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PBS America @ 250 Marks Nation’s Semiquincentennial with Expansive Programming Beginning Spring 2025 and Through 2026

Posted on: Friday, June 6, 2025

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PBS America @ 250 is a multiyear celebration of U.S. history, culture, and children’s programming, from spring 2025  through America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026 and beyond. As part of the largest national and local engagement effort in its history, PBS member stations will pay homage to the country’s founding with events in more than 75 markets nationwide. In addition, next summer, from June 27 through July 4, 2026, PBS will showcase a collection of its programming during a special week commemorating this important milestone.

PBS America @ 250, which was first announced in 2024, is designed to engage the country and inspire conversation around history and civics. In addition to tentpole programming like THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION from Ken Burns and Florentine Films, PBS KIDS, PBS LearningMedia, PBS Digital Studios, and PBS member stations will explore these topics at a national and local level.

With support from The Kern Family Foundation, PBS has launched the largest education and outreach effort in its history with THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. As part of the initiative, stations are hosting screenings and discussions with the filmmakers and historians. Events have already taken place in Richmond, Williamsburg, Boston, Lexington and Concord, Charleston, Raleigh, and Atlanta, with upcoming events in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Charlottesville to name a few. A full list of events can be found at www.pbs.org/americanrevolution.

“PBS America @ 250 is an extraordinary undertaking, made possible by the dedication of our member stations, PBS LearningMedia, PBS Digital Studios, producers, and countless others,” said Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS.  “I could not be prouder of the powerful content emerging from these collaborative efforts. Our nation’s history deserves to be honored, and through this work, we are doing just that. PBS was made for this type of national reflection.”

PBS America @ 250 programming will span across History, Music and Culture, plus programming from PBS KIDS.  More titles will be announced on a rolling basis.

At the helm of the initiative is THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary series from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, which explores the country’s founding struggle and its eight-year War for Independence, premiering Nov. 16.  A MORE PERFECT UNION: INSPIRING CIVIC & CIVIL CONVERSATIONS ACROSS AMERICA, a special from WETA in collaboration with the National Constitution Center that follows THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, examines how we think about America’s founding and how the ideas and values articulated 250 years ago remain relevant to conversations about governance today. It will premiere on Nov. 24.

HANDWORK: A CRAFT IN AMERICA 250 SPECIAL, a four-part series, will celebrate 250 years of handmade artistry with the first two episodes, “East” and “West,” premiering Dec. 19. Each episode is told through the hands of makers and explores ancestral traditions and modern innovation. Celebrating the significance of handcrafted objects in shaping and reflecting America’s diverse cultural heritage, these episodes are one part of HANDWORK: CELEBRATING AMERICAN CRAFT 2026, a multi-faceted, national initiative organized by Craft in America.  Exhibitions and community events will be held nationwide in collaboration with PBS member stations, and educational programs for K-12 will be available on PBS LearningMedia.

LUCY WORSLEY INVESTIGATES: THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a two-part miniseries from BBC Studios marking the Declaration of Independence’s 250th anniversary, takes Lucy Worsley back on the detective trail as she uncovers why the British Empire, the most powerful in history, lost the War of Independence against a ragtag band of American rebels. This two-part special will premiere in spring 2026.

DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE, a documentary from VPM, Virginia’s home for Public Media, explores the American Revolution through the eyes of free and enslaved Black people in the 1700-1800s. It will premiere in summer 2026.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “SUFFS,” based on the Tony Award-winning musical created by Shaina Taub, tells the story of the passionate American women who fought for the right to vote and explores the triumphs and failures of a struggle for equality. It will premiere in spring 2026. ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s “250 Years of Americana” special episode will feature items from 1775 through today, and a journey through time via material culture. The special will premiere in summer 2026.

PBS will bring back several AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: PRESIDENTIAL PROFILES, examining the history of the American presidency, in addition to several original films.  CAPITOL CONCERTS 2026 will feature a variety of well-known musical artists to celebrate America.

PBS KIDS programming will feature MAP ZAPPERS, a new series from Arkansas PBS that follows three ordinary kids who stumble across a highly anticipated museum exhibit in Washington, D.C. that contains artifacts from every U.S. state and territory. When they accidentally activate a piece of technology that teleports, or “zaps,” all the artifacts back to their place of origin, the trio of friends travel across the country, recovering the lost artifacts and learning about what it means to be an American along the way. 

Additional content from ongoing PBS KIDS series will be a part of the PBS America @ 250 initiative, including a special new episode from MOLLY OF DENALI, plus new civics-themed content from ROSIE’S RULES and ALMA’S WAY.

PBS America @ 250 will include an array of digital programs. ROGUE HISTORY, from PBS Digital Studios and PBS North Carolina, introduces audiences to the rebels and revolutionaries who lit the fuse 250 years ago during America’s fight for independence. Season 2 will premiere on May 28, on the PBS Origins Channel.

IN THE MARGINS, from PBS Digital Studios and WHYY, reveals lesser-known figures who made huge impacts on the shape of the country and tells stories that expand our understanding of American history. Season 2 will premiere on June 25, on PBS Origins Channel.

CIVICS MADE EASY is a digital series hosted by author Ben Sheehan that explains how the American government and the U.S. Constitution work. Produced by Second Peninsula, the team behind PBS’s BRIEF BUT SPECTACULAR, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the series premieres June 26, on the PBS YouTube Channel.

As part of PBS America @ 250, PBS LearningMedia will help connect teachers and students to educational resources and learning events that draw from the broad range of new programming. Through curated, media-rich collections aligned to curriculum, PBS LearningMedia will help educators and students engage with this milestone moment in our nation’s history, inviting reflection, learning, and deeper understanding of how our past continues to shape our present.

Many of the 330 public television stations are partnering with educators and a wide range of local organizations to spark meaningful conversations about the nation’s founding and its evolving story.