It may seem obvious, but only 40-45% of colonists supported the cause. It’s not as simple as it may appear! Hear about the variety of possible perspectives of enslaved African Americans, Native Americans, women, white landowners and white laborers without property and how they might have looked upon the fight for independence from the British. From PBS Digital Studios: The Origin of Everything
The American Revolution Classroom Collection on PBS LearningMedia with Educator Guide
PBS aired The American Revolution, a six-part, 12-hour documentary series directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt about the people who waged and witnessed a war that changed the world. Weaving together a wide variety of perspectives from soldiers, civilians, and leaders — famous and forgotten, young and old, native and newcomer, enslaved and free, rich and poor, Loyalist and Patriot — The American Revolution tells how, against all odds, 13 British colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures.
PBS LearningMedia’s The American Revolution Classroom Collection harnesses the power of visual storytelling to bring the film’s insights, perspectives, and understandings to teachers and students in grades 3-12. Part of the Ken Burns in the Classroom hub, this robust collection offers more than 35 free, media-rich, and curriculum-aligned resources, designed by teachers and subject matter experts.
The American Revolution PBS LearningMedia One Sheet provides an overview of what is included in the collection.
A detailed educator guide has been created to accompany the collection. The guide makes it easier to navigate this expansive collection and provides specific details about each resource so that educators can assess the best ones for implementation in their unique classroom settings.
The Educator Guide includes:
- An introduction to The American Revolution Classroom Collection, including how the collection was developed
- List of the curriculum writers and expert advisers, most of whom also consulted on the film
- A planning checklist providing guidance on how to bring the resources into your classroom, ensuring alignment to your curriculum
- A quick guide to the full list of classroom resources, including links to all resources by topic coverage area with relevant grade bands and other details
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Women of the American Revolution
Discover the contributions and experiences of women in the fight for American independence from Britain.
6 Founding Women of the American Revolution
1. Abigail Adams: The Shadow Diplomat
Abigail Adams wasn’t just the wife of John Adams. While her husband was off in Philadelphia or Europe, Abigail Adams was running a mini-empire. She managed the family farm, navigated complex wartime economics, and raised children, all while serving as John Adams’ most trusted political adviser. When she told him to “Remember the Ladies,” she wasn’t making a polite request — she was warning him that a government without the consent of the governed (including women) was inherently unstable.
Resources:
- Abigail Adams Reader | Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum – For Grades K-2
- Analyzing Letters Between John and Abigail Adams – For Grades 3-5
- Women’s Contributions to the American Revolution – For Grades 6-12
2. Mercy Otis Warren: The Pen as a Sword
I view Mercy Otis Warren as the “propagandist in chief.” In an era where a woman’s political opinion was seen as a social defect, she wrote scathing satirical plays that turned public opinion against the British. Because her gender would have caused men to stop reading, she often published under a pseudonym. She later wrote a massive, three-volume history of the American Revolution, only to have male historians dismiss it for decades.
Resources:
- Mercy Otis Warren | The Shot Heard ’Round the World – For Grades 9-12
- Women and the American Revolution | Interactive Lesson – For Grades 9-12
3. Phillis Wheatley: The Intellectual Revolutionary
Phillis Wheatley’s story is a master class in resilience. As an enslaved Black woman, she had to defend her own intelligence before a panel of distinguished men who didn’t believe she could possibly write such sophisticated poetry. She broke through the triple-barrier of race, gender, and status, using her work to point out the glaring hypocrisy of colonists crying for liberty while keeping people in chains.
Resource: The Poetry and Legacy of Phillis Wheatley – For Grades 9-12
4. Betsy Ambler: The History Keeper
Betsy Ambler stands as a testament to the countless women whose courage, compassion, and quiet leadership were just as essential to the American story as any battle won. Only 10 years old when the war started, Ambler documented her experiences through letters shared with her family and friends after the war that tell the tale of her coming of age during a pivotal moment in history. She went on to cofound the Female Humane Association of Richmond, one of the first women-led charitable organizations in Virginia.
Resource: The Experiences of a Young Girl During the American Revolution: Betsy Ambler – For Grades 3-8
5. Deborah Sampson: The Ultimate Disrupter
Deborah Sampson didn’t wait for permission to serve. She disguised herself as Robert Shurtliff and fought in the Continental Army for over a year. At one point, she was wounded and actually removed a musket ball from her own leg with a penknife to avoid a doctor discovering her secret. She eventually won a military pension, proving that a woman’s place was wherever the fight for freedom happened to be.
Resource: Women and the American Revolution | Interactive Lesson – For Grades 9-12
Watch a clip on PBS.org: Treasures of New Jersey Presents: Grit & Grace – Revolutionary Heroines
6. Sybil Ludington: The Teenage Hero
Everyone knows Paul Revere, but Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles, twice as far as Revere, through the rain and dark to alert the militia when she was just 16 years old. While Revere got a famous poem and a place in every textbook, Ludington’s ride was largely ignored for nearly 200 years.
