As New Englanders work to force the British Army from Boston, Congress puts George Washington in command of a new Continental Army. In July 1776, Congress declares American independence, insisting on the people's right to resist tyranny.

Thirteen American colonies unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe. What begins as a political clash between colonists and the British government grows into a bloody struggle that will engage more than two dozen nations and forever change the world.