01x39 - Born Free and Equal

[bunniefuu]

i

[Applause]

[Music]

see the truth will rise and fall oh

yeah that's just the way it goes a word

now to the

wise the world was made to change these

days a

surprise i'm looking at life through my

own eyes i'm searching for a hero to

idolize feeling the pain as innocent

eyes looking at a life my own i shake my

heart into battle give that freedom

rattle hit my independent sign declare

it on the dire let the freedom and

patriotic voices say red white and blue

never give up you represent America

[Music]

i listen to my heart and I oy how can I

see it any other way i'm looking at my

life with my own

[Applause]

[Music]

eyes here are some exciting scenes from

today's episode of Liberty's Kids

condalis has surrendered the w*r is over

it is not over cornwallis is not England

i shall quit my throne before I shall

break apart this British Empire which I

love i shall never surrender to those

American rebels we hold these truths to

be self-evident that all men are created

equal those words are about freedom

[Music]

i built the house back in 35 i'm told

it's the oldest complete house in all

the Berkshire it was in this house that

we drafted our statement of grievances

against English rule unfortunately you

can see how much attention King George

paid to it

thank you Betty you're welcome man betty

come here

what is the meaning of this what madam

what you say look dust on my Wedgewood

vase i'll fix it right away madam

huh

bless you Mrs

mrs adams i'm delighted you could come i

do hope we will see your John back from

Europe soon too if the news from

Yorktown is good Colonel Ashley perhaps

John and Dr franklin will rejoin us soon

and bring along a peace treaty with them

it is my dearest hope that that comes to

pass

thank you

Mrs adams i'm Theodore Sedwick i so

admire the contributions you and your

husband have made to our new nation

theodore is the finest attorney in town

you don't want to find yourself on the

other side of a case from him come

friends let us begin our meeting with

the Declaration of Independence good

idea they're here wonderful

when in the course of human events it

becomes necessary for one people to

dissolve the political bonds which have

connected them with another and to

assume among the powers of the earth the

separate and equal station to which the

laws of nature and of nature's God

entitled them a decent respect to the

opinions of mankind requires that they

should declare the causes which impel

them to the separation hi honey did you

come to help that large man from Nate's

drinking his ninth cup of punch lizzy

quiet well what's more important us

running out of punch and me getting in

trouble or some old words the master's

saying old words

do you know what those old words are

about i don't Betty but I have a feeling

you're about to tell me little sister

those words are about freedom you and me

have been sl*ves since we were born what

do we know about freedom nothing Mizzy

nothing at all we hold these truths to

be self-evident that all men are created

equal that they are endowed by their

creator with certain inalienable rights

that among these are life liberty and

the pursuit of happiness but if someone

offered me one minute's freedom and told

me I had to die at the end of that

minute I'd take it just to stand one

minute on God's earth a free woman

[Music]

dearest mother so much has happened

since I last wrote general Washington

has won at

Yorktown it was truly a miraculous

convergence as they're calling it

the French fleet led by Admiral Degrass

captured the mouth of the Chesapeake

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[Applause]

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Bay too powerful for us this trapped

General

Cornwallis he could get no help or

supplies from the sea and with the town

surrounded on all sides by generals

Washington and Roshambo he could expect

nothing but trouble from the land as

well the siege was terrible and I feared

it might never

end finally the lack of food and the

endless a*tillery shelling forced

General Cornwallis to concede defeat

over 7,000 British soldiers surrendered

their weapons

[Applause]

surely with so large a loss the British

will now realize the futility of this

w*r and we will finally have peace

[Music]

[Music]

that's right dr franklin wonderful news

victory at Yorktown conwallis has

surrendered the w*r is over this is

indeed wonderful news

Monomy but is the w*r really over that I

think will be up to King George to

decide it is not over what of our other

generals cord Wallace is not England

what of Clinton and his 6,000 men but of

our fleet we are the largest naval force

on the ocean sir and I'll thank you to

remember that we have defeated these

colonists time and again and we shall do

so now this change is nothing and I

shall write as much to the Secretary of

State for America myself

directly i'll wait with you i have

business to attend

to dear sir there will be no peace

without

[Music]

honor lizzy more

lemonade i'll get it madam i told Lizzy

to do it

lizzy right

[Music]

now what were you eating uh scraps madam

you ate the family's food without asking

me first yes madam i'm sorry madam

you're sorry very sorry madam excuse me

madam

i did not order you to

leave now clean that

up and

that and that and that and

[Music]

that this is fascinating Mr sedwick i

think I should like to practice law

myself someday

with all respect Sarah there are no

women lawyers with all respect Mr

sedwick perhaps I shall be the first

perhaps you shall

indeed excuse me

betty come in please thank you Mr

seduick

let me take your

coat now please go in and be seated

now Betty what can I do for you sir I

would like you to help me win my freedom

for me and my little girl

excuse me i don't want to be a sl*ve and

I don't want my girl to grow up as I did

knowing nothing but sl*very

[Music]

thank you kindly you're very welcome

betty are you asking me to sue Colonel

John Ashley the most important man in

this town for your freedom yes sir i

fear for my child's well-being you can't

let the child be in harm's way Mr

sedwick but it's more than that sir i

heard that paper read that all men are

born equal and that every man has a

right to freedom i am not a dumb critter

won't the law give me my freedom

[Music]

and what my fellow members of Parliament

did King George Ostrich like really in

plain words say when he got the news of

the defeat he said "Our losses in

America have been most horrible the

taxes the British people are paying for

this w*r are outrageously high but even

now that Lord Cornwallis has surrendered

at Yorktown and our hopes of victory in

America have utterly disappeared I

forbid anyone from thinking of peace my

insane rage for revenge lives on and

only the total enslavement of my

American subjects will lay it to rest

gentlemen what the king speaks is

madness and you Lord North must tell him

so

[Music]

