‘The American experiment continues’: Netflix series examines how the US was founded | Notes

THis first episode of The American Experiment ends with the song Devil’s Spoke by Laura Marling – a song about which Marling warned ominously, because of the public’s rejection: “It’s all going to fall apart.”

This may seem like a dark message for historical records celebrating the founding of the country – especially before the 250th anniversary.

But it’s a message that director Brian Knappenberger believes is at the heart of the American story, which began 250 years ago as an experiment in governance — and continues to this day under the question of whether it will survive another 250.

“The testing is ongoing,” Knappenberger said.

A five-part docuseries, available now Netflixexamines the history of the founding of America through the lens of history, with commentary from historians and actors playing the events that happened around and after the American revolution (Martin Sheen, who played president Jed Bartlet on The West Wing, gives voice to George Washington).

But Knappenberger departs from the norm by including interviews with politicians present in each episode, as well as episodes of other events in US history and today. Among those featured on the list are former vice presidents Al Gore, Kamala Harris and Mike Pence; featuring former Republican senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Jeff Flake; and Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state, and Nancy Pelosi, House speaker emerita. “We wanted to talk to people from as many different backgrounds as possible, but politicians are the ones who are working in this system that these founders created in the first place, they are fighting it and seeing the problems,” Knappenberger said.

The appearance of such familiar political faces adds to the impression that history continues and that the events of 250 years ago are still relevant today. But it also served as a temporary crossing point. The Democrats are Republicans featured in the series all seemed to view the story of America’s founding with the same respect as their peers in passing. The docuseries serves as proof that two sides that seem to disagree on everything today can come together to appreciate the mind and spirit behind one of the greatest poverty stories in history.

“We really wanted to talk about the divide here,” Knappenberger said. “George Washington in his farewell address warned the nation against extreme prejudice, which was their motto for racism.

Unfortunately, Washington’s warning to the country seems to be playing out in its headquarters. “I think we’re in a very divisive time,” Knappenberger said.

Knappenberger talks about this division later in the series, with Pence explaining what happened on January 6 – in which he saw, 20 years earlier, Gore confirmed the results of another controversial election, even if it meant losing the presidency – and how he knew that he had to stand strong against the pressure of his president to evade his job. “My goal was to uphold my oath of office,” Pence said, referring to the oath he swore to preserve, protect and defend the law.

Both politicians and academics on this list speak to the power imbalances that exist today. “The power of the executive right now would be a surprise to the founders,” Knappenberger said – and the only way to stop it is for members of Congress to join Donald Trump and his friends. “I think the American people would do well to reflect on the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration (of Independence), on our constitution and on encouraging our elected representatives to restore the authority and responsibility that the founders sought,” Pence said.

Experiments can still fail – everything can be broken. But Knappenberger remains optimistic. He said that when John Adams became president, he told his wife Abigail: “We will be in Washington for four years if the country lasts that long.”

“The projection of hope was 20 years, 30 years at the time,” Knappenberger said. “And here we are at 250 years. We’ve lived through very difficult times – the Great Depression, the war.” With the civil war, the country was torn in half. In all these times, we have managed to fix it and figure it out and deal with it and come together.

This will not be the first time in the country’s history that its future has been questioned, and it will not be the last. But it is the possibility of failure that has become as much a part of the American story as its success. “The fear of losing everything is what gives us strength,” says historian Yuval Levin in the articles.

Knappenberger said: “If you look at the national anthem of England, it’s God Save the King.” The French national anthem tells about the greatness of France. “We are who we are. We have inherited something wonderful – and we are in danger of losing it.”