As we get ready to celebrate America’s birthday, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the meaning of independence and the history that shaped our nation. Whether you’re enjoying a cookout, catching a fireworks show, or spending time with family, we hope your Fourth of July is filled with pride and joy.
Tune in for commemorative broadcasts, thoughtful features, and educational content across TV, radio, and streaming.
NOVA: Revolutionary War Weapons
Watch Wednesday, July 1 at 9 p.m. on WCNY-TV
How did a ragtag army defeat the most powerful army in the world to win American independence? Discover the key military technologies that helped propel the colonies to victory, from the Brown Bess musket to the world’s first military submarine.
Currier & Ives: Perspectives on America—Printmakers to the People
Watch Friday, July 3 at 8 p.m. on WCNY-TV
“Printmakers to the People” focuses on the personal stories of Currier & Ives and how they met, the history of the firm and its phenomenal growth, and an examination of whether the company was creating an American identity or actually recording its history. Also examined is how lithography changed our view of the world.
A Capitol Fourth: 250th Weekend Celebration
Watch Friday, July 3 at 10 p.m. on WCNY-TV
America is a promise passed from one generation to the next, built by people who believed in something bigger than themselves. On our 250th birthday, we celebrate that idea. The music that moved us. The moments that defined us. The Americans who inspired us. And the spirit that has carried this country forward for two and a half centuries.
Road to Liberty Through Their Eyes
Watch Saturday, July 4 at 2 p.m. on WCNY-TV
This documentary captures the Patriots’ struggle for Independence against the mightiest nation in the world during the NY/NJ Campaign and in the months leading up to Christmas 1776. It’s a truly remarkable story of perseverance, survival, and triumph.
Shrapnel Down: My Korean War Story
Watch Saturday, July 4 at 3 p.m. on WCNY-TV
Korean War veteran, Bill Rector, who served as a Gunner’s Mate on the USS Los Angeles brings his story to public television audiences using the 8mm war footage he recorded, which has been unseeen by the public. Chapters covered in the documentary include the Blockade of Wonsan, the longest blockade in modern naval history, and the Court of Neptune ritual.
Currier & Ives: Perspectives on America—Cheap and Popular Pictures
Watch Saturday, July 4 at 5:30 p.m. on WCNY-TV
“Cheap & Popular Pictures” investigates the process of lithography in detail and what makes a good print. The passion of Collectors who seek out the many Currier & Ives prints sill in circulation is also looked at, as is some of the more popular images and the stories behind them.
America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together
Watch Saturday, July 4 at 10:30 p.m. on WCNY-TV
Enjoy a star-filled tribute to America’s Semiquincentennial from revolutionary Colonial Williamsburg, featuring live performances, historic interpretation, large-scale spectacle, and fireworks. This is the place where the path to independence truly began.
Vienna in the Wilderness: The Moravian Sound
Enjoy a balanced hour of early classical music featuring choral selections from the “Psalm of Joy,” in addition to chamber music by the first American-born composer of chamber works John Antes. You’ll also hear music for trombone choirs and organ preludes performed on an instrument made by David Tannenberg, the best organ maker of his day.
Listen Saturday, July 4 at 11 a.m. & 8 p.m. on Classic FM
Floating Ideas: How the Erie Canal Helped Shape America
“Floating Ideas: How the Erie Canal Helped Shape America” examines the spread of ideas along the Erie Canal, with an emphasis on women’s rights, suffrage, and the quest for social justice.
Join us in celebrating our nation’s veterans by welcoming home the men and women of Honor Flight Syracuse Mission 24. Learn more about the Honor Flight program and what it means to the veterans to be recognized for their service.
Hallowed Ground: New York’s Forgotten Revolutionary War Battlefields
WCNY has travelled to northern and southwestern New York communities to explore four Revolutionary War battlefields, all sites of pivotal battles and all on the list of the National Park Service’s endangered battlefields. WCNY has interviewed historians and tribal leaders, archaeologists and preservationists, battlefield friends and interested citizens, to uncover each battlefield.
Get ready for the Fourth of July with these fun Independence Day rocket decorations using some basic supplies and recyclables.
Make these mini American flags at home for a great Fourth of July craft that kids will enjoy.
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