Six months shy of its 250th anniversary, the United States of America is still in its infancy. It’s an empire in constant evolution, trying to decide what it will be. Prolific documentarian Ken Burns and his co-directors, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, bring the bloody story of America’s origins to life in PBS’ expansive and detailed “The American Revolution,” a project that took nearly a decade to bring to the small screen. Spanning three decades and two continents, the six-episode, 12-hour documentary series is a treasure trove of often-forgotten history, illustrating who we were and illuminating who we are as a country.
Narrated by Burns’ frequent collaborator Peter Coyote, “The American Revolution” begins long before that fateful day in July 1776, when the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. The filmmakers begin the story nearly 20 years earlier, when Benjamin Franklin first publicly called for the British colonies to form a union. Franklin’s proposal was initially rejected, but, as the series points out, events in the following years—including unfair taxation by the British government, the French and Indian War, the Boston Massacre, and later the Boston Tea Party—led the colonists, who called themselves Patriots, to reconsider Franklin’s plan.
As with many of Burns’ works, such as “The Civil War,” “The American Buffalo” and even “Jazz,” “The American Revolution” is as complex as it is dense. In the absence of photographs and other modern visuals, the crew used several techniques to bring the period and hard-won battles to life. Using animated maps and portraits, voiceovers from prominent speakers such as Keith David, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and Samuel L. Jackson, and commentary from historians and scholars such as Vincent Brown and Maggie Blackhawk, filmmakers and writers Geoffrey Ward create a multidimensional tapestry of the era. Additionally, listening to the testimonies of Loyalists and the English Crown, enslaved and free Black people, Native people, women and patriot fighters across the 13 colonies, the series shows how diverse America has always been and how this war affected everyone.
“The American Revolution” is profound, almost tedious. It is also filled with gripping sequences, betrayals and shocking twists. Episode 3, “The Times That Test the Souls of Men (July 1776-January 1777)” is particularly compelling. The episode focuses primarily on the early battles, including the Battle of Trenton, a decisive American victory that boosted the morale of the young Continental Army. The audience is plunged into the horrors of war, which was fought eye to eye by landless men wielding muskets, unreliable rifles and terrifying bayonets. George Washington, who commanded the Americans, often made costly mistakes, and soldiers often went months without pay, food, or proper clothing, even when exposed to the elements or deadly smallpox. (Washington would later require all soldiers to be vaccinated in an early version of a vaccination mandate.)
In true Burns fashion, “The American Revolution” is comprehensive and thorough, leaving no popular figure or fringe person overlooked. By depicting the war not only from an American perspective but also from a global perspective, “The American Revolution” presents a comprehensive picture of this country at its founding. It was an idea that finally became a reality. The series also highlights the cracks in our current union and suggests how we might overcome our mistakes as a nation so that it can endure and truly become the place of freedom it was meant to be. But for now, the American Revolution continues.
“The American Buffalo” premieres on PBS on November 16, with the remaining episodes airing each consecutive night.
