The Jordan Harbinger Show 1238: Ken Burns | What If the American Revolution Isn't Over?
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Nov 11, 2025 
Ken Burns, a renowned documentary filmmaker celebrated for his extensive work on PBS, joins to discuss his new series on the American Revolution. He argues the Revolution stemmed from division and violence, rather than unity. Burns highlights America's ongoing political experiment, revealing the contradictions in freedom built on oppression. He emphasizes the power of storytelling to bridge divides and notes that history is a living dialogue, urging listeners to reflect on how they uphold the promises of the past.
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Revolution As Ongoing Experiment
- The American Revolution was violent, messy, and more like a civil war than a neat origin myth.
- Ken Burns argues the revolution is the start of an unfinished political experiment we still debug today.
A Global, Multi‑Voiced Founding
- The Revolution was global and multilayered, involving France, Spain, the Netherlands, Native nations, and enslaved people.
- Understanding this complexity breaks simple origin myths and broadens who belongs in the founding story.
Failed Canada Invasion And Eclipse
- Ken recounts a failed invasion of Canada and a pandemic that killed more people than the war.
- He notes an eclipse occurred and soldiers shrugged it off and carried on.
