A young George Washington establishes his military bonafides, and the American colonies begin to chafe at new taxes imposed by the British Crown.

Thomas Jefferson is tapped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Led by Washington, the Continental Army suffers a devastating series of defeats.

With the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, the Americans deploy Benjamin Franklin's charms to solicit support from Britain's longtime rival.

The war is won, but the "perpetual union" is on the verge of collapse. Delegates from each state gather to devise an innovative form of government.

George Washington steps into the unknown as the nation's first president. Partisanship dawns with an ideological rift between Jefferson and Hamilton.