Oct. 8, 2025
Additional events coincide with Ken Burns’s ‘The American Revolution’
CONWAY, Ark. (Arkansas PBS) — Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the U.S. and the upcoming documentary “The American Revolution” from filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, Arkansas PBS is launching a series of educational and community events this fall to help Arkansans explore the nation’s founding era and its ongoing relevance today.
The six-part, 12-hour documentary series “The American Revolution” premieres nationwide on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m., with Arkansas PBS offering unique opportunities to experience and participate in this landmark exploration of America’s fight for independence. These initiatives invite audiences of all ages to connect with history through research, storytelling and civic engagement.
The public is encouraged to use #ARVoicesAt250 to join the conversation and visit myarpbs.org/america250 for more information. Sponsored in part by the Stella Boyle Smith Trust.
Activities and events include:
- Screening Event – In partnership with the University of Arkansas Humanities Center, Arkansas PBS will host a free screening event Tuesday, Nov. 4, starting at 5 p.m. with a reception at the Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville. Attendees will watch a preview of Ken Burns’s "The American Revolution" starting at 6 p.m., and hear from a panel of experts from the University of Arkansas: Chair of World Languages Dr. Linda Jones; University of Arkansas Professor of History and “Arkansas Historical Quarterly” Editor Dr. Patrick Williams; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, historian and “Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion” author Elliot West; and moderator: Distinguished Professor of History and University of Arkansas Humanities Center Director Dr. Trish Starks. These panelists will connect Arkansas's history to America's story. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Learn more and register to attend at myarpbs.org/revolutionscreeninguofa.
- National History Day opportunity – Inspired by the PBS documentary “The American Revolution,” Arkansas PBS invites students to create projects that connect the past to their own communities, ideas and creativity. In addition to sparking creativity, these projects highlight the careful historical research and analysis that form the foundation of every National History Day entry, connecting students with original scholarship through storytelling. Three special prizes will be awarded at the National History Day Arkansas State Contest in Spring 2026. Selected projects will also be featured by Arkansas PBS using #ARVoicesAt250. #ARVoicesAt250 is sponsored in part by the Stella Boyle Smith Trust.
- Transcribe-a-Thons – The Baxter County Library in Mountain Home will host a hands-on Transcribe-a-Thon on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 10:30 a.m., in partnership with Arkansas PBS, the Arkansas State Library and the Library of Congress. The event will open with an exclusive preview of the upcoming documentary “The American Revolution,” directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, followed by a transcription session where participants will help preserve Revolutionary-era documents through the Library of Congress’s “By the People” project.
No experience is necessary, and volunteers will receive guidance in creating and reviewing transcriptions that make rare historical records widely accessible. This interactive program offers a unique opportunity to connect with America’s founding era while contributing to a nationwide preservation effort. For more details, including additional events, visit myarpbs.org/events.
- “The American Revolution” – "The American Revolution," a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, is a new six-part, 12-hour documentary series on America's founding struggle that 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. “The American Revolution” premieres Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.
Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment, Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
About Arkansas PBS
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, empowers learners of all ages by educating, informing, entertaining and inspiring communities. Arkansas PBS serves as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories and classic, trusted PBS programs through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarpbs.org/live, on-demand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP. Members with Arkansas PBS Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. Arkansas PBS depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at myarkansaspbs.org. Arkansas PBS is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), KETZ (El Dorado), KETS (Lee Mountain), KETS (Forrest City), KETS (Yancy) and KETS (Gaither).
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