Since 1988, PBS has broadcast a series that focuses on the history of the United States and what has made it unique. Called The American Experience (now shortened to simply American Experience), the program examines the people, events, technology, and natural resources that have shaped the country. Hosted by David McCullough until 2002 and narrated by a number of well-known personalities – The American Experience uses historians and authors, period images and film, music, dramatic re-enactments, and contemporary context to set the stage for its topics.The series continues to this day with a variable number of installments produced each year. Episodes are generally 60 minutes in length, but some longer episodes and multi-part series have also been produced. The show airs at different days and times on local PBS stations.Though The American Experience has used many films from independent film makers and has been assisted by various PBS stations throughout the country, it has always been spearheaded by WGBH in Boston.
Table of Contents
#1 – Partners of the Heart
Season 15 – Episode 8
A tale of the partnership between a white doctor and a young African-American in pioneering cardiac surgical procedures during the World War II era.
The episode was rated from 1 votes.
#2 – George H.W. Bush (1)
Season 20 – Episode 13
A detailed chronicle of the Bush family and the life of the 41st President of the United States – from World War II to the Gulf War and beyond.
The episode was rated from 1 votes.
#3 – We Shall Remain (4): Geronimo
Season 21 – Episode 8
A portrait of the Chiracahua Apache who was one of the last Native Americans to continue armed resistance in North America.
The episode was rated from 1 votes.
#4 – We Shall Remain (5): Wounded Knee
Season 21 – Episode 9
Rebellious Lakota and allies take up arms in 1973 and force an examination of the failures of the reservation system in the United States.
The episode was rated from 1 votes.
#5 – Soundtrack for a Revolution
Season 23 – Episode 11
The story of the American civil rights movement told through the freedom songs protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in paddy wagons and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality. The music enabled African-Americans to sing words they could not say and helped protesters face brutal aggression with dignity. With heart-wrenching interviews, dramatic images and contemporary performances by top artists, including John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean and The Roots.
The episode was rated from 1 votes.
#6 – The Abolitionists: 1854-Emancipation and Victory
Season 24 – Episode 11
Examine the forces leading to war and to the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.
The episode was rated from 2 votes.
#7 – The Abolitionists: 1838-1854
Season 25 – Episode 2
See how the activities of the five principals intersect and affect the anti-slavery movement.
The episode was rated from 2 votes.
#8 – The Abolitionists: 1854-Emancipation and Victory
Season 25 – Episode 3
Examine the forces leading to war and to the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.
The episode was rated from 2 votes.
#9 – Silicon Valley
Season 25 – Episode 5
Led by physicist Robert Noyce, Fairchild Semiconductor began as a start-up company whose radical innovations would help make the United States a leader in both space exploration and the personal computer revolution, changing the way the world works, plays, and communicates. Noyce’s invention of the microchip ultimately re-shaped the future, launching the world into the Information Age.
The episode was rated from 6 votes.
#10 – The Abolitionists: 1820s-1838
Season 24 – Episode 9
Abolitionist allies Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown and Angelina Grimké turned a despised fringe movement against chattel slavery into a force that literally changed the nation.
The episode was rated from 2 votes.