Episode · This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von · 2025-10-07
Books mentioned on #615 - Ken Burns
Ken Burns is a documentary filmmaker, writer and historian known for his many films with PBS. His latest, “The American Revolution” premieres November 16th.
Ken Burns discussed Common Sense by Thomas Paine and Notes on the state of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Common Sense
Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a deeply influential 1776 political pamphlet that articulated arguments for American independence from Great Britain and helped ignite the American Revolution.
Discussed“At that point, the war has already started at Lexington and Concord the previous April, but nobody's really sure what we're going to do with this rebellion. And certainly independency, as they called it, is not on the mind of everybody. But he writes this thing called Common Sense.”
Where to get it
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Notes on the state of Virginia
Notes on the State of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson is the only book published by the Founding Father during his lifetime, originally written as an extensive defense and description of America for a French audience that encompasses geographic, social, and political observations.
Discussed“Thomas Jefferson did a little bit in his notes on the state of Virginia. It's very very complicated, but we're always looking for a way to say that some people are more equal than others.”
Where to get it
