Us & Them: The Good, The Bad, And The American Revolution

About this episode

This episode discusses the complexities and contradictions of the American Revolution in light of contemporary debates about history and identity.

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence arrives at a moment when Americans are arguing not just about politics—but about our nation’s history. As President Donald Trump calls for the removal of what he labels “divisive” history from public institutions, a new documentary from Ken Burns revisits the American Revolution with all of its complexity, contradiction, and competing visions of freedom. In this episode of Us & Them , host Trey Kay brings together professors and students at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia along with community members for a public conversation. There’s talk about what the revolution meant then, who it was for, and what it means now—at a time when questions about executive power, citizenship, and belonging feel anything but settled.

People in this episode

Host: Trey Kay

Topics covered

• American Revolution
• history
• politics
• freedom
• citizenship

Keywords

• Declaration of Independence
• Ken Burns
• Marshall University
• public conversation

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Us & Them, the Declaration of Independence

Places: Huntington, West Virginia

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