Volume 1 of 3. This 90-part narrative history is divided into three series of 30 programmes. It tells the story through the voices of those who were there – presidents and farmers, mothers and children, slaves and Indians. It celebrates the American achievement – settling a harsh continent, breaking free of British rule, becoming the global powerhouse of goods and popular culture. And it evokes the sound and colour of daily life – jazz and spirituals, baseball and the movies.

Yet Empire of Liberty also explores the paradoxes of American history. A vehement critic of imperialism that became the world’s greatest superpower. A land of liberty that for, most of its history, denied full freedom to the non-white population. And a pluralist society with no state church that has nevertheless been dominated by the values of evangelical Protestantism. These three themes – empire, liberty and faith – tie together this vivid saga.

The series is written and presented by David Reynolds – a prize-winning Cambridge historian whose previous work for the BBC includes the 2008 TV series Summits.

The story told through the voices of those who were there – presidents and farmers, mothers and children, slaves and Indians

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