“This is, I think, the most important event since the birth of Christ. The creation of the United States of America.”—Ken Burns.

If you’re convinced you know all there is to know about the American Revolution–the period spanning approximately 1754 and the close of the 18th century–and what you know you vaguely remember from middle school or from some clunky TV costume drama, think again.  If you claim the United States as your home, no matter your country of birth or current residency, it’s imperative that you become reacquainted with America’s origin story.

The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770. Engraving by Paul Revere, circa 1770. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library.

What better way to be proactive in the fight to save our democracy then to turn to Award-winning, critically-acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns, who has spent the better part of the past 50 years telling America’s story on film.  It took almost 10 years for Burns and his production team, including fellow producer/directors Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt; screenwriter/historian Geoffrey C. Ward; cinematographer Buddy Squires and a dedicated crew of editors, musicians, researchers, scholars and historians, to turn the mythic shape-shifting birth of the “American experiment” into a definitive narrative that not only traces the timeline of the bloody eight year war for Independence but also its incendiary backstory and divisive epilogue as well.

The due diligence of Ken Burns and his team has paid off handsomely, and couldn’t be more timely.  Their six episode, 12-hour documentary series, The American Revolution, debuts on PBS tonight, Sunday, November 16, 2025. It will be broadcast over six consecutive nights in two-hour installments, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET. (See below for detailed screening and streaming info, and check local listings for air times in your region and for marathon PBS rebroadcast dates leading up to America’s Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026.)

The Continental Congress adopting The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Painting by John Trumbull, circa 1818. Photo courtesy Yale University Art Gallery.

No photographic images or film footage of the period exists, of course, so the challenge to engage viewers with America’s complex origin story would seem to be insurmountable.  But if you’re afraid this series will be a data dense snooze, fear not!  Anyone familiar with Ken Burns’ filmography knows that he and his team are masters of turning reams of dusty research into a living, breathing narrative.

Yes, there are the requisite scholarly talking heads and archival paintings, lithographs and drawings; period newspaper clips, rabble rousing broadsides, pamphlets and other graphic ephemera.  Eighteenth century and newly drawn maps document the parameters of military maneuvers; and seasonal footage shot on-location at national historic sites frames expressionistic battlefield and campground vignettes dramatized by professional reenactors.

GEORGE WASHINGTON. Painting by Charles Willson Peale, circa 1779 -1781. Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But the Ken Burns signature elements that drive the 12-hour American Revolution series into the stratosphere are the wartime anecdotes, intimate ruminations and political screeds culled from touching personal letters and diaries and fiery political and literary tracts of the period.  Penned in real time by almost 200 individuals who lived and died during this tumultuous period, these musings, read in voice over by A-list actors, provide the emotional through line for the series. Yes, there’s Meryl and Morgan; but I, for one, especially applaud Paul Giamatti’s return as “John Adams.”

Every faction is given a voice here, and every voice tells a story important to our understanding of the bigger picture.

Two Georges led the charge then, and anchor the series now.  We meet King George III and his political and military cronies, most especially General (Lord) Charles Cornwallis, and George Washington and his fellow political and military compatriots, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, the Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton and turncoat Benedict Arnold.  We hear from rank-and-file Continental Army soldiers and rough-and-tumble American militiamen; Native soldiers and civilians from the six nation tribes; enslaved and free African Americans; Hessian soldiers in the British service; America’s French and Spanish allies; and various civilian colonists–men and women expressing their allegiance to Loyalist, Patriot or Pacifist causes, whose homes, farmland, livestock and family members were ravaged by bands of invading marauders and who faced imprisonment or worse for their wartime allegiances.

A Revolutionary soldier bidding farewell to his wife. Painting by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe. Photo: William R. Koch.

“Our film tells the remarkable history of the people who lived through the American Revolution, their everyday concerns, and their hopes, fears and failings,” said producer/director Sarah Botstein. “The Revolution changed how we think about government–creating new ideas about liberty, freedom and democracy.”

What began as a political clash between civilians in 13 American colonies and the British government grew into a bloody, eight year civil war that pitted brother against brother, friend against friend, and ultimately, became a world war that engaged more than two dozen nations and forever changed the world and inspired democratic movements across the globe.  But, as with all wars, there were colossal missteps that added tarnish to that legacy.

