The name “Ken Burns” is synonymous with the retelling of many great American stories. Indeed, Burns has been a documentary filmmaker and chronicler of American history since his first PBS special in 1981. He chose the Brooklyn Bridge as his subject, based on David McCullough’s eponymous bestselling book.
Burns has continued this trajectory for more than four decades, giving an audience not just historical information but education in different ways of being an American. His nine-episode, 1990 PBS series, The Civil War, is another example of fine and extensive exploration of this complex history in America. It rightfully won numerous awards and became extremely popular among regular Americans who wanted to learn more about their country.
Burns’ latest PBS six-episode documentary, The American Revolution, explores the founding of the United States and the subsequent war with the British Empire. It could have been an excellent start to the upcoming celebration of America’s 250th anniversary of the founding, but sadly, it steers away from celebration and emphasizes both explicit and implicit criticism of the Founders.
Within the first five minutes of the first episode, we are told that the Founders (specifically Benjamin Franklin) used the Iroquois “flourishing democracy” as a blueprint for the United States Constitution. The evidence, however, is sparse, if non-existent, in the documentary.
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