This is a page listing characters that make up the cast of Liberty's Kids.
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Main characters
James Hiller
Voiced by Chris Lundquist
A 14-year-old (in 1773) journalist for Dr. Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, James dreams of covering the biggest story in the colonies.
- Been There, Shaped History: Can't avoid getting involved in historical events, despite Sarah constantly urging him to remain an observer only. He assists Paul Revere on his midnight ride, tows the first submarine into battle, and even stops a mob from attacking a Declaration signer who turned tory.
- Captain Obvious: Although probably part of the educational nature of the show, his line “Boston? That’s in Massachusetts Bay Colony!” in the first episode.
- Eat the Rich: He definitly has this mindset, much to Sarah Phillips’ dismay. He most likely would have supported the French Revolution as well.
- Romanticism Versus Enlightenment: Firmly on the enlightnment side of the argument. He does seem to be influenced by historical figures like David Hume, Edward Gibbon, Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- Possibly even more liberal/left-wing then them in some ways. He strongly detests not only monarchy and aristocracy (as well as the parliamentary system), but also has a rather low opinion of most merchants and military personel. He is also opposed to racism and slavery.
- He is the biggest and most outspoken critic of the political, economic, and military establishment of his day of the 3 main child protagonists and strongly belives in individual freedom over justice and order.
- He is the most upset of the 3 child heroes of how liberal the United States becomes at the end of the series. Sarah Phillips actually points this out throughout the show, correctly pointing out that the UK is not as far-right and reactionary as James seems to think.
- Lower-Class Lout: He has shades of this. He does not act properly in high society, mainly due to the fact that he's a lower class orphan, often complains about politics and economics rather then actually doing anything about it and acts spoiled and ungrateful as well as wanting to pick a fight and cause trouble rather then talk things out.
- Meaningful Name: "James" is literally Hebrew for usurper or supplanter, fitting his status as a Patriot revolting against the British.
- Odd Friendship: With Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, both of whom were among the most conversational of the founding fathers. James is much closer to Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine in his political views.
- Parental Abandonment: James' parents were killed in a house fire when he was an infant.
- Self-Made Man: He sides with them over aristocrats and merchants, who he disregards as "tories".
- Ironically, the American Revolution itself was mostly funded by elitist wealthly land owners who disliked monarchy and the parliamentary system because of the heavy taxes imposed on them. It was not really funded because of a serious commitment to a liberal/left-wing cause.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Is completely swept up in revolutionary fervor at first, but as he matures, he witnesses atrocities committed by both sides, and ends the Revolution with a much more sober viewpoint.
Sarah Phillips
Voiced by Reo Jones
Fifteen in 1773. Sarah is a high-class English lady who has come to America in search of her father. She is staying with the Franklins until her father returns from Ohio. She quickly gets caught up in the events of the American Revolution, and becomes a journalist to balance out James' idealistic and one-sided viewpoint.
- Blue Blood: She's the daughter of a wealthy British officer and war hero.
- Deadpan Snarker: So very much.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Holds herself aloof at first as a proper British lady of high breeding, but soon warms up to the orphan urchins she lives and writes with.
- Disappeared Dad: Sarah's father has been on the frontier in Ohio for years, and neither she nor her mother even know if he's alive.
- Fake Brit: Sarah's voice actress, Reo Jones, is American.
- Fiery Redhead: While she's more gentle than the usual, she does have a lot of spunk.
- Girly Bruiser : Sarah is a very proper English lady and a Nice Girl but is also independent and determined.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Sarah may usually be a very mature, kind, and polite girl, but she's also tough and perfectly capable of defending herself.
- Heel–Face Turn: Sarah eventually sides with the American patriots, and fully adopts America as her own country.
- Meaningful Name: "Sarah" is literally Hebrew for princess, fitting her status as a British Loyalist and a Proper Lady.
- Nice Girl: Sarah is a very mature, kind, and polite girl.
- Proper Lady: Sarah is dignified, mature, polite, and very ladylike.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Is perfectly capable of defending herself, even if she is a proper lady.
- Team Mom: Acts as this not just to Henri, but to the impulsive James as well.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: She usually wears a long ginger ponytail.
Henri LeFebvre
Voiced by Kathleen Barr
Eight years old in 1773, Henri is a young French orphan who lives with James and Moses. He loves food and finding mischief.
- Ascended Fanboy: Is eventually adopted by his idol, the Marquis de Lafayette.
- Big Eater: As mentioned before, he loves food and won't hesitate to go along if it involves food.
- Cloudcuckoolander
- Gratuitous French: Is extremely proud to be French, and would rather use his native tongue than speak English.
- Happily Adopted: By the Marquis de Lafayette at the end of the series.
