Nov. 12, 2025

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Directing The American Revolution with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt

We welcome the codirectors of the new documentary The American Revolution, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, for a conversation about what it took to bring this massive project to life. They share behind the scenes stories about the collaborative process with Ken Burns, the incredible voice cast, the Revolution’s fascinating characters, and their road to documentary filmmaking.

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Government

History

News

Politics

English

United States

explicit content

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IN THIS EPISODE

plodding substack

# ken burn

# david schmidt

sarah botstein

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OTHER EPISODES IN THIS PODCAST

Writing The American Revolution with Geoffrey C. Ward

Nov. 20, 2025

We welcome Geoffrey C. Ward, the writer behind The American Revolution documentary series and its companion book, for a conversation about the revolutionary characters he’s excited to bring into the spotlight, the iconic images of the Revolution, his long partnership with Ken Burns, and his fascina…

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Bringing Eliza Home

Oct. 16, 2025

How did Eliza Monroe Hay, unofficial first lady and daughter of fifth president James Monroe, end up buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris? We welcome author Barbara VornDick to share her incredible story of researching Eliza, pushing back on her historically bossy reputation, and working to br…

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Joseph Ellis & America’s Great Contradictions

Oct. 28, 2025

We welcome Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph Ellis to talk about his new book The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding, and what we can learn from the founders on the eve of America’s 250th birthday. Ellis also shares his disdain for “presentism” and his strong feelings …

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Thomas Jefferson's Swordfish Treason

Sept. 25, 2025

We dig into the origins of the story that Thomas Jefferson once shot a man for treason on the White House lawn, made popular by the 2001 film Swordfish. Find out more at plodpod.com Join our Patreon community for ad-free episodes and bonus content at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepre…

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