A young engineer named Henry Ford devises the plan for a gas-powered car. McKinley is assassinated and his VP Theodore Roosevelt takes office and quickly passes a series of regulations increasing oversight of American business.

The Rocky Mountains were "like the stairs of heaven after the last soul has ascended earth," said Fitz Hugh Ludlow. Said Sitting Bull of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, "Our young men rained lead across the river and drove the white braves back. This is the time of the Civil War in the East, the last of the Indian Wars, the final spike in the transcontinental railroad. Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt paint a mythical Eden, while pioneer photographers...

In the first half of the 19th century, Americans pushed westward across the Appalachians, the Mississippi River, and the Rocky Mountains, en route to the Pacific Ocean. The frontier experience shaped the American character. At the same time, land hunger, gold fever, and the pursuit of “Manifest Destiny” resulted in the removal of many American Indian nations, acquisition of vast swaths of Mexico through the Mexican-American War, and a painful...

Shawnee warrior Tecumseh unites the Native American tribes to resist expansion; after Thomas Jefferson orchestrates the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis & Clark make their legendary expedition to the Pacific; and a new war for America begins.

April 1453. The Ottomans, led by Sultan Mehmed II, lay siege to the city of Constantinople. They intend to seize the city and unify their Sultanate, which was cut into two by the Byzantine Empire. In the defense of his capital, Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI can count upon his citizens, and also upon Genoese and Venetian soldiers. The reinforcements expected by the Byzantines are late in arriving, but the besieged city holds firm under the command...

Also known as the Mexican - American war, it was an armed conflict from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Revolution. Follow this program as American forces invade and conquer New Mexico, California, and parts of what is currently northern Mexico, while another American army captures Mexico City and forces Mexico to agree to the cession of its northern...

"An engrossing, epic American drama told from four distinct perspectives, spanning the first major wave of Irish immigration to New York through the end of the Civil War. Four unique voices; two parallel love stories; one sweeping novel rich in the history of nineteenth century America. This remarkable debut draws from the great themes of literature--famine, war, love, and family--as it introduces four unforgettable characters. Ethan McOwen is an...

In peaceful times, the US Armed Forces are well stocked with brave men and women who voluntarily sign up to serve. However, in the event of a third catastrophic global conflict, it is possible for the U.S. government to rapidly recruit from the civilian population, thanks to the Selective Service System. In this video, we will find out where it comes from and how compulsory it really is.

In the 1840s, civil war and famine in southern China drove thousands of young men to seek their fortune in the California Gold Rush. This program traces the Chinese experience in America, from their welcome in San Francisco as "celestial men of commerce," through the Gold Rush and building of the Transcontinental Railroad, to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act banning their entry into this country. This program rediscovers the often-overlooked role of...

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and families are traveling together, riding America's brand new transcontinental railroad. The story comes alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean. Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails,...