betty why did you come to me you know

I'm a close friend of the colonels

master said you're the finest attorney

in town and you were there in master

study a few years back writing those

other words about freedom everybody was

saying you mean back in 73 when we

discussed a bill of rights and a

constitution for Massachusetts yes sir

when I was waiting at table I was

keeping still and minding things i heard

you gentlemen in all you said I never

heard but that all people are free and

equal i thought long about it and

figured I'd see whether I did not come

in among them sir you must help has a

sl*ve ever won her freedom in court

before yes Sarah a number of times but

those cases were always based on a

master promising freedom to his sl*ve

and then breaking that promise colonel

Ashley made no such promise to Betty so

you won't take Betty's case on the

contrary that's exactly why I will take

Betty's case yahoo

i do not care what that file Mr charles

Fox says in Parliament i do not care

what anyone says in

Parliament lord North I do not care what

anyone says in the entire

world i shall quit my throne before I

shall break apart this British Empire

which I love and sir I shall never

surrender to those American rappers

never

[Music]

this is a great opportunity for us let's

hope they free the poor can mom win Mrs

adams she has fine lawyers in Mr sedwick

and Mr tapping Weave

and she has right on her side

yes Sarah we shall see whether those two

weapons are strong enough to carry the

day is that the jury it is but all the

jurors are men and they're all white how

will mom get a fair trial give them some

credit Sarah perhaps they'll understand

we are all the same race the human race

judge on behalf of Colonel Ashley who

has served his state and country so well

in so many ways we ask that this case be

dismissed immediately what will they do

that and that B be returned to her

lawful residence the home of Colonel

Ashley absolutely not

order on what grounds sir judge the

custom of our nation considers sl*very

to be right and correct bet is the

lawful n*gro sl*ve of John Ashley

colonel Ashley can testify to that it is

a simple question of ownership you see

therefore we ask you to return Bet to

Colonel Ashley immediately

that is outrageous good justice will be

done

[Music]

[Applause]

your highness

now my cowardly premier Lord North has

sent me his resignation they're all

against me but I shall not accept this

and I shall not let my colonies go the

British Empire like these hounds is

strong the rebels like the fox are weak

majesty I'm afraid sometimes the fox

does escape the hound

the court rejects Colonel Lashley's

motion to dismiss this case mr sedick

you may speak for your client thank you

Judge in the past a sl*ve in

Massachusetts has been freed only when a

master went back on a promise to free

that sl*ve but we would like to make two

different

arguments two new

arguments first no Massachusetts law has

ever established sl*very as legal i defy

Colonel Ashley to show me one that does

second even more importantly even if

such a law did exist it would be

canceled out by our state's new

constitution as my client has so wisely

pointed out to me our Massachusetts

Constitution states "All men are born

free and equal and have certain natural

essential and unalienable rights among

which may be reckoned the right of

enjoying their liberties."

Gentlemen Betty cannot be the lawful

sl*ve of Colonel John Ashley for a very

simple reason sl*very is

[Music]

unlawful it's just a scrape Catherine

you're going to be fine

[Music]

you ready to catch your brother now

betty yes Sarah what will you do if you

lose honey my husband rest in peace died

in this w*r so we all could be free from

your friends back in England not so some

of us could be sl*ves to some others of

us somehow sometime me and Lil Bet are

going to be free and you can count on

that betty

Sarah the jury's coming back

[Music]

gentlemen have you reached a decision

we have judge

we find that B is not now nor has she

ever been the legal servant or property

of John Ashley

we award 30 shillings in damages to bet

and order John Ashley to pay her for all

her service since she was 21 years old

we also declare that John Ashley shall

pay all court costs

congratulations to us all this is a

great day isn't it wonderful all our

people shall be free

you got him Catherine good going

friends friends to courage to freedom to

mumbo

hooray

i've given myself a new name a free name

from this moment on I'm Elizabeth

Freeman elizabeth Freeman hooray

betty I'm hoping you'll come back and

work for me for salary of course we sure

could use you back thank you mister but

I'm going to stay here with the Sedicks

they've done nothing but treat me right

and with 10 children and Mrs cedric ill

somebody's got to do the cooking

i'll leave you to it then goodbye Betty

girls it sure feels good to call that

man mister instead of

master you're free

baby just like I always promised you're

free

[Music]

my good friends King George has come to

his senses he wishes to negotiate peace

with France and with the new United

States of America

[Applause]

[Music]

perhaps I ought to make that

announcement again

[Music]

and mother there's more good news

another sl*ve by the name of Cork Walker

sued for his freedom in the Supreme

Court of Massachusetts and also won the

decision will surely lead to sl*very

being outlawed in

Massachusetts listen to what the Chief

Justice said sl*very took its origin

from European nations and the British

government but a different idea has

taken place here in America everyone is

born free and

equal everyone is entitled to liberty

and to have it guarded sl*very is in my

judgment as effectively abolished as it

can be thank you Mr ashley

[Music]

mother these long overdue decisions for

liberty give me new hope for my new

country our new country i hope and trust

that the horror of sl*very will soon be

abolished in the rest of our 13 states

forever for mother if one American is

not free none of us are

[Music]

looking at life through my own eyes i'm

searching for a hero to

idolize feeling my pain

as looking at life my own eyes i take my

heart into battle give that freedom by

the rattle get my independent sign

declare it on the dotted line red white

and blue never give up you represent

America

[Music]

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