As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio, the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum are pleased to announce a statewide initiative called America@250.

The initiative features national PBS programs and locally produced content from PBS Wisconsin, including educational resources as well as community events and grants designed to bring communities together to connect and reflect on our shared history and the future of democracy.

The America@250 Initiative will kick off with a special preview screening of PBS’s new documentary series THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, at 7 p.m. Thursday Oct. 16, at the AL. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION premieres 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 on PBS Wisconsin.

"As we approach our country’s 250th anniversary, PBS Wisconsin is bringing Wisconsinites together through the power of storytelling with THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION,” said Jon Miskowski, PBS Wisconsin’s Director of Television. “Our hope is that this film and the America@250 Initiative spark conversation about not just what happened 250 years ago, but what it means to be American today — and what kind of country we want to build for the next 250 years.”

The event in Baraboo will also include the premiere of two new episodes of The Look Back, a digital history series produced by PBS Wisconsin Education, and a panel conversation exploring themes and untold perspectives related to the Revolutionary War era.

The panelists for the event are: Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara, chair of UW-Madison’s department of African American studies and historian of colonial North America and the early American Republic; Molli Pauliot, doctoral candidate at UW-Madison in the department of anthropology and member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Buffalo clan; Cody Schreck, executive director of the Ephraim Historical Foundation and chair of the Local Historical Organization Committee of Wisconsin’s A250 Commission; and moderator Murv Seymour, an Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist and host of the PBS Wisconsin podcast series In Focus with Murv Seymour.

"While it can feel to us Wisconsinites that the American Revolution was a war fought long ago, far away on the East Coast, there’s truly so much to this history that’s relevant to us all,” said Andrew Carlson, PBS Wisconsin community engagement manager. “We’re excited to be bringing the new film to the historic AL. Ringling Theatre alongside PBS Wisconsin-produced content and a stellar panel of local experts. I think folks will walk away feeling energized and connected to this history in surprising ways!"

More information about this event is available at pbswisconsin.org/america-250/events.

At the special preview screening of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION in Baraboo, PBS Wisconsin and America@250 partners will announce the availability of $500 grants, discussion guides with questions and video clips from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and other resources for intentionally inclusive Community Conversations. All America@250 resources are free and available to the public.

PBS Wisconsin and partners will also provide facilitation training and other guidance to promote safe, inclusive and fruitful Community Conversations across the state. The $500 Community Conversation grant application window is open Oct. 16 through Dec.17, 2025. Wisconsin residents age 18 or older can apply. Grant winners will be announced Jan. 19, 2026, and Community Conversations will happen across the state in the run up to and beyond July 4, 2026.

PBS Wisconsin Education is also sharing resources inspired by THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, including two Revolutionary era episodes of The Look Back history series for grades 4-9, civics resources for educators and a two-day educator professional learning institute Aug. 5-6, 2026, designed to expand teachers’ knowledge of the Revolutionary War era and share strategies for implementing historical thinking and civics skills with learners.

Find more information about the A250 Initiative at pbswisconsin.org/a250.

Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and its members; Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine with the Crimson Lion Foundation; and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Major funding was also provided by David M. Rubenstein; The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation; Lilly Endowment Inc.; and the following Better Angels Society members: Eric and Wendy Schmidt; Stephen A. Schwarzman; and Kenneth C. Griffin with Griffin Catalyst.

Additional support for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by: The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; Park Foundation; and the following Better Angels Society members: Gilchrist and Amy Berg; Perry and Donna Golkin; The Michelson Foundation; Jacqueline B. Mars; Kissick Family Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John H. N. Fisher and Jennifer Caldwell; John and Catherine Debs; The Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Philip I. Kent; Gail Elden; Deborah and Jon Dawson; David and Susan Kreisman; The McCloskey Family Charitable Trust; Becky and Jim Morgan; Carol and Ned Spieker; Mark A. Tracy; and Paul and Shelley Whyte.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was made possible, in part, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

PBS Wisconsin is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

PBS Wisconsin is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.

-END-