The epic new documentary series The American Revolution—a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt—premiers on PBS on November 16, 2025. This six-part series chronicles the story of the creation of the United States and its eight-year war for independence from Great Britain. Last month, the American Revolution Institute hosted a conversation with Geoffrey C. Ward, the principal script writer for the documentary, and award-winning historian and consultant Rick Atkinson, discussing the making of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution. 

The American Revolution Institute is a center for education dedicated to promoting understanding and appreciation of the American Revolution and its legacy. We imagine a future in which every American is inspired by the American Revolution, the vast event that created our nation, and embraces its revolutionary ideals of universal liberty and responsible citizenship. The Institute maintains museum and library collections that preserve our nation’s revolutionary heritage. The documentary series The American Revolution is an exciting moment to advance that mission and incorporates several of our collections into the film, helping to connect the public to the political, military and social history of this critical and tumultuous period.

Orderly book kept by William Popham for Lord Stirling’s Division; Gift of William Sherbrooke Popham, 1955.

The library collections include a rich array of printed and manuscript materials documenting the military history of the eighteenth century, with a focus on the people and events of the American Revolution. Among these holdings is an exciting orderly book kept by William Popham for Lord Stirling’s Division in New Jersey from August to October 1780.

The entry on September 26, 1780, transmitted the stunning announcement, “Treason of the blackest dye was yesterday discovered – Genl. Arnold who commanded at Westpoint, lost to every sentiment of honor, of private & public obligation, was about to deliver up that important post into the Hands of the Enemy.” William Popham’s orderly book captures the army’s immediate shock at the discovery of Arnold’s treason, providing the raw, contemporary voice that Ken Burns argues is essential to understanding how deeply the betrayal shook the revolutionary cause. It illustrates Burns’ thesis that Arnold’s act was not only a military crisis but a moral one, striking at the ideals of honor and loyalty that bound Continental officers together.

The museum collections provide insights on the revolutionary era and its enduring influence through material culture of the period. The collections include paintings, sculpture, armaments and other military equipment, medals, ceramics, textiles, daguerreotypes and other historical artifacts.

Captured aboard the transport ship Hope in May 1776, this British light dragoon carbine was issued to Continental Army troops for the New York campaign. Museum purchase, 2019.

One of these artifacts is a captured British light dragoon carbine, which embodies the constant logistical struggle of the Revolution and shows how the Continental Army depended on improvised, repurposed and sometimes contested supplies simply to stay armed against a far better-equipped enemy. Its long service life—built in Britain, altered for Crown forces, seized at sea, reworked by American armorers, and returned to combat—reflects the stakes, destruction and violence of a brutal war fought with whatever tools soldiers could keep functioning. Its survival today makes it an essential artifact of preservation, offering tangible evidence of the war’s material realities and of the fragile objects that carried the weight of independence.

The American Revolution Institute welcomes a film like Ken Burns’ because it helps renew public engagement with the Revolution as a formative moment in our national story. By presenting the drama, ideals and human complexity of the era, the film encourages viewers to see the Revolution not as distant history but as a continuing source of civic meaning. In doing so, it aligns with the Institute’s mission to promote informed citizenship grounded in an understanding of the struggle for independence and the principles that shaped the nation.

In the months ahead, we will post additional blogs here that highlight key items from our collections and show how they relate to the themes of the film The American Revolution and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each post will connect an artifact’s history to the larger story of the Revolution and to the enduring significance of 1776.

About Us

The American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati ensures that the history and legacy of the American Revolution are understood and appreciated. The American Revolution gave our nation and the world a new set of ideals—liberty, equality and self-government for all people. These ideals and the history of the Revolution are more relevant than ever. You can help us ensure that the stories of all those who forged our nation can continue to inspire new generations.