Photos: Ken Burns unveils new documentary series ‘The American Revolution’ at Mount Vernon

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns talks about his documentary ‘The American Revolution’ at Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Filmmaker Ken Burns (center) and Doug Bradburn, president of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, watch clips from Burns’ latest documentary series, The American Revolution, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Watching Ken Burns’ latest documentary series, The American Revolution, at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Watching Ken Burns’ latest documentary series, The American Revolution, at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns talks about his documentary ‘The American Revolution’ at Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Retired Gen. Joseph Dunford, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks in a panel discussion on the American Revolution at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Retired Gen. Joseph Dunford, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks in a panel discussion on the American Revolution at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The American Revolution co-director Sarah Botstein speaks in a panel discussion at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson speaks at a panel discussion on the American Revolution with filmmaker Ken Burns, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson speaks at a panel discussion on the American Revolution with filmmaker Ken Burns, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns talks about his documentary ‘The American Revolution’ at Mount Vernon, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Scenes from the new documentary ‘The American Revolution’ premiered in front of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, Oct. 29, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Emmy and Grammy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns unveiled his latest documentary series, “The American Revolution,” at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate on Wednesday (Oct. 29).

The filmmaker spoke in a panel discussion before sharing an outdoor preview of the new six-part series, which features George Washington and his pivotal role in winning the Revolutionary War. Episodes will air on PBS at 8 p.m. nightly from Nov. 16 to 21.

During the panel, which included co-director Sarah Botstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson, and retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, Burns spoke about how the series is intended as a reminder to audiences of American ideals, rather than as an overt political statement.

“The discipline of telling a good story is to not build edifices that point at how contemporary these lessons are,” Burns said, “but to just tell a good story, and to be disciplined enough to trust the audience will see that.”

In discussing the series, Dunford said Washington and other founding fathers strived to keep politics out of the military — an important principle that is still relevant to this day.

“[The founders were] concerned about the existence of a standing army and the threat that that army may turn on the American people,” Dunford said. “The single biggest mitigator of that risk is this idea of non-partisanship in civilian control of the military.”

The documentary also looks at Washington’s flaws, according to Burns.

“Not only are there really bad tactical mistakes, there’s the rashness of riding out on the battlefield … and he owns hundreds of human beings,” the filmmaker said. “As you say, you can’t square that circle.”

Overall, Botstein said the documentary offers a history lesson that defines American values.

“Learning your history helps you understand where you are and make the future brighter,” Botstein said. “These are really instructive, exciting, inspiring, useful stories to understand who we are as a people, good, bad and ugly.”