Ken Burns Reimagines the American Revolution | A Conversation with Ken Burns & Sarah Botstein

HISTORY This Week

The HISTORY® Channel

History, Education, Society & Culture

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

November 16, 1776. George Washington rows toward Manhattan to inspect the fort that bears his name, only to meet a full-scale British assault already underway. By afternoon, Fort Washington has fallen, and General Washington is forced to abandon New York City. The Continental Army is sick, outnumbered, and demoralized. For a moment, the Revolution seems lost. Facing his worst defeat of the war, Washington himself is questioning their odds. In their new PBS documentary, The American Revolution, Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein set out to tell this version of the Founding Fathers, showing fear, chaos, and uncertainty. They also highlight oft-overlooked characters: the women and children following the army in supporting roles, the Native nations whose decisions shaped the continent, or the enslaved people listening closely to talk of liberty. This week, we talk with Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein about the revelations behind their decade-long project. How did they revisit a story that’s been told so many times, it almost feels like a myth? And how does that myth fit into the world today? The American Revolution is a six-part, 12-hour documentary now premiering on PBS. The series is directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David P. Schmidt. It's also narrated by a guest from one of our recent episodes, Peter Coyote. -- Get in touch: [email protected] Follow on Instagram: @historythisweek Follow on Facebook: ⁠HISTORY This Week Podcast⁠ To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello, History This Week listeners. It's Sally here. As we are heading to the end of the year,
0:05.7	I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with us these last five years. We really do love
0:12.6	bringing these stories to you every week, and we cannot wait to keep it going in 2026. If you
0:18.4	like what you have been hearing, you can always support our work by subscribing
0:21.7	to History This Week Plus exclusively on Apple Podcasts. You can also get email notifications
0:27.6	and bonus content by signing up at History This Weekpodcast.com. And of course, you can follow us on
0:34.1	Instagram or Facebook. Thank you so much for listening. We could not make this show without you.
0:41.5	The History Channel, original podcast. History this week, November 16th, 1776. I'm Sally Helm.
1:03.0	For months, George Washington's army has been fighting the British in New York City. And now, on the island of Manhattan, they have just one fort left.
1:14.6	Fort Washington, named for George, is on what's roughly 184th Street today.
1:21.6	American General Daniel Green is convinced that he can hold the fort, but Washington himself has a bad feeling.
1:31.0	As dawn breaks, Washington launches a boat from his encampment in Fort Lee, New Jersey,
1:37.3	opposite Manhattan, across the East River. He wants to assess the situation for himself,
1:42.3	make sure that his namesake fort is well positioned
1:45.4	for any potential attack.
1:48.0	But before he's halfway there, the attack begins.
1:55.3	When Washington finally makes it across, the situation is already dire.
1:59.8	8,000 British and hired Heshin forces are moving in fast
2:04.6	against fewer than 3,000 continental soldiers.
2:08.6	Washington, fearing for his safety, retreats.
2:14.6	He heads back across the river to New Jersey, leaving his army to repel the attack.
2:20.3	The fort's cannons fire into a sea of red British uniforms, blasting holes in the enemy line.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 11 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The HISTORY® Channel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The HISTORY® Channel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.