the first general assembly of Connecticut, and his father served as Governor. Oliver placed top of his class at…

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Road to Liberty: Francis Lewis

Francis Lewis was a Welsh immigrant, merchant, prisoner of war, and supporter of American independence. He was born in Llandaff, Wales, on March 21, 1713, and educated in Scotland and London.

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Road to Liberty: John Adams

John Adams was a lawyer, statesman, and political theorist whose writings and intellect were vital to American independence. Born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree, Massachusetts, Adams attended Braintree Latin School and entered Harvard College…

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Road to Liberty: Samuel Chase

Samuel Chase, one of the nation’s first major legal figures, played a key role in the early formation of the American Republic and its legal system. Born on April 17, 1741, near Princess Anne, Maryland, Chase was the only child of Thomas Chase, an…

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Road to Liberty: Charles Carroll

Charles Carroll of Carrollton was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Born on September 19, 1737, in Annapolis, Maryland, Carroll was one of the wealthiest and most educated men in the colonies; he was a powerful voice for…

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Road to Liberty: Edward Rutledge

Edward Rutledge, born in Charleston, South Carolina, was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence. The son of Dr. John Rutledge, an Irish immigrant and physician, and Sarah Hext, a wealthy South Carolinian, Rutledge grew up in an…

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Road to Liberty: Button Gwinnett

Button Gwinnet was born in 1735 in Gloucestershire, England, to Anne and the Reverend Samuel Gwinnett, a minister in the Church of England.

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Road to Liberty: Joseph Hewes

Joseph Hewes, one of three North Carolinians to sign the Declaration of Independence, advanced the Revolution through his invaluable support of the burgeoning American Navy.

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Road to Liberty: John Witherspoon

The only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, John Witherspoon, born in 1723 in Yester, Scotland, came from a long line of religious leaders. By age four, he could read the Bible, and when he was 13, he was sent to study at the…

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Road to Liberty: Roger Sherman

Roger Sherman, born on April 19, 1721, in Newton, Massachusetts, was the only person to have signed all four of the most significant documents in our nation’s early history: the Continental Association from the first Continental Congress, the…

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Road to Liberty: Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins, born on March 7, 1707, in Providence, Rhode Island, was a leading figure of early American patriotism and a respected legal authority. Though he had no formal education, Hopkins was a naturally gifted intellect who taught himself…

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Road to Liberty: Richard Stockton

Richard Stockton was born on October 1, 1730, in Princeton, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, completed a legal apprenticeship, and was admitted to the bar in 1754. In 1755, Stockton…

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Road to Liberty: John Hancock

John Hancock, born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts, is widely remembered for his prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence.

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Road to Liberty: William Ellery

Born on December 22, 1727, in Newport, Rhode Island, Ellery followed in the footsteps of his father, a prominent merchant and political leader, attending Harvard at the age of 16. After graduating in 1747, he returned home and tried his hand at…

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Road to Liberty: William Paca

A respected lawyer, jurist, and public servant, William Paca was known for his quiet, razor-sharp logic and strategy—and his impact on Maryland politics before, during, and after the War for Independence. Born in 1740 near Abingdon, Maryland to a…

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Road to Liberty: George Ross

Born in New Castle, Delaware, George Ross was raised in a very large family. He received a classical education at home before studying law in Philadelphia under his brother, John Ross.

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Road to Liberty: George Read

George Read, born on September 18, 1733, in Cecil County, Maryland, was a self-made lawyer and patriot who helped shape the foundation of American government.

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Road to Liberty: Robert Morris

Known as “Financier of the Revolution,” Robert Morris was indispensable to the cause of American Independence—using his commercial and financial brilliance to almost single-handedly propel American war efforts through to final victory. In January…

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Road to Liberty: Lewis Morris

Born in Westchester County, New York, Lewis Morris attended Yale College. He married Mary Walton and they had ten children together. As the eldest son, Morris acquired his father’s estate at Morrisania, New York.

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Road to Liberty: Thomas Lynch Jr.

Thomas Lynch Jr. was a scholar, legislator, farmer, soldier, and patriot who gave his life and family to the cause of American independence.

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Road to Liberty: Thomas McKean

Thomas McKean was a lifelong public servant, statesman, and jurist who helped shape early American government. He was born on March 19, 1734, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the son of an innkeeper and farmer.

