Prudence Wright "The Price of Liberty"

Before America secured its independence, one woman discovered that the greatest battles are sometimes fought against those closest to home.

As revolution spreads across the colonies, Prudence Cummings Wright finds herself caught between divided loyalties. While her husband answers the call of the Patriot cause, her own brothers remain faithful to the British Crown. But when word reaches Pepperell, Massachusetts, that a Loyalist courier carries intelligence that could threaten the fight for liberty, Prudence refuses to stand by. Rallying the women of her community into the "Guardians of Liberty," she transforms ordinary wives, mothers, and daughters into an organized force of courage, vigilance, and resistance.

Set against the opening days of the American Revolution, Prudence Wright: The Price of Liberty is a gripping cinematic audio drama of faith, sacrifice, impossible choices, and the remarkable women who proved that the defense of freedom extended far beyond the battlefield. On a moonlit night at Jewett Bridge, Prudence and her militia make a stand that would become one of the earliest acts of organized female resistance in American history.

Featuring acclaimed voice talent including Rachel Hendrix (October Baby) as Abigail Adams, Danielle Ricci (Winterset) as Prudence Wright, Jonathan Stoddard (Crossroad Springs) as John Adams, Kristen Grace Gonzalez (Divine Influencer, Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries) as Agent 355, Alex Kendrick (Lifemark, Overcomer, War Room) as George Washington, Isabelle Almoyan (Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Camp Hideout) as Sarah Shattuck, Candace Kirkpatrick (Vindication) as Betsy Cummings, and Jackson Trent (King of War Tech) as David Wright. 

Created with immersive Dolby® Atmos sound design, a sweeping original orchestral score, and cinematic storytelling, Defiant Ones transports listeners into the heart of the American Revolution like never before.

Premiering on The Washington Times.

Created by Beautifully Flawed Productions in partnership with The Washington Times, the Tea Party Patriots Foundation, and The Women In My World.

Before America was born, women were already fighting for her.

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:32

My dearest John, it is spring seventeen seventy-five. I scarce can believe it. Talk of liberty has grown loud in our towns, yet louder still in our homes. I hear that women across the colonies are even introducing their youngest children to the cause of freedom.

SPEAKER_09 1:00

My sweet baby boom. Liberty. You have opinions already, have you? Shh. Let's listen to Thomas Pain speak.

SPEAKER_06 1:10

I have heard of a woman, Prudence Wright, a mother of five children, acquainted already with sorrow, but strong and opinionated. Shh. She did not seek the front lines, only to keep her household whole.

SPEAKER_14 1:29

A highwayman or a housebreaker has as good a pretense as King George.

SPEAKER_09 1:35

I want you to hear this man. He's going to be a great orator for the commons.

SPEAKER_14 1:38

In the 14th century, the whole English army, after ravaging the Kingdom of Province, was driven back, like men petrified with fear. This brave ex-wite performed by few broken forces collected and beheaded by a woman.

SPEAKER_09 2:10

Children, it means free. I feel it. I know it. America will have no king other than Jesus.

unknown 2:50

Liberty.

SPEAKER_09 2:52

Liberty. Liberty.

SPEAKER_06 3:01

And thus war entered Pepperel, not with ceremony, but in the arms of a mother.

SPEAKER_09 3:13

Lord, I thank thee for this warm April day in Pepperel. If I cannot be grateful for small mercies, my reason would soon desert me. The grief of liberty's death presses heavily upon my heart. I must go forward and pray for strength to master my sorrow.

SPEAKER_19 3:43

What comfort can I offer? It pains me to see you bear such sorrow.

SPEAKER_09 3:49

David, do you not grieve for liberty?

SPEAKER_19 3:52

I do, my darling. But I have joined the militia. If the king's soldiers mean to oppress this land, they shall find us ready.

SPEAKER_09 4:06

We cannot let hate consume us. We are called to forgive our enemies, and I'm trying so hard.

SPEAKER_17 4:15

I know.

SPEAKER_19 4:16

But if I stand back now, if I do nothing, then what was taken from us is only loss.

SPEAKER_09 4:27

I must pull myself out of this grave and carry forth.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

Sister.

SPEAKER_09 4:52

Jeremiah, Samuel. I dare say you are the only two British soldiers on earth I can tolerate.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

It is so nice to see you both. I'm terrible in these situations, Prue. Forgive me, but please know I I am grieving your loss with you.

SPEAKER_09 5:11

Thank you, Jeremiah.

SPEAKER_03 5:12

My darling sister, I don't have the words to express my condolences. I shall miss the little tyke more than I can say. I can only imagine your pain.

SPEAKER_09 5:22

Got a fine figure, both of you. Though I cannot say I admire the color.

SPEAKER_19 5:27

Where does his majesty send you? Well, nowhere of consequence.

