In 1990, Ken Burns made a name for himself with his series, The Civil War. Since then, he has created many celebrated historical documentaries. In 2025, he (and his team) released The American Revolution.
I appreciate that the Civil War gets more attention than the Revolutionary War. But the Revolutionary War seemed a bit too marginalized in my own recollection of US History coursework. And too simplistic in my memory. So I was grateful to see this 12-hour documentation produced by Team Burns.
So of course, I have questions. As each episode runs well over 100 minutes, I have about 100 questions for each episode. This might seem like a heavy load for students watching each episode, but it is not.
Each question requires a response that takes very few seconds to complete. Students can relax and listen for most of the screening time, but the questions will help maintain their focus. Most quickly become adept at pre-reading the next question up, and are ready to pounce when the answer comes up.
Thirteen American colonies unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe. What begins as a political clash between colonists and the British government grows into a bloody struggle that will engage more than two dozen nations and forever change the world.