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As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, a new documentary is shedding light on the stories of those who shaped the time period.
Ten years in the making, “The American Revolution,” a six-part documentary series by famed filmmaker Ken Burns, along with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, will debut in November on PBS. The public had the opportunity to enjoy a sneak peek during an outdoor screening on Tuesday in Colonial Williamsburg as part of the third annual “A Common Cause to All” conference. The conference, hosted by Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, brought together organizers across the country who are planning commemorations for the semiquincentennial birthday. (Disclosure: The commission is one of our donors but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy).
The 12-hour docuseries was filmed on location at more than 100 landmarks across the country, though most of the footage captured is from Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Scenes were filmed at the Governor’s Palace, the Capitol, George Wythe House, Raleigh Tavern, the courthouse, the blacksmith shop, and 20 other spots throughout Colonial Williamsburg, as well as at Jamestown and Yorktown.
Colonial Williamsburg will also celebrate a milestone birthday in 2026 as it turns 100, so it was fitting that the 27-minute preview of “The American Revolution” was unveiled where it all first began.
“This place birthed our nation,” said Cliff Fleet, president and CEO of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, sharing that Colonial Williamsburg is leading efforts to tell “the full and complete history” of America in order to “bring us all together.” As the capital of Virginia at the time, Williamsburg played a critical role in the Revolution.
“Virginia is central to the story in so many ways,” said Burns, for without Virginia there would be no Revolution. He hopes Virginians will take away from his newest documentary “a great deal of pride and appreciation for the complexity of our history.”
A native of Williamsburg, Schmidt added that “We really wanted to do justice to this, the foundation of our country, and show the people who lived, died, suffered, and thrived during the Revolution period, just like we will in our lifetimes.” 
“The American Revolution” shares the tales not only of the notable figures of the Revolution like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine, but also everyday citizens who made sacrifices, like Betsy Ambler of Yorktown, a young girl whose family was displaced during the war, and Joseph Plumb Martin of Massachusetts, who joined the Continental Army at 16 following the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Burns wanted to share all aspects of the time period with his latest project. There are Native American voices as part of the docuseries, along with African American voices, and Spanish voices, since the Revolution was also “an incredibly complex international struggle,” he said. There are some “complicated narratives” that needed to be shared in order to “tell a bigger, much more complete story.”
As he put the film together, Burns found that the Revolution was about many components: faith, big ideas, independence, and the chance to become better people. Throughout the many violent battles of the war, for example, George Washington believed God was on his side and was unwilling to lose.
“Washington had a much larger destiny in mind, not just for himself but for his country,” Burns said.
Ultimately, the war “was about rights. We created new citizens, and that is a big deal. The world was never seen the same way again after the Revolution.”
Being citizens of a new country also came with responsibilities, such as having self-discipline, along with respect and care for others, even in disagreement. At the time, the desire to pursue happiness “was anything they wanted it to be,” but “it was not about objects or things in a marketplace, but a life-long learning in a marketplace of ideas,” Burns said. At the heart of his project is “the notion of self-improvement, which begins with only one person,” he added.
As Americans today take the time to ponder the past, Burns hopes they will remember “the virtues our founders urged us to have. …There needs to be more listening instead of arguing. We need to put the us back in the U.S.”
Those in Richmond also had the opportunity to preview the new historic documentary two days prior to the event in Colonial Williamsburg. Burns and the documentary’s other filmmakers will make stops at more than 20 other places prior to the premiere of “The American Revolution” on PBS on Nov. 16. “The American Revolution” will also be used in civic education across the nation to help younger generations understand what the war was really about.
“I love to tell great stories and there is no story more important or more riveting than this one,” Burns said.
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