Follow the history connection
Benjamin Franklin
Born in Boston, Franklin became a printer, thinker, and diplomat. Much of his Revolutionary work happened in Philadelphia and abroad.
Read the biographyRead · watch · investigate
Liberty’s Kids: Massachusetts
Choose an episode, follow a real person, and check a historical clue.
Start here · grades 3–5
Liberty’s Kids mixes real events with fictional reporters. James, Sarah, Henri, and Moses help tell the story, but their adventures are not primary sources. The people below are historical companions; they do not all appear in every selected episode.
The Boston Tea Party
Boston · December 1773
Open this episode on WildBrain ↗
Watch with a question
Why did a tax and a shipment of tea lead to protest?
Check the history
The protesters were colonists. Some used disguises meant to look Native. This was not an action organized by a Native nation.
Follow the history connectionFor teachers and families
These English-language episodes are embedded from Liberty’s Kids – WildBrain. Preview and pause for discussion. Use captions offered by the player; availability can vary. No video starts automatically. If a player is unavailable, open its source link or use the reading and biographies.
Meet the historical people
John Adams
A Massachusetts lawyer and independence leader, Adams argued for new governments. He helped write the state constitution.
Read the biography
Abigail Adams
Abigail managed family responsibilities and wrote about public affairs. In 1776 she urged John to “remember the ladies.” Her letters are historical evidence.
Read the biography
John Hancock
Hancock was a Boston merchant and a political leader. He presided over the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.
Read the biography
Samuel Adams
Adams helped organize opposition to British policies. Compare a public protest, a private letter, and a cartoon’s version of events.
Read the biographyPaul Revere & the midnight riders
Revere, Dawes, Prescott, and many neighbors helped spread the alarm. Longfellow’s later poem and Liberty’s Kids are retellings, not eyewitness records.
Read the biographyCartoon → question → evidence
Pause on one scene. Write what it claims happened. Find a letter, map, object, or reliable historical explanation to check the claim. Mark it “supported,” “uncertain,” or “invented for the story,” and explain why.
Sources, grown-up reading & teaching notes
- Paul Revere House: the real midnight ride ↗
- Massachusetts: John and Abigail Adams ↗
- Liberty’s Kids series information and another viewing option ↗
These are original reading companions. Follow the sources to check a claim. External pages and recordings keep their own languages.
Take a virtual field trip
Boston with American Battlefield TrustBoston
Minute Man: read the landscapeEastern Massachusetts
Quincy: the Adams family homesEastern MassachusettsJohn Adams on screen
Compare official HBO clips with historical evidence. Teacher preview required.
Watch, question, compareAmerican Battlefield Trust videos
Watch, question, compareInvestigate with an interactive
Mission US: For Crown or Colony?Revolution
Paul Revere’s Boston Massacre engravingRevolutionSeason of IndependenceRevolution