Documentary Style
HistoricalThe Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt transformed American democracy and presidential power. Their vision of government's role in society still fuels today's fiercest debates.
Year
2014
Type
series
Episodes
7
Language
English
Director
Ken Burns
Genres
Summary
One American family produced three of the most transformative figures in the nation's history, fundamentally reshaping the relationship between citizens and government.
Ken Burns's landmark series interweaves the lives of Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt for the first time. They are presented without reverence—showing Theodore's warmongering, Franklin's manipulation, Eleanor's self-righteousness—while revealing how their leadership redefined American democracy through progressive reform, the New Deal, World War II, and the founding of the United Nations.
An intimate portrait of political courage, personal struggle, and the complicated legacy of three figures whose vision of American government and power still shapes debates today.