Ken Burns’ newest PBS documentary on the American Revolution highlights enslaved people, Native Americans, women, loyalists, Muslims and numerous forgotten figures. But two men — whose contributions were essential to victory — never appear at all.
Guess their ethnicity…
Filippo Mazzei and Francis Vigo, two Italian founders whose influence and sacrifice run deeper than many of the figures the film spends time on are never seen, heard, or discussed in The American Revolution, a new documentary by Ken Burns now shown on PBS.
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Mazzei: The Mind Behind Equality
Mazzei’s writings on natural rights directly shaped the thinking of the author of the Declaration of Independence - Thomas Jefferson. His phrase about universal equality predates “all men are created equal.” He served the patriot cause as a diplomat, supply agent, and political advocate in Europe — often risking imprisonment, so that America could be free.
How can a documentary explain Enlightenment influences without mentioning the Italian intellectual who shaped the Declaration’s language itself?
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Vigo Victorious
Francis Vigo, born Giuseppe Vigo in Italy, bankrolled George Rogers Clark’s western campaign. He provided intelligence, supplies, credit, and logistical support that allowed Clark to retake Vincennes — a decisive event that secured the Midwest for the United States in the Revolutionary War.
Vigo died nearly penniless because Congress never repaid him.
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Why the Silence?
Burns prefers sweeping themes: identity groups, marginalized communities, collective experiences. Yet, the Revolution was also shaped by individuals — immigrants, thinkers, financiers — whose names mattered.
Mazzei and Vigo aren’t symbolic. They’re foundational.
Leaving them out makes the American Revolution look narrower and more insular than it really was.
The Larger Point
Italian Americans have been part of the American story from the beginning — influencing its founding philosophy and financing its territorial success. Their omission reflects a larger national amnesia about early Italian contributions.
The American Revolution wasn’t only British colonists claiming independence. It was a global, multi-ethnic struggle helped along by an Italian philosopher and an Italian frontiersman whose work changed the destiny of the continent.
It’s time to put their names back where they belong.
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LETTER TO PBS - TEMPLATE
Subject: Important Figures Omitted from The American Revolution
Dear Ms. Kerger,
As a proud American, I appreciate the effort and scholarship behind PBS’ new documentary The American Revolution. The series brings essential perspectives to light.
However, I was surprised to see that two indispensable figures in the patriot cause — Filippo Mazzei and Francis Vigo — were not mentioned at all.
Mazzei’s writings on liberty and equality directly influenced Thomas Jefferson’s language in the Declaration of Independence. He also played a crucial diplomatic role in securing European support for the Revolution.
Francis Vigo, born Giuseppe Vigo, provided intelligence, financing, supplies, and credit to George Rogers Clark during the western campaign. His contributions were central to the American victory at Vincennes and the subsequent U.S. claim to the Midwest.
Both men were immigrants whose service to the cause was extraordinary. Their exclusion leaves viewers with an incomplete picture of the Revolution and its truly international character.
I respectfully urge PBS and Ken Burns production team to immediately address this oversight — through supplemental material, online resources, or future programming — or, better yet, a revised documentary that features the contributions of Mazzei and Vigo — so that audiences can learn the full scope of the individuals who helped build this nation.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: The above draft is a letter Italian Americans can use as a template to complain to PBS. Paula A. Kerger is currently the president of PBS. Her email address is Paula.kerger@pbs.org. The statue shown is of Francis Vigo. PRIMO thanks Michael Ranieri for notifying us of this issue.
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