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Road to Liberty: Robert Treat Paine

Of the four signers from Massachusetts, Robert Treat Paine is lesser known today than John Hancock, John Adams, and Samuel Adams, yet he left a lasting mark on the founding of the United States. Born on March 11, 1731, in Boston, Massachusetts…

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Road to Liberty: Dr. Benjamin Rush

A Physician, an abolitionist, and an early adopter of the cause for independence, Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of the most influential founding fathers.

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Road to Liberty: John Hart

John Hart was born in Stonington, Connecticut, in 1713. His father, Edward Hart, was a farmer, justice of the peace, and public assessor. Soon after John’s birth, the family moved to Hopewell, New Jersey, where Hart would reside for the rest of his…

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Road to Liberty: Francis Lightfoot Lee

Francis Lightfoot Lee was born on October 14, 1734, at Stratford Hall Plantation, Virginia, into the prominent Lee family, a political dynasty with roots in America dating back to the 1630s. Raised on his father’s tobacco plantation, Lee was…

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Road to Liberty: Arthur Middleton

Arthur Middleton was a South Carolinian patriot who fiercely defended his colony’s interests and supported radical measures against British rule.

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Road to Liberty: John Penn

John Penn, born May 17, 1741, in Caroline County, Virginia, emerged from an upbringing of little formal education to eventually become one of just 56 men to etch his name on the Declaration of Independence. After his father died in 1759, Penn…

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Road to Liberty: George Wythe

George Wythe was a lawyer, judge, professor, and influential Founding Father whose contributions shaped the legal and political foundations of the United States. Born in 1726 in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, Wythe attended the College of William…

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Road to Liberty: Lyman Hall

Lyman Hall was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, on April 12, 1724, as the fourth of eight children. He pursued his studies at Yale College, where he graduated in 1747.

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Road to Liberty: George Walton

George Walton was born in Virginia and orphaned as a young child. Raised by an uncle with thirteen children, Walton taught himself by firelight at night while apprenticing as a carpenter.

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Road to Liberty: William Hooper

William Hooper, born in June 1742 in Boston, Massachusetts, was a reluctant revolutionary. Raised by devoutly religious parents, his upbringing often placed him at odds with the growing revolutionary sentiment. After attending Boston Latin School…

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Road to Liberty: Benjamin Harrison V

Benjamin Harrison V was born on April 5, 1726, at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia. His father, Benjamin Harrison IV, held public office as both the Sheriff of Charles City County and a member of the House of Burgesses. Harrison attended William and…

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Road to Liberty: Philip Livingston

Philip Livingston, born on January 15, 1716, in Albany, New York, hailed from the wealthy and influential Livingston family. Philip spent his youth in opulent manor houses and townhomes before attending Yale College in the 1730s.

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Road to Liberty: Abraham Clark

Abraham Clark was born on February 15, 1726, in present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey. With little formal education and chronic illnesses that made farm work difficult, he pursued independent study and developed strong skills in mathematics.

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Road to Liberty: Samuel Huntington

Samuel Huntington, born in July 1731 in Windham, Connecticut, was a lifelong public servant devoted to the cause of American independence.

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Road to Liberty: Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams, born on September 27, 1722, in Boston, Massachusetts, was a passionate and influential voice against British rule before and during the American Revolution.

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Road to Liberty: Josiah Bartlett

Josiah Bartlett was a physician, statesman, and Patriot whose intellect and vision earned him a place among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Born on November 21, 1729, in Amesbury, Massachusetts, Bartlett began studying medicine at…

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Road to Liberty: Richard Henry Lee

Richard Henry Lee, born on January 20, 1732, at Stratford Hall in Virginia, played an indispensable role for American independence. Over a long public life, he served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, as president of the Continental Congress, a…

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Road to Liberty: William Floyd

William Floyd was born on December 17, 1734, on Long Island, New York, the second of nine children. His father, a successful farmer of Welsh descent, raised the family with a strong work ethic and practical education.