The Revolutionary War Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776. Painting by Alonzo Chappel, circa 1860. Photo courtesy Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

The American Revolution series does not shy away from battlefield carnage, especially from ill-conceived military maneuvers by George Washington and others, or from the promises made and broken to soldiers, including slaves and Native Americans whose allegiance and service in the fight against British rule were crucial to our nation’s founding.  I found sequences focusing on the exploitation of slaves and Native Americans, and the brutal conditions under which American troops were expected to fight against professionally trained and uniformed British and Hessian soldiers to be especially painful to watch.

Upended by empty promises of equitable remuneration, crippling diseases and extreme weather conditions, American troops lacked decent uniforms, boots, housing, military supplies, rations and inoculation.  In winter, they slept in snow covered encampments in flimsy, wet uniforms without footwear, blankets or sufficient food. Yet they marched on, transporting artillery and supplies for hundreds of miles in scorching summer heat or pelting snow and sleet over rough wilderness terrain and ice-clogged rivers.  And their wives and mothers (as caregivers and cooks) and their children marched right alongside them.

I challenge anyone not to shed a tear or two during the lead up to George Washington’s pivotal Delaware crossing on December 25, 1776, in the wake of his massive defeat in New York, or be touched by his concern for the well being of his frozen and sickened troops.

Washington crossing the Delaware River on the evening of December 25, 1776, in a daring maneuver to surprise Hessian forces in Trenton, NJ. Painting by Emanuel Leutze, circa 1851. Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“The Revolution was eight years of uncertainty, hope and terror, a brutal war that engaged millions of people in North America and beyond and left tremendous loss in its wake,” said producer/director David Schmidt. “The United States that emerged from the war was a nation few could have imagined before the shooting began in April 1775.

By far, one of the most commendable takeaways from The American Revolution is its rigorous portrait of those who sacrificed so much in battle after battle to assure us the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for 250 years.  And so, in addition to the great minds who drafted our Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, the troops who fought and died so heroically for our independence during the 18th century should be at the top of our list of American heroes 365 days of the year and especially honored on Veterans Day and July 4th.

And, finally, I came away with deeper reverence for George Washington.  Despite being a flawed military tactician, resolute slave owner, usurper of Indian land, and member of the billionaire boys’ club of his day, Washington moved me with his dedication to the well being of his troops and for never losing sight of the lofty principles for which he and his men were fighting.  It was observed that when drawn into the thick of battle, with men falling all around him, Washington managed to command and inspire his troops and survive without a scratch.  His resilience, sense of duty, and inborn charisma, confidence and intelligence served him so well during the American Revolution that we should be forever thankful that George Washington arrived on the scene when he did and wore his “great man” mantle exceptionally well on the battlefield and as the first President of the United States of America.— Judith Trojan

The surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. Painting by John Trumbull, circa 1787-1828. Photo courtesy IanDagnall Computing/Alamy Stock Photo.

Viewing The American Revolution

Episode 1:  In Order to Be Free (May 1754 – May 1775) premieres on PBS tonight, Sunday, November 16, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET.

Episode 2:  An Asylum for Mankind (May 1775 – July 1776) premieres on PBS, Monday, November 17, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET.

Episode 3:  The Times That Try Men’s  Souls (July 1776 – January 1777) premieres on PBS, Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET.

Episode 4:  Conquer By a Drawn Game (January 1777 – February 1778) premieres on PBS, Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET.

Episode 5:  The Soul of All America (December 1777 – May 1780) premieres on PBS, Thursday, November 20, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET.

Episode 6:  The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780 – Onward) premieres on PBS, Friday, November 21, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET.

Producer/directors of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION from left: David Schmidt, Sarah Botstein and Ken Burns. Photo: Stephanie Berger.

Check local listings for regional air times and marathon PBS rebroadcast dates leading up to America’s Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026.  The six-part American Revolution series will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App , via iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, the “PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel,” Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.  PBS station members can also stream The American Revolution via PBS Passport, as part of a full collection of Ken Burns’ films.  Visit ShopPBS.org for DVD purchase links and PBS International for foreign distribution.

Educational materials available to teachers and students will be accessible at the Ken Burns in the Classroom hub on PBS LearningMedia.  And Attention Holiday Shoppers and diehard history buffs!  Don’t miss the series’ companion hardcover:  The American Revolution: An Intimate History by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns. Alfred A. Knopf, 2025. –Judith Trojan