"For his latest project, Burns turns his lens toward The American Revolution an event he has called the most significant since the birth of Christ. Speaking to Morning Edition, Burns said he wanted to "wake people up" to the fact that "for most of human history, most people had been subjects under authoritarian rule and that what happened in the eastern seaboard of North America created citizens this new thing with responsibilities."
"The Founding Fathers, Burns said, spoke of "unborn millions" who would be influenced by the creation of the country and the concept of citizenship. When Thomas Jefferson spoke of the pursuit of happiness, Burns said this was not about the pursuit of material things but about lifelong learning in a marketplace of ideas. "If you led a life of lifelong learning, you would be virtuous. You would earn the right of citizenship, one of the highest honors that could be bestowed on anyone," Burns said."
The American Revolution is presented as a transformative event that converted people from subjects under authoritarian rule into citizens with responsibilities. A six-part series, ten years in the making, recounts the revolution through political and military leaders, Native soldiers, free and enslaved African soldiers, and many others who served on both sides. The narrative emphasizes the Founding Fathers' view of future generations as "unborn millions" and frames the pursuit of happiness as lifelong learning and civic virtue rather than material gain. The account also underscores the extreme brutality and violence of the conflict and its lasting significance.
Read at www.npr.org
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