Why the American Revolution Still Matters Today

Ken Burns, a well-known documentary maker, has a new series about the American Revolution. He thinks this event was super important, maybe even the most important after the birth of Christ. But he also says that human nature doesn't change, and the problems we have today are similar to those in the past. Burns has been promoting his new documentary, which is 12 hours long and has over 60 voice actors, including big names like Morgan Freeman and Meryl Streep. He has been visiting historic sites and talking to people all over the country. He has also been careful not to talk about current politics too much, even though he has been outspoken in the past. The documentary is not just about the big names like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It also talks about everyday people, like women who organized boycotts and teenage boys who ran away to fight. Burns wants to show that the Revolution was complicated and not just a simple story of heroes and villains. One of the most interesting parts of the documentary is about the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776. This was a big mistake by George Washington, and the British took control of New York for seven years. Burns also talks about the loyalists, who were people who supported the British. He says they were not just traitors, but people who had their own reasons for supporting the Crown. Burns also challenges the idea that American Indians were just passive victims. He shows that they were involved in the war and had their own alliances. He tells the story of Rebecca Tanner, a Mohegan woman who lost five sons fighting for the Patriot cause. Burns says this is an important story that needs to be told. Burns thinks the American Revolution is still relevant today. He says it was not just about highfalutin ideas, but about natural rights and how everyday people got involved. He hopes his documentary will help people understand the complexity of the Revolution and why it still matters.