Learn more about Ken Burns' latest documentary, 'The American Revolution'

It’s been 250 years since the American Revolution — and the country continues to evolve with highs and lows.

Over the course of his career, Ken Burns has brought award-winning storytelling to the masses through various documentaries.

Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt worked alongside writer Geoffrey C. Ward for nearly a decade creating the six-part series, “The American Revolution,” which is set to air at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, through Friday, Nov. 21, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. Each episode is 2 hours and the series will air over six nights. It will also stream on the PBS app following the broadcast premiere.

The filmmakers and PBS scheduled the broadcast for 2025, the 250th anniversary of the start of the war, which began in the spring of 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence.

According to PBS, “The American Revolution” takes a look at how America’s founding turned the world upside-down. Thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of democratic movements around the globe.

Burns says the project began development in 2015.

“It was December 2015 and President Obama had 12 months to go,” Burns recalls. “I looked at a map and we were going to do The Revolution. We could tell the story by following reenactors. We could use paintings and use first person voices and bring to life all the people of that time. Then it was like, ‘Yikes, this is terrifying. This is our origin story.’ It is important to know where you came from.”

Burns and the team made sure the series took an expansive look at all the elements in play that helped birth the United States of America.

Years were spent finding memories from men and women who experienced the war — including the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen, Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America.

Burns says the war impacted millions of people — from Canada to the Caribbean.

The British Army occupied all the major population centers in the United States — including New York City, for more than seven years, he says.

“The American Revolution is one of the most important events in human history,” Burns says. “We went from being subjects to inventing a new concept, citizens, and set in motion democratic revolutions around the globe. As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, I’m hopeful that people throughout the country will come together to discuss the importance of this history and to appreciate even more what our ancestors did to secure our liberty and freedoms.”

Burns says jumping back in time was important to get the stories correct — although the majority of them are dark.

“No event in history has exactly happened twice,” Burns says. “I think the key to this is that human nature doesn’t change and there are degrees of finality in each situation. It’s there in The Revolution.”

Getting the series whittled down to six episodes and 12 hours was a task in itself.

Burns says it could easily have multiple volumes, but the storytelling had to remain concise.

“This is much shorter than ‘The Vietnam War,’ ” Burns says. “(In this series) there are no pictures or newsreels. We are taking images from that time and trying to find ways for them to come alive. We utilized maps and paintings to our advantage. We worked for years with a cartographer to help give dimension to the visuals.”

Burns says the film is narrated by Peter Coyote and includes narration of nearly 200 individual historic figures, read by a cast of actors, including Adam Arkin, Jeremiah Bitsui, Josh Brolin, Tantoo Cardinal, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Craig Ferguson, Morgan Freeman, Amanda Gorman, Michael Greyeyes, Samuel L. Jackson and Meryl Streep.

Burns says Yo-Yo Ma also plays the theme song and says each element was a vital piece to the puzzle.

“I’ve worked on this for nearly a decade and I want viewers to have their response,” he says. “We are in fraught times. When questions are asked about where you come from, ‘The American Revolution’ will answer that. This helps fill in the story of America’s birth.”

Ken Burns brings history to life in 'The American Revolution'