SPEAKER_09 5:31

Samuel, I should be surprised if that were true. The king seldom acts without design. Will you be quartered among the townsfolk?

SPEAKER_02 5:38

We go where we're commanded.

SPEAKER_09 5:40

Even the homes of his subjects? God grant you're not sent where innocence is made to suffer.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Prue, Liberty's death was an accident. Captain Tarleton, however, has been called to account for it. And to drive through a crowd in such a manner was Barbaric.

SPEAKER_03 5:59

We didn't come to argue, Prue. We came as your loving brothers. Forget our uniforms. We grieve with you.

SPEAKER_09 6:08

Do you understand? My infant son was trampled to death because I wanted to hear a man speak of freedom.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

You mean treason? Jeremiah, we should go.

SPEAKER_09 6:19

These colonies will be free. I will fight to my last breath in the remembrance of liberty.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

Prudence. I urge you, Prue, keep such comments to yourself. The time is coming when such talk will be considered sedition.

SPEAKER_09 6:34

I love you both. I hope you know that. But pray circumstances never come about where I must choose between you and my country.

SPEAKER_19 6:45

And I pray we never meet on the battlefield. Goodbye, sister.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

You will be missed.

SPEAKER_09 6:53

You as well.

SPEAKER_10 7:07

Ah, three and fifty-five on the clock. Right on time, miss.

SPEAKER_05 7:12

In Boston, Dawn carries the scent of bread through a town. And on certain mornings, the promise of liberty with it.

SPEAKER_10 7:22

The bread is my family's own receipt. Nothing in it but what is fit for the Patriots. The sourdough rose well before the sun this morning. Best taken while the crust is still warm, and the receipt is fresh in mind.

SPEAKER_05 7:37

Then I shall deliver it to the militia at once, ere it falls. This receipt carries more than bread. Also a message. A courier riding north from Boston toward Pepperel. Armies march on roads. But information arrives first. I must get to Pepperel to stop the courier. The receipt must not fail us.

SPEAKER_18 8:22

What do you want?

SPEAKER_09 8:23

I'm looking for Sarah Shattock. Are you a soldier quartering in her home?

SPEAKER_18 8:28

How do you know her?

SPEAKER_09 8:29

We both lost children. We share a bond over our grief.

SPEAKER_08 8:34

Lieutenant, please. This is my friend, Prudence Wright. Why don't we take a walk outside? They're quartering soldiers here again. Something is coming. And what do you think it is? There's a large movement of troops in Boston. I heard the lieutenant say they're assembling on the outskirts of the city.

SPEAKER_09 8:59

They're preparing an attack. That's what I think. I'll tell David to let the regiment know.

SPEAKER_18 9:19

John Adams. If you're still arguing with Ink at this hour, I advise you that the Ink will win.

SPEAKER_17 9:27

Benjamin Franklin. Do, do, do, do. Come on, sir.

SPEAKER_18 9:31

I pass three candles flickering in the hallway. Congress burns through wax faster than wisdom. If wax were wisdom, we'd have declared independence twice over. Ah. Correspondence from Massachusetts? From my wife, Abigail. Then I shall leave you to the more formidable debate.

SPEAKER_17 9:50

No, no, please. Stay a moment. She writes that the women are watching. Watching whom? Us. My dearest friend.

SPEAKER_06 10:03

The times grow watchful. Women who once busied themselves with hearth and harvest now busy themselves with rumor and resolve. If the men march, then we must mind the gates. Liberty, I think, does not only depend upon muskings, but upon mothers.

SPEAKER_17 10:22

She is not wrong. No, she rarely is. I must bid you adieu. Um, yes. Good night, Franklin. We argue principles in halls. They bury sons in snow. My dearest Abigail, you speak of vigilance as though it were a form of worship. Perhaps you are not wrong. If liberty survives, it will not be because we declared it boldly, but because you guarded it quietly.

SPEAKER_05 11:14

I need to get this message to Pepperell with great haste.

SPEAKER_18 11:20

No passage. Orders from Boston.

SPEAKER_05 11:25

What business holds the road?

SPEAKER_17 11:28

King's business. That is sufficient.

SPEAKER_05 11:34

Too many. Too visible. The road is lost. And so the warning must find another way. Or not at all.

SPEAKER_07 11:51

Mmm. Perfect. Yes, ma'am. A sourdough looks delicious. Golden brown. It does, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_09 12:00

Now Millicent, stir the soup, please. Children, would you like a piece of bread with butter?

SPEAKER_13 12:06

Yes. Yes, please!

SPEAKER_09 12:08

Mmm. Butter. Yes. Butter, butter! Oh no. David, what is it? What's happened?

SPEAKER_19 12:16

The British are coming to raid the armories in Lexington and Concord. It's been decided they will not take our arms. If they take those arms, we will be defenseless.