Watch a clip on PBS.org: The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington
- The American Revolution Classroom Collection (3-12)
- Women’s Contributions to the American Revolution (6-12)
- The Experiences of a Young Girl During the American Revolution: Betsy Ambler (3-8)
- The Poetry and Legacy of Phillis Wheatley (9-12)
- Analyzing Letters Between John and Abigail Adams (3-5)
- Women and the American Revolution | Interactive Lesson (9-12)
- Mercy Otis Warren | The Shot Heard ‘Round the World (9-12)
from Women of the American Revolution and the Timeless Fight for Recognition by Chayanee Brooks
Nature: Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti “Graduation Day” • WXXI-WORLD + The PBS app
In the remote wilds of northern Kenya, follow the remarkable journey of orphaned elephants at Reteti, the first community-owned elephant sanctuary in Africa.
Nature: Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti “Graduation Day” airs Sunday, April 19 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD and streaming live on the PBS app.
Raised by Samburu keepers who act as surrogate parents, these elephants, many rescued from poaching, drought, or human-wildlife conflict, are nurtured back to health and prepared for life in the wild.
From tiny calves taking their first bottle to older elephants practicing the skills needed for their release, the two-part series captures intimate moments of struggle, healing, and transformation. Meet characters like Long’uro, a calf who lost his trunk to a hyena attack, and Kelele, whose illness nearly derails his future. With the help of a whole community rallying behind them, witness a powerful tale of healing, hope, and the deep bond between people and animals.re.
In this episode, Graduation Day, the sanctuary prepares to release its oldest orphans into the wild, a baby elephant is rescued from a waterhole. An orphaned zebra finds hope, and Long’uro and friends learn how to survive the challenges of the dry season.
WXXI Internships – Learn more
WXXI offers a variety of internship opportunities, providing students hands-on experiences in digital content creation, marketing, broadcast, business administration, and more. Check out the summer internship opportunities below, and click on ones you are interested in to access the complete internship description and application process.
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Accounting Intern
Under the supervision of the WXXI Chief Financial Officer this intern will learn about general ledger maintenance, transaction processing, posting journal entries, bank reconciliations, and daily accounting activities. Click here for the full description and to apply.
WXXI Classical Music Intern
Learn about the general operations, programming and production, marketing and outreach of a classical public media station, and the skills needed to create and present content on air, for the website, and through social media. Click here for the full description and to apply.
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This internship will allow you to take the technical skills you have learned in the classroom and put them to the test in a real-world environment. Click here for the full description and to apply.
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Learn the ins and outs of multimedia journalism, getting great sound on the scene, impactful video, conducting thoughtful interviews, and writing scripts that bring stories to life on air. Click here for the full description and to apply.
Application requirements:
- Online Application
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Environmental Education Resources
Dive into environmental projects and education.
WXXI Community Observation Challenge
Find WXXI & PBS KIDS in the Community!
Elinor Wonders Why: Songs, Videos & Activities
Invasive Species: Education Resources
Nature Activities: From Screen to Green:
Nature Cat: Songs, Videos & Activities
Spring is Here! Explore with PBS KIDS!
Wild Kratts: Videos, Games & Activities
Climate and Our Planet PBS LearningMedia Collection
The Age of Nature Education Collections
SciGirls Resources
Design Squad: Inventing Green Resources
Molly of Denali: Games, Videos, Podcast & Activities
Antiques Roadshow “250 Years of Americana” • WXXI-TV + The PBS app
Watch ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 250 Years of Americana for discoveries reflecting 250 years of American art, artifacts, crafts and collectibles. One valuable treasure reaches $300K! Finds include a flag quilt circa 1880, a Tiffany Studios turtleback glass shade circa 1915 and an 1884 Edison light bulb.
Antiques Roadshow “250 Years of Americana” airs Monday, June 29, 2026 at 8PM and streams live on WXXI & PBS apps.
Preview:
Aired Monday, April 20 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streamed live on the WXXI and PBS apps. Re-aired 6/1 8PM, 6/4 3pm, 6/7 2pm and 6/29 8pm.
Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution • On-Demand
Lucy Worsley investigates the tensions and turning points that led to America’s declaration of independence from Britain in 1776. What is the British view of the American Revolution? With access to expert insights and original evidence, Lucy asks whether this explosive split could have been avoided. At New York’s City Hall Park, where George Washington’s troops heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud — a rallying cry that inspired rebels to destroy a statue of King George III and melt it into musket balls. At the New York Historical, Lucy examines a relic of this defiance and asks whether the rupture was inevitable. She then travels home to England to uncover the British perspective, studying King George’s maps and visiting Benjamin Franklin’s London home. She traces British and American tensions rising from Britain’s punitive taxes and the Stamp Act of 1765. In Boston, Lucy explores how the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party were flashpoints that pushed Americans toward war. Finally, Lucy reveals the radical voices — John Wilkes and Thomas Paine — whose words crystallized America’s vision of liberty and independence. Read the PBS Article for more background
Watch On-Demand on PBS Passport
Episode 1: The Break Up: Lucy Worsley investigates the tensions and turning points that led to America’s declaration of independence from Britain in 1776. With access to expert insights and original evidence, Lucy asks whether this explosive split could have been avoided. | Rating TV-14
Episode 2: A Messy Divorce: Lucy Worsley examines how the American Revolution reverberated in Britain. From sabotage to espionage, political turmoil transformed the empire. Lucy consults experts and evidence to reveal this lesser-known side of the War of Independence. | Rating TV-14