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I have recently been reading books about the American Revolution (including Thomas Fleming's "Washington's Secret War" and "The Perils of Peace") and I was delighted to see the historical information presented so accurately in this animated series. I have been intrigued by this series since seeing a few episodes on TV several years ago, but I wondered whether it had a revisionist or politically correct bias.
Having just watched the series (gulping down multiple episodes at at time, often with my husband at my side), I was quite pleased with the overall historical accuracy. There are a few things which are not *quite* right... the show does not mention the animosity which John Adams felt for Benjamin Franklin (as peace negotiators in Europe), and fails to clearly portray Cornwallis' refusal to personally surrender to Washington at Yorktown. But time and again I found myself thrilled as events that I have enjoyed reading about were depicted in detail on the screen.
I was surprised- in a good way- at the lack of "dumbing down". Although some simplification was necessary, the plot lines are quite complex and some scenes include actual quotations from period documents. Some of this, I expect, would go over a younger child's head. And although death and suffering are shown with admirable delicacy for a show that depicts a war, there are a few parts that could be frightening for younger children- for example, the episode that explains the physical pain caused by tarring and feathering people.
Since the show was produced for children, there are "cartoonish" elements thrown in from time to time- such as when the main characters escape the British by rolling down a street in barrels. The two teenage characters bicker with each other frequently and display attitudes that are not always fit for role models. Parents may wish to take this into account and discuss these interactions with their children. The fictional "main characters" in this show do take a lot of screen time, but it's usually as a means of drawing the viewer into the historical events.
The show makes an attempt to portray how the American Revolution impacted multiple groups of people- especially the slaves living in America at the time, but it also gives a token nod to the Native Americans and the Jewish population. Multiple episodes dealt with the issue of slavery, and attempted to show how the Founding Fathers could both own slaves themselves *and* wish to end the practice of slavery. American patriots were shown in a fairly balanced way. They were depicted as sometimes noble and great, sometimes angry and rash, sometimes fighting for freedom, sometimes taking advantage of the war for their own profit. The infighting, arguing, and backstabbing that actually occurred in Congress was shown as well, although much of the overseas drama (between the American ambassadors, as well as European nations) was not dealt with much aside from some angry scenes involving Parliament and/or King George.
As an adult, I really enjoyed watching these years in American history unfold in sequence. It helped me see the big picture and it was interesting to watch so many of the events and characters I've read about come to life, even in animated form. I do recommend this show- for adults as well as children.
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February 14, 2017 "Please retry" | — | 1 | — | $14.75 |
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Poor Packaging, Great Series
My one complaint is that it comes in one of the cases that squish multiple DVDs into the same holder. I understands that it's cheap, but it's too easy for the discs to get scratched that way. Another downside- no CC.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2013
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2014
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Top reviews from other countries
- dwayne dreverReviewed in Canada on November 8, 2016
A good learning tool on American history
- Heather HarndenReviewed in Canada on September 17, 2017
Childhood fun and learning
