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America's Birth: Colonies to Revolutionary War (S1, E1) | America: The Story of Us | Full Episode

2025-08-29 Entertainment
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HISTORY
HISTORY
15.3m subscribers

From Jamestown Survival to the Shot Heard Round the World

Discover how early American settlements overcame near-total failure through innovation and foundational values, ultimately sparking a revolution against the world's greatest military power.

Short Summary

  • Establish economic viability through specialized exports like tobacco, saving the Jamestown experiment.
  • Secure survival via strategic alliances, exemplified by the Pilgrims securing aid from the Pokanoket people.
  • Develop a distinct identity and robust economy characterized by superior health metrics and growing resentment toward distant British taxation.
  • Ignite open warfare when enforcement of taxes and trade controls leads to armed conflict initiated by citizen militias.

This story traces the arduous 150-year journey from desperate initial landings to unified rebellion. Readers will understand the critical economic choices, unforeseen alliances, and escalating political friction that forged a new nation intent on liberty, culminating in the first shots of the Revolution.

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Description

From Jamestown to Plymouth, early settlers fight for survival. Tobacco sows the seeds of opportunity; the north becomes a powerhouse of trade. Tension, taxation and resistance explode into war as the rebels take on the might of the British Empire. Season 1, Episode 1, "Rebels/Revolution." Catch up on past seasons of your favorite HISTORY series on HISTORY Vault, commercial free! https://www.historyvault.com/youtube #AmericaTheStoryofUs Subscribe for more from America: The Story of Us and other great The HISTORY Channel shows: http://histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYT Watch more America: The Story of Us on YouTube in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC71961E4D8527D39 Find out more about the show and watch full episodes on our site: https://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us Check out exclusive The HISTORY Channel content: History Newsletter - https://histv.co/newsletter Website - https://histv.co/History Facebook - https://histv.co/Facebook TikTok - http://bit.ly/4kZKjXi America The Story of Us is an epic 12-hour television event that tells the extraordinary story of how America was invented. With highly realistic CGI animation, dramatic recreations and thoughtful insights from some of America’s most respected artists, business leaders, academics and intellectuals, it is the first television event in nearly 40 years to present a comprehensive telling of America’s history. Elaborate, ambitious and cinematic, America The Story of Us will take you into the moments when Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress, from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad–the internet of its day–to triumphing over vertical space through the construction of steel structured buildings to putting a man on the moon. It is an intensive look at the people, places and things that have shaped our nation, and the tough and thrilling adventure that is America’s 400-year history. The HISTORY® Channel, a division of A+E Networks, is the premier destination for historical storytelling. From best-in-class documentary events, to a signature slate of industry leading nonfiction series and premium fact-based scripted programming, The HISTORY® Channel serves as the most trustworthy source of informational entertainment in media. The HISTORY® channel has been named the #1 U.S. TV network in buzz for seven consecutive years by YouGov BrandIndex, and a top favorite TV network by Beta Research Corporation. For a deeper dive, visit history.com or follow @HISTORY on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. For additional press materials visit the A+E Networks Press Center at http://press.aenetworks.com.

Top Comments (10)

@AydenHoch 2025-10-13

Shout out to the camera man for going back in time to get the footage

263 17 replies
@eulaliorodriguez5325 2025-08-29

This is a exciting history.

45 2 replies
@HISTORY 2025-08-27

Watch the rest of America: The Story of Us, plus over 2,000 commercial free History documentaries and series on History Vault: www.historyvault.com/youtube

39 2 replies
@petrolalmanac1 2026-01-09

40 years old and still here, watching our history. Kids please don't skip school history LOL

35 1 replies
@Tr3ytheCNguy 2025-12-12

The fact we watched this in Social Studies yesterday is Crazy-

31 6 replies
@elpidalastname9834 2025-10-14

Leave it to the USA to pick a fight with the worlds strongest superpower 😂

25 5 replies
@JacobMiddlebrook-j4d 2025-12-14

28 yrs old and history class was my favorite. And civics

10 1 replies
@younghusk1968 2025-10-15

26:12 "Unhappy Boston, see thy sons deplore, thy hallowed walks besmeared with guiltless gore, whilst faithless Preston and his savage bands, with murderous rancor, stretch their bloody hands"-Paul Revere. This will always give me chills.

10
@hartsbane 2026-04-08

Great idea to interview Brian Williams. He was there to witness these events.

6 1 replies
@EdgeCreative-z7r 2026-04-24

This storytelling is actually so engaging, I didn’t even notice how fast the video went by

2

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