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

When Barbara Met George

1m 46s

Barbara Pierce met George Bush when she was just 16 at a Christmas dance in Greenwich, Connecticut. Three years later, after George’s deployment in WWII, Barbara married, she would come to say, "the first man I ever kissed."

First White Settlers in Hawai’i

1m 8s

The first white Americans to settle in the Islands arrived in the 1820s intent on Christianizing aboriginal Hawaiians; they soon decided it was the Lord's will that they husband the Hawaiian lands to profitability.

This is my brother

5m 33s

At American Experience, sometimes we don’t know the full story behind archival footage. When we saw this video of a young man marching after Dr. King was assassinated, we wanted to know more. First we turned to Facebook, and then our team headed to Memphis, where we learned the inspiring story of Phil Anthony Hart and his family.

The Palmer Raids

1m 39s

In 1919, a coordinated bombing attack on seven eastern cities stoked fear in the American public that a much broader attack on capitalism was afoot. The Palmer Raids were a series of raids to arrest and deport individuals suspected of radical activities against the government. But a number of people were held without warrants. The Bombing of Wall Street filmmaker Susan Bellows discusses the raids.

An Attorney General Targeted

1m 26s

In 1919, after a series of bomb attacks, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer set up “Radical Division,” within the Justice Department. Its goal was to identify people who posed a threat to the U.S. social stability, particularly anarchists. After initial celebration, it seemed to many that this was too extreme a violation of civil liberties. Filmmaker Susan Bellows introduces A. Mitchell Palmer.

Becoming J. Edgar Hoover

1m 25s

J. Edgar Hoover is mostly remembered as the dominant force of the FBI. But he really got his start in 1919. He was 24 when he got a job at the Justice Department and was handed the position of running the “Radical Division,” which was designed to gather information on radical groups and political organizations. Filmmaker Susan Bellows discusses where Hoover got his start.

Golden Rule Jones

1m 8s

When Samuel Milton Jones set up a factory in Toledo, Ohio to manufacture his oil pump, the was determined to treat his employees fairly. He offered them benefits that were nearly unheard of in many other Gilded Age workplaces.

Mary Elizabeth Lease: The Advocate

1m 32s

In 1890s Kansas, farmers were working hard and producing a great bounty for the nation, but they weren’t getting the financial benefits. Mary Elizabeth Lease — known for making speeches about woman’s rights, the suffrage movement, and labor unions — took up the cause of the farmers. Lease stumped for the Kansas People’s Party. Filmmaker Sarah Colt introduces this advocate.

J.P. Morgan: The Financier

1m 9s

John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier and industrial organizer during the Gilded Age. In 1885, America was years into a depression, and gold reserves were down more than 50%. Morgan feared that if the U.S. dollar was devalued, his fortune would be in jeopardy. So he urged President Cleveland to consider a plan — one that eventually led to the rebound of the nation’s gold reserves.

Henry George: From Poverty to Politics

1m 35s

Henry George’s 1879 book Progress and Poverty articulated the problem felt by many people during the Gilded Age — that despite the booming economy, many were left behind in poverty. The book was a bestseller, and George became wildly popular, eventually being drafted to run for Mayor of New York City in 1886 as a candidate for the United Labor Party. Filmmaker Sarah Colt introduces Henry George.

Andrew Carnegie: Man of Steel

1m 17s

His family arrived in the United States penniless, but by the end of the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie had amassed an unimaginable fortune. As the nation rapidly industrialized, Carnegie cornered the market on steel — the material needed to build the railroads that fueled the boom. Filmmaker Sarah Colt introduces the Gilded Age titan.

The Rad Lab

1m 34s

The “Rad Lab” was the main research facility for the American radar program in the Second World War. But there’s virtually no record of it. Filmmaker Rob Rapley discusses the program, housed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that advanced radar technology and helped to win WWII.

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