SPEAKER_09 12:27

I know. Go with God. I will be praying for you. I love you more than life.

SPEAKER_19 12:37

I will do my part, Prue, to make America a place where our children and their children will never bow to any king other than Jesus. I'll fight for freedom. I'll avenge liberty.

SPEAKER_09 12:56

Children, we need to pray for your father and his brothers. We need to pray for the soldiers. Dear Heavenly Father, I pray to you. Be with the men and keep them safe so that we can fight the freedom. Hello, mother. What a sweet surprise! You look troubled. Children, go inside. Your mother and I need to talk. David's regiment was called up. There's a rumor. The British are coming to Lexington in Concord. And how do you feel about all this? I pray we do whatever the Lord would require of us to fight tyranny. Liberty cannot have died in vain.

SPEAKER_06 13:54

Samuel told me of his and Jeremiah's visit with you.

SPEAKER_09 13:57

Yes, I don't know what they're thinking. How could they have enlisted in the king's army? Well, they're convinced whatever King God gives you, you must accept. And yet scripture shows us many times that God can be persuaded to remove curses and replace them with blessings. America is an ordained nation with a special calling. I agree. And I'm sad that your brothers don't. If you don't mind, Mother, I'd like to continue on by myself for a bit.

SPEAKER_06 14:29

Of course, dear. I'll see you back at the house.

SPEAKER_09 14:40

Quell my fears and lighten my heartache. Losing Liberty nearly crushed me. Please do not let me lose David, too.

unknown 14:50

I am grieving the.

SPEAKER_09 14:52

Oh Lord, those my brothers.

SPEAKER_02 14:53

The 19th. The 19th. After Concord. Three days ends. But who? Or what? A spy.

SPEAKER_03 15:03

Look, he must get through to Boston. There'll be a courier with him to dispatch as well. Make haste.

SPEAKER_09 15:10

A courier? Is this information that could help David keep him safe? Fortunately, there is only one road to Boston. Mother, may I leave the children with you for a few days? I have something I must do. Yes, of course. Are you all right? Yes. I love you all so much. I will return to see you again soon. Sarah, now that I've returned to Pepperil, we must spread the call quietly and in pieces. Beneath the very noses of the British. Then, Prue, we must begin at once. We'll start it as a message dropped in two parts at Nancy Harper's cloth shop.

SPEAKER_08 16:13

Nancy, thread breaks before the third turn.

SPEAKER_09 16:19

Then a few hours later, Elizabeth will drop another few sentences. Nancy, the dye will not take unless the water runs red. And when the meaning finds her, it will take hold all at once.

SPEAKER_07 16:33

I must go to the flour mill, Elizabeth. I will see you at quilting.

SPEAKER_09 16:38

Godspeed be with you. From the mill, Elizabeth and I will watch as Nancy Harper sets her flower bag down by Maple Carter's. Nancy will pick up Maple's bag and walk off as Maple grabs Nancy's and does the same.

SPEAKER_07 16:55

Have a good day, Mabel. I'll see you at quilting.

SPEAKER_09 16:58

From there, the women will spread the intelligence in discrete, creative ways. Mabel's husband, the town butcher, will sell Joanna Smith a goose, but not before Mabel slips a note into the goose's gullet.

SPEAKER_11 17:10

I suggest the goose today, Mrs. Smith. It's fresh and delicious.

SPEAKER_09 17:14

Joanna will waste no time taking her daughter's favorite dress to Elaine Miller, the tailor, with a tiny note hidden in the head. Next, Elaine slips the details about the meeting at Jewett Bridge into the bosoms of dresses going home with Sally Jenkins and her daughters. Sally in turn tucks a note inside her Bible and asks Betsy Wilkins to read Psalm 32 during their evening study. Then finally, Ma Ringer will stuff a tiny note inside her yarn ball and trade it with Priscilla Pimkins for a different one of a brighter color.

SPEAKER_00 17:46

You should unwind it all the way and rework it. I'm afraid I've made a naughty mess of it.

SPEAKER_09 17:56

Jewitt Bridge. Is the meaning plain enough? Will anyone show? There is, of course, only one way to find out. Are you okay, Prue? Just a lot on my mind, dear Elizabeth.

SPEAKER_13 18:18

British Armory, Concord, then Lexington. But they were ready.

SPEAKER_09 18:21

Excuse me, sir. My husband is with the regiment of Minutemen in Concord. What is your news?

SPEAKER_13 18:26

There was shooting. Casualties. The British fired upon them.

SPEAKER_09 18:31

Casualties? How many? Who? Lord, not David.

SPEAKER_13 18:35

I don't know yet. The militia in Lexington met the British with a sound beating. I hear it was right many shot in Concord, man.

