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Currently Playing: Ken Burns on Why America Really Declared Independence

Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join Our whole series on the founding fathers is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTif5sfFku-8 Washington: https://youtu.be/K1BaPETVOQA Franklin: https://youtu.be/yZ8OlsW1XSo Hamilton: https://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: https://www.instagram.com/theresthistory/ https://www.tiktok.com/@theresthistory https://x.com/TheRestHistory https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social https://www.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