The American Revolution as seen by Ken Burns

"The American Revolution" (2025) is a truly mammoth project and requires a more gifted blogger to do it full justice.  Anyone who tackles it is certain to remember some themes more than others, but all the details are important to understand how the colonists were victorious and how the process affects modern day America.  You will get my perspective and if really interested in addition you should seek other viewpoints with different focus points.

The series covers in reasonable detail many battles, both won and lost.  Of interest to me were the many cultural factors that helped the rebel victory and the Loyalist evacuation. 

The story starts with the establishment of the British Empire in the New World.  One historian pointed out that profitability was tied to the percentage of slaves.  Massachusetts was the least profitable in the 13 colonies, South Carolina was more profitable, but the most profitable was Jamaica along with other Caribbean islands where the British stationed the most military troops and ships.

Not covered in the series, but with some relevance was that England had unloaded convicts, political prisoners and prisoners of war as much as 120,000 to the Americas.  In Australia such citizens were critical to the development of that country.  The pamphlet "Common Sense" written by Thomas Paine was very persuasive in turning more colonists against Britain.

Before the Revolution began there were numerous small incidents.  The Boston Tea Party was over taxes without representation.  John Adams successfully defended some British soldiers who had killed some colonists.  The Quebec Act meant to mollify francophone speakers offended the English speaking colonists.   Benjamin Franklin at an early stage tried to organize the 13 colonies for unified action against the British, but after much quarrelling it disbanded.  As rebellious sentiments expanded it became difficult to decide who to trust, rebels or Loyalists.  Although historians describe the conflict as the American Revolution it was somewhat like a Civil War.  There were many colonists satisfied with the status quo and even felt a debt of gratitude to the British. 

A Continental Congress was formed from the 13 colonies to co-ordinate the Revolution and other affairs among the participants.  They initiated a Continental army and found George Washington to lead it.  They developed a currency (a coin was designed by Franklin) that was intended to make payments, but carried little credibility.  They spent much of their time protecting their individual jurisdictions. 

George Washington was noteworthy because he consulted with his generals in forming strategy.  There were many setbacks over the course of the Revolution, but he was persistent and learned from mistakes.

Thomas Jefferson was asked to write a declaration that signalled a justification for independence.   He advocated it was a duty to throw off tyranny and that all men are created equal.  Jefferson was of course a slave holder and it is thought conscious of his slaves.  The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 and might be considered the official start of the American Revolution.

George Washington had his hands full.  Most of his soldiers were poorly trained, but perhaps more importantly, poorly fed and paid.  Starvation was ongoing especially in winter.  Clothes were difficult to replace and they often took clothes off the dead.  There were contracts, but when they expired the men left.  At one point mutinies among his soldiers was so great that Washington decided on an execution of two ringleaders in front of their men.  

Most financing came from foreign sources.  Robert Morris built his fortune trading goods by ship to the West Indies, Africa (including slaves) and as far away as India.  He became the main financier for the rebels and was an signer of the Declaration of Independence. 

Colonists decided it would be beneficial to defeat the British in Quebec and perhaps make it the 14th colony.  They succeeded in conquering Montreal under General Montgomery who then traveled towards Quebec City to join up with General Benedict Arnold.  However in mid winter and with the British in a better position forced them back.  Retreating back to Montreal, they were also forced out of there.  Alliance with indigenous tribes allowed the British to push rebels back to the 13 colonies. 

The indigenous were independent with tribes that fought each other.  Colonists felt they needed to expand to the west pushing aside Indians.  The tribes had to make decisions.  Altogether there were more of them than of the colonists and many were aware that the colonists chafed at British restrictions that kept them from crossing the Adirondacks.  Towards the end of the Revolution rebels burned many towns of the Six Nations Confederacy.

Some tribes had evolved a democracy that was effective and later studied by some of the nation's founders.  One item dismissed, was that women were given a real voice with some tribes.

The Six Nations Confederacy (Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida and Tuscarora) felt they were in the middle and needed to take a side to survive.  They had fought with the British in the past (against the French).  The key decision was made by Joseph Brant to fight with the British.  His sister Molly was the consort of Sir William Johnson, the British Superintendent for Indian Affairs.  My two children were born in Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, Ontario. 

Africans, either slaves or freed or escapees were important.  About 15,000 supported the British if they would gain freedom and Britain, the major slave trader offered freedom for any who would fight against the rebels.  Others, mostly freed wanted to support the colonists, but only about 5,000 joined the rebels.  George Washington who brought a loyal slave with him, rejected recruiting them.  Some said he felt they would be inferior, but others thought he feared encouraging Africans would lead to the loss of slavery.  Slave holders in his  home state of Virginia feared rebellions such as had occurred in Jamaica.  In the end Africans made significant contributions for the rebel cause and also were effective for the British.  Some professional black soldiers had come from what became Haiti 

The British were able to use 30,000 professional soldiers known as Hessians from what later became Germany.  At first they disdained rebel soldiers and especially blacks and indigenous, but gradually came to respect them.  Some of them ended up staying in America.  After a series of defeats, Washington's troops defeated the British at Trenton, New Jersey capturing 1,000 prisoners that proved to a morale booster and a turning point.