SPEAKER_15 18:43

God help them all! The British fired on the colonial soldiers.

SPEAKER_09 18:48

America is now at war with the crown. Stopping the courier. And the spy at Jewitt Bridge is of tantamount importance. As I approach Jewitt Bridge, God, please help me. I do not know if David lives or if he does not, but I will not shrink away from what lies ahead. Please show up here and bring the women. Elizabeth? Nancy? Who goes there? Brue. Sarah, oh thank God. I'm here. Are you alone? For now. I brought a lantern. We shall remain in darkness for now.

SPEAKER_08 19:50

Elizabeth will be here. I'm sure.

SPEAKER_09 19:53

But can three of us take the courier? Did you bring a rifle?

SPEAKER_08 19:57

No, but I brought a pitchfork.

SPEAKER_09 20:01

Crew. I'm here, Elizabeth. Are you alone? It's us. Did you bring weapons? Yes, we did. Elizabeth, please light the lantern. Thank you. All of you for coming. There is a courier on this road tonight making his way to Boston. We are planning on arresting him, not shooting him, right? Yes, and give the intelligence to the safety committee. Then we make it proper.

SPEAKER_08 20:32

A real militia. I name you Captain Prue. I second. We're taking us by legally. We're not robbers or kidnappers. Let's get into position.

SPEAKER_09 20:47

It's almost midnight. How long will we stay out here? As long as it takes. Be ready with the lantern, Elizabeth.

SPEAKER_08 20:59

There's more than one. Not just a courier.

SPEAKER_09 21:06

Halt! State your business. Ladies, now!

SPEAKER_04 21:11

Whoa! Whoa, then! There's a mob of women, and they have weapons! Ah, we can ride through them. Ma'am, please, slow over your weapon. Soldier, don't shoot. I know her. Do not shoot. Samuel. That is my sister. She would wade through blood for the rebel cause.

SPEAKER_09 21:29

You are all under arrest.

SPEAKER_04 21:31

You think we'll yield to women? I'll see you hang.

SPEAKER_09 21:36

The whole of Massachusetts shall know. You have been bested by women. A fate worse than death.

SPEAKER_19 21:43

I'll shoot you, woman.

SPEAKER_09 21:46

And then they'll shoot you. And we'll all be dead. But the rebels will have your dispatches. Throw down your weapons.

SPEAKER_04 21:56

We are surrounded. For God's sake, soldiers, drop your weapon.

SPEAKER_09 22:00

Elizabeth, take the dispatches.

SPEAKER_08 22:11

Pru, these are troop movements and battle plans. They're what?

SPEAKER_09 22:16

Ladies, did you hear that? You have saved us!

unknown 22:21

Thank you, God!

SPEAKER_15 22:22

Thank you, Lord!

unknown 22:24

Hooray!

SPEAKER_15 22:25

Freedom! Liberty!

SPEAKER_09 22:27

We have done it. Not with armies, but with courage.

SPEAKER_16 22:46

Three and fifty-five. You are punctual.

SPEAKER_05 22:51

I endeavor never to be otherwise. What have you? I was not able to secure the message. Yet odd prevailed. A company of women intervened and saved us. You must send word to George Washington at once. He is needed. Desperately.

SPEAKER_16 23:13

What shall I tell him? Give him these ingredients. Flour, water, salt, and leaven.

SPEAKER_05 23:25

Yes. And tell him the old leaven has failed us. We must begin again. With a new receipt. His time is coming.

SPEAKER_12 23:47

Ah, Mount Vernon. There is no place I would rather be.

SPEAKER_15 23:55

George, dear, a sack of flour was delivered today, but strangely it was addressed to you with this recipe attached. Do you know what this is about?

SPEAKER_12 24:07

Flour, water, salt, and leaven.

unknown 24:11

Hmm.

SPEAKER_12 24:12

This claims the old leaven has failed us. Lexington, Concord, the Rhodes Watched, a militia of strong women who would not yield and stood against tyranny. And so it has begun. I believe I will be soon called away to engage within this war. Philadelphia. But more importantly, Providence is asking me to step into a greater role for the sake of our freedom. My dearest Martha, our future and the future of generations to come beckons, and I must answer the call.

SPEAKER_06 25:01

But are written instead in the quiet courage of women. They do not carry muskets alone, but messages, provisions, resolve. And when the moment comes, they stand. If this liberty endures, it will be because God placed courage not only in the hands of men, but in the hearts of women.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Directed by Sherry Rigby. Producers Billy Hollimo, Claire Ureadley, Julia Riley, Katie Kenney Phillips, and Sherry Rigby. Casting by Donna and Lottie Shudy. Immersive audio mix by Kim Farrell and Jade Dickey. Original score composed by Luke Snyder. Production mixed by Dan Riveros.