The Price of Liberty

Those of us who grew up in the hinterlands tend to forget how important the State of New York was to the formation of these United States. Today the world sees New York City as the center of culture, fashion and finance, but in colonial times, Upstate New York was an important source of resources for European empires. Before that, it was home to natives who established their own tradition of democracy.

In the 1950's, The Junior League of New York, in cooperation with the State Department of Education, sponsored The Price of Liberty, a series of broadcasts which dramatized episodes in the State's history which illustrate the growth of American Democracy.

Lessons include The Iroquois Federation, which along with The Story of Suffrage explore the nature of democracy itself. The Coxsackie Remonstance and the Battle of Oriskany show New Yorker's rising to defend what would become the Untied States. The Flushing Remonstance is one of the basis of our concept of Freedom of the Press. The final episodes of the series, the Stories of Transportation, Agriculture, Industry, Education and World Trade explore the movements which have their roots in Colonial times but continue to grow and gain importance today.