Skip to main content

Join us in commemorating the country’s 250th Anniversary with content exploring how the United States came together, showcasing its rich history, treasured artifacts, and performances and art that define America.

As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, we invite our community to think about the question: What does liberty mean to me?

In collaboration with the release of the new Ken Burns documentary Film The American Revolution, KSPS PBS hosted a pre-premiere film screening and a community civic conversation at Gonzaga University on November 13, 2025. Community leaders joined host Dana Haynes to discuss the evolving meaning of liberty and how liberty's ideals can address current political divides.

Thank you to our panelists — Lisa Gardner, Spokane NAACP president and the director of communications and community engagement for the Spokane City Council, Lawrence B. A. Hatter, PhD, associate professor of history at Washington State University, and Warren Seyler, a historian with the Spokane Tribe of Indians — for providing a thoughtful evening of conversation. We hope the topics prompt you to have similar discussions with your family and friends.

What does liberty mean to me?
Community Responses

The American Revolution Promo

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.