Small pox was a concern.  George Washington had suffered it in his youth and was very careful to guard his troops against it using mainly isolation as the alternative.  An available primitive inoculation would have been too disruptive and risky.

A key subordinate was Nathaniel (often spelled Nathanael) Greene who had been in charge of the Rhode Island Army.  Working with Washington he became a Quartermaster General with one success in bringing in a herd of cattle.  He went on to command rebel forces in the South and was the key leader attacking Yorktown.

Quakers had a significant presence, particularly in Pennsylvania, and felt their religion required them to be neutral.  They refused to condemn the British and avoided any aid to the rebels.  Many of the colonists stole supplies from the Quakers.  Some of my Mennonite ancestors lived nearby in Lancaster, Pennsylvania also tried to stay out of the conflict and later (just before the War of 1812) migrated to Canada near Markham, Ontario.

John Paul Jones at a young age was able to work up to a command position in a British ship, but had a legal problem after killing an insubordinate crew member and decided to run away to America.  He had served on a slaving ship, but found that distasteful.  From Virginia he joined the Continental navy such as it was.  He fought successfully against English ships in European waters.  He is considered one of the founders of the U.S. Navy. 

Benedict Arnold had fought early in the Revolution and had been regarded as intelligent and brave.  However he felt he was not given enough credit for his accomplishments while some of his subordinates thought he was corrupt.  He owed money due to a wealthy lifestyle.  In Philadelphia he courted and then married Peggy Shippen from a wealthy Loyalist family.  Soon he switched sides and became a British commander and sent to fight in Virginia.

Benjamin Franklin and John Adams had been sent to Paris to convince the French to support the rebel Americans.  For some frustrating time the news was discouraging and the French could not see any value is backing an army that seemed likely to lose.

The Marquis de Lafayette, a young aristocratic Frenchman came to America looking for adventure contacted Washington and was given command for a few battles.  He returned to France and worked with Franklin and Adams to successfully persuade King Louis XVI to back America.  In 1780 he returned to America promising 6,000 troops and 6 warships. 

Slavery in the south had a negative impact.  Slave owners exempted themselves from military duty and then their overseers in order to keep control of slaves. 

Women played a role supporting their men.  Abigail Adams felt the women deserved the vote and had been a strong support for her husband John Adams.  With no men bringing in money, many women had scrambled to make money some turning homes into boarding houses.  A few became spies.  At one point some of them organized to ask Washington about fund raising to give money for the soldiers, but it was felt they would spend the money on rum. Washington suggested they sew shirts which they did.

Spain decided to help the rebels, but had an ulterior motive.  They defeated the British in the south and re-claimed Florida.

The British had been forced out of most of the north and were determined to hold Yorktown in the south.  This is when the French joined in a big way and forced the British to surrender in 1783.  The British determined that further effort was not worth it.  Britain had a bigger investments in the Caribbean and had shifted resources to protect that part of their Empire.  In England there had been a change in Parliament that favored surrender.

The Loyalists were attacked by the successful rebels and felt unsafe.  Many had been killed and others had property confiscated.  The British negotiated a treaty to ship large numbers of Loyalists, many of whom chose to settle in Canada.  One group of Africans took part, but a section of them broke off and moved to Sierra Leone in Africa.

To the left is a statue in my adopted city of Hamilton, Ontario to commemorate the British Empire Loyalists who played an important role in the development of Canada.

Among the 13 colonies there were many quarrels, soldiers were demanding back pay and others were itching to conquer the west.  The contributions of indigenous tribes were forgotten.  Europeans were dismissive of America developing any cohesion and would likely break into smaller pieces.

However the Americans realized they needed to organize a central government balancing legislative, executive and judicial powers. 

After ratification of the treaty in 1787 to end the Revolution, George Washington relinquished his military power and left for home. A new constitution was ratified in 1788 with elections held from December 15 to January 7th that was easily won by Washington as president with John Adams as Vice President.  He was admired by all Americans and could have been a dictator.  At the end of his second term he passed on his presidency to his successor, John Adams.  The revolutionary idea was that the government gets its power by the consent of the people.

This series requires a lot of talented people to contribute. 

