Where I live in Oregon, sustaining donors to the local PBS affiliate have the benefit of being able to stream all episodes at anytime. This is a godsend for my spouse and me, as he has a health condition that makes it impossible for him to watch TV for long periods, while my viewing is sometimes interrupted. (Fortuitously, before The American Revolution debuted, Oregon Public Broadcasting announced that donors have covered the $5 million which OPB lost in federal funding for current programming!)
I’m a history buff (I read Robert Kagen for fun) and research scientist and lawyer so I’m no stranger to the excitement of learning new things and points of view and sticking with something that is really difficult or time consuming. No apologies, but honestly? I am finding Burns’ The American Revolution grindingly boring. The story of the revolution is spectacularly inspirational, a truly amazing bright spark — we did it first and created a template for all the democracies that followed. Wow. We broke new ground in human rights — well, in rich white male rights, at least. But this Burnsian presentation just seems to go on and on and on with no real cohesion or connection. It’s a conglomeration of some interesting little tidbits that do not seem to have much direction except that they are tiresomely put in chronological order.
What I have newly learned is exactly this: that Washington owned Indian land west of the Appalachians and he was not the perfect man of myth. Well, duh.
What is missing for me is any focus on some specific important things that should be standing in for the wider historical context, like when it is fleetingly noted that Abigail Adams wrote to John to ask him to ‘remember the ladies’ as he was composing the Constitution, which he apparently totally ignored, despite the fact that she was raising his children and running his businesses and farm alone while he was busy being a big cheese in Philadelphia. Where is the follow up? Where is there an indication of how he replied or not and his rationale? How much support was there for women’s inclusion in the Constitution? Why was the choice made to leave us out? Was there discussion or were we just dismissed out of hand by the male chauvinists determined to keep power out of the hands of everyone but rich white males? Sound familiar?
Women are more than half the population then and we still are but we seem to mere adjuncts in Burns’ film. Where’s the story of our never realized revolution? We are still fighting this same damn war for our fundamental rights and it would have been nice to have the genesis of that struggle properly placed in our nation’s origin story.
But what most strikes me about this too long and windy presentation is how far Burns has gone to make sure no one could possibly be offended. It’s like the mainstream media's whataboutism — that fake 'neutrality’. Bland and boring. It would have been much more interesting to have each week’s story focus on a group and how they experienced the revolution and were impacted by it. I can envision a week for Native Americans and a week for African Americans and a week for women and a week for slave owners and a week for New Englanders and a week for small farmers and merchants and a week for British troops … Now that would be interesting. But this is a forking disservice to one of the most impactful inflection points in all of human history, for better and worse. Burns has made our history boring and that takes some work.
Sorry to read this criticism. I could not disagree more. What you describe as more interesting sounds really boring to me. I am almost done with the documentary and totally amazed by how beautifully, artistically, and cleverly, this was done. There are so many insights and details that continued to draw me in....the difficulties, the sorrows and losses... Washington's fortitude. The historians are wonderful. So much came through as never before for me. No,no one telling can do it all... that is unfair to ask of it. But this story can move you, whet your appetite, remind you. It can tell you why this is important to know, and tell you some things differently than you first learned. It can tell you it's time to know again, especially now. That this comes now is providential.
Not asking for anyone to ‘do it all’. Just asking that they do it better and make it more modern and inclusive as a far richer way of storytelling. Sure Washington is a hero but the truth is he was just an excellent general doing his job. I do not think it diminishes him to find out how Abigail Adams was a hero as well — why is that any less 'important to know’? I’m sorry to hear that you believe focusing on anyone except rich white males would be boring; it’s sad that you see American history as a zero sum game. I stand by my comment: the program is mostly just outdated, bland, and boring unless of course you happen to be a rich white male. The rest of us are completely overlooked in the American origin story because it was written by … rich white males.
You have an agenda. I appreciate this for what it is and am not crabbing about what it is not. That prevented you from appreciating what went into this and what it means. That is sad. You have an idea of your own. Make your own documentary.
It is beyond painful to me every day that our country is being undermined by Trump. The very idea that PBS would not get funded is among too many horrible things we witness every day. Ken Burns et al are geniuses.
Thank you and I hope you do more about this. I am almost through "The American Revolution". What an incredibly beautifully done documentary! It's really amazing. And it comes at the right time as we fight to keep our democracy. It pains to know that this anti-democratic scourge that is upon us, the Trump Administration, is decimating PBS and NPR along with what else. Trump and his cabal/project do not want us informed.
Smart insights and valued context for an impressive series that adds to my knowledge and patriotic pride nightly.
I particularly admire this correctness, Meredith: “Even after watching all 12 hours, you may not know which side you would have been on back then.”
A wonderful show. Everyone should see it.
