The American Revolution Documentary – Share Your Patriot Stories!
Ginnie Sebastian Storage, President General
As we anticipate the premiere of Ken Burns’ latest documentary series, The American Revolution on November 16, our nation stands ready for an engaging reflection on our country's founding era. This significant broadcast will offer millions of viewers the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the individuals—both renowned and lesser-known—whose dedication shaped the course of American independence.
Recently, I had the distinct honor of attending a special reception and preview of The American Revolution at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Speaking with Ken Burns and discussing our Society’s admiration for his four decades of impactful documentary filmmaking was truly inspiring. I also met co-directors Sarah Botstein—herself a proud recipient of a DAR award—and David Schmidt, whose work on the Benjamin Franklin documentary earned recognition from the DAR. Their passion for sharing America’s stories aligns closely with our Society’s own mission.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is proud to sponsor The American Revolution in numerous PBS markets nationwide, including through the generous efforts of several State Societies sponsoring local PBS stations. In these sponsored regions, DAR will be featured through a 15-second video vignette, “Discover Your Family Story,” at the start and conclusion of each episode. Our sponsorship also includes exposure via digital, radio, and social media campaigns. The series will air live from November 16–21 on PBS from 8–10 pm ET, with full access available for streaming on the PBS app and website.
As descendants of Revolutionary War Patriots, this moment holds deep meaning. It is a time to celebrate not only the contributions of our own ancestors but also to honor the often-undocumented sacrifices and achievements of countless others who helped forge our nation. Their stories—integral to our national narrative—deserve to be remembered and retold.
The documentary provides an unprecedented opportunity for DAR members to educate the public about our mission and share the enduring stories of our ancestors. It serves as a perfect platform to highlight DAR’s robust genealogical resources and to inspire viewers to explore their own connections to the Revolutionary War.
For additional information, refer to our recent internal announcement and share the informational flyer with members of your chapter. These resources offer practical guidance for maximizing the impact of our sponsorship.
How You Can Get Involved
The buzz around the documentary provides an incredible opportunity for us to educate the public about DAR’s commitment to preserve and celebrate the stories of all those who contributed to securing our country’s independence. This in-depth look at the founding era will provide a perfect backdrop to highlight DAR’s rich genealogical resources and inspire viewers to search for and find their own personal connection to a Revolutionary War Patriot.
Learn more about DAR’s sponsorship of the PBS documentary from this members’ announcement from last week and you can download the flyer below to share with other members in your chapter to provide more information:
The 15-second DAR video, which will air in November during the week of The American Revolution’s broadcast in PBS markets where DAR is sponsoring the documentary, is available for members to share and for states to use if they are sponsoring in their local PBS affiliates.
To assist states and chapters with promotional efforts surrounding The American Revolution documentary, DAR created a promotional toolkit. With DAR members from all over the country promoting the work of the DAR while the documentary airs, our collective voices will amplify relevant stories about the DAR to audiences who may not know about our organization and strengthen a positive image of the DAR to those who may have outdated perceptions of our Society.
There are many different ways members can promote the DAR during the airing of the documentary. For example, you can share stories of your Patriots, educate your community about the Revolutionary War history of your local area, host events or service projects to celebrate the focus on the American Revolution, and share these stories through local traditional news outlets and social media. The toolkit includes templates for local media promotion and suggested social media messaging.
As we encourage the public to discover their family story with DAR, we also plan to highlight DAR members’ connection to the Revolutionary Era with the incredible stories of your Patriot ancestors.
Tell us your family story! What did your Patriot do to contribute to securing our nation’s independence? How does their story inspire you today? Tell us what made you want to join DAR and your favorite part of being a member. You can submit your story in writing and film a short video of yourself sharing your story. Fill out the form linked below and upload images or a video.
Be sure to tune in to your local PBS station or streaming online when The American Revolution premieres on Nov. 16 and catch our DAR sponsorship video spot in select locations. For your friends or others in your local community who are tuning in and want to learn more about DAR – send them to our special webpage associated with the documentary: www.dar.org/DiscoverYourFamilyStory
I look forward to celebrating our history together during November and onward!
Today's DAR