- Kleptomaniac Hero: Starts at this, but eventually grows out of it.
- Made a Slave: The captain of Henri's ship on his way to America enslaved him to pay off his deceased parents' debt.
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: While none of the fictional characters age, it's more noticeable with Henri, who was not even an adolescent when the show began, and ends the series still prepubescent 16 years later.
- Overly Long Name: Henri Maurice Richard DuTois LeFebvre. Rivaled on the show only by Lafayette.
- Parental Abandonment: Henri's parents died of an illness during their voyage from France to America.
- Plucky Comic Relief: He's never far away to lighten the mood.
- Put on a Bus: To France with Lafayette, at the end of the show
- Tagalong Kid: At one point, Moses made him stay behind to help him in the shop and he wasn't really happy with that
Moses
Voiced by D. Kevin Williams
An ex-slave trafficked from Africa who worked hard to earn his freedom, Moses now works for Dr. Franklin as a mechanic and press operator. He acts as the guardian to James and Henri, and teaches them printing and journalism in Franklin's absence.
- Grease Monkey: He's a mechanic and blacksmith, and seems to genuinely love his job.
- Hidden Depths: Tall, athletic, and mechanically minded, but he also loves poetry, plays the glass armonica, and is a skilled teacher.
- Immigrant Patriotism: Sympathizes with the colonial struggle for independence, despite being made a slave in the colonies, and considers himself an American.
- Made a Slave: Like many black Americans of that era, Moses was born free in Africa and trafficked to the colonies.
- Magical Negro
- Nice Guy: Moses is kind-hearted, protective, and caring.
- Parental Substitute: To James and Henri, sometimes Sarah, acting as their father figure.
- Worf Effect: He's tall, strong and intimidating, so when he does get beat up in one episode, it's clear that whoever did it was no one to mess around with.
Historical domain characters
Dr. Benjamin Franklin
Voiced by Walter Cronkite
The old, wise mentor to James, Sarah and Henri, and the owner of the Pennsylvania Gazette. He also serves as the ambassador to France.- Big Fun: Pokes fun at himself for his weight and does not mind when others do the same.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Loves flirting with the ladies, but he is always extremely proper about it. Well, in the show, anyway. Real life, maybe less so.
- Cool Old Guy: Franklin is this in spades, all the way down to his voice, which in the show was none other than that of the most trusted man in America.
- Deadpan Snarker: Was well known for this, and used it to great effect in France.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: The third youngest of 17, and the youngest of the boys.
- Omnidisciplinary Scientist: In the series, Franklin's roles as an inventor, amateur meteorologist, oceanographer, journalist, author, and postmaster general are all explored to at least some extent. To say nothing of his obvious involvement in politics.
George Washington
Voiced by Michael Santo
The “father of his country” and commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.- A Father to His Men: Very much so, especially toward Lafayette. Historically, Hamilton took issue with Washington's paternal treatment of him. This is one of his most beloved qualities that inspires others in his leadership.
- But Now I Must Go: Is eager to retire to his farm at Mount Vernon after the war, and has to wrest this right from his own officers, some of whom want him to declare himself king.
- Cincinnatus: He is called this by historians, both contemporary and modern, for turning down the chance to seize power and make himself king.
- Deadpan Snarker: “I hope you're as good at killing redcoats as you are at chasing children.”
- Four-Star Badass: Gets promoted from colonel to general in his first appearance, and is head of the army. And, actually, he has six stars, as legally, no one in America is allowed to equal his rank.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Yes, Washington is definitely one of the greatest heroes of America's earliest history, but as is exceedingly common in media portrayals, the fact that he owned slaves is never mentioned, and he is painted as being at least tolerant of the cause of abolition (in reality he was stubbornly neutral on the subject, and avoided addressing it at all during his presidency). His head servant William Lee is only seen in one scene in the entire series, and he refers to Washington as “sir” rather than “master.” This is notable as this series goes to great effort to show the Grey-and-Gray Morality of other historical characters, such as Thomas Jefferson and Benedict Arnold.
- Large and in Charge: The show makes liberal use of camera angles that show off Washington's height and give a sense of his authority and no-nonsense attitude. Truth in Television as he was a very tall man note , tall even for the modern day but positively huge for the time.
- Man Hug: Not fond of these, but he does share two with Lafayette.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Baron von Steuben and Ben Franklin both call Washington's willingness to learn from and listen to his underlings “his genius.”
- Reluctant Hero: Did not particularly want the job as commander-in-chief of the army, but accepted it out of necessity to the cause.
- The Stoic: It takes a lot to get Washington truly rattled. Only two people manage it, and one is Benedict Arnold.
