Ken Burns: America’s enduring story outgrows today’s political rifts

Ken Burns argues that confronting the brutal realities of American history, rather than sanitizing it, sharpens our view of the present and reveals how the founders imagined a citizen-led republic. He warns that today’s authoritarian impulses thrive on distraction and conspiracy, urges unity over division, and emphasizes the ongoing need to reconcile a diverse nation while learning from the past.