Discusses the history of the composition and signing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the document's importance in American history.

In 1776 Thomas Jefferson put his quill to paper and the Declaration of Independence sprang to life. Follow the Declaration's journey over the next two centuries, surviving eight wars and travelling through five states on horseback, boat, railcar, and tank to its current home in the National Archives.

"Step back in time to the birth of America and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free! On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this country's ties with Britain and announce a new nation--The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom,...

"Thomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the Revolution, "Samuel Adams was the man." With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history. Stacy Schiff returns Adams to his seat of glory, introducing us to the shrewd and eloquent man who supplied the moral backbone of the American Revolution. He employed every tool available to rally a town,...