Vermont's Role in Ken Burns's "The American Revolution": What's In and What's Out
A new documentary series from filmmaker Ken Burns features Vermont prominently in America's founding story—but tells only part of the state's Revolutionary War history.
The Documentary’s Scope
Ken Burns’s “The American Revolution” is a six-part, 12-hour documentary series that premiered on PBS on November 16, 2025. Directed by Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, the series examines how “Thirteen American colonies unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government,” according to its official description.
The filmmakers set out to present an “expansive, evenhanded look at the virtues and the contradictions in the fight for independence,” specifically noting that the Revolution “impacted millions from Vermont’s Green Mountains to the swamps of South Carolina.”
Vermont’s Military Victories Take Center Stage
The documentary features Vermont extensively as a critical military theater. Two of the series’ six episodes include Vermont-based battles as major plot points.
Episode 2: The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Vermont’s first appearance comes early in Episode 2, titled “An Asylum for Mankind,” which covers May 1775 through July 1776. The episode details how “Patriot forces led by Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen capture Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain after the British garrison surrenders without resistance.”
This event is listed as one of the episode’s “Key Events,” placing it alongside the Battle of Bunker Hill and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Burns emphasized the importance of this Vermont story in interviews, explaining that “Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with a prickly but very talented... Benedict Arnold” captured the fort and its British cannons. He called it “one of the great, great stories” of the Revolution.
Fort Ticonderoga served as a “key filming location for hours of original footage,” according to a press release from the Fort Ticonderoga Association. Burns stated that “There was simply no way we could have told the story of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold’s nighttime crossing of Lake Champlain... without the staff, living history interpreters and resources at the fort.”
The documentary connects this Vermont victory directly to General George Washington’s campaign. Episode 2 shows how “Henry Knox leads a daring mission to retrieve 60 tons of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga” and transport them to Boston, where they helped force the British to evacuate the city. Burns described this as “one of those amazing feats of engineering” that led to the British leaving Boston “for good.”
Episode 4: The Battles of Hubbardton and Bennington
Vermont reappears prominently in Episode 4, “Conquer by a Drawn Game,” which covers January 1777 through February 1778. This episode follows British General John Burgoyne’s invasion from Canada.
After Burgoyne recaptured Fort Ticonderoga “without a fight,” American forces retreated through Vermont. The Battle of Hubbardton is listed as a “Key Event” in the episode—the only Revolutionary War battle fought entirely on Vermont soil.
More significantly, the Battle of Bennington is featured as another “Key Event.” The episode describes how Burgoyne’s campaign “suffered a severe loss to the Patriots in the Battle of Bennington.”
The documentary frames this Vermont battle as directly enabling the war’s turning point. Episode 4 shows how the losses at Bennington weakened Burgoyne’s army, leading to the “American victory at Saratoga” that convinced France to enter the war on the American side.
What’s Missing: Vermont’s Political Independence
While the documentary extensively covers Vermont’s military contributions, it appears to omit entirely Vermont’s unique political status during the Revolution.
The Vermont Republic
A review of the episode guides, official film summaries, filmmaker interviews, and PBS promotional materials reveals no mention of several key aspects of Vermont’s history:
The Vermont Republic, which existed as a de facto independent country from 1777 to 1791
Vermont’s land disputes with New York that defined the Green Mountain Boys before the war
Vermont’s original name, the “Republic of New Connecticut”
This omission is significant because Vermont was not one of the thirteen colonies that formed the United States. Vermont declared itself independent from both Great Britain and the thirteen colonies, created its own government, and didn’t join the United States until 1791—years after the war ended.
Missing Military Leaders
The documentary’s treatment of military commanders also shows selective inclusion. While Ethan Allen is explicitly named in Episode 2 as a leader of the Ticonderoga capture, the detailed Episode 4 summary does not name the key commanders at Bennington and Hubbardton.
Historical sources identify General John Stark of New Hampshire and Seth Warner of Vermont as the crucial leaders at these battles. Stark was famously independent-minded and had refused Continental Congress orders, while Warner commanded militia from the independent Vermont Republic rather than Continental forces.
The Documentary’s Framework
The documentary’s emphasis on Vermont’s military role while omitting its political independence appears consistent with its stated focus on the “Thirteen American colonies” uniting in rebellion. Including Vermont’s story as an independent republic that was not part of this union would complicate that narrative framework.
Burns has described the documentary’s approach as examining “the virtues and the contradictions” of the Revolution. Vermont’s dual role—as both a contributor to the war effort and a separate political entity—represents one such contradiction.
What Happens Next
“The American Revolution” is available for streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app. Vermont viewers interested in the state’s full Revolutionary War story—including its political independence and pioneering constitution—can explore additional resources at the Vermont Historical Society and other state historical institutions.
The documentary’s treatment of Vermont raises questions about how regional stories fit into national narratives. While Burns’s series positions Vermont’s military contributions as essential to American victory, it presents those contributions within a framework that doesn’t acknowledge Vermont’s status as something other than one of the thirteen colonies during the war years.
For Vermonters, the documentary offers an opportunity to see the Green Mountain Boys and the battles at Ticonderoga, Hubbardton, and Bennington portrayed as pivotal moments in American history—even if the full complexity of Vermont’s Revolutionary War experience remains outside the frame.