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Road to Liberty: James Wilson

As the only individual to serve as Supreme Court Justice and sign both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, James Wilson played a pivotal role in America’s founding. A man from humble beginnings, Wilson was born in Carskerdo…

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Road to Liberty: Thomas Stone

Thomas Stone was born in 1743, in Charles County, Maryland, to a wealthy planter family. After completing preparatory studies in classics, he pursued law in Annapolis under Thomas Johnson, who would become Maryland's first state governor. Admitted…

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Road to Liberty: George Taylor

George Taylor was born in 1716 in Ireland. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1736, where he worked as an iron worker for Samuel Nutt at Coventry Forge near Philadelphia. Nutt died in 1737 and by 1743, Taylor was managing the iron furnace and married…

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Road to Liberty: Thomas Heyward Jr.

Thomas Heyward Jr. was born on July 28, 1746, at his family’s estate in St. Luke’s Parish, South Carolina. His father, Colonel Daniel Heyward, was a successful planter and businessman.

PragerU Unveils the Founders Museum at the White House

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PragerU Unveils the Founders Museum at the White House

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, PragerU and the Department of Education unveiled The Road to Liberty—a new Founders Museum exhibit at the White House.

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Road to Liberty: Elbridge Gerry

Elbridge Gerry was a merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States. Born on July 17, 1744, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Gerry came from a family of successful merchants.

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Road to Liberty: Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross is credited with stitching the first United States flag—a symbol of freedom that has since become the marker of American identity, patriotism, and pride. Born Elizabeth Griscom on January 1, 1752, in Gloucester City, New Jersey, Betsy…

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Road to Liberty: Martha Washington

Wife, mother, property owner, and the “First Lady” of the United States, Martha Washington was known for her personal strength, devotion to her husband, and patient resolve during and after the war. Born Martha Dandridge on June 2, 1731, she…

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Road to Liberty: Francis Hopkinson

Francis Hopkinson was a musician, poet, artist, satirist, inventor, jurist, writer, and true Renaissance man of the American Revolution. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hopkinson was the eldest of eight children and the son of a prominent…

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Road to Liberty: Dolley Madison

Dolley Madison, the fourth First Lady and wife of President James Madison, was known for her influence, determination, and energetic presence.

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Road to Liberty: Abigail Adams

Advisor, writer, and trailblazer, Abigail Adams famously wrote to her husband John Adams to “remember the Ladies” as the Continental Congress gathered in 1776. She continued, “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands.

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Road to Liberty: Mercy Otis Warren

Known as the "Conscience of the Revolution" and described as perhaps the most formidable female intellectual in eighteenth-century America, Mercy Otis Warren was a poet, historian, and playwright.

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Road to Liberty: Phillis Wheatley

Groundbreaking poet Phillis Wheatley is considered the first African American woman, and only the third American woman, to publish a book of poems.

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Road to Liberty: Thomas Nelson Jr.

Founding Father Thomas Nelson Jr. was born in 1738 in Yorktown to one of Virginia’s First Families. He grew up in all the trappings of wealth and prepared for taking his eventual place as a top businessman and leader. In 1761, Nelson entered…

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Road to Liberty: John Morton

John Morton was the first of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence to die, passing away less than a year after casting a pivotal vote that changed the course of history. Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1725, Morton’s father…

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Road to Liberty: William Williams

William Williams was born in 1731 in Lebanon, Connecticut, the son and grandson of Christian ministers and Harvard graduates. At 16, he entered Harvard College and later studied theology under his father. His plans to enter the ministry changed…

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Road to Liberty: George Clymer

George Clymer, a grandson of an original settler of the Penn colony, became an orphan at the age of one. He went to live with a wealthy uncle in Philadelphia, where he received an informal education and he grew up working in his uncle’s mercantile…

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Road to Liberty: Carter Braxton

Carter Braxton was a wealthy landowner, businessman, and financier of the American Revolution. Born on September 10, 1736, at Newington Plantation in Virginia, Braxton graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1755.

