US EditionKen Burns' Latest Docuseries Sheds New Light on the War for US Independence
Ken Burns' six-part series uses reenactments and expert insights to expose the revolution's brutality, internal conflicts, and overlooked roles of Native and African peoples.
- Ken Burns' new series debuts on PBS Sunday, Nov. 16, launching The American Revolution as a six-part, 12-hour series over six consecutive nights.
- Burns sought to counter sanitized founding myths by presenting a fuller account that emphasizes violence and division as America approaches its 250th anniversary next year.
- Using familiar Burns devices, the series combines signature pans, live cinematography, and reenactments with voices from Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Samuel L. Jackson, and highlights Native peoples and free and enslaved Black people.
- Filmmakers previewed the series across the country, including at Mount Vernon, Virginia, aiming to reshape American audiences' understanding and spark conversation before the PBS debut.
- Ken Burns warns that `When you look at the revolution, we were really divided then, really divided` and that acknowledging its violence reveals inspiring big ideas from a brutal civil war.
40 Articles
40 Articles
‘The American Revolution’ Review: Ken Burns’ Sluggish but Poignant PBS Docuseries Charts the Fight for Independence
“From a small spark kindled in America, a flame has arisen. Not to be extinguished.” Cultural historian and filmmaker Ken Burns has delighted audiences with in-depth documentaries about American life. Sparking debate along the way, Burns has covered everything in America’s history from celebrating our national pastime in 1994’s “Baseball” to the otherworldly design that is our national parks in 2009’s aptly titled “The National Parks: America’s …
Ken Burns explores the beginnings of the nation's democracy
"The American Revolution," the latest work from filmmaker Ken Burns, begins this Sunday on PBS. The six-part, 12-hour history of the war of independence from Britain and the beginnings of the American experiment in democracy comes at a moment of deep divisions. Jeffrey Brown has our look for our series Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy as part of our CANVAS coverage.
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