--- ---  # See the American Revolution in a New Light in _On This Day…1776_ ## Video: On This Day... 1776 | January 1: The Flag [Watch (HLS stream): On This Day... 1776 | January 1: The Flag](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KXtiSnqZ.m3u8) (3:36)  _Published 2026-01-29. Rebellion becomes resolve. In response to King George III’s declaration of rebellion, George Washington raises a new flag over Prospect Hill on January 1, 1776, unifying the identity of those in defiance. At the time, nothing about this future was assured. 1776 is a week by week narrative of the most iconic year of America’s founding. This short-form historical series reexamines the American Revolution at a time when the idea of independence was far from inevitable. Through pivotal figures and intimate moments, each short unfolds within the uncertainty of the moment, reframing the Revolution not as a foregone conclusion, but as a struggle shaped by the endurance of those willing to fight for what they imagined. Produced by Primordial Soup. Made in part with AI from Google DeepMind. Follow Primordial Soup on Instagram and YouTube._  by [Karl Vick](https://time.com/author/karl-vick/)  ## Karl Vick Editor at Large Jan 29, 2026 3:00 PM UTC   by [Karl Vick](https://time.com/author/karl-vick/)  ## Karl Vick Editor at Large Jan 29, 2026 3:00 PM UTC The firsttime the country had to gather itself, it wasn’t a country yet. It was a string of British colonies, distinct and often differing, but lately chatting among themselves about their relationship with the same man. Being colonial, the relationship was lopsided: they did the work, then had to pay the King. The colonies weren’t sure what they wanted. But they knew it wasn’t this.  Courtesy Primordial Soup Depending on how it’s told, a story a quarter of a millennium old can still feel fresh. A new TIME Studios project, [_On This Day…1776_](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYOGLpQQfhNIzsiXxPLUMwhBEunGH9bem)_,_ relates America’s anniversary story without fifes, drums, or cake. It’s a weekly series of episodes—just a few minutes apiece—each debuting around the date of the event it depicts 250 years earlier. Executive produced by [Darren Aronofsky](https://time.com/4951193/darren-aronofsky-mother-director/), the acclaimed filmmaker whose work includes _Black Swan, The Whale,_ and _Caught Stealing_, this year-long series will live on TIME’s YouTube channel, a week-by-week narrative of what turned out to be the signature year of a new nation. If _On This_ _Day…1776_ manages to make the American Revolution feel like something that’s actually alive, it’s likely because the project has two things going for it. One is a new technology. The arrival of the U.S.A.’s semiquincentennial coincides with advances in artificial intelligence that leave behind sepia tints and costume drama and let storytellers generate a world that feels vibrant, richly textured, and immediate.  Courtesy Primordial Soup And that immediacy lives not only on the screen. The project also takes its “of-the-moment” feel from the headlines. In the first episode, dated Jan. 1, George Washington, visiting the hillside outside Boston where irregulars hold the high ground above British forces, asks them to shout out where they’re from. (You’ve never heard “Delaware!” proclaimed with more defiant pride.) And in the second installment, Jan. 10, Ben Franklin recruits Thomas Paine to articulate the overarching principles that can unite them. “Here in America,” _Common Sense_ declares, “the law is king.” In the story of how the United States of America came together for the first time, _On This Day…1776_ has the cure for what ails us. 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