Liberty's Kids 111 - Postmaster General Franklin

the clear bird on the dotted line for your freedom ring and patriotic voice it's a red white never give up you represent here are some exciting seeds from today's episode of Liberty's kids Tories they're going through the mail then we must fix the mail system if we can't trust the Post how are we to freely express ourselves this load of mail contains several important dispatches to General Washington we must not fall into British hands dearest Sara you wrote that you would send a letter to me every day yet I have not received one in ages I pray that you are well I have not heard from your father either but I know mail service to the Ohio frontier is non-existent now here is the message I most urgently wish you to receive please remain in Philadelphia now that war has broken out that is the best way to ensure that our family will one day be happily and healthily reunited although I am comforted that your care is in Asscher hands of dr. Franklin I do hope dearly to hear from you soon your loving mother whoever said no news is good news wasn't in the newspaper game there must be something you could write about maybe but we haven't heard from any of our correspondents in two weeks let me see you shouldn't read somebody else's mail we have to deliver it to the rightful owner but we are the rightful owner it's address to the Pennsylvania Gazette it's news right am i right oh boy ask and ye shall receive a report about British troop movements the Redcoats are moving south from Boston are you sure who said it the Fox that's a strange name could be a spy or it could be cold oh yeah we finally have a story and I got it for us maybe anri's right at least it's something come on Moses let's dust off the printing press I'm looking for a Sarah Phillips we've got a Sarah Phillips is she here I'm carrying a letter for her honoree go get Sarah what do you think I am your assistant yes I'll get Sarah you're a captain captain Hodges pad your service and you're carrying the mail I'm on my way to rejoin General Washington's troops in Boston I was entrusted with this letter during my trip to Fort Pittsburg I bet that's from Sarah's father we have news captain big news British troops are moving south from Boston that can't be true it's true it's right here in this letter do you know this fox person no but it's addressed to us we're putting out a special edition of the Gazette to spread the word I wouldn't do that do you see this letter mark looks like an F it isn't it I don't understand what does it mean it's code there's a secret message hidden somewhere inside I don't see any secret message you can't see it the real message is between the lines written in invisible ink invisible ink both sides are using invisible ink in case a letter is lost or captured the Redcoats would like nothing more than for you to print this in your paper why they want us to think they're moving south so we'll be unprepared when they spring their real plan we almost fell for their trap you must be very careful about the mail it can't be trusted the British control it how does this invisible ink work I mean what good is a secret message if nobody can see it there's a special treatment we'll need a man of science to help us I know just the man the letter F means fire if it was marked with an A I'd have to treat the letter with acid to make the invisible visible gather round the invisible ink is a mixture of ferrous sulfate and water the heat from the candle oxidizes the mixture and makes it possible to read what is written that's fantastic very clever what does the secret message say exactly opposite of what they wanted you to know the British are not leaving Boston it will be up to General Washington to force them out somebody wants to see me Sarah Phillips yes I've carried this a long way it's from My Father he's on the Ohio frontier oh thank you of course and now I must be on my way be careful Oliver it's only the second letter I've gotten from him since I've been here what does he say when is he coming by see alright he doesn't say and this letter is two months old and I can't write him back to ask there's no mail service to the frontier and I can't even tell mother I've heard from father because she isn't getting the letters I sent her she's not you write to her every day but they're not getting through captain Hodges said the British control the mail I'm going to investigate and I'm going to assistant investigate tory's they're going through the mail it's an offense an outrage then someone went through my mail it's an offense an outrage fences can be mended mr. Adams my comments about mr. Dickinson as critical even Petty as they were were never meant for publication whoever stole my letter printed it to humiliate me and drive a wedge between Massachusetts and Pennsylvania here comes mr. Dickinson now perhaps you can make peace with him mr. Dickinson may I have a word with you please he's as stubborn as I am can you blame him John you called him a piddling genius yes in a private letter then we must fix the mail system if we can't trust the Post how are we to freely express ourselves the publication of my letter hurt our cause and aired a division in our ranks just when it's most important for us to show unity of purpose gentlemen order a letter that I wrote to General James Warren was also intercepted stolen is a better word yes stolen by the Tories and published in the Boston papers a personal letter mind you full of blasphemous opinions and conspiratorial outbursts you must learn to control your temper I admit I have a defective character however dr. Franklin you designed the colonial Postal Service at the request of the crown and now a man can't write a word without risking and appearing in print dr. Franklin since you are the father of modern postal practices I move you be appointed head of a committee to devise a new colonial postal service independent of the British crown in the meantime we mustn't use the Royal postal system unless you would be comfortable with King George himself reading what you've written in the meantime we have to find a way to get this load of mail through to New York we can't spare another soldier I'll take it that's very brave of you James but it could be dangerous I'll be careful you'll have to be more than careful count on me sir I'm going to have to do just that this load of mail contains several important dispatches to General Washington they must not fall into British hands I'm going to it's not safe but you're carrying a letter to my mother with news of father I want to see with my own eyes that it gets on the mail boat for London besides I'm twice the rider you are you are not and to or not Sarah if our colonial army possessed an ounce of your pluck we'd have nothing to fear we'll see who's twice the writer I want you both to follow route 1 the poster road connecting Philadelphia to New York which I established 20 years ago as royal Postmaster General I set up a series of milestones that will lead you to New York the milestones are placed at regular intervals all the way to Boston my postal system was a model of efficiency but that was before I correct troubles shouldn't we have passed another milestone by now Oh - we're in New Jersey maybe they don't go this far dr. Franken said he set them up all the way to Boston isn't that one oh no they're the ones who bribed the postman they're Tories they're waiting to intercept the mail what are we going to do maybe we should turn around and go back then the mail won't get through General Washington won't get his dispatches maybe they let us through but there's a British soldier with