Trailer
Goin’ Back to T-Town tells the story of Greenwood, an extraordinary Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that prospered during the 1920s and 30s despite rampant and hostile segregation. Torn apart in 1921 by one of the worst racially-motivated massacres in the nation’s history, the neighborhood rose from the ashes, and by 1936 boasted the largest concentration of Black-owned businesses in the U.S.
Story of a massive storm that unexpectedly gained strength as it worked its way up the eastern seaboard and the 300 million dollars of damage it caused.
From Enrico Caruso to the ordinary San Franciscan, this film presents vivid memories of those trapped in the terrifying event of 1906. Four hundred eighty square blocks were reduced to rubble; thousands were killed, tens of thousands left homeless. Then the heroic struggle to rebuild a city from the ashes began.
The story of atomic bomb research after World War II and how above-ground testing led to the evacuation of a previously-populated atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The US government attempts to claim lands that have value from Native American dwellers.
Mid 20th century America through the eyes of famous journalist Eric Sevareid.
A treatment of women's contributions to the World War II defense industry including interviews with women who participated.
A visit to working ranches in western Wyoming to examine the lifestyle of modern-day cowboys and compare it to the romantic historical notions.
John Kennedy and George Wallace clash over questions of civil rights in early 1960s Alabama.
Account of the famous Native American leader's battle against the US in the American southwest from the viewpoints of historians and modern Apaches.
Life on Alabama tenant farms in the 1930s with comparisons to the living situation today.
The growth of rhythm and blues music and its eventual acceptance by mainstream audiences in the 1950s.
A Catholic priest (Charles Coughlin) takes to the radio airwaves in the 1930s and broadcasts his views on the condition of the country.
An examination of the women of 19th century America - as suffragists, abolitionists, authors - and the record they and many others left through quilt-making.
A German prince and a Swiss painter interpret the United States in a new light during a visit to the American west during the 1830s.
The work of photographer and author Eudora Welty and her impressions of the south after the turn of the 20th century.
A biography of Robert Moses, single-minded visionary behind many of New York City's largest and most expensive construction projects.
A tale of a woman in the 1800s who risked scorn by marrying a man much younger than herself, and a person later found to be her biological son from long ago.
Early American aviators try to cross the planet with primitive planes of limited range and under harsh conditions.
The story of how prohibition went from local preferences to national law, with specific reference to its application in Detroit, MI.
An examination of a the story of a Japanese family in America from their arrival in the US to the days of suspicion during World War II.
America enters the fighting in what is now called World War I.
A nostalgic treatment of the national pastime and its meaning in history.
The story behind the mail order tome that brought merchandise (or dreams of it) within reach of Americans far and wide.
The story of Yosemite told through the diary of one of the first white Americans to visit the California valley.
Documentary on the life of civil rights advocate Powell, including his career as a Harlem minister and a US Congressman.
Documentary on the great influx of immigrants between 1890 and the 1920s.
Story of a folklore historian who sought to preserve the traditional music of the Appalachians for posterity.
The work of a notable civil rights crusader in the late 19th and early 20th century.
A tale of British children sent to North America during the early World War II bombing of London.
The Americanization of Chinese people in the 1920s and 30s, including public roles that ran counter to their cultural history.
A profile of an early environmental dispute over the construction of a dam in California after the earthquake of 1906.
A chronicle of the organized efforts to help slaves find freedom in the north.
After his famous flight, Charles Lindbergh becomes known to all the world but struggles with life in the limelight.
Chronicle of the 37th President - from his earliest ambitions to his innovative foreign policy and paranoia of perceived rivals.
Episode focusing on Polish immigration in the 1910s and the contributions of Poles to the United States.
The trial of Charles Guiteau, a seeming madman who killed President James Garfield.
The story behind orbiting satellites, the "space race," and the proliferation and uses of man-made satellites.
The unbounded optimism of the Jazz Age and the shocking consequences when reality finally hit on October 29th, ultimately leading to the Great Depression.
America is spanned when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific join track and enable a railroad system that is truly transcontinental.
The distinctive music of Louisiana including Cajun and Zydeco performances.
Oil exploration and the fortunes and failures of the independent opportunists who searched for it.
After the stock market crashed in 1929, thousands suffered unemployment and poverty in the Great Depression. The most desperate year, 1932, brought World War I veterans' Bonus March, the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the New Deal.
A story of Mexican-American workers in early 20th century copper mines in the southwest.
A history of the three major amusement parks that made Coney Island one of America's favorite recreational diversions in the early to mid 20th century and the ultimate fate of Coney Island.
A tale of British children sent to North America during the early World War II bombing of London.
The story of Eugene Dennis and his wife Peggy, communist activists in the post-World War II era.
The evolution of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an instrument to battle serious interstate crime and the personal mission of its controversial leader.
LBJ's career started in 1938 when he was elected a congressman, one of the youngest ever. He was elected to the Senate in 1948 under a cloud of suspicion. LBJ won by only 87 votes. In 1954, when the Democrats took over the Senate, LBJ became the youngest majority leader ever at age 46. In 1957, LBJ engineered passage of the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction, but the bill had too many compromises and no teeth. By 1960, LBJ felt he was ready for the presidency, but John Kennedy got there first and then picked LBJ as his vice president.
Lyndon Johnson's ascension to the Presidency and the controversial events of his tenure such as the Great Society and the Vietnam War are chronicled here.
A story of the formation and service of the first all-Black military unit in the United States during the Civil War.
The story of the corrupt political dominance of Mayor James Curley and its effect on the city of Boston in the early 20th century.
Documentary of the 1889 disaster caused by a broken dam.
Recounting the historic attack of 1941, including the planning and military outlook of both the United States and Japan at the time.
The rise of the FBI from a minor government bureaucracy to the premiere law enforcement agency in the world under the controversial leadership of J. Edgar Hoover.
Biography of the famed jazz composer and pianist, including rare footage of his performances.
Behind-the-scenes examination of the quiz show craze of the 1950s and how the outcomes of these television shows came to be fixed.
Eugene and Peggy Dennis were Communist activists during the years following World War II. Their story is told here.
The modern movement to preserve natural wilderness in the United States.
P.T. Barnum launches a scheme to bring entertainment and marvels to the country - something that one day becomes "The Greatest Show on Earth."
Documentary on the late 19th/early 20th century educational effort to teach Native Americans to adopt western cultural ways and abandon their own traditions.
The life of Kennedy patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy is the subject of this episode.
For the three Kennedy sons (John, Robert, Ted) it was the story of triumph followed by tragedy. Their political careers from 1961-80 are detailed in this episode.
Tragic tale of families attempting a short-cut passage to California in the 1840s, with narration of their life-and-death struggle taken from their own journals.
They were African-American soldiers. They were inducted into a rigidly segregated army. They trained in white America. Their commanders never intended to send them into battle, and yet African-American soldiers fought through six European countries into the heart of the most violently racist empire the world has ever known. The victims of nazi terror would never forget them.
The life and achievements of Washington - as a British colonist, American general, and first President of the United States.
The historic battle discussed from the perspective of both sides that participated in the conflict.
The story of "march king" John Philip Sousa and the connections between his music and the mood of the nation during his time.
Growing resistance to segregation, the Supreme Court decision to end it, and the life of Thurgood Marshall.
The short but notable career of the coach and his team with stories from some of those who remember him.
The story of Walter Reuther and the struggle to unionize the automobile workers of the US in the 1930s.
Her 1963 warnings about the effects of pesticides and herbicides - especially DDT - sparked a revolution in environmental policy and created a new ecological consciousness.
A profile of the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma - once a flourishing but segregated community.
Her 1963 warnings about the effects of pesticides and herbicides - especially DDT - sparked a revolution in environmental policy and created a new ecological consciousness.
The distinctive music of Louisiana including Cajun and Zydeco performances.
A profile of the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma - once a flourishing but segregated community.
The life and risks taken by the famous woman aviator.
"Black Jack" Pershing pursues the famed outlaw into Mexico, with little success.
Part 1 chronicles Eisenhower's childhood, education at West Point and military career, culminating in his service as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
Part 2 follows Eisenhower's election to the presidency and two terms in the White House, as well as his retirement.
Story of a massive storm that unexpectedly gained strength as it worked its way up the eastern seaboard and the 300 million dollars of damage it caused.
The last member of a diminished Native American tribe from California makes himself known at the beginning of the 20th century.
Story of the controversial Malcolm X, his early years, his connection to the Nation of Islam, and his legacy.
America's reaction to the plight of European Jews both immediately before and during World War II.
Archival footage and the voices of people who participated provide a unique perspective on the World War II Allied invasion of Normandy.
"FDR," a two-part biography of the Nation's only four-term President. Part 1 examines his privileged upbringing; his marriage to his distant cousin Eleanor; and his early political career. Narrated by David McCullough.
"FDR" concludes with a review of his Presidency, including his "New Deal" policies; and his wartime alliances with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill. Narrated by David McCullough.
A program that examines America's fascination with spiritualism and the occult in the second half of the 1800s.
Oscar Micheaux and the History of Race. Oscar Micheaux wrote, produced and directed over 40 movies and despite this was really not known because he was African American . This movie recounts the history of the black film industry from 1910 to the 1940s and includes rare clips and highlights.
American forces moving toward Germany to end the war are opposed by a deadly counter-offensive that leads to a great loss of life.
Examining the struggle to legalize the vote for women, with a focus on the partnership of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, the movement's founders. Also: infighting within the organization; the leadership of Alice Paul. Narrated by Susan Sarandon.
"The Way West," a chronicle of the American expansion west of the Mississippi and its tragic consequences for Native Americans. The first part examines how millions were inspired to strike out for new territories. Included: tensions between settlers and Native Americans; the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. Russell Baker is the narrator. The second part examines how U.S. Army involvement and railroad construction contributed to loss of Native American land. Events covered include military campaigns against the Lakota Sioux; and Red Cloud's negotiation of the Fort Laramie treaty of 1868. Russell Baker is the narrator.
The third part examines the fight for the last remaining Native American territories. Included: the treaty-breaching plunder of the Black Hills of the Dakotas in 1873 in a search for gold; and the U.S. Army's defeat at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn. "The Way West" concludes with an examination of the crackdown on Native Americans following Custer's defeat, and their desperate fight to hold fast to their traditions and culture. Included: the tragic fates of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull; and the Government's banning of the "Ghost Dance," which led to the deaths of 250 Sioux in 1890 at the Battle of Wounded Knee.
The third part examines the fight for the last remaining Native American territories. Included: the treaty-breaching plunder of the Black Hills of the Dakotas in 1873 in a search for gold; and the U.S. Army's defeat at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn. "The Way West" concludes with an examination of the crackdown on Native Americans following Custer's defeat, and their desperate fight to hold fast to their traditions and culture. Included: the tragic fates of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull; and the Government's banning of the "Ghost Dance," which led to the deaths of 250 Sioux in 1890 at the Battle of Wounded Knee.
The struggle of the women's movement and the 19th Amendment that finally extended national suffrage to women.
The struggle of the women's movement and the 19th Amendment that finally extended national suffrage to women.
The programs devised to help the American underclass in the 1960s and their successes and failures.
The westward expansion of the United States and the re-shaping of the destiny of white and native people - from the Gold Rush to Wounded Knee.
The westward expansion of the United States and the re-shaping of the destiny of white and native people - from the Gold Rush to Wounded Knee.
The westward expansion of the United States and the re-shaping of the destiny of white and native people - from the Gold Rush to Wounded Knee.
Chronicles the crackdown on Native American tribes across the Northwest in the aftermath of the Battle of the Little Big Horn in June 1876, and charts the final, desperate days of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Examines the rise of the heartbreaking Ghost Dance religion, and the last, horrendous massacre at Wounded Knee.
The nation is fascinated by the high-profile murder of a famous architect, apparently because of jealousy over a popular female stage performer.
Inventor Thomas A. Edison experiments with electricity, long-burning filaments, and glass bulbs to give America an alternative to gas lights.
The nation watches a political convention that in many ways is a symbol of the turbulent times in which it was held.
The story of orphaned inner-city children shipped to rural locations and new lives as part of a social engineering experiment.
An account of the struggle to register African Americans to vote in the state of Mississippi in the 1960s.
Biography of Chicago mayor Richard Daley, considered one of the last major heads of big city "machine" politics in the United States.
Orson Welles' movie stirs the ire of publisher William Randolph Hearst, the man who the film was patterned after.
The story of Wilbur and Orville Wright and the earliest days of aviation.
The Cold War forces the United States to build very high altitude U2 planes to record photographs of opposing nations.
A look at the life of Theodore Roosevelt begins by recalling how he dealt with his first wife's death; his efforts to overcome the limitations of severe asthma. Also: TR's leadership of the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American War; and, in 1901, his rise to the Presidency (at age 42, he was the youngest in U.S. history). Jason Robards narrates.
The conclusion of "TR" recalls the "frenzied quality" with which Roosevelt led the country during his second term in office; and his unsuccessful 1912 run for the Presidency under the Progressive party. Jason Robards narrates.
A chronicle of the rise of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, his steel empire, and his philanthropy.
In 1893, the last sovereign ruler of Hawaii is removed by forces that want the islands to come under the official jurisdiction of the United States.
The debut of the telephone in 1876 and its subsequent impact on American communication, and even, America's landscape.
How Philo Farnsworth combined his work with other emerging technologies to contribute to the development of television.
Chronicle of the construction of the New York subway and its dramatic impact on the city.
A story of the realities leading to the vanishing role of the family farm in the United States.
Groundbreaking New York reporter Nellie Bly uses all manner of transportation to beat the fictional feat of Verne's Phileas Fogg.
The story of the last great gold rush in North America, the search in the Yukon and Klondike at the end of the 19th century.
This program traces the rise of a pro-American Vietnamese nationalist, Ho Chi Minh, whose Viet Minh guerrillas grab a stunning victory over French colonial forces. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
The United States is drawn into Vietnam through its support − then abandonment − of South Vietnam's president, Ngo Dinh Diem, who is assassinated in a coup. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
Charging that North Vietnam has attacked American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, President Lyndon B. Johnson orders bombing raids and sends 200,000 troops into an undeclared war. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
With the South Vietnamese army in disarray, the U.S. military assumes control of the war, leading to increased American casualties in a country both beautiful and horrific. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
The war Americans seldom saw: the view from North Vietnam, featuring the perspectives of communist leaders, Vietcong guerrillas and American prisoners of war. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
North Vietnam's dramatic offensive on the lunar New Year stuns American military and political leaders, leading to calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
As the U.S. turns over the war to the South Vietnamese army, American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens feel the dimming prospects for victory. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
With fighting already spread to neighboring Laos, President Richard Nixon orders a secret bombing campaign against Cambodia, which will soon endure a nightmarish post-war holocaust. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
As President Nixon escalates the bombing of Hanoi and North Vietnamese troops advance, negotiators struggle for four years to sign a peace treaty that will be broken quickly. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
Americans at home divide over a distant war, clashing in the streets as demonstrations lead to bloodshed, bitterness and increasing doubts. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
Ten years after American ground troops arrived in South Vietnam, communists seize Saigon in a lightning attack that brings the war to a startling conclusion. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
Challenges and triumphs of an unassuming midwesterner who was thrust into the role of national leader.
Challenges and triumphs of an unassuming midwesterner who was thrust into the role of national leader.
The life of a midwife living in Maine during the late 18th century, based on the journals of Martha Ballard and the research of a modern-day author.
Documentary of Carl Graham Fisher, an opportunist who saw potential for tourism in the swamp lands of Florida.
The worst epidemic in American history killed over 600,000 Americans during World War I. Nicknamed "Spanish influenza," it died out quickly the following winter.
The career of Ronald Reagan, from his movie career to his growing interest in politics.
The career of Ronald Reagan, from his movie career to his growing interest in politics.
The story of the farmers who came to the Southern Plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas dreaming of prosperity, and lived through ten years of drought, dust, disease and death.
The subculture of young hobos that sprang up during the Great Depression.
As the U.S. turns over the war to the South Vietnamese army, American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens feel the dimming prospects for victory. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
With fighting already spread to neighboring Laos, President Richard Nixon orders a secret bombing campaign against Cambodia, which will soon endure a nightmarish post-war holocaust. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
As President Nixon escalates the bombing of Hanoi and North Vietnamese troops advance, negotiators struggle for four years to sign a peace treaty that will be broken quickly. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
Americans at home divide over a distant war, clashing in the streets as demonstrations lead to bloodshed, bitterness and increasing doubts. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
Ten years after American ground troops arrived in South Vietnam, communists seize Saigon in a lightning attack that brings the war to a startling conclusion. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.
The life of a midwife living in Maine during the late 18th century, based on the journals of Martha Ballard and the research of a modern-day author.
Documentary of Carl Graham Fisher, an opportunist who saw potential for tourism in the swamp lands of Florida.
The worst epidemic in American history killed over 600,000 Americans during World War I. Nicknamed "Spanish influenza," it died out quickly the following winter.
The career of Ronald Reagan, from his movie career to his growing interest in politics.
The career of Ronald Reagan, from his movie career to his growing interest in politics.
The story of the farmers who came to the Southern Plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas dreaming of prosperity, and lived through ten years of drought, dust, disease and death.
America in 1900 is explored. Examined are "emblematic events of the year," says producer David Grubin, including the mine disaster in Scofield, Utah; the rebellion in the Philippines against occupying American troops; and the murders of American missionaries in China during the Boxer Rebellion. David McCullough narrates.
The United States and the Soviet Union work on weapons even more powerful than the earlier atomic bomb during the height of the Cold War.
The story behind building one of the greatest Depression-era projects, the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.
An account of Robert Byrd's adventures at the poles and his trials in Antarctica.
The collision of two large ocean-going vessels in 1909 puts the new wireless telegraph to the test.
An account of the causes of the partial core meltdown at the Pennsylvania nuclear power plant in 1979 and the reactions of staff and the public.
Geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell undertakes a dangerous water trip down the Colorado River with a crew of adventure-seekers.
Part 1 of a two-part biography of Douglas MacArthur takes "America's first soldier" from his brilliant WWI service into WWII, when his knack for alienating superiors hindered his "return" to the Philippines.
The conclusion of MacArthur focuses on his "return" to the Philippines in 1944, his years as Supreme Allied Commander in Japan after the war and his controversial command in Korea.
Part 1 of a two-part biography of Douglas MacArthur takes "America's first soldier" from his brilliant WWI service into WWII, when his knack for alienating superiors hindered his "return" to the Philippines.
The subculture of young hobos that sprang up during the Great Depression.
The lives of the Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs) and their flying exploits within the US during World War II.
Part 1 of a two-part biography of Douglas MacArthur takes "America's first soldier" from his brilliant WWI service into WWII, when his knack for alienating superiors hindered his "return" to the Philippines.
The conclusion of MacArthur focuses on his "return" to the Philippines in 1944, his years as Supreme Allied Commander in Japan after the war and his controversial command in Korea.
The series begins by identifying the key themes that shaped New York's history: commerce and capitalism, diversity and democracy, transformation and creativity. The episode charts the development of the city founded by the Dutch as a purely commercial enterprise, first as New Amsterdam, a freewheeling enclave of trade and opportunity; then as the British New York, a colony fueled by slavery which was bestowed as a birthday gift upon the Duke of York by his brother, King Charles; soon after as a strategically pivotal locale in the American Revolution; and ultimately as the city of New York: the nation's first capital and the place destined to define urban life in America -- and American ideals.
Already established as America's premier port, New York City swelled into the nation's greatest industrial metropolis as a massive wave of German and Irish immigration turned the city into one of the world's most complex urban environments, bringing with it a host of new social problems. Episode Two reveals how the city's artists, innovators and leaders, from poet Walt Whitman to Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (the designers of Central Park) grappled with the city's growing conflicts -- which culminated in the catastrophic Civil War Draft Riots of 1863.
Now the spotlight shines on the growth, glamour and grief of New York during America's giddy postwar "Gilded Age." Exploring the incomparable wealth of the robber barons and the unabashed corruption of political leaders, such as Tammany Hall boss William M. Tweed, the episode examines the era when the expansion of wealth and poverty -- and the schism between them -- built to a crescendo. The program ends as the city itself dramatically expands its boundaries, annexing Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island into a single massive metropolis -- Greater New York.
As New York spilled into the new century, the extraordinary interplay of capitalism, democracy and transformation surged to a climax. During a single generation, over 10 million immigrants arrived in New York. The city itself became an even more dramatic lure with the construction of the first subways and skyscrapers. And arising from the plight of New York's most exploited citizens came landmark legislation that would eventually transform the lives of all Americans.
In this short but dazzling period, New York became the focal point of an extraordinary array of human and cultural energies, reaching its highest levels of urban excitement and glamour. In just over a decade, New York gave birth to its signature skyscrapers, the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, and to artistic creations like F. Scott Fitzgerald's THE GREAT GATSBY, George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," and to the jazz compositions of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Along the way, Harlem emerged as the undisputed capital of the African- American experience and the new media industries of advertising, radio networks, public relations, and magazines found their homes in midtown Manhattan.
Biography of the wife of FDR, her early life, marriage, and rise to the position of one of the most influential and respected women of the 20th century.
The story of the famed magician and incomparable escape artist.
Nixon and Kissinger decide to engage China as leverage in the Cold War.
The background and aftermath of the 1804 conflict between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.
Rise and fall of the volatile and sometimes violent abolitionist.
The tumultuous career of the controversial politician from Alabama.
The tumultuous career of the controversial politician from Alabama.
Traveling singers from an all-Black school tour the north and overseas in the decade after the Civil War.
The life of the "Yankee Clipper," from his humble beginnings as the son of an Italian-American fisherman in California to his world-wide acclaim.
The story of the innovations that made photography affordable and easy enough for any American to enjoy.
Biography of the family through four generations and their changing ideas on the use of money and power in America.
Continuation of the biography of one of America's wealthiest and most influential families.
The contributions of James B. Eads in understanding and altering the great Mississippi River during the second half of the 19th century.
An account of American P.O.W.s in Vietnam and their return to life in the United States.
Chronicle of the short epoch when sleek passenger trains dominated American transportation.
The story of Marcus Garvey, his ideas for Black re-settlement in Liberia, and his controversial ideas on race relations.
Abraham Lincoln-was born into poverty; Mary Todd, however, grew up in luxury, the daughter of a Kentucky banker and slave owner. (Several of her brothers would die fighting for the South in the Civil War.) While he was something of a rube when they met, she was the opposite, polished and refined. Yet they shared something in common: a love of politics. Narrator: David McCullough. The marriage of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln proves to be a tempestuous affair accented by her temper, his depression and their political ambitions. Included: his elections to the U.S. House of Representatives and, later, the presidency.
When the Lincolns arrive in Washington, D.C., in 1861, the president-elect is deemed untested and is mistrusted; Mary, meanwhile, is suspected of being a Confederate sympathizer due to being the daughter of a Southern slave owner. As Abraham deals with the national tragedy of the Civil War, the couple also face a tragedy much closer to home: the 1862 death of their son Willie. The aftermath of son Willie's death finds Mary turning to spiritualists for comfort and, perhaps, slipping from sanity. President Lincoln, however, has another matter larger than his own grief that demands attention---the war. Included: the step he took that changed the nature of the conflict, the Emancipation Proclamation, which he issued on Jan. 1, 1863.
In 1863, when opposition to the Civil War spread among Northerners: some see the high level of casualties as unacceptable, while others resent fighting to free black slaves. Abraham Lincoln, understandably, becomes anxious. Mary Todd Lincoln, meanwhile, copes by spending money compulsively, and falls into debt as a result. The final 16 months of the Civil War are charted, including the battle at Gettysburg and Abraham Lincoln's battlefield dedication and, just days after the South's surrender at Appomattox, his assassination. Included: Abraham's dedication to bringing the South into the Union; Mary's private wish for revenge.
False allegations of rape taint the record of justice in Alabama during the early 1930s.
A story of the flooding of the Mississippi River in 1927 and how it exposed social and racial problems beyond the natural disaster itself.
Chronicle of the short life of one of America's first nationally-recognized songwriters.
Chronicle of the short epoch when sleek passenger trains dominated American transportation.
A story of the flooding of the Mississippi River in 1927 and how it exposed social and racial problems beyond the natural disaster itself.
Chronicle of the short life of one of America's first nationally-recognized songwriters.
Chronicle of the short epoch when sleek passenger trains dominated American transportation.
In little more than ten years, immense new forces were unleashed in New York, from the Depression itself to the New Deal, which permanently altered the city and the country. Along the way, two of the most remarkable New Yorkers of all time came to the fore: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and master builder Robert Moses, both of whom attempted to create, in the darkest of times, a bold new city of the future. The episode examines their careers in detail, as well as the immense public works that transformed the city in the '30s. Also explored are the demise of Mayor Jimmy Walker, the coming of the New Deal, the fate of Harlem during the Depression, and the increasingly complex impact of the automobile on the city.
In exploring the social, economic and physical forces that swept through the city in the post-war period, Episode Seven examines the great African-American migration and Puerto Rican immigration of the '40s, '50s, and '60s; the beginnings of white flight and suburbanization; and the massive physical changes wrought by highways and urban renewal -- all of which were directed, to a surprising degree, by one man: Robert Moses. The film comes to a climax with the destruction of Penn Station, the battle over the Lower Manhattan Expressway, the social and fiscal crises of the '60s and '70s, and New York's miraculous revival in the last quarter-century.
An episode that focuses on the letters that passed between soldiers and those at home during American history.
The contributions of a history professor and college administrator to the American presidency in the first part of the 20th century.
The contributions of a history professor and college administrator to the American presidency in the first part of the 20th century.
The grand vision of sculptor Gutzon Borgum and the logistics behind the massive monument located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The growth of the famed beauty contest from a small promotional event for late-season tourism to a national phenomenon.
Racial tensions in 1942 Los Angeles resulting from conflicts between young Mexican-American men and off-duty sailors.
Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan square-off in a battle of rhetoric and legal manuevers over the teaching of evolution in Tennessee.
The career and violent death of bank robber John Dillinger and the role of the FBI in finally stopping him.
From the day that a 14-year-old Ansel Adams first saw the transcendent beauty of the Yosemite Valley, his life was, in his words, "colored and modulated by the great earth-gesture of the Sierra." Few American photographers have reached a wider audience than Adams, and none has had more impact on how Americans grasp the majesty of their continent. In this elegant, moving and lyrical portrait of the most eloquent and quintessentially American of photographers, producer Ric Burns seeks to explore the meaning and legacy of Adams' life and work. At the heart of the film are the great themes that absorbed Adams throughout his career: the beauty and fragility of "the American earth," the inseparable bond of man and nature, and the moral obligation the present owes to the future.
Story of the life of MIT mathematician John Nash - from exceptional theory to struggles with mental illness.
The military career and troubled administration of the 15th President of the United States.
The military career and troubled administration of the 15th President of the United States.
The story of the Georgia governor who won the presidency and the numerous challenges that plagued his administration.
The story of the Georgia governor who won the presidency and the numerous challenges that plagued his administration.
City of the Century chronicles Chicago's dramatic transformation from a swampy frontier town of fur traders and Native Americans to a massive metropolis that was the quintessential American city of the nineteenth century. The film tells how innovation, ingenuity, determination and ruthlessness created empires in what was a marshy wasteland and describes the hardships endured by millions of working men and women whose labor helped a capitalist class reinvent the way America did business. Along the way, this program revels in Chicago's triumphs -- among them the architectural experimentation that gave the city one of the world's most distinctive skylines -- and delves into the heart of Chicago's painful struggles. Bringing to life the Windy City's rich mixture of cultures, its writers and journalists, its political corruption and labor upheavals, this film bears witness to the creation of one of the most dynamic and vibrant cities in the world.
City of the Century chronicles Chicago's dramatic transformation from a swampy frontier town of fur traders and Native Americans to a massive metropolis that was the quintessential American city of the nineteenth century. The film tells how innovation, ingenuity, determination and ruthlessness created empires in what was a marshy wasteland and describes the hardships endured by millions of working men and women whose labor helped a capitalist class reinvent the way America did business. Along the way, this program revels in Chicago's triumphs -- among them the architectural experimentation that gave the city one of the world's most distinctive skylines -- and delves into the heart of Chicago's painful struggles. Bringing to life the Windy City's rich mixture of cultures, its writers and journalists, its political corruption and labor upheavals, this film bears witness to the creation of one of the most dynamic and vibrant cities in the world.
City of the Century chronicles Chicago's dramatic transformation from a swampy frontier town of fur traders and Native Americans to a massive metropolis that was the quintessential American city of the nineteenth century. The film tells how innovation, ingenuity, determination and ruthlessness created empires in what was a marshy wasteland and describes the hardships endured by millions of working men and women whose labor helped a capitalist class reinvent the way America did business. Along the way, this program revels in Chicago's triumphs -- among them the architectural experimentation that gave the city one of the world's most distinctive skylines -- and delves into the heart of Chicago's painful struggles. Bringing to life the Windy City's rich mixture of cultures, its writers and journalists, its political corruption and labor upheavals, this film bears witness to the creation of one of the most dynamic and vibrant cities in the world.
In August 1955, a fourteen-year-old black boy whistled at a white woman in a grocery store in Money, Mississippi. Emmett Till, a teen from Chicago, didn't understand that he had broken the unwritten laws of the Jim Crow South until three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. Although his killers were arrested and charged with murder, they were both acquitted quickly by an all-white, all-male jury. Shortly afterwards, the defendants sold their story, including a detailed account of how they murdered Till, to a journalist. The murder and the trial horrified the nation and the world. Till's death was a spark that helped mobilize the civil rights movement. Three months after his body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, the Montgomery bus boycott began.
The combination of ambition, money, and power that led to the completion of the famous railway that spanned America's west.
A tale of the partnership between a white doctor and a young African-American in pioneering cardiac surgical procedures during the World War II era.
The discoveries that led to the birth control pill and its subsequent impact on American women.
The story of the daughter of a Vietnamese woman and an American naval officer as she grows up in the United States.
He was boxy, with stumpy legs that wouldn't completely straighten, a short straggly tail and an ungainly gait, but though he didn't look the part, Seabiscuit was one of the most remarkable thoroughbred racehorses in history. In the 1930s, when Americans longed to escape the grim realities of Depression-era life, four men turned Seabiscuit into a national hero. They were his fabulously wealthy owner Charles Howard, his famously silent and stubborn trainer Tom Smith, and the two hard-bitten, gifted jockeys who rode him to glory. By following the paths that brought these four together and in telling the story of Seabiscuit's unlikely career, this film illuminates the precarious economic conditions that defined America in the 1930s and explores the fascinating behind-the-scenes world of thoroughbred racing.
The daring rescue by US Army Rangers of American POWs captured on Bataan as World War II came to a close.
A modern re-creation of the possible events behind the sensational murder of Dr. George Parkman in 1849 Boston.
The eighth episode of filmmaker Ric Burns' award-winning series New York: A Documentary Film examines the rise and fall of the World Trade Center -- from its conception in the post-World War II economic boom, through its controversial construction in the 1960s and 1970s, to its tragic demise in the fall of 2001 and extraordinary response of the city in its aftermath.
The long road to recovery after the Civil War, as the south seeks to establish a society separate from its African American citizens.
The long road to recovery after the Civil War, as the south seeks to establish a society separate from its African American citizens.
Contemporaries of Martin Luther King reflect on the later years of his life.
Residents of Tejas (Texas) fight for independence from Mexico, only to face annexation by the United States soon after.
The invention of the plastic containers and the story of Brownie Wise, the woman who realized how to market them.
Story of the Russian immigrant who was deemed so radical and subversive that she was persecuted and deported by the US government.
A study of modern-day Americans who re-enact the opening skirmish of the Revolutionary War each year.
The struggle of Joseph Strauss to spearhead the construction of the amazing bridge so important to San Francisco today.
Robert Kennedy's career in public service, his work in his brother's administration, and his presidential aspirations at the time of his assassination.
The 1938 fight between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling and the political and social ideologies the world thought were represented by the boxers.
The rise of communist rule in Cuba and Castro's long era of leadership.
Worries over a possible Japanese invasion of Alaska prompt the construction of a road to connect the territory to the 48 states.
The startling and controversial findings of a biologist who sought to understand the range of human sexual relations.
The life and career of one of the first "superstars" of the American screen.
America lays a telegraph cable across the Atlantic and enables almost-instant communication with Europe for the first time in history.
Racial anger erupts in Hawaii after five non-White men are wrongly accused of raping a Navy wife in the early 1930s.
How the end of World War II in the Pacific Theater affected Americans and Japanese.
The genesis of one of America's most influential performing families and the struggles to keep the group together in the face of personal problems.
The kidnapping of the heiress and her later sympathies to the cause of her captors.
Racial anger erupts in Hawaii after five non-White men are wrongly accused of raping a Navy wife in the early 1930s.
Racial anger erupts in Hawaii after five non-White men are wrongly accused of raping a Navy wife in the early 1930s.
Discord in two different places - a withering ambush of US troops by the Viet Cong 40 miles west of Saigon and a student protest that turns violent at the University of Wisconsin.
The Apollo 8 mission to orbit the moon and the men and women behind the effort.
The story of the circumstances that led to the founding of what would become a huge tourist destination in the desert.
The story of the circumstances that led to the founding of what would become a huge tourist destination in the desert.
A chronicle of the lives of the couple and their mutual regard for each other's abilities and intelligence.
On November 20, 1945, the twenty-two surviving representatives of the Nazi elite stood before an international military tribunal at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany. This American Experience production draws upon rare archival material and eyewitness accounts to re-create the dramatic tribunal that defines trial procedure for state criminals to this day.
An examination of the real details of the notorious outlaw and his brother.
The motivations of the "Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine" and the airplane hijackings they carried out.
The life of one of the 20th century's most acclaimed playwrights.
Account of David Vetter, a boy with an immune system so compromised that he led a life of isolation in a sealed enclosure.
The engineering behind the challenging work of transporting oil during the height of the energy crisis and the subsequent environmental impact of the pipeline.
Chronicle of the amazing markswoman, her life, the discovery of her talent, and the promotion of her career.
Documentary on Joseph Goebbels and the propaganda behind the success of the Nazi regime - told mainly though his own diaries and speeches.
Awakenings (1954-1956) Individual acts of courage inspire black Southerners to fight for their rights: Mose Wright testifies against the white men who murdered young Emmett Till, and Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Fighting Back (1957-1962) States' rights loyalists and federal authorities collide in the 1957 battle to integrate Little Rock's Central High School, and again in James Meredith's 1962 challenge to segregation at the University of Mississippi. Both times, a Southern governor squares off with a U.S. president, violence erupts -- and integration is carried out.
