DiscoverConnections PodcastLessons from Ken Burns' new series, "The American Revolution"
Lessons from Ken Burns' new series, "The American Revolution"

Lessons from Ken Burns' new series, "The American Revolution"

Update: 2025-11-14
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A highly anticipated documentary series launches on PBS this weekend. 

Ken Burns' "The American Revolution: An Intimate History" is a six-part series about the men and women who fought and lived through the war for America's independence. 

This hour, we're joined by filmmaker David Schmidt and local history professors to preview the series and to discuss what we can learn — and what we get wrong — about the Revolutionary War. 

Our guests:


  • David Schmidt, co-director of "The American Revolution”

  • Michael Jarvis, Ph.D., professor of early American, Atlantic, and digital history and archeology at University of Rochester

  • Paul B. Moyer, Ph.D., professor of history at SUNY Brockport

Sponsored By

Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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Lessons from Ken Burns' new series, "The American Revolution"

Lessons from Ken Burns' new series, "The American Revolution"

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