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Road to Liberty: Matthew Thornton

Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland in 1714 and moved to what would become Maine as a child. At age eight, his family fled an Indian attack, escaping by canoe to Casco Bay, and later settled in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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Road to Liberty: James Smith

James Smith was born in Ireland around 1719. His family fled the landlords of the Old World for the freedom of Pennsylvania around 1727, settling as farmers on the Susquehanna in Chester County. Receiving a classical education from a local…

Paving the Road to Liberty | PragerU Behind the Scenes

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Paving the Road to Liberty | PragerU Behind the Scenes

PragerU was commissioned by the White House to create an interactive museum in honor of America’s 250th Anniversary. Enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how PragerU made this bold vision a reality through cutting-edge AI technology and a team of…

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Road to Liberty: Battle of Trenton

On Christmas night, 1776, George Washington and his Continental Army crossed the icy Delaware River into Trenton, New Jersey. This was a daring maneuver that culminated in the Battle of Trenton and would be historically remembered as a turning point…

Road to Liberty: Battles of Lexington and Concord

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Road to Liberty: Battles of Lexington and Concord

After years of intensifying hostilities between the British monarchy and the colonists, the prospect of war became inevitable. With Paul Revere’s fearless warnings that the British were marching to Concord to seize American arms, the local…

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Road to Liberty: Valley Forge

Washington and his troops braved a brutal winter in an encampment at southeastern Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778.

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Road to Liberty: Battle of Brooklyn

The Battle of Brooklyn was the first major conflict to take place after the Second Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain and, in terms of troop deployment, it was the largest battle to take place during the entire…

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Road to Liberty: Intolerable Acts

After Britain won the French and Indian War, it faced massive debt, both due to the war and due to multiple other factors, such as debts resulting from ongoing conflict with neighboring Spain.

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Road to Liberty: Battle of Saratoga

Two conflicts in 1777 at Saratoga, New York, proved to be turning points in the war. The first, on September 19, 1777 at Freeman’s Farm, saw an exchange between equally matched battalions end in a technical victory for the British but its army…

Road to Liberty: Lafayette Comes To Help America

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Road to Liberty: Lafayette Comes To Help America

At the age of 19, the Marquis de Lafayette crossed the Atlantic and joined General Washington’s Continental Army. Inspired by the promise of liberty made by the new nation’s Founding Fathers, and despite a royal decree prohibiting French officers…

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Road to Liberty: Battles of the South

The Revolutionary War began in the northeastern colonies and traveled southward to the homes of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. The British Southern Strategy was a plan to win the war by concentrating their efforts in the south, where they…

Road to Liberty: The First Continental Congress

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Road to Liberty: The First Continental Congress

On September 5, 1774, the First Continental Congress convened at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to voice their opposition to British tyranny and establish principles common to all the colonies, including life, liberty, and property.

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Road to Liberty: Stamp Act

In 1765, Britain faced a major financial crisis. After nearly a decade of war with France over control of North American territories, the empire had won vast territory east of the Mississippi River—but almost doubled their national debt.

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Road to Liberty: The Siege of Yorktown

The final battle of the Revolutionary War–the surrender at Yorktown, Virginia–marked the end of the lengthy war between the British and the new United States.

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Road to Liberty: Treaty of Paris

By the time news of Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown had reached Parliament on November 25, 1781, Lord North had resolved to suspend all further military operations in the colonies.

Road to Liberty: Declaration of Independence

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Road to Liberty: Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, is one of the most beautiful and important political documents in history. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration not only proclaimed American…

Road to Liberty: Patrick Henry’s Speech That Ignited a Revolution

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Road to Liberty: Patrick Henry’s Speech That Ignited a Revolution

Following the increasingly tyrannical actions of the British government, including the Boston Massacre and British Parliament’s imposition of the Coercive Acts, which colonists called “The Intolerable Acts”, the Second Virginia Convention assembled…

Road to Liberty: The Ride of Paul Revere (What Really Happened)

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Road to Liberty: The Ride of Paul Revere (What Really Happened)

Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith and committed patriot, was a member of The Sons of Liberty, which among other things, gathered intelligence and tracked British military movements. Working with Dr.

Road To Liberty: The Articles of Confederation

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Road To Liberty: The Articles of Confederation

After members of the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the body began drafting the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, the first governing document of an independent nation. The Articles…

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Road to Liberty: The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party is one of the most famous events in American history—but it wasn't the chaotic riot many imagine. In December 1773, a group of Boston patriots carried out a carefully planned operation against 342 chests of British East India…

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Road to Liberty: The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre was more than a deadly clash in the streets of Boston on March 5, 1770. It became a battle over truth, justice, and public opinion that helped push the colonies closer to the American Revolution.

