James and Sarah witness the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and report on Washington's early losses at the battles of Long Island and Kip's Bay in two animated episodes of PBS's award-winning series. James and Sarah witness the growing unity of the American colonies, and meet Thomas Jefferson in The First Fourth of July. Then, in New York, New York, Sarah stays with her mother's friend, Mrs. Radcliffe, and reports on the Loyalist point of view, while James escapes across the East River to Manhattan Island with the Continental Army.