Ken Burns on the American Revolution
(Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)
Ed Rampell
Why do you open The American Revolution with a quote from Thomas Paine?
Ken Burns
The words of Thomas Paine kept resonating with us, and we ultimately named each of the six episodes after a quote from him. Common Sense did more than any other writing to spur on the revolution. As the historian Stacy Schiff said, “Common Sense takes off like an accelerant through the colonies. Everyone reads it.”
Ed Rampell
Your narrator calls the American Revolution “the most consequential revolution in history.” As you know, the revolution has largely fallen out of favor with most of the Left, which often sees it as being led by slaveowners and merchants.
Ken Burns
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