Every few years we are treated to a new movie or series (generally on PBS) by Ken Burns, focusing on a single time or “thing” – The Civil War, Baseball, The Civil War, to name a few. Now the topic is The American Revolution, with a six part, twelve hour series coming out in November, 2025.. The series features a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph J.Ellis, a well-known and well-regarded historian. Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor publishers and NetGalley, I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

For me, right from the jump, seeing the title “The Great Contradiction” attached to a study of the actual founding of the U.S. is thought-provoking. (as is the subtitle “The tragic side of the American Founding”). What exactly is the dilemma or contradiction, and how does it relate to the Revolution, which generations of us were taught was a key moment in founding a country based on things like individual freedom, freedom of thought and ideas? And how the bleep could a country that had articulated high moral values and principles in its Declaration of Independence possibly institutionalize slavery? And how on earth did westward expansion and its relentless pursuit of lands owned as far back as they knew by Native Americans justify the relentless taking of those lands?

Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Adams regarded the issue of slavery as they drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. And the upshot was the failure to end slavery and the failure to avoid Indian removal. According to the publisher, this  book argues that “the Revolution’s leaders were well-meaning prisoners of circumstance.” There was no way they could have abolished slavery even if they had wanted to, and even trying to do it would have divided the fragile Union.  The decades of paralysis as the issue of slavery grew and affected most aspects of life in the new country led directly to the Civil War. 

I’m looking forward to viewing the entire series and appreciate that this topic is one that will divide many, particularly those whose minds are made up one way or the other (slavery is wrong and should have been completely abolished as soon as the country was founded, or the success of the new nation and the way of life of male property owners was only possible due to the labor of enslaved people (so let’s not rock the boat!)

It is a fascinating topic and, as usual, Ellis (and Ken Burns) have captured many aspects of it that I suspect the majority of people now living in this country have never considered. Many reviewers have concluded that the NYT reviewer was exactly right: “Joseph J. Ellis Doesn’t Think You Would Have Abolished Slavery, Either.” Four stars.