Ken Burns is the key person behind this series.  He is a director and a producer.   Ken  has a long history of dealing with important people and events in depth  and comprehensively such as "The Civil War (1990), "Jazz" (2001), "Baseball" (1994 and 2010), "The Central Park Five" (2012), ""The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014) "The Vietnam War" (2017). "Hemingway" (2021), "Muhammed Ali" (2021) "Benjamin Franklin" (2022), "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (2022) and "Leonardo Da Vinci" (2024).    see   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/leonardo-da-vinci-ken-burns-version.html  and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/benjamin-franklin-ken-burns.html

Geoffrey C. Ward was the writer.  He has won 6 Prime Time Emmy Awards.  Geoffrey has 28 writing credits and 20 for additional crew including "The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014), "Hemingway" (2021) and "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/09/the-us-and-holocaust.html

David Cieri was the composer.  He has 63 composing credits, 11 for the music department and 2 as actor including "The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014) and "Hiding in Plain Sight" (2022).

Buddy Squires was the cinematographer.  He has 142 cinematography credits and 3 for directing including "Muhammed Ali" (2021), "Benjamin Franklin" (2022), "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (2022) and "Leonardo Da Vinci" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/02/muhammad-ali-by-ken-burns.html

Tricia Reidy was an editor.  She has 20 editorial credits, 3 for the editorial department and 2 for additional crew including "The Roosevelts:  An Intimate History" (2014) and "The U.S. and The Holocaust" (2022).

Peter Coyote was the narrator.  His last name was inspired after ingesting peyote and fitting in with his interest with indigenous culture.  Acting led him to many narrating roles including the 2002 Winter Olympics and many of Ken Burns productions.  He has 170 acting credits, 2 for producing and 2 for writing including "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" (1981), "Jagged Edge" (1985) and "Erin Brockovitch" (2000).

Well known actors voiced different roles including Adam Arkin, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Brolin, Hugh Dancy,  Claire Danes, Tom Hanks, Damian Lewis, Matthew Rhys, Liev Schreiber, Craig Ferguson, Paul Giamatti, Lara Linney, Edward Norton, Jeff Daniels, Ethan Hawke, Samuel L. Jackson, Domhnall Gleeson, Mandy Patinkin, Tantoo Cardinal, Michael Keaton, David Oyelowo, Bill Camp, Morgan Freeman, Wendell Pierce, Meryl Streep, Maya Jasanoff, Annette Gordon Reed and Maggie Blackhawk, 

Historians explained different aspects of the Revolution.  Paintings of Revolution events were used.

I watched the PBS broadcast and it should be available in DVD and Blu-Ray.  You will need a lot of concentrated time to really experience it as there are a lot of details, many of which are barely known by the public. 

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up. 

THE STATUE ISSUE

Donald Trump's motives may not be pure (they're not), but he raised an issue that makes me pause for a moment.  It is obvious that statues of Confederate warriors have raised emotions with terrible racial implications.  The removal of some of them has become a point of contention for white racist groups to rally against as a way of asserting their sick beliefs.  On the other hand there are others who think they should all be pulverized.

Perhaps some of us can reduce the issue to a personal level.  In my case I was dismayed to learn that some of my ancestors (on both my mother and father's side) were members of the Orange Lodge.  I imagine they did some good things, but what bothers me is that they were very anti-Catholic.  A few generations later I see Catholics as people first, some of whom are relatives and others are friends.  In Hamilton I am reminded of them almost every weekend when I walk by what used to be an Orange Lodge.  Ironically when their membership ran out of money a group of Catholic Portuguese  took over the building.  When I walk by I feel a small tinge of shame and recognize that hatred is potentially in all of us.

An historical benefactor of the city of Hamilton, Sir Allan McNab was a key person in putting down the Rebellion of 1837.  In theory I sided with the rebels who did in time force changes in the government, but it cannot be denied Sir Allan McNab accomplished a lot of good things.  If you are in the area have a look at Dundurn Castle (I drive by almost every day).

ISIS members demolished some ancient temples that had been standing for over 3,000 years. Westerners believe that proves how barbaric Islamic terrorists  (and by extension all Muslims) are. The radical Islamists felt they were blasphemous.  Many others thought they were beautiful and historical.

Trump suggested that after the Confederate general statues were dismantled that the public would then move on to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who were both slave owners.  One key difference is that the Confederate generals killed to help break up the country while the founding fathers helped to establish the country.

Thomas Jefferson has been a key figure in two blogs that partially explain his situation.   Edward E Baptist relates just how critical slavery was to the United States and the role played by Thomas Jefferson amongst others; http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/12/the-half-has-never-been-told.html  In a fictional account, Stephen O'Connor speculates, using some historic evidence on Jefferson's relationship with a mulatto slave, Sally Hemmings:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2017/06/thomas-jefferson-and-sally-hemings-make.html

Robert E. Lee after surrendering for the Confederacy had been asked to endorse a statue of himself. He refused saying he felt it would retard the healing process the nation had to undergo.  Isn't that a concern?  Many of the statues were built in the twentieth century as blacks were asserting their rights more effectively and have become a slap to modern blacks.

