Sparks Commentary: A review of Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution” (PBS)

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government.”

– The United States Declaration of Independence (July 4th, 1776)

My prior concerns about this series, and how my hopes for this series were restored

When I first saw Ken Burns’ prior series “The Civil War,” I was mesmerized by it. I still consider it to be among the greatest series ever made, of any kind. And, in many ways, I was looking forward to seeing Ken Burns’ coverage of the American Revolution as well. But I confess that I also had some concerns about how he would cover this massive (and important) topic. These concerns were partially stoked by his biographical film about Thomas Jefferson, which could almost be described as a hatchet job. The film had so much coverage of his slaveholding, and his relationship with Sally Hemings (both legitimate topics), that it drowned out his considerable role in drafting the Declaration of Independence. But, thankfully, my confidence in Ken Burns’ coverage was restored somewhat, when I saw his biographical film about Benjamin Franklin. This proved far more sympathetic, and gave me hope that he would cover the American Revolution in a (somewhat) more sympathetic light. Ken Burns definitely covers the slavery issues, and he also covers the comparable issues surrounding Native American involvement. Both of these receive a lot of time in this series. But he also shows that the British were willing to sacrifice Black and Native American interests to their own war aims, even if they still tended to offer a better deal to these two ethnic groups than the Patriot side did. And he shows that there were many Blacks and Native Americans who fought for the Patriot side, even if there were still far more of them who fought for the British and Loyalist side.

Interviews with American, British, French, German, Black, and Indigenous historians

This series deserves some credit for weaving together a lot of different threads, allowing you to see many different angles on the American Revolution. A few examples may suffice here. They quote generously from the women of the time on both sides – including, most prominently, Abigail Adams. They quote from major Founding Fathers, and from ordinary men and women who fought for the brand-new United States. They also dramatize the stories of the British and Loyalist participants, quoting them nearly as often as they quote from the Patriot side. They interview British historians, as well as American historians. Like some other films that I’ve seen on this topic, they made sure to include interview clips with African American historians (as they should). But this is also the first series that I’ve seen … which took the time to interview some Native American historians as well. They also interviewed at least one German historian, to comment on the involvement of the infamous Hessians – and on the involvement of German Americans at various times. They also interviewed at least one French historian, to comment on the involvement of people like the Marquis de Lafayette, General Rochambeau, and Admiral de Graisse. Many Americans still don’t realize how much our victory is owing to help from the French army and navy. And this series makes reference to events elsewhere in the world … more than does any other overview film that I’ve seen. They mention the involvement of Spain and the Netherlands, as well as that of France. This is also the first series that I’ve seen to cover fighting elsewhere in North America, as Bernardo de Gálvez campaigned against the British in places like the Floridas. They cover the involvement of Spanish troops (and even some Continental troops) in the interior of North America, in lands that would later become the heartland of the United States.

Spanish advance at the Lower Mississippi, during the American Revolutionary War

Siege of Pensacola, 1781 – a battle between the British and the Spanish in Florida

Prior wars over North America, fighting on other continents, and events back in London

Some additional commentary on events elsewhere in the world might also be worthy of mention here. Specifically, all of the other films that I’ve seen on this topic … would make some occasional reference to the fighting elsewhere in the world. Like these other films, the Ken Burns coverage consciously decided not to dramatize the campaigns in Gibraltar, or in India, or in the Caribbean. They do not even mention the brief fighting on another continent, at the Cape Colony in Southern Africa. But they do occasionally mention some of these things, and in more detail than I’ve ever seen in any other film. Even the British film “Rebels & Redcoats: How Britain Lost America” has far less coverage of these international aspects. They also mention the prior wars between the British and the French over North America, especially dramatizing the French and Indian War as a point of conflict between them. They also mention how the British took both Canada and India from the French, in the larger “Seven Years’ War” – of which the French and Indian War was a part. They cover the causes of the American Revolution in as much depth as I’ve ever seen. Like other films, they cover the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, and the Intolerable Acts – and the later events of the Boston Tea Party, and the so-called “Boston Massacre.” As other films do, they also cover the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence. They also make an effort to get British historians to comment on these topics. And, more than any other film that I’ve hitherto seen, they develop events back in London during the war – dramatizing British prime minister Lord North, as well as the more notorious King George the Third. Ken Burns also covers the various factions in the British Parliament that opposed the war, which grew ever more powerful as the war dragged on for them without an end in sight. No other films that I’m aware of … have gone into as much depth on this particular topic. And, when covering the many battles, they actually cover the Southern campaigns almost as much as they cover the more famous Northern campaigns. Even the History Channel didn’t cover the Southern campaigns in quite the level of depth as Ken Burns seems to do here.