Road to Liberty: Ratification of the Constitution

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Road to Liberty: Ratification of the Constitution

When the Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, America still wasn’t secure. The real battle was ratification—a state-by-state fight over federal power, individual rights, and whether the new nation could hold together at all. In the finale to…

Road to Liberty: The French & Indian War

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Road to Liberty: The French & Indian War

Despite its misleading name, this conflict (also known as the Seven Years’ War) was a war between the French and the British, from 1754 to 1763, throughout what is now the American Northeast, for control over the Ohio River Valley and eventual…

Oscar Winner Jon Voight Recreates Ben Franklin's "Prayer Speech"

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Oscar Winner Jon Voight Recreates Ben Franklin's "Prayer Speech"

By the summer of 1787, the Constitutional Convention was on the verge of collapse. Delegates locked in stalemate, pulled apart by self-interest, competing state loyalties, and political gamesmanship.

The Road to Liberty

Episodes

Road to Liberty: William Whipple

Road to Liberty: Benjamin Franklin

Road to Liberty: Thomas Jefferson

Road to Liberty: Caesar Rodney

Road to Liberty: Oliver Wolcott

Road to Liberty: Francis Lewis

Road to Liberty: John Adams

Road to Liberty: Samuel Chase

Road to Liberty: Charles Carroll

Road to Liberty: Edward Rutledge

Road to Liberty: Button Gwinnett

Road to Liberty: Joseph Hewes

Road to Liberty: John Witherspoon

Road to Liberty: Roger Sherman

Road to Liberty: Stephen Hopkins

Road to Liberty: Richard Stockton

Road to Liberty: John Hancock

Road to Liberty: William Ellery

Road to Liberty: William Paca

Road to Liberty: George Ross

Road to Liberty: George Read

Road to Liberty: Robert Morris

Road to Liberty: Lewis Morris

Road to Liberty: Thomas Lynch Jr.

Road to Liberty: Thomas McKean

Road to Liberty: Robert Treat Paine

Road to Liberty: Dr. Benjamin Rush

Road to Liberty: John Hart

Road to Liberty: Francis Lightfoot Lee

Road to Liberty: Arthur Middleton

Road to Liberty: John Penn

Road to Liberty: George Wythe

Road to Liberty: Lyman Hall

Road to Liberty: George Walton

Road to Liberty: William Hooper

Road to Liberty: Benjamin Harrison V

Road to Liberty: Philip Livingston

Road to Liberty: Abraham Clark

Road to Liberty: Samuel Huntington

Road to Liberty: Samuel Adams

Road to Liberty: Josiah Bartlett

Road to Liberty: Richard Henry Lee

Road to Liberty: William Floyd

Road to Liberty: James Wilson

Road to Liberty: Thomas Stone

Road to Liberty: George Taylor

Road to Liberty: Thomas Heyward Jr.

PragerU Unveils the Founders Museum at the White House

Road to Liberty: Elbridge Gerry

Road to Liberty: Betsy Ross

Road to Liberty: Martha Washington

Road to Liberty: Francis Hopkinson

Road to Liberty: Dolley Madison

Road to Liberty: Abigail Adams

Road to Liberty: Mercy Otis Warren

Road to Liberty: Phillis Wheatley

Road to Liberty: Thomas Nelson Jr.

Road to Liberty: John Morton

Road to Liberty: William Williams

Road to Liberty: George Clymer

Road to Liberty: Carter Braxton

Road to Liberty: Matthew Thornton

Road to Liberty: James Smith

Paving the Road to Liberty | PragerU Behind the Scenes

Road to Liberty: Battle of Trenton

Road to Liberty: Battles of Lexington and Concord

Road to Liberty: Valley Forge

Road to Liberty: Battle of Brooklyn

Road to Liberty: Intolerable Acts

Road to Liberty: Battle of Saratoga

Road to Liberty: Lafayette Comes To Help America

Road to Liberty: Battles of the South

Road to Liberty: The First Continental Congress

Road to Liberty: Stamp Act

Road to Liberty: The Siege of Yorktown

Road to Liberty: Treaty of Paris

Road to Liberty: Declaration of Independence

Road to Liberty: Patrick Henry’s Speech That Ignited a Revolution