Iconic America

History Series / 1 Season

In this new eight-episode documentary series, David Rubenstein explores America’s 400-year history through a close examination of iconic national symbols such as the Hollywood Sign, Fenway Park, American cowboys and the Statue of Liberty: indelible artifacts, places, and archetypes. Each episode tells the story of an American symbol to reveal its origins, significance and the arc of its resonance.

Get Cascade PBS Passport to watch

Bridging Times: An Icon of American Innovation

2m 34s

"We, as Americans, have the power, and the ability, and the talent to create marvels in this world and the ingenuity to do it. So, I think about, what's the Golden Gate Bridge of the future? What new technology or new ways of seeing, or doing, or being can help us advance from one place to the next?" - Katherine Toy, Deputy Secretary for Access at California Natural Resources Agency.

Overcoming Construction Challenges and Skeptics

1m 47s

From its unprecedented length (for a suspension bridge), to enormous geological and financial hurdles, the plan to construct the Golden Gate Bridge was met with scores of naysayers.

Hidden tolls: The Impact of Freeways on BIPOC Communities

2m 1s

Historically, freeway development in the U.S. was often made without adequate consideration of the social and environmental consequences on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. This has caused systemic inequalities in BIPOC communities and contributed to significant and long-lasting negative impacts including displacement, economic disinvestment and health disparities.

United Daughters of the Confederacy's Lost Soldiers

1m 59s

This clip takes a look at The United Daughters of the Confederacy and the pivotal role that they played in memorializing Confederate soldiers. This organization, originally comprising female relatives of Civil War soldiers who fought for The South, was instrumental in propagandizing the war and reframing its origins by coining phrases such as “The War of Northern aggression.”

Meet Stone Mountain Memorial Association's Black Chairman

5m 38s

“I don’t see the carving being removed… I don’t see pleasing everybody because you’re not going to please everybody. I’d rather be agitating on the inside than be on the outside looking in." - Rev. Abraham Mosely, Chairman of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, discusses plans for the future that he hopes will alleviate some of the controversy surrounding the Confederate monument.

Stone Mountain Preview

31s / TV-PG

Should Confederate leaders remain on places like Stone Mountain, or should they be erased? As Confederate statues are torn down across the country and the nation wrestles with its past, David Rubenstein looks at the origin, the impact and the future of Stone Mountain Georgia's problematic monument to the Civil War.

Confederate Monuments as a Constant Reminder of Separatism

27s

"It's a very scary thing to live in a space that is whispering to you, 'You don't belong. You're not authorized.' There are forces that will roughly remind you of what you can and can't do." U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith discusses the possible psychological toll on Black people living in the shadow of a Confederate monument like Stone Mountain.

An Alternative Rationalization for the Civil War

3m 2s

“In order to believe that the Confederacy and these Confederates were noble, you have to have this myth of victimization of white Southerners that they are the real victims during the Civil War... And any effort to redeem them ought to be considered heroic.” – History Professor Hasan Jeffries explaining how attempts to reframe the causes of the Civil War gained traction in The South.

Endangered National Symbol

31s

The effect of DDT, a pesticide widely used in the mid-20th century, on the Bald Eagle population in the northeastern United States was devastating. When eagles consumed prey contaminated with DDT, the pesticide accumulated in their bodies over time. As a result, the eagles experienced thinning eggshells, making them more prone to breakage during incubation.

Restoring and Hacking Bald Eagles in NY

3m 52s

David Rubenstein talks to Peter Nye, an esteemed eagle biologist, retired from the Department of Environmental Conservation in New York. Nye gained national recognition for his expertise in eagle research, and he developed a technique called hacking which played a pivotal role in reviving the bald eagle population following a drastic decline caused by the pesticide DDT.

The Bald Eagle Appears in the First Great Seal of the U.S.

1m 49s

Eva Diaz, associate professor of art history at Pratt University, explains the cultural and allegorical significance of the Founding Fathers' decision to use the bald eagle as the prominent symbol in the Great Seal of the United States.

Bald Eagles Gather in the Pristine Alaskan Ecosystem

4m 55s

The greatest bald eagle congregation on Earth happens in southeastern Alaska in the village of Haines just before the fierce Alaskan winter. Lying on a remote peninsula, nestled between the Chilkat and Chilkoot rivers, each November the village becomes home to the largest bald eagle migration in the world.

The Infamous Bird's 1000 Pound Nest

45s

An American Bald Eagle's nest, also known as an eyrie, is an awe-inspiring structure that reflects the grandeur and strength of these majestic birds. Typically located in tall trees near bodies of water, the nest is an expansive platform constructed with meticulous care and precision. In this clip, David Rubenstein is show a Bald Eagle's nest that is estimated to weigh around 1000 pounds.

A Catalyst for Reflection on Our Past Transgressions

1m 6s

"A monument isn't a policy, but it's an object for which our vocabulary, and our feelings, our hopes and even our anxieties can be projected." United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith reflects on the Statue of Liberty's potential as an agent of change. Smith wrote “Harbor” to celebrate the 2019 opening of the Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island in New York City.

The French Connection

3m 56s

America's greatest symbol has its roots in a small town in France, about 300 miles from Paris, where Bartholdi was born and first conceived of his vision for the statue. There is no better way to understand the statue's evolution than to go where it all began.

How the Statue of Liberty's Anti-Slavery Origins Evolved

3m 41s

In this clip, Alan Kraut, Chair of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island History Advisory Committee and Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, explain the statue’s anti-slavery historical roots to David Rubenstein, and how their representation on the statue changed over time.

A Symbol of America

47s

The statue's official name, "Liberty Enlightening the World," embodies the ideals of liberty, democracy, and enlightenment. It stands as a beacon of hope, welcoming immigrants and symbolizing the United States as a land of freedom and opportunity. In this clip, David Rubenstein asks Ed Berenson, Chair and Professor of History at New York University, why Lady Liberty is a symbol of America.

Supported by