Next year, the USA will celebrate the Declaration of Independence. Festivities will honor the country and those who fought for independence. But to know the real story, this film not only educates all ages, but also enlightens viewers to what actually happened 250 years ago.

While people in America were divided, it might be new to some viewers that people in Britain were also divided about America’s independence. And, to be honest, the world also took sides in this situation.

“This is a revolution, a bloody, bloody revolution, superimposed by a bloody civil war, superimposed by a bloody world war,” Burns told a group of media. “The cast of characters is extraordinary. There’s an unbelievable variety of a cast of characters.”

Producer and co-director David Schmidt added, “I think that the revolution was so many different things. It’s a war for independence that we know it was. It’s a civil war. It’s a world war fought between dozens of nations in North America and in Europe. It’s so many things.

“It’s things that you already know it is. It’s the creation of a nation, of a republic that we’ve kept for 250 years. It’s the war that won our independence, American independence.

“It united the states. But I think what surprised me and really unlocks the key to this whole thing is that those three things, republic, union, and independence, were actually not the goals at the outset of this war. The war at its start was about standing up to tyranny, liberating Boston, restoring things to the way they used to be under the British Empire, and it’s only the course of the war that makes independence, union, and republic necessary.”

The film delves deeply into the lives of the people we have read about. George Washington, now referred to as the father of the country, was an interesting and somewhat enigmatic man for the filmmakers to research.

Burns explained, “George Washington’s one of the richest people in the country. He is definitely risking his life all the time and doesn’t need to in some instances. He’s rash, riding out on the battlefield to stop a retreat at Monmouth or to lead people on at Princeton or at Kips Bay to stop a retreat at Kips Bay too, where he could have been killed.”

It is evident, listening to Burns, that his respect for Washington has grown immensely since making the film. “And he’s risking everything. Some of the officers at Valley Forge, you’ll learn … go home. 500 of his officers, because they’re hearing news, hey, we’re making money off this war, right? And you’re risking your life. And they’re going, why can’t I do that? George Washington stayed.”

Burns continued, “He’s basically in a tent, not at Mount Vernon for most of the six and a half years of the war. And that’s an impressive thing.”

For the filmmakers, especially Burns, this documentary is a complete lesson. With paintings, documents, and maps, they managed to put together the ultimate history lesson of the birth of the nation. To understand what and where events occurred, they included documents that complete the lesson and make it well-rounded with information that adds to the commentary. “And there are more maps in this film than there are in all my other films combined,” he said.

For Burns, he realized the events of the revolution were incomparable. “I think this is one of the most important events in world history. It’s certainly the most consequential revolution, as we say, but I think it’s the most important event since the birth of Christ.”

The revolution led to so many things that, as Burns pointed out, will be having anniversaries in the coming years. “There are going to be 200 anniversaries beginning earlier this year, but going on until 2039, which is the beginning of the United States government, 2037 when the Constitution [was established], 2031 when Yorktown happens, 2033 when the Treaty of Paris formally ends, all these different anniversaries, but July 4th will be the biggest.”

Burns stressed he hoped the show would put the “us” back in the U.S.

After viewing this show, it is clear they brought as much to the project as possible. It is, quite clearly, a deep dive into the revolution from all sides, and will enlighten viewers of all ages. It is a six-part, 12-hour mini-series filled with information brought to viewers in an interesting and visually entertaining Ken Burns way.

“The American Revolution” began Nov. 16, 2025, on PBS and its platforms.