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Inside Look | Voices of the Revolution

10m 33s

Filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt on how they used the letters, diaries, and memories of both well-known and lesser known figures to help convey a deeper understanding of the wartime experience.

Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Extras
"Explosively Interesting" - critics agree The American Revolution must-watch TV.
A spark ignites—quiet, unstoppable. What follows changes everything.
James Forten was 14 when he signed onto a privateer to fight for his country.
Washington uses bonuses and drafts to encourage Americans to join the Continental Army.
Philadelphia falls, but the American victory at Saratoga allows France to enter the war.
The war drags on and moves to new theaters: at sea, in Indian Country, and in the South.
The British seize Philadelphia, but Washington plans to retake the city at the Battle of Germantown.
General Horatio Gates' force clashes with the British, beginning the Battle of Saratoga.
The Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee choose opposing sides at the Battle of Oriskany.
The economic realities of the war start to settle in for both the Americans and the British.
Victory at Yorktown secures independence. Americans aspire for a more perfect union.
Political protest escalates into violence. War gives thirteen colonies a common cause.
Philadelphia falls, but the American victory at Saratoga allows France to enter the war.
Washington takes command of the Continental Army. Congress declares American independence.
The war drags on and moves to new theaters: at sea, in Indian Country, and in the South.
Washington abandons New York City and flees across New Jersey, before attacking Trenton.