Should you watch The Civil War?
Who it’s good for, who it isn’t, and what’s in it. No ratings, no scores.

The Civil War
Documentary · 1990
A documentary on the American Civil War narrated by Ken Burns, covering the secession of the Confederacy to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
The sides of The Civil War
- Archive photographs of soldiers and battlefields
- Letters and diaries read aloud
- From secession to Lincoln's assassination
The Civil War is good for you if…
- you want to understand how the United States came apart and back together.
- you like a haunting fiddle tune that returns through every episode.
- you want the battles told through the people who fought them.
The Civil War is bad for you if…
- you can't give more than ten hours to one documentary.
- you need moving footage, not slow pans over still photographs.
About: slavery · the union · sacrifice
Closest to The Civil War
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