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The Morningstar of Liberty
John Peter Zenger 1697-1746
Set in New York City in 1735, this play tells the story of the German-born printer, John Peter Zenger and his wife Anna, and their heroic struggle through their newspaper to expose the corrupt practices of the colonial governor, William Cosby. Despite being jailed for over ten months, his newspapers burned, and his lawyers unjustly disbarred, John Zenger’s courage and determination eventually led to his victory in court and helped establish for the first time on American soil the right of the people to freely criticize their government.
playing time 54:06
The Story of Mumbet
Elizabeth Freeman 1744-1829
Mumbet was a slave living in western Massachusetts in the years leading up to the American Revolution. While serving refreshments to members of a committee assembled at her owner’s home to craft a document of protest to be sent to the King of England, she overheard words that proclaimed freedom for all people. Later, after these same words were included in the constitution of the new state of Massachusetts, Mumbet convinced a young lawyer, Theodore Sedgwick, to successfully sue for her freedom in a court of law.
playing time 47:46
Seven Miles to Freedom
Robert Smalls 1839-1915
This play tells the story of Robert Smalls, a slave in Charleston, South Carolina, who dreams of becoming a free man while struggling to earn enough money to buy his wife and child’s freedom. Eventually, as a sailor and pilot on board the Confederate gunboat “Planter,” during the Civil War, he seizes his chance. In a daring adventure, Robert, along with his family and other slaves, commandeers the “Planter,” sails her past the deadly guns of two forts, and turns her over to the ships of the Union blockade.
playing time 48:26
The Remarkable Miss Barton
Clara Barton 1821-1912
Told in her own words, this play focuses on the early years of the fascinating life of Clara Barton. Beginning with her childhood in New England, the play goes on to tell of her fight to establish the first public school in New Jersey, of her efforts to reform the corrupt United States Patent Office, and eventually of her courageous work as “the Angel of the Battlefield” bringing medical care to the wounded soldiers at the front lines of the Civil War.
playing time 55:16
A Vision for Children
Lewis Hine 1874-1940
This play tells the story of an exceptional documentary photographer, who, in the early 1900s, took his camera into the coal mines, glass factories, spinning mills, cotton fields, and oyster canneries of America to expose the widespread abuses of child labor. From his work photographing immigrants at Ellis Island to his work for the National Child Labor Committee, Lewis Hine left a powerful visual record of an important chapter of American history.
playing time 57:00
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