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4w ago

Ken Burns’ ‘The American Revolution’ Rolls Out on PBS With a Broader Take on the Founding

The six-part series reframes the era by centering voices often missing from standard accounts.

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Ken Burns' new documentary "The American Revolution" will premiere on Sunday, November 16 on PBS (photo courtesy of PBS).
“The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776,” painted by John Trumbull, 1818. The painting is one of more than 1,000 pieces of art, maps and other images seen in the new PBS documentary series “The American Revolution.” (Image courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery)
The new Ken Burns documentary, “The American Revolution,” features the famous 1851 painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze. It pays tribute to a turning point for the colonists as they battled Great Britain.

Overview

  • The 12-hour documentary premiered Nov. 16 and airs over six consecutive nights on PBS through Nov. 21.
  • Burns and his team combine historian interviews, reenactments, and first‑person readings by actors including Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Claire Danes, and Morgan Freeman, with new music by Yo‑Yo Ma.
  • The narrative elevates nearly 200 figures, highlighting Native nations, women, and Black Americans, and trims myths such as Paul Revere’s catchphrase and the Betsy Ross flag story.
  • Regional reporting underscores featured Philadelphians and South Jersey voices such as printer James Parker, poet Hannah Griffitts, Reverend Nicholas Collin, and patriot James Forten.
  • Early reactions praise the breadth and craftsmanship, while some critics argue the approach leans into presentism or echoes contemporary political themes like state versus federal power and fears of demagoguery.