revolution How do we think about the American Revolution in 2025?

Ideas

Design and art direction: Heather Hopp-Bruce

Illustrations by Butterbrot

A vector illustration of a a line of four men in a row. The first is a white king, with his arm on the shoulders of the white colonist in from of him, who has his hand on the shoulder of a Black man holding a musket.

The Revolution lives on

The legacy of the Revolution is still up for grabs

250 years later, the fight for American independence is still full of surprising stories and unresolved questions. Explore them in this special issue of Globe Ideas.

Ted Widmer

A debate as old as the country itself: When did the Revolution truly begin?

Gordon S. Wood

How the Revolution carved out space for women’s liberty

Craig Fehrman

For Black people, the Revolution was full of paradoxes

Leslie M. Harris

The things you learn making a film about the Revolution

Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt

Why Boston was such a tinderbox in the 1770s

Jane Kamensky

What if the Revolution was a big mistake?

Alex Beam

A vector illustration close-up of a determined looking man in a tricorn hat.

A vector illustration of Sam Adams holding a pint of beer and considering a plat of fries with ketchup vs. a bowl of poutine.

A vector montage illustration Thomas Jefferson and Sam Adams discussion the Revolution; in the background is a cannon, coins, a hat, and a shuttlecock.

A vector illustration of a woman breaking free of cords that bound her wrists.

Native Americans helped spark the Revolution

Ned Blackhawk

A vector illustration of a large King figure with his arm and hand dividing a large swath of land between an American Indian figure on the left and a colonist farmer on the right.

A vector illustration of a large birthday-style cake with a

A vector illustration of a confident and angry-looking eagle battling two snakes. Secondary imagery near the bottom includes people protesting, fires, and a cracked liberty bell.