American Experience

History Series / 14 Seasons

American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

52m 54s

Margaret Chase Smith

1m 17s

Senator Margaret Chase Smith asked Senator Joseph McCarthy for evidence to support his allegations of communists in the State Department, but he ignored her requests. In June 1950, Smith delivered a Declaration of Conscience against "the selfish political exploitation of fear, bigotry, ignorance and intolerance. "

Teaser | McCarthy | American Experience

1m 48s

McCarthy chronicles the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator who led a Cold War crusade against Communists. His zealous campaign to root out those he viewed as enemies of the state would test the limits of American decency and democracy.

Simplicity in the White House

1m 38s

On February 2, Carter addressed the nation in a fireside chat on energy. The country had been through an oil scare in 1973. To head off a new crisis, Carter appealed directly to Americans to rally around a new program.

The Gifts of Tony Sarg | American Experience | PBS

7m 50s

Tony Sarg delighted children and adults, alike, with wondrous puppets: from the huge, other-worldly sea serpent that washed up on Nantucket’s shore in 1937 to the giant balloons bounding along New York’s streets in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. An artist and visionary, Sarg was known as the father of modern American puppetry.

Randolph “Randall” McCoy

1m 4s

n 1878, Randall accused a relative of Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield of stealing one of the McCoys’ hogs. Randall took the more affluent Hatfields to court in Kentucky but lost. A vicious, decades-long family feud ensued.

Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield

55s

In 1882, Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield's brother was murdered by three sons of Randolph McCoy. Within a matter of days, Devil Anse and his ad hoc militia executed the three McCoys. Despite warrants for his arrest, Devil Anse was never captured.

The Mine Wars Preview

30s

The story of small people going up against very big forces for a better nation. In the first two decades of the 20th century, coal miners and coal companies in West Virginia clashed in a series of brutal conflicts over labor conditions and unionization. "The Mine Wars" premieres on American Experience January 26 at 9/8c.

The Sound of Woodstock

6m 27s

50 years ago, organizers of the historic Woodstock Music and Art Fair in upstate New York searched for someone who could handle the unprecedented challenge of running their sound system. Luckily for them, “this crazy guy in Boston,” Bill Hanley, was available. Hanley’s innovative setup and the resulting recording forever shaped our collective memory of this generation-defining concert.

Joel Rosenman: Woodstock Producer

1m 13s

In 1969, Joel Rosenman and his business partner John Roberts joined hands with Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang to hold a big concert in New York. This concert would eventually become the legendary Woodstock music festival.

Official Trailer | Woodstock | PBS

30s

In August, 1969, half a million people from all walks of life and every corner of the country converged on a small dairy farm in upstate New York. They came to hear the concert of their lives, but most experienced something far more profound.

Wavy Gravy: “Please Chief” of Woodstock

1m 13s

Hugh Romney, otherwise known as Wavy Gravy, was an American figure of the 1960s counter culture. Gravy helped establish the “Hog Farm” commune in California. In 1967 the Hog Farm began traveling the country as entertainers in converted school buses. Then the Woodstock organizers invited the group to their music festival in 1969.

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