The Dred Scott Decision
In 1857, the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision had the potential to legalize slavery everywhere in the United States.
Why We Made The Abolitionists
The makers of The Abolitionists describe making a film about a "transformative moment in American history that stemmed from the actions of ordinary individuals."
The Abolitionists
The story of how abolitionist allies William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown and Angelina Grimke turned a despised fringe movement against chattel slavery into a force that literally changed the nation.
Memorial Day
After the Civil War, freed African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina established the tradition of what we have come to know as Memorial Day -- From "Death and the Civil War"
Chapter 1 | Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente is an in-depth look at an exceptional baseball player and committed humanitarian who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball’s first Latino superstar.
Coming this Winter
Watch a short video about what is coming to American Experience this January and February, with a message from Executive Producer Mark Samels. The season kicks off with "The Abolitionists" on January 8, 15, & 22, followed by "Henry Ford" and "Silicon Valley."
Death and the Civil War, Chapter 1
How the young United States dealt with the unprecedented and overwhelming number of dead in the Civil War. The Ric Burns film is based on the book "This Republic of Suffering" by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust.
Why we made Death & the Civil War
Executive Producer Mark Samels describes why no other series on television would tackle a subject like this.
Death and the Civil War Extended Promo
How the young United States dealt with the unprecedented and overwhelming number of dead in the Civil War. The 2-minute extended promo for Death and the Civil War, premiering on PBS Sept 18, 8/7c. The Ric Burns film is based on the book "This Republic of Suffering" by Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust.
Ric Burns on making Death & the Civil War
Producer Ric Burns discusses the intricacies of making Death and the Civil War.
Death and the Civil War - Preview
Chart the political and social changes wrought by the pervasiveness and fear of death during the Civil War.
Clinton: American Experience, Part 2 - Preview
Explore the history of an American president who rose from a broken childhood to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history. 5/15/2012
Clinton: American Experience - Preview
Explore the history of an American president who rose from a broken childhood to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history. 5/8/2012
Jesse Owens Preview
The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus.
Jesse Owens, Chapter 1
The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus.
The Track: A Great Equalizer?
Jesse Owens' success on the track didn't translate to fair treatment off the track.
A Hero's Welcome?
After victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens returned to a segregated America.
Jesse Owens in Hitler's Germany
Jesse Owens' victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics were an affront to Nazi beliefs.
Jesse Owens Behind the Scenes
The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus.
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