Wonderful post. Thank you💔🇺🇸
I agree with Kelly Eggers. An excellent post. I'm looking forward to seeing the program, although I sadly missed the first episode.
Where I live in Oregon, sustaining donors to the local PBS affiliate have the benefit of being able to stream all episodes at anytime. This is a godsend for my spouse and me, as he has a health condition that makes it impossible for him to watch TV for long periods, while my viewing is sometimes interrupted. (Fortuitously, before The American Revolution debuted, Oregon Public Broadcasting announced that donors have covered the $5 million which OPB lost in federal funding for current programming!)
I’m a history buff (I read Robert Kagen for fun) and research scientist and lawyer so I’m no stranger to the excitement of learning new things and points of view and sticking with something that is really difficult or time consuming. No apologies, but honestly? I am finding Burns’ The American Revolution grindingly boring. The story of the revolution is spectacularly inspirational, a truly amazing bright spark — we did it first and created a template for all the democracies that followed. Wow. We broke new ground in human rights — well, in rich white male rights, at least. But this Burnsian presentation just seems to go on and on and on with no real cohesion or connection. It’s a conglomeration of some interesting little tidbits that do not seem to have much direction except that they are tiresomely put in chronological order.
What I have newly learned is exactly this: that Washington owned Indian land west of the Appalachians and he was not the perfect man of myth. Well, duh.
What is missing for me is any focus on some specific important things that should be standing in for the wider historical context, like when it is fleetingly noted that Abigail Adams wrote to John to ask him to ‘remember the ladies’ as he was composing the Constitution, which he apparently totally ignored, despite the fact that she was raising his children and running his businesses and farm alone while he was busy being a big cheese in Philadelphia. Where is the follow up? Where is there an indication of how he replied or not and his rationale? How much support was there for women’s inclusion in the Constitution? Why was the choice made to leave us out? Was there discussion or were we just dismissed out of hand by the male chauvinists determined to keep power out of the hands of everyone but rich white males? Sound familiar?
Women are more than half the population then and we still are but we seem to mere adjuncts in Burns’ film. Where’s the story of our never realized revolution? We are still fighting this same damn war for our fundamental rights and it would have been nice to have the genesis of that struggle properly placed in our nation’s origin story.
But what most strikes me about this too long and windy presentation is how far Burns has gone to make sure no one could possibly be offended. It’s like the mainstream media's whataboutism — that fake 'neutrality’. Bland and boring. It would have been much more interesting to have each week’s story focus on a group and how they experienced the revolution and were impacted by it. I can envision a week for Native Americans and a week for African Americans and a week for women and a week for slave owners and a week for New Englanders and a week for small farmers and merchants and a week for British troops … Now that would be interesting. But this is a forking disservice to one of the most impactful inflection points in all of human history, for better and worse. Burns has made our history boring and that takes some work.
Sorry to read this criticism. I could not disagree more. What you describe as more interesting sounds really boring to me. I am almost done with the documentary and totally amazed by how beautifully, artistically, and cleverly, this was done. There are so many insights and details that continued to draw me in....the difficulties, the sorrows and losses... Washington's fortitude. The historians are wonderful. So much came through as never before for me. No,no one telling can do it all... that is unfair to ask of it. But this story can move you, whet your appetite, remind you. It can tell you why this is important to know, and tell you some things differently than you first learned. It can tell you it's time to know again, especially now. That this comes now is providential.
Not asking for anyone to ‘do it all’. Just asking that they do it better and make it more modern and inclusive as a far richer way of storytelling. Sure Washington is a hero but the truth is he was just an excellent general doing his job. I do not think it diminishes him to find out how Abigail Adams was a hero as well — why is that any less 'important to know’? I’m sorry to hear that you believe focusing on anyone except rich white males would be boring; it’s sad that you see American history as a zero sum game. I stand by my comment: the program is mostly just outdated, bland, and boring unless of course you happen to be a rich white male. The rest of us are completely overlooked in the American origin story because it was written by … rich white males.
You have an agenda. I appreciate this for what it is and am not crabbing about what it is not. That prevented you from appreciating what went into this and what it means. That is sad. You have an idea of your own. Make your own documentary.
It is beyond painful to me every day that our country is being undermined by Trump. The very idea that PBS would not get funded is among too many horrible things we witness every day. Ken Burns et al are geniuses.
Thank you and I hope you do more about this. I am almost through "The American Revolution". What an incredibly beautifully done documentary! It's really amazing. And it comes at the right time as we fight to keep our democracy. It pains to know that this anti-democratic scourge that is upon us, the Trump Administration, is decimating PBS and NPR along with what else. Trump and his cabal/project do not want us informed.
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone" (h/t Joni Mitchell)
This cannot be allowed to happen