episode summary

What does “freedom” mean to those outside the halls of power — and what did it mean during the era of the American Revolution? Host Ed Ayers visits sites in Boston and Philadelphia to put that question to curators, museum educators, a playwright, and a tribal preservation officer. He learns about the ways in which women, Native Americans, and African Americans made the words of the Revolution come true in their own lives. He discovers that some of the most inspiring stories of the Revolution spring from people who remained on its margins.

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sites visited (in order of appearance on-screen)

  • Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia, PA

  • North American Indian Center of Boston, Jamaica Plain, MA

  • Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA

  • Royall House and Slave Quarters, Medford, MA

  • Old State House, Boston, MA

  • African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School, Boston, MA