The American Revolution

The American Revolution

7.2/10
PBS Ended War • History

1 Season · 6 Episodes · Premiered November 16, 2025 · Ended November 16, 2025

The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a war of conquest, a civil war, and a world war, fought by neighbors on American farms and between global powers an ocean or more away. It impacted millions from Vermont's Green Mountains to the swamps of South Carolina, from Indian Country to the Iberian Peninsula. In defeating the British Empire and giving birth to a new nation, the American Revolution turned the world upside-down. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures.The American Revolution, our six-part, twelve-hour series on America's founding struggle, will present the story of the men and women of the Revolutionary generation, their humanity in victory and defeat, and the crisis that they lived through. By weaving together accounts of American political leaders and their British counterparts with the perspectives of the so-called ordinary people who waged and witnessed war, The American Revolution will be an expansive, evenhanded look at the virtues and the contradictions in the fight for independence and the birth of the United States.

Where to Watch: PBS

Official Site

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Seasons & Episodes

Season 1

6 episodes
E01
In Order to Be Free (May 1754 – May 1775)
Sun, Nov 16 2025 5:00 PM GMT+0000 116 min
Opposition in colonial North America to British policies over taxes, land and sovereignty escalates into violent confrontation; war gives 13 colonies a common cause.
E02
An Asylum for Mankind (May 1775 – July 1776)
Sun, Nov 16 2025 5:00 PM GMT+0000 124 min
Congress puts George Washington in command of a new Continental Army; Congress declares American independence in July 1776.
E03
The Times That Try Men’s Souls (July 1776 – January 1777)
Sun, Nov 16 2025 5:00 PM GMT+0000 115 min
British General Howe defeats General Washington, forcing the Americans to abandon New York; Washington's army regroups in New Jersey before attacking an outpost at Trenton.
E04
Conquer by a Drawn Game (January 1777 – February 1778)
Sun, Nov 16 2025 5:00 PM GMT+0000 116 min
General Howe takes Philadelphia, but the Americans' surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to support the U.S.
E05
The Soul of All America (December 1777 – May 1780)
Sun, Nov 16 2025 5:00 PM GMT+0000 114 min
The French-American alliance changes the war and moves it to other theaters; navies battle off England and in the Caribbean, while armies advance in Indian Country and the South; the British take Charleston.
E06
The Most Sacred Thing (May 1780 – Onward)
Sun, Nov 16 2025 5:00 PM GMT+0000 131 min
British General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states; supported by the French, a victory at Yorktown secures independence for the Americans.

Cast

Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote as Narrator

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