them British soldiers are not monsters you know that's because you're British may I remind you you're also British okay have it your way why don't you go ahead I have to water my horse I'll meet you at the blockade now why would a pretty young lass such as yourself be out riding alone thank you sir you are most kind I am NOT riding alone my friend James is watering his horse he'll be along and what is the nature of the business that takes you to New York well you see ah here he comes now that he's here maybe pass I'd still like to know the nature of your business we're visiting a sick friend Sara got a letter that was weeks old saying that a dear friend of ours may perish soon we only hope we're not too late oh well in that case please move along we won't detain you further thank you kind sir your servant milady that was a shame this Tara diddle you told them about our perishing friends I know it was wrong the truth would have done just as well I was afraid to take the chance James you think we would have made it through if I did but where is it where they won't find it James what have you done with the mail we'll sneak back for it when the Sun Goes Down you are shameless do you want your letter to get through or not I want you to know that I disapprove of your deception with all my heart what if we get caught now that we've lied the consequences will be harsher I'm sure but you saw when we bro back through they're gone now did you hear something Sara quit worrying we're almost there something you forgot to tell us right Sara oh but what have we here you've let your friends here it's not much further where we left the horses just keep running I told you this would be trouble we can't make it we've got to you're coming with us what right are you detaining us like she said by what right by what right are you carrying the mail you don't look like royal postal employees I'm sure you stole the mail from those men I don't care if you did so you might as well admit it they probably stole it themselves I purposely set off a gunpowder explosion to distract them so we could rescue the mail whose side are you on anyway we are volunteers we're on the side of helpless colonists so are we and you proved it by stealing their mail have you ever heard of dr. Benjamin Franklin who hasn't we're carrying the mail for him have you some proof of that I do dr. Franklin asked us to deliver these letters to New York well this is Franklin's signature so you are official couriers that is a very different matter Congress has asked dr. Franklin to look into the possibility of forming an independent postal system for the colonies did everybody hear that we're breaking away from the royal postal system you have no idea what good news that is those Tories wanted the mail I'm sure they did and may we ask who you are you may if you can keep a secret I can and you of course we began some years ago as the New Jersey Committee of Correspondence we were a volunteer organization dedicated to spreading news throughout the colonies our mission was to unite the colonies through better communication and send messages to the colonies about the British threat we copied Press reports and intelligence messages gathered from our spies and we spread them throughout the colonies now we still work together keeping tabs on Tory spies but the men who tried to steal your mail then you'll let us carry our bag to New York led you will help you will supply an armed escort all the way to New York you see I told you my plan was a good one but you could have gotten us in trouble she's not kidding the British would gladly imprison any one of us in this room for what we're doing you to amaze me with your courage you're too kind he's right Sarah you showed some real bravery why not I've got you to inspire me even if I don't always approve of your tricks all the Committee of Correspondence wants to do is spread the truth the truth is important it's everything but if the truth they are spreading leads to treason and actions against the crown it's still truth and they should be allowed to spread it well I don't approve of the way you lied we wouldn't have gotten this far I believe in truth not lies look we're almost to New York because of my lie we were almost stopped because of your lie we're almost to New York because of the New Jersey Committee of Correspondence so you do approve of what they're doing I suppose I do in spite of myself we'll make a patriot out of you yet I already am a patriot at least in New York we'll be back among subjects still loyal to the king they're not all loyalists we've brought the mail all the way from Philadelphia this entire mail bag has been unseen by British eyes why are we stopping off in this tavern to brag about our exploits this is the end of the line Sarah the mail is distributed here the volunteer mail carriers divide up the letters of the bar according to destination points and fan-out to the different parts of town to deliver them what about my letter to my mother it's going to London not a part of New York one of the volunteers takes the overseas letters to the harbour and puts them on the first ship headed across the Atlantic so we've done it yes she will Sarah you can count on it James I'm so happy I could kiss you Sarah please I've suffered enough at the hands of the British dr. Franklin your report is most complete I suggest that we waste no time in naming a Postmaster General because of his expertise experience and genius and as a slap in the face of the British crown we'd saw fit to remove him from his post I put into nomination the name of dr. Benjamin Franklin for the office of colonial Postmaster General all in favor may I present to you the first man in history to hold the title independently of any king or royal principality Postmaster General Franklin Thank You fellow conspirators I accept this honor if for no other reason than to make the Kings blood boil dr. Franklin what will be your first official act to establish a line of posts from the Falmouth in New England to Savannah in Georgia and to employ a fleet of trustworthy incorruptible men neither rain sleet snow nor dark of night will keep them from their appointed rounds 27 July 1775 dearest mother I have read your last letter 30 times which is one time for each day I waited for it I'm so relieved that you received my letter about father I am relieved that you received any letter from me at all thanks to James and dr. Franklin I have a new appreciation of the importance of the Postal Service and of communication in general how can the colonists hope to survive these difficult times without communication even if I don't agree with all of their stated aims I do so admire the work that dr. Franklin has done and continues to do in an effort to make this gigantic world a little smaller so that even if we are separated by geography we may all be united in understanding Franklin named Postmaster General of new independent colonial Postal Service

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Views: 377,175

Rating: 4.6980219 out of 5

Keywords: liberty kids, liberty kids full episodes, boston tea party, liberty kids boston tea party, george washington for kids, liberty kids we the people, liberty kids constitution, liberty kids paul revere's ride, liberty kids bunker hill, liberty kids shot heard round the world, liberty kids declaration of independence, liberty kids midnight ride, declaration of independence for kids, george washington, liberty kids green mountain boys, the boston tea party, Hamilton, Hamilton Musical

Id: jLxhgvsEd-A

Length: 23min 17sec (1397 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 13 2016