As America enters its 250th year, one that increasingly feels like it’s putting this great experiment to the test, Ken Burns’ latest documentary, The American Revolution, offers a needed way to re-center. It’s an opportunity to learn, reflect, and grapple with the complicated beauty of what it means to be American.
About The American Revolution Documentary
The American Revolution is a 12-hour, six-episode series exploring the full scope of America’s origins. It blends interviews with historians and experts with narration from a wide range of familiar voices, including Tom Hanks, Josh Brolin, Samuel L. Jackson, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Paul Giamatti, Meryl Streep, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, and others.
- Episode 1: In Order to Be Free (May 1754 – May 1775)
- Episode 2: An Asylum for Mankind (May 1775 – July 1776)
- Episode 3: The Times That Try Men’s Souls (July 1776 – January 1777)
- Episode 4: Conquer by a Drawn Game (January 1777 – February 1778)
- Episode 5: The Soul of All America (December 1777 – May 1780)
- Episode 6: The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780 – onward)
How to Watch
All episodes of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution are now available to stream or watch for free.
- Watch online: pbs.org/show/the-american-revolution
- PBS app: Search your app store or visit pbs.org/pbs-app
- Broadcast: Find your local station at pbs.org/stations
News Clips from the 1770s
Further explore the documentary’s themes through these original 1770s newspaper reports, offering a snapshot of how the Revolution was first understood by the public. You can explore more in the Scratch Post American History clip archive.
