Synopsis
Lucy Worsley investigates the turning points that led to America’s declaration of independence from Britain in 1776 and asks whether this explosive split could have been avoided.
- Programme: Lucy Worsley Investigates
- Series: The American Revolution
- Episode: 01: The Break-Up
- Channel: BBC Two
- Broadcast year: 2026
Licence: ERA Licence required
Free to watch for UK schools, colleges and universities with an ERA Licence
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
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More clips from Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
More resources about The War of Independence
S03E05: Let Freedom Ring: The Boston Tea Party | Days That Shook the World
S03E05: Let Freedom Ring: The Boston Tea Party | Days That Shook the World
The story of the Boston Tea Party.
The American Revolution | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
The American Revolution | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Lucy gives a short summary of the American Revolution which is generally accepted historically.
Concord and the 2nd Amendment | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Concord and the 2nd Amendment | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Lucy examines the facts behind the mythologised tale of the Patriot militia who defeated th...
French coalition | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
French coalition | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
July 4th 1776 may have been ''independence day'', however battles continued where the Americans received...
Hamilton The Musical | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Hamilton The Musical | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Lucy speaks to a historian about why despite Hamilton's much lauded reception, it could be in danger...
Paul Revere | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Paul Revere | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Lucy explores the different versions of Paul Revere's iconic tale of riding into the night to warn the Patri...
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The American Revolution: 02: A Messy Divorce | Lucy Worsley Investigates
The Declaration of Independence | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
The Declaration of Independence | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Lucy introduces the Declaration, its compromises and the different drafts it went through...
The Liberty Bell | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
The Liberty Bell | American History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
The Liberty Bell's history is actually shrouded in fiction, and comes from a story by the most popular a...
01: The Shot Heard Around the World | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
01: The Shot Heard Around the World | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
The war for independence is often regarded as a people's struggle for liberty in th...
02: American Crisis 1776 | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
02: American Crisis 1776 | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
As Washington is forced out of New York, his army begins to desert, until a daring raid across...
03: The War Moves South | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
03: The War Moves South | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
The British open a new front in the southern colonies, winning a series of victories and findin...
04: The World Turned Upside Down | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
04: The World Turned Upside Down | Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War
By 1781, the British had enjoyed command of the sea and with it the ability to move th...
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