Arkansas PBS, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas Humanities Center, will host a free screening event and panel discussion celebrating the premiere of Ken Burns’s latest documentary, “The American Revolution,” on Tuesday, Nov. 4, starting at 5 p.m. at the Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center in Fayetteville.

The event will feature a preview of “The American Revolution,” a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, and a panel of experts from the University of Arkansas. These panelists will connect Arkansas’s history to America’s story. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Guests are encouraged to register at myarpbs.org/revolutionscreeninguofa.

Panelists from the University of Arkansas include:

• Dr. Linda Jones, Chair of World Languages.
• Dr. Patrick Williams, Professor of History and editor of “Arkansas Historical Quarterly.”
• Elliott West, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Historian and Author of “Continental Reckoning: The American West in the Age of Expansion.”
• Moderator: Dr. Trishia Starks, Distinguished Professor of History and Director, University of Arkansas Humanities Center.

“The American Revolution” examines 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.

An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Viewers will experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), 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, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.

The American Revolution was a war for independence, a civil war and a world war. It impacted millions – from Canada to the Caribbean and beyond. Few escaped its violence. At one time or another, the British Army occupied all the major population centers in the United States, including New York City, for more than seven years.

“The American Revolution,” a six-part, 12-hour documentary, will air on Arkansas PBS Sunday, Nov. 16, through Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. each night.

Corporate funding for “The American Revolution” was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst. Additional support for “The American Revolution” was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte. “The American Revolution” was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.