The Battle of Cowpens, 1781 – one of the major battles to be fought in the American South

Dutch ship captured at the Battle of Saldanha Bay (not depicted here) – Southern Africa, 1782

Forgotten stories about spies, POWs, naval fighting, and the toll taken by various diseases

This film takes pains to show what many of these battlefields (and other historical places) look like today. They even use high-quality animations to fill in the gaps wherever possible. One such gap, incidentally, is New York City – which looks nothing like it did in the eighteenth century. Thus, animations were particularly necessary in discussing these battles. Incidentally, I never knew how many paintings about the American Revolution were actually available, with which to dramatize this topic. Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution” even rivals Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” in its drama, and uses re-enactments very sparingly, to help PBS in moving the story along. Ken Burns also dramatizes spy networks, prisoners of war, and naval fighting (including privateering) in more detail than any other series that I’ve yet seen – although the History Channel covers most of these things well. Much coverage is also given to outbreaks of disease (especially smallpox), and how these epidemics ravaged both sides of the war – especially at Valley Forge, where they took many Patriot lives. The diseases involved definitely killed more people than the actual combat did. They dramatize sympathetic commanders like George Washington, Nathanael Greene, and Daniel Morgan. They dramatize some less sympathetic Continental commanders, like Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, and Benedict Arnold. And they dramatize British commanders, from William Howe and Johnny Burgoyne to Henry Clinton, Banastre Tarleton, and Lord Charles Cornwallis. The Ken Burns touch is evident here, as they help to bring these major personalities to life.

The cow pock, part of the outbreak of smallpox in North America during the Revolution

Rochambeau and Washington ordering at Yorktown – Lafayette, bareheaded, appears behind

Significantly, this film even interweaves some discussion of the Articles of Confederation

This series also gives an appropriate amount of coverage to another topic, which is scarcely mentioned in any other film about the American Revolution. Specifically, Ken Burns also discusses the wartime drafting and ratification of the Articles of Confederation. Prior films had already mentioned this topic somewhat, but usually brought it up only at the moment that they began to discuss the later Constitutional Convention. That is, other films usually mentioned the Articles of Confederation long after discussing the time period of the document’s original writing and ratification, just to give some brief context for these important events of these later years. But this series actually mentions these things during its own wartime episodes, interweaving it with some of their discussion of the war itself. When it comes time to discuss the postwar events, they do not disappoint. They briefly discuss the peace treaty at Paris, and what happened to the American Loyalists after the war. I learned some things from their discussion of what happened with many runaway slaves after the war – particularly those with Loyalist masters, or who had fought for the British military during the war itself.

Tory refugees on their way to Canada

1788 illustration of a Black woodcutter in Nova Scotia, Canada

Indeed, “the Revolution is not over,” as writer Geoffrey C. Ward so eloquently puts it

They also discuss George Washington’s walking away from power (perhaps his biggest contribution ever), and then his reluctantly agreeing to preside over the later deliberations of the Constitutional Convention. “Liberty! The American Revolution” (also by PBS) may actually give slightly more coverage of the ratification debates. But Ken Burns holds his own on most other postwar topics. Among other things, this film has a great cast (much like its more famous predecessor “The Civil War”), with many great American and British actors. This series feels like it must have had a significant budget, and is able to make the most of this great budget. Most importantly, the film’s story has the ring of truth to it. It shows the various sins of the founding generation, towards both slaves and indigenous peoples. But the film also shows all of the remarkable things that the war helped to accomplish, and hints about how this may be the most successful revolution in history. Indeed, the film’s closing lines even quote Benjamin Rush in affirming that “the Revolution is not over,” which helps you to see its true sympathy for the Revolution itself. In part, the great success of this series is due to the involvement of writer Geoffrey C. Ward, one of the secret weapons of many a Ken Burns film. It would be hard to overstate his contributions to the success of both this film, and the earlier Ken Burns film about the Civil War as well. The music in this film also helps to deliver the message, with some original scoring alongside its renditions of certain period songs.

Pulling down the statue of King George the Third – New York City, 1776

George Washington resigning his commission, 1783

Conclusion: This may be the best film that has ever yet been made on our Revolution

I could go on in singing the praises of this film. But, to keep this post from getting overly long, suffice it to say that this may be the greatest film that has ever yet been made on the American Revolution. It combines big-picture aspects with smaller stories, and combines accurate factual information with the human drama of the subject itself. It helps to bring the founding story of the United States to life. And, ultimately, this film helps to show how the Revolution blessed the United States – and indeed, in the long run, the larger world as a whole.

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”

– Thomas Paine’s “An American Crisis” (1774-1779), Volume I, Chapter I

DVD at Amazon

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A review of “Liberty! The American Revolution” and “The Revolution”

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