- Washington also wasn't big on laughing, probably due to dental problems. But Lafayette manages to make him burst out laughing with one of his stories.
- Worthy Opponent: When King George hears that Washington has rejected the chance to seize power and make himself king, he calls Washington the greatest man in the world.
Marquis de Lafayette
Voiced by Ben Beck
Full name: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. A French nobleman who sneaks out of France to join the American Revolution. He becomes extremely popular for this.- The Ace: Turned out to be one of the army's most brilliant tacticians.
- All-Loving Hero: In real life, he bore a grudge against the English for forcing him to grow up without a father. In the series, he wants to be friends with literally everyone, including the English-born Sarah. He's also the only member of Washington's staff who is civil and respectful to Charles Lee, also English born, who proves to be hopelessly incompetent in American warfare, and who openly slanders Lafayette's idol Washington.
- Ascended Fanboy: Came all the way from France to become this to Washington.
- Blue Blood: He's the Marquis de Lafayette, after all. But he's far from stingy, and is shown in the series to be extremely generous.
- Bourgeois Bohemian: A positive example as his aristocratic lineage did not hamper his progressive beliefs, such as abolitionism and republicanism, which would reflect in his role in aiding the French Revolution in Real Life.
- But Now I Must Go: Likes to announce his departure in this manner.
- Fake Nationality: Voiced by Georgian actor Ben Beck.
- Gratuitous French: In his first episode. After that, he rarely uses French words or phrases.
- Immigrant Patriotism: Quickly adopts America as his own country, before even setting foot there.
- Jumped at the Call: Immediately made plans to sail for America when he heard about the Revolution.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Lafayette is positively gaga over Washington. His primary goal in coming to America is meeting his hero.
- Man Hug: Is quite fond of these, and is literally the only man in history to get away with glomping George Washington.
- Overly Long Name: Fortunately, he only says it once, and insists on being called Gilbert.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Of the Historical Domain Characters, Lafayette by far provides the most laughs.
- Slave Liberation: Lafayette and his two best friends, Hamilton and Laurens, were committed abolitionists. Lafayette and his wife bought a plantation in South America and gave it to slaves whom they rescued, so they could have a safe place to live and work as free people. In-universe, Lafayette expresses dismay and outrage at the fact that Moses' brother has to remain on the run after the Revolution instead of being granted his freedom. He also promises to do everything in his power to help American spy James Armistead gain his freedom in return for his instrumental role in the battle of Yorktown.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: More so than even James, and never fully loses this tendency even after witnessing the horrors of war. It would take him being chased out of France, hunted, imprisoned for five years, then used as a political pawn by a dictator to jade his vision even slightly.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Wore a dress and a woman's wig to sneak out of France (though he claimed it was a merchant's cloak).
Benedict Arnold
Voiced by Dustin Hoffman
A major general first in the Continental army, then in the British army. He won many battles for America, making his eventual betrayal come as a complete shock.- Alternate Character Interpretation: An in-universe example, as Sarah begins to wonder what Arnold's true motives were, and whether he no longer believes everything he said about American freedom.
- Broken Pedestal: For a lot of characters, but especially for Sarah and Washington.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: At least by the people he thought mattered. Despite his contributions to the fight against the British, Congress hardly ever took note of his accomplishments. When it seemed that even his friend, George Washington, had dismissed him, he decided to turn against the cause.
- Establishing Character Moment: When we first meet him, he's demanding that Ethan Allen give him full control of the Green Mountain Boys, stating that he has the authority from congress to take over, and he is dismayed at the utter lack of respect he receives for his haughty entrance and attitude.
- Face–Heel Turn: The trope codifier.
- Foregone Conclusion: American audiences (and everyone else who had previously watched Benedict Arnold being portrayed in other exported works of fiction) go into this series knowing Arnold eventually betrays America. The characters, however, are taken completely by surprise when it happens.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: During the first five years of the war, he was integral to many of our successes in battle. But he's remembered only for what he did from 1780 onward.
- It's All About Me: Arnold allegedly betrayed America because he felt he was not receiving the recognition he deserved from Congress.
- Jerkass Woobie: You can't help but feel sorry for him at times, even knowing what he will eventually do.
- Memetic Badass: Sarah sees Arnold as this at first.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The hot-headed, arrogant red to Washington's level-headed, humble blue.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: He was already being treated as a loyalist sympathiser after throwing a party for both loyalists and patriots, the final straw came when Washington, a man who Arnold once trusted, sent him that letter. Shortly after he turned spy for the British.
- The Resenter: Most of his episodes deal with the fact that he was constantly spurned by Congress and higher ranking brass (except Washington) for promotions and recognition of his military contributions. This is eventually what made him decide to betray America.
