History is more than a series of facts, names, dates, and images in a textbook. When presented interactively, it does more than educate and inspire. It allows us to understand who we are and who we come from.
Burns and Botstein have done it again. I am learning more about the revolution than I have in all my years in the classroom. The most effective narrative choice was to expand the tale beyond the boldfaced names we all know. They are ordinary soldiers and civilians, women, Native Americans, and Black Americans (free and enslaved).
The irony (that is pointed out time and again) is that while this fight is for freedom, there was a population whose freedom wasn’t even a consideration by those at the top.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
The American Revolution airs on PBS at 8PM and is available for streaming.
Within the film, there are interviews with historians, survivors, and readings from respected actors such as Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, and Liam Neeson. It does more than share what the events in our history books have already told us. It takes the viewer back in time to show what led the Shoah and repeats what most of us (hopefully) know. Though it’s been nearly a century since World War II, it is clear to me that we have not learned from the experiences of that generation.
The thing that hit me immediately is that there are far too many parallels to what is happening now both in the United States and around the world. Xenophobia and hatred have once again become the norm. We have a former President who has authoritarian tendencies, refuses to accept the results of the previous Presidential election, and has convinced many that he is the victim.
What made me angry was the spoken and unspoken complicity of a majority of Americans at the time. Though this country is supposed to be the land of immigrants and freedom. Instead, it became a land of isolation and hypocrisy. That hypocrisy was clear in the first episode when the connection was made between the Nazi’s racial laws and Jim Crow.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely. In fact, I would say that it is required viewing for every American.
The first two episodes are available for streaming on the PBS website. The third will air tomorrow night at 8PM.
P.S. After I watch or read anything about the Holocaust, I can’t help but think of what the victims or the descendants might have given to the world. The late performer Olivia Newton-John was Jewish on her mother’s side. Her maternal grandparents got out while it was still possible to do so. If they hadn’t, it is very likely that she would have never been born and therefore, not entertained multiple generations of audiences.
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