Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+
"A More Perfect Union" examines how we think about America’s founding and how the ideas and values articulated 250 years ago remain relevant to conversations about governance today. This special engages Americans through a renewed civic conversation rooted in the founding principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Recorded at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, A MORE PERFECT UNION features Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, co-directors of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and Yuval Levin, Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, in conversation with co-moderators Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the NCC, and Melody Barnes, Executive Director of the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy.
Following the week-long premiere of Burns’s film, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, the special includes clips from the documentary focused on the founding era and the politics and ideas of the period, with a broader discussion about how the founders thought about executive and legislative power and the role of the judiciary.
“It was a thrill to join Ken, Sarah, Yuval, and Melody for such a rich conversation about the enduring relevance of our founding principles,” said Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. “At the National Constitution Center, we’re bringing those principles to life in our America at 250 Civic Toolkit and we’re looking forward to working with Ken and Sarah to spark a national conversation about the American idea heading into 2026.”
“Jeff Rosen and the National Constitution Center were wonderful partners as Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt, and I thought through the ideas associated with the American Revolution and how we could engage the public in a broad conversation about our founding,” said Ken Burns. “Sarah and I were very excited to join Jeff, Melody, and Yuval in this important conversation. We hope viewers have a chance to watch following the broadcast of our film, and continue to discuss these issues through the 250th anniversary of the country next year and beyond.”
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.
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Credits: A production of Florentine Films and WETA Washington, D.C. Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Written by Geoffrey C. Ward. Produced by Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt, Salimah El-Amin and Ken Burns. Edited by Tricia Reidy, Maya Mumma, Charles E. Horton, and Craig Mellish. Co-Produced by Megan Ruffe and Mike Welt. Cinematography by Buddy Squires. Narrated by Peter Coyote. The executive in charge for WETA was John F. Wilson. Executive producer is Ken Burns.
