The American Revolution

How the birth of America turned the world upside-down. The making of a landmark documentary, with Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and special guests in conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg.

Tuesday 24 February

About The American Revolution

An exclusive event with world renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and co-director Sarah Botstein, of the remarkable new film series THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, as they talk to the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.

This series examines how, 250 years ago, thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose and united in rebellion and won their independence, giving birth to the United States of America and inspiring democratic movements around the globe.

The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a civil war, and a world war. It impacted millions – from Canada to the Caribbean and beyond. Few escaped its violence. But it was also a movement that overtime inspired people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, their nations, and for humanity. It ultimately opened the door to advance civil liberties and human rights, and it asked questions that we are still trying to answer today.

The film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds, drawing on thousands of images, maps, archival documents. It features leading historians of the Revolutionary era, two of whom, Rick Atkinson and Stephen Conway also appear at this event.

The evening begins with an extended taster of the series on screen.

Presented in association with PBS and The Atlantic by the Eccles Institute for American Studies at the British Library

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Ken Burns
Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years.
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Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, he has directed and produced some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The War; The National Parks: America’s Best Idea; Prohibition; The Roosevelts: An Intimate History; The Vietnam War; Country Music; The U.S. and the Holocaust; The American Buffalo; Leonardo da Vinci; and, most recently, The American Revolution with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Future projects include Emancipation to Exodus and LBJ & the Great Society.
Ken’s films have been honoured with dozens of major awards, including seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations. In September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Ken was honoured by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In November of 2022, Ken was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Sarah Botstein
Sarah Botstein has produced some of the most popular and acclaimed documentaries on PBS.
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Sarah is producer and co-director of The American Revolution along with Ken Burns and David Schmidt. Her previous work includes Jazz, The War, Prohibition, The Vietnam War, College Behind Bars, and Hemingway. The U.S. and the Holocaust marked Botstein's debut as a co-director. Sarah works closely with PBS LearningMedia to develop educational materials as part of the Ken Burns Classroom, and she was an original contributor to Ken Burns's UNUM. In addition to The American Revolution, Sarah is working with working with Ken on a three-part series about Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society.
Jeffrey Goldberg
Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic and is the moderator of Washington Week with The Atlantic on PBS.
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He joined The Atlantic in 2007 as a national correspondent and in 2016 was named editor-in-chief, the 15th person to serve as editor in The Atlantic's 168-year history. During his editorship, The Atlantic has set new audience and subscription records and won its first-ever Pulitzer Prizes. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, The Atlantic received the National Magazine Award for General Excellence from the American Society of Magazine Editors, the top award in the industry. Jeffrey previously served as the Middle East correspondent and then the Washington correspondent for The New Yorker having also worked for The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post. Jeffrey is the author of Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror and On Heroism: McCain, Milley, Mattis, and the Cowardice of Donald Trump. Jeffrey’s numerous awards include the National Magazine Award for Reporting; the Daniel Pearl Award for Reporting; the Overseas Press Club’s award for human-rights reporting; the John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Prize for best investigative reporting.

Venue and bar opening times

This event will take place in the British Library Knowledge Centre and is also available to watch online. Tickets may be booked to attend in person, or to watch online.

If you are attending in person, please note that the Knowledge Centre and the bar will be open from 18.00.

Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk

Attending the event online

If you book an online ticket, you will receive the viewing link on the morning of the event. You can either watch the event live or during the next 7 days on catch up.

Concessions

There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, Young Persons (16–25s), and visitors on Universal/Pension Credit and free entry for carers.