Many otherwise good people have a blemish on their reputation.  Are we to judge them for their sins or look at the whole person and realize that we are all human and subject to a wide range of faults?

What to do?  History should not be ignored as that causes another set of problems.  But when an offensive statue is placed  in a prominent location those in charge have to decide how to go forth.  Do they want to be known for being offensive to local citizens and visitors?   In some cases a logical place might be a museum where we can be reminded of our past follies.  Racists may well focus on the symbolism of their distorted beliefs, but the rest of us can say that artifact is historical.  What about the empty space left behind?  Sometimes that says a lot, but sooner or later someone will be inspired for something else.

The photo is of the building that used to belong to the Orange Lodge, but now belongs to the Vasco Da Gama football club.  I believe that is King William on his horse fighting the Irish Catholics.

TORTURE: ITS REPERCUSSIONS FOR THE REST OF US

The infamous torture report came out recently with a harsh reality check for the CIA. Not only did they torture, but they lied about it.  They certainly have their defenders who maintain that valuable information was obtained that protected American lives.  The report itself denies that claim.

In my nightmares it is hard to deny that torture would force many people, including me to give up their secrets.  Real spies and soldiers undoubtedly have more courage than I possess, but there is a limit to how much even the best of them could endure.  Nonetheless there are doubts as to its effectiveness.

We all have heard of confessions under duress.  Sometimes we assume that the person really was guilty and would otherwise have lied with a straight face if questioned.  All too often we learn later that they were in fact innocent.  This suggests the idea that people will say anything to stop the torture and too often their confession may not be true.  It may not be true because of a deliberate strategy of the victim to mislead.  It may not be true because of a deliberate strategy of the victim's overseers.  It may not be true because the victim really doesn't know.  It may not be true because the victim feels it is safer to agree with the accusing tormentors than fight.

When we are desperate, we resort to desperate measures.  After 9/11 there was fear everywhere that terrorists could strike at any time in any place.  We lowered our standards and I don't just mean our leaders, but also ourselves.  Many of us thought quietly to ourselves and some spoke out loud that nothing should be held back in our quest to find out what the terrorists were planning.  If someone died or suffered it served them right for being involved with terrorists.

Whether information gained from torture is useful or not there are other concerns, really costs involved.  We know that many of our enemies don't hesitate to torture and brutalize anyone they capture and assume that they would no matter what we do.  Is that really always true for every one of our "enemies"?  We are creatures of habit and respond to peer pressure, but we all know stories of people who resisted doing bad things and tried to rectify injustice.  World War II with the Holocaust produced significant people who were repulsed by the Nazi brutality and did what they could to shield its victims.  We know there were Americans who protested their own brutality in recent times. Is it not possible that by setting a good example other humans similar to ourselves would feel more resistant to abuses of power by their own side?  What about our front line combatants (in or out of uniform); do we not care about them?

We know that Al Qaeda and other extremists felt that American and allied abuses were very helpful for recruiting fighters.  It is very possible that the latest release of information will be used as a tool by our enemies.  In fact it seems very likely that the new recruits have killed many innocent people.  On the other hand our confession may give credibility to our claims of avoiding future torture.

All that said, politics can be a dirty business and we will see plenty of evidence in the near future. John McCain for all his faults has put things in perspective.  He understands the inhumanity of torture.  However I suspect other Republicans will use the release of this report to prove how soft and foolish the Democrats are and that Obama is a secret Muslim.  We all know that governments do what they feel needs to be done to protect their citizens and often publicly stated rules are bent and kept under cover.  Innocent people die and suffer in "national interests."  In chess, victory is given when one side is able to disable the king--everyone else is killed or captured, but not the king.

I recently read an article by Juan Cole where he recounted several instances of the American Founding Fathers that demonstrated they were against torture.  George Washington was aware that the American rebel prisoners had been killed by the British, but refused to allow revenge.  His thinking and that of other founders was that they were superior ("exceptional" if you will) to the old European way of doing things.  This has been twisted to the idea Americans are superior and can do whatever they want to protect their interests.

Like many I feel somebody should pay for the lies and distortions.  Many actually profited out of these false and brutal things.  Inevitably most will get away with it.  I hope the Americans learn a few lessons and can appreciate that they are all complicit.  I don't exempt us Canadians and other allies as in various ways we are scarcely better.  Sometimes it is very easy to be self-righteous, especially when one is on the outside that we are better people, but the truth is human nature is universal although our particular circumstances are randomly different.

I applaud the courage required to present the report and hope it is a small step for civilization.

Photo:  taken by the Huka Falls in New Zealand.