Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

One of the most trusted and popular documentary filmmakers on history and culture would now like us to rethink the American Revolution.

Instead, critics of this latest project by Ken Burns have found that it retells the story of American independence through the lens of critical theory, while also making some wrong assertions along the way.

At the same time, Burns does correctly describe how many of the founding fathers indeed turned a blind eye to the problem of slavery.

Not far from the Philadelphia coffee houses where patriots were

plotting against tyranny, men and women and children were being bought and sold like cattle.

There was, however, one founding father who boldly opposed slavery, and in a new four-part documentary

series, by author and historian Dr. Joseph Laconte, a more accurate version of the American story is told

by describing the life and the work of Dr. Benjamin Rush. Dr. Rush was one of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence, which he did when he was 33 years old. He graduated from college when he was 15 years old and was a physician with his own

practice by age 24. He served as an army doctor in the new American military, was a chemistry

professor, wrote the first chemistry textbook that was published in America and authored many

treatises on medical education. He was also a social reformer. Russ championed the cause of liberty in profound

and often overlooked ways. For example, he was a key influence on Thomas Payne in his vital

booklet, common sense. Unlike most of his fellow founders, however, he knew full well that any call

for God-given rights has to apply to everyone, and that included slaves. As Dr. L'Aucanti described in his

new documentary series, Rush encouraged revolutionary thinking against British rule, while also

challenging slavery. Here's Dr. Lacanti.

Rush rejects the assumption that Africans are an inferior race. He cites evidence of their ingenuity

and humanity as proof that they're equal to the Europeans. Addressing the city's clergy,

Rush denounces them for using the Bible to sanctify their crimes against humanity.

Rush was a champion of human dignity, founding member of the Philadelphia

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