– RevolutionNJ
Ken Burns, whose distinguished filmmaking career includes documentaries on the Civil War, jazz, and baseball, met with about 1,000 New Jersey students Sept. 18 to commemorate Constitution Day and to discuss the importance of New Jersey during the American Revolution.
The day-long event included history education workshops at Newark Public Library and Newark NJPAC leading up to the broadcast of his new film, “The American Revolution” that will air and stream on PBS beginning Nov. 16. The documentary was co-directed by Sarah Botstein and historian Christopher Brown served as an adviser to and appears in the film.
“New Jersey was ground zero for the American Revolution,” said Burns. “Trenton, Princeton and Monmouth were just a few of the places that saw brutal battles. There were additional skirmishes across the state, as well as encampments in Morristown, Bernardsville and other towns and cities that we still frequent today.
“We’re thrilled to join RevolutionNJ, the NJ Department of Education and so many young people to discuss the importance of this history to the state and our country, as well as its meaning today.”
Also in attendance at a press conference were New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way and Kevin Dehmer, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, who viewed the screening of the documentary with Gov. Phil Murphy.
“New Jersey has been, and remains, a state of revolutionary possibilities,” said Murphy. “From Washington’s daring crossing of the Delaware to the turning-point victories at Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth, more battles and skirmishes were fought here than in any other state during the Revolutionary War. We are proud of this history and thrilled to welcome renowned documentarian Ken Burns to the Garden State as we explore New Jersey’s unique and enduring place in our nation’s founding and its future.”
“Constitution Day is an annual opportunity for all of our students to learn about our shared history, and this year New Jersey students were reminded just how central New Jersey was to the events surrounding the nation’s founding,” said Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. “Through the Revolutionary Schools initiative, the Department is proud to partner with RevolutionNJ to give schools new and innovative ways to bring history to life.”
The filmmakers were joined by representatives of PBS LearningMedia, PBS’ flagship digital platform for the classroom, to release the first set of classroom resources that will accompany the film and co-facilitate a teacher workshop with New Jersey’s public media network, NJ PBS, and Revolution NJ.
