American Experience

Biography of the family through four generations and their changing ideas on the use of money and power in America.

Continuation of the biography of one of America's wealthiest and most influential families.

The contributions of James B. Eads in understanding and altering the great Mississippi River during the second half of the 19th century.

An account of American P.O.W.s in Vietnam and their return to life in the United States.

Chronicle of the short epoch when sleek passenger trains dominated American transportation.

The story of Marcus Garvey, his ideas for Black re-settlement in Liberia, and his controversial ideas on race relations.

The story of the Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's childhoods and their courtship is told.

Abraham Lincoln-was born into poverty; Mary Todd, however, grew up in luxury, the daughter of a Kentucky banker and slave owner. (Several of her brothers would die fighting for the South in the Civil War.) While he was something of a rube when they met, she was the opposite, polished and refined. Yet they shared something in common: a love of politics. Narrator: David McCullough. The marriage of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln proves to be a tempestuous affair accented by her temper, his depression and their political ambitions. Included: his elections to the U.S. House of Representatives and, later, the presidency.

Sheds light on the Lincoln marriage during Abraham's time in Congress and his run for president.

When the Lincolns arrive in Washington, D.C., in 1861, the president-elect is deemed untested and is mistrusted; Mary, meanwhile, is suspected of being a Confederate sympathizer due to being the daughter of a Southