Billy the Kid Ballad
Writer Mark Lee Gardner performs a ballad about Billy the Kid during his interview for the film.
Train Ride through the Wild West
From the "Billy the Kid" production team, a time-lapse video from the point of view of a train streaming across the Western landscape.
Wild West Preview
In January 2012, American Experience presents the Wild West Collection: Billy the Kid, Custer's Last Stand, Wyatt Earp, Geronimo, Annie Oakley, and Jesse James.
This Season on American Experience
Our 2012 season is announced with a special video from Executive Producer Mark Samels. We hope you enjoy our upcoming season, which kicks off with our "Wild West Collection" on your local PBS station January 10 at 9/8C.
Nixon and Abusing Power: The "Saturday Night Massacre"
October 20, 1973: Nixon fired Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox in what becomes known as "The Saturday Night Massacre." The attorney general resigns and Congress files 21 resolutions calling for Nixon's impeachment.
Carter's First Lady: Rosalynn
Rosalynn Carter was a major figure in her husband's campaigns and policy meetings. "She wanted to be more than a fashion plate and somebody who gave teas," says historian E. Stanly Godbold.
HW Bush on Policing the World: Opposing Iraqi Aggression
On the White House lawn on August 5, 1990, H.W. Bush took a stand against Iraqi aggression against Kuwait. "He led with his gut, with his instincts," says biographer Timothy Naftali.
FDR on the Enemy: Fear Itself
President Roosevelt's inaugural address filled the American people with confidence in their new leader. "They hear coming through their loudspeakers this voice so filled with courage, with self confidence, with a sense of leadership," says historian William Leuchtenburg.
Reagan's Age
As the 1984 election approached, many voters voiced their concerned with Reagan's age. At 73, he was already the oldest President in history.
Truman's First Lady: Bess
The spotlight did not appeal to Bess Truman. "She would return home to Independence as often as possible, leaving the President feeling very alone, often desolate," says historian David McCullough. "It's hard for some people to understand what she was like, and why the President was so devoted to her."
HW Bush and Age: Grandpa Bush
In 1992, President HW Bush seemed increasingly out of touch. His critics panned actions such as spending $28 on presents for his grandchildren and not understanding the technology of a grocery store checkout counter.
FDR on the Enemy: Imperial Japan
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt was deeply shaken "knowing the navy was caught unawares."
Reagan on Policing the World: Aiding Freedom Fighters
In 1981, Reagan aided the Polish workers movement and in Afghanistan backed factions fighting a Soviet invasion.
Reagan's First Lady: Nancy
Nancy Reagan made things difficult at times with her stubbornness. Nancy's importance to her husband "goes with the turf when you're dealing with the Reagans," says advisor Stuart K. Spencer.
FDR on Crises: Depression Relief
Franklin Roosevelt used the power of the federal government to relieve the suffering caused by the Great Depression.
Reagan on the Enemy: The Soviet Threat
The delegations of Communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan met in Geneva in 1985. "The President, from the very start, started to speak in a kind of lecturing tone, as though I was a suspect, or maybe a student," says Gorbachev.
Truman on the Enemy: Communism
After WWII, Truman watched most of Eastern Europe fall to the Communist "Iron Curtain." "I do not think we should play compromise any longer," Truman wrote.
Truman on Crises: Crisis in Korea
President Truman interpreted the North Korean attack upon South Korea as direct aggression from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's support for the invasion, however, was limited and not driven by the Soviet leader Stalin. "What the United States got involved with in 1950 was not aggression from the Soviet Union," says historian Walter LaFeber, but "an incredibly bloody Civil War in Korea."
Reagan and Lying: Arms for Hostages
Despite his firm stand against dealing with terrorists, in November 1986 Reagan admitted that arms had been shipped to Iran but denied that the arms were a trade for hostages.
FDR on Lying: Creating a Reason to Go to War
President Roosevelt did not tell Congress or the American people the truth behind the Greer incident that led to US involvement in World War II. "I am perfectly willing to mislead and tell untruths if it will help win the war," FDR told a friend.
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