THE REVOLUTION on The History Channel(R)

THE REVOLUTION on The History Channel(R)

Premieres Sunday, June 4th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT

NEW YORK, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- They were everyday men and women -- farmers and shopkeepers, sailors and traders, seamstresses and silversmiths, brewers and printers -- who came of age in a new world amid a flood of intoxicating new ideas and dared to take on the mightiest empire in the world. THE REVOLUTION, a new 13-part series on The History Channel, tells the story of a remarkable group of ordinary individuals who transformed themselves into architects of the future and built a new nation unlike any that had ever come before. THE REVOLUTION airs Sundays at 10 pm ET/PT beginning June 4th on The History Channel.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO )

From the roots of the Revolution to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, victory at Yorktown to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, THE REVOLUTION unfolds this critical era of American history through sweeping cinematic recreations, intimate biographical investigation, provocative political, military and economic commentary, and evocative original music. Much of the series is filmed on the locations where history was made, from Fort Ticonderoga in the North to Charleston in the South.

Through re-enactments, the keystone events and the complex relationships among the principal players such as Thomas Paine, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin come to life. THE REVOLUTION also looks at the full range of individuals who shaped the conflict -- unsung heroes including spies, slaves, free Africans, Indian sympathizers, emancipated women and eccentric personalities -- in order to illuminate how the historic ideas and themes drove these people to commit treasonous acts against the British crown because they believed that independence was a cause worth dying for.

Often messy, chaotic and on the brink of failure, the two decades of American history chronicled in THE REVOLUTION demonstrate how a nation built on ideas of freedom took root, and hot it was not a job for the faint of heart.

EPISODES INCLUDE:

BOSTON, BLOODY BOSTON (June 4th at 10pm) -- A look at the controversies and conflicts leading to war, including the Stamp Act riots, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and Lexington and Concord. The key players of the Revolution emerge, including Samuel Adams, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Hutchinson, as well as England's King George III and British General Thomas Gage.

REBELLION TO FREEDOM (June 11th at 10pm) -- Rebellion escalates into war with the Battle at Bunker Hill. The Continental Congress establishes an army and appoints George Washington as Commander-in-Chief. The army surrounds the British troops that occupy Boston, and Britain sends additional troops and its three best generals -- William Howe, John Burgoyne and Henry Clinton -- to take over command. The Continental assault from Dorchester Heights forces the British and loyalists to evacuate the city.

DECLARING INDEPENDENCE (June 18th at 10pm) -- Noble ideas and dreams of independence ring out as America is born in 1776. However, dark, devastating struggles will quickly challenge these hopes and leave few believing that the glorious cause will survive.

AMERICAN CRISIS (June 25th at 10pm) -- The new nation stares at the stark realization that it could soon be dead. Desperate and determined, General Washington gambles on a brilliant yet dangerously daring stroke to save his army and America.

TOWARD WORLD WAR (July 2nd at 10pm) -- Benjamin Franklin heads to Paris to seduce the French to join the fight against their common enemy, England. British General William Howe delivers a crushing blow to Washington's troops at the Battle of Brandywine, taking Philadelphia. To the North, Horatio Gates defeats British General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, a victory that convinces France to enter the fight, turning the American Revolution into a World War.

FORGING AN ARMY (July 9th at 10pm) -- As Washington's losses add up, some in Congress begin to question his leadership. Washington's concern is sustaining and rebuilding his ragged, starving and dwindling army through the frigid winter at Valley Forge. With the help of Baron Von Steuben and Nathanael Greene, the Continental Army becomes a more professional fighting force. Washington rebuilds his reputation by holding back the British at the Battle of Monmouth.

TREASON AND BETRAYAL (July 16th at 10pm) -- General Benedict Arnold turns his back on his cause and country in an act of pride, sealing forever his legacy as a traitor. Washington takes his war to the frontier, burning the Iroquois Indians out of New York State and leaving a wake of destruction and devastation.

THE WAR HEADS SOUTH (July 23rd at 10pm) -- Failing to defeat Washington, the British turn their attention southward. In a last ditch effort to quell the rebellion, they lay siege to Charleston, South Carolina, the third largest city in the colonies. General Benjamin Lincoln, commander of the Southern wing of the Continental Army, braces for the attack but his outnumbered force will fall.

FIGHT FOR THE SOUTH (July 30th at 10pm) -- After the fall of Charleston, the war explodes into the Carolina backcountry. The Americans, under General Gates, suffer a humiliating defeat at Camden, forcing Congress to send Nathanael Greene to lead the southern forces. In an unconventional strategy, Greene and General Daniel Morgan split the army, leading Cornwallis on a harrowing chase, which culminates in the Battle of Guildford Courthouse.

THE END GAME (August 6th at 10pm) -- Washington faces two mutinies, Congress is broke, and the army desperately needs more help from the French. In England, the opposition to the war grows. The French are tired of supporting the war, but Franklin continues to beg for aid. The French finally send their fleet to America. Cornwallis moves his army to Yorktown, and the Allied forces close in for the last major battle of the war.

BECOMING A NATION (August 13th at 10pm) -- The news of the American victory at Yorktown spreads like wildfire around the globe. Patriots celebrate and Loyalists begin evacuating, as Washington awaits the next British move. John Adams joins Benjamin Franklin in France to negotiate the treaty of 1783. The thirteen American states convene a Constitutional Convention to hammer out a new form of government, and urge a reluctant Washington to become American's first President.

LEGACY (August 27th at 10pm) -- As George Washington rides to his inauguration as the first President of the United States, he looks back on the war and its most critical moments, and looks to its meaning for the future.

THE REVOLUTION is produced for The History Channel by Partisan Pictures. Executive producer for The History Channel is Beth Dietrich Segarra.

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 89 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at http://www.history.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Katie Bradshaw, +1-212-210-9108, katie.bradshaw@aetn.com

Web site: http://www.history.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at http://www.historychannelpress.com.

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