The American Revolution, a landmark documentary by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, examines how our nation’s founding was at once a war for independence, a civil war, and a world war that impacted millions. We are pleased to present screenings of all six episodes in their entirety for America 250.

Episode One: In Order to Be Free (May 1754 – May 1775)

Led by George Washington a small force of Virginia militiamen and their Native-American allies ambushes unsuspecting French soldiers, kicking off the Seven Years’ War (known in North America as the French and Indian War). During the war, George III becomes King of Great Britain following the death of his grandfather George II. The war rages across the globe until 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, in which victorious Britain acquires French possessions in North America and Spanish Florida.

In the years following the end of the war, the British Government issues royal proclamations and parliamentary laws that limit colonists’ expansion westward and impose new taxes on common goods such as paper, glass, lead, and tea. These imperial reforms, as they are thought of in Britain, are met with unrest in the colonies, leading to violent protest and calls for boycotts of British goods, as well as the formation of new groups like the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty.