The American Revolution (1994)
The American Revolution (Narrated by Bill Kurtis, The History Channel, (1994)
This is an excellent series to use to supplement the teaching of the American Revolution. It covers the standard ground of key leaders, events, battles, politics and issues well, but I think it reaches a higher teaching level by incorporating diverse components of history such as stories about the common people and things: how a soldier was buried, how a sharpshooter’s musket works, multiple letters and diaries describing events, George Washington’s charmed life of surviving many bullet shots in his cape and hat etc. It also restages many historical scenes—Paul Revere’s ride, the first shots at Lexington and Concord—which gives the viewer more of a visual and empathetic understanding of events. It is fast-paced, uses many engaging historians (including the British) to comment on events and conveys well why the American Revolution is one of the most important, fascinating, compelling events in world history.
Kenny Karem Collegiate School, Louisville, KY kennykentucky@aol.com
