Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTif5sfFku-8
Washington: youtu.be/K1BaPETVOQA
Franklin: youtu.be/yZ8OlsW1XSo
Hamilton: youtu.be/DRDxzSNxUIs
Dominic Sandbrook is joined by legendary documentary-maker Ken Burns to discuss the American Revolution and the myths that still surround it. Was the war really about taxation, or was land the deeper cause of America’s break with Britain? In this conversation, Dominic and Ken explore George III, slavery, the role of France, and whether the United States could ever have won independence without foreign help. Ken also explains why George Washington, despite his flaws, was the one figure without whom America could not have existed. A wide-ranging conversation about liberty, hypocrisy, empire, and the revolution that Britain forgot but America turned into its founding story.
00:00 — Intro: Ken Burns and the American Revolution
01:23 — The Ken Burns effect
03:34 — The biggest cause of American separatism
06:33 — Land versus taxes
12:24 — Were the colonists aware they were lightly taxed?
15:58 — Was George III really a tyrant?
20:22 — Slavery: British victory or American victory?
26:32 — Could America have won without France?
32:02 — Could Britain have won?
33:54 — Washington’s strategy: keep the army alive
36:32 — Were American revolutionary ideals unique?
41:57 — How important was George Washington?
Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook
Social channels:
instagram.com/theresthistory
tiktok.com/@theresthistory
https://x.com/TheRestHistory
https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social
threads.com/@theresthistory
Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
Senior Producer: Callum Hill
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley
Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events:
youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join
Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTif5sfFku-8
Washington: youtu.be/K1BaPETVOQA
Franklin: youtu.be/yZ8OlsW1XSo
Hamilton: youtu.be/DRDxzSNxUIs
Dominic Sandbrook is joined by legendary documentary-maker Ken Burns to discuss the American Revolution and the myths that still surround it. Was the war really about taxation, or was land the deeper cause of America’s break with Britain? In this conversation, Dominic and Ken explore George III, slavery, the role of France, and whether the United States could ever have won independence without foreign help. Ken also explains why George Washington, despite his flaws, was the one figure without whom America could not have existed. A wide-ranging conversation about liberty, hypocrisy, empire, and the revolution that Britain forgot but America turned into its founding story.
00:00 — Intro: Ken Burns and the American Revolution
01:23 — The Ken Burns effect
03:34 — The biggest cause of American separatism
06:33 — Land versus taxes
12:24 — Were the colonists aware they were lightly taxed?
15:58 — Was George III really a tyrant?
20:22 — Slavery: British victory or American victory?
26:32 — Could America have won without France?
32:02 — Could Britain have won?
33:54 — Washington’s strategy: keep the army alive
36:32 — Were American revolutionary ideals unique?
41:57 — How important was George Washington?
Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook
Social channels:
instagram.com/theresthistory
tiktok.com/@theresthistory
https://x.com/TheRestHistory
https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social
threads.com/@theresthistory
Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
Senior Producer: Callum Hill
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley
