Given our current political climate and the amplifying — not to mention polarizing — effects of social media, Americans today hear much about what divides us. Perhaps a new documentary miniseries might broaden our horizons and allow families to focus instead on what unites us.
The American Revolution, a six-part miniseries by Ken Burns that airs beginning this Sunday, should remind us that our country’s creation, let alone its survival, was by no means certain. The Revolutionary War was in many ways a civil war, with only part of the American colonists desiring a split from Great Britain, another portion remaining loyal to King George III, and a third group ambivalent, but not necessarily indifferent, waiting to see how it would all play out.
As our nation approaches its 250th birthday next summer, Burns’ miniseries should give Americans of all political persuasions newfound appreciation for the sacrifices our ancestors made a quarter-millennia ago, helping to spark what Lincoln at Gettysburg dubbed “a new birth of freedom” in our hearts and minds.
The Stories Behind History
Wikipedia has created its own entry for the “Ken Burns effect” as it relates to the film technique of zooming in on a still photograph. (Apple specifically calls it as such in its iMovie software.) But the term could also describe the effect a Ken Burns documentary has in raising Americans’ awareness of a subject.
Over three decades ago, Burns’ 1990 series The Civil War sparked such a renewed interest in the topic that one history professor felt the need to complain about its effect upon his students 20 years after it aired. After watching Burns’ series Country Music six years ago, I found myself fascinated by the history of a musical genre I had previously largely ignored. In just the past year, I have visited such country music landmarks as the Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian, Mississippi, and the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia — places I never would have explored but for a Ken Burns documentary.
Burns succeeds in drawing in viewers because he focuses on the story — or, more accurately, the stories — behind history. Too often, children find the mishmash of dates and events confusing. Even I, as a history buff, frequently find military history, with its emphasis on the minutiae of troop movements — “At noon, the Fourth Battalion charged up Toilet Bowl Hill,” or some such — mind-numbingly boring.
By contrast, Burns’ documentaries focus on the human element. In The Civil War, that meant highlighting the powerful yet heartbreaking story of Sullivan Ballou, a soldier at the first Battle of Bull Run. In Country Music, Burns explored the role a doctor who advertised implantation of goat glands (seriously!) played in bringing the “First Family of Country Music” into millions of Americans’ homes. Those types of compelling anecdotes, often about unknown or “ordinary” individuals, provide relatable moments that get beyond the tedium of dates or even a focus on the “great men” of history.
The Great American Experiment
Of course, Burns is not without his critics. Some historians complain that his films venture into hagiography, glossing over important nuances or themes that contradict his larger narrative. And conservatives, noting that Burns has attacked Donald Trump, will question his presence on a network that until very recently received sizable sums of taxpayer funding to promote left-wing views.
However, two facts seem obvious. Particularly given our ever-shrinking attention spans, The American Revolution can better reach more Americans than most history textbooks. A Ken Burns documentary also provides a better use of PBS airtime than many of its other programs.
More importantly, the documentary can provide our current generation with a greater appreciation of the feats — the initiative and the courage — that compelled our Founding Fathers to risk death and destruction for the principles they held dear. One can but hope that the miniseries will inspire an increase in patriotism, a desire to learn more about the events surrounding our nation’s creation, and a renewed commitment to continuing our great American experiment.
The American Revolution will air on most PBS stations over six consecutive nights, beginning Sunday, Nov. 16, and continuing through Friday, Nov. 22; check your local listings. The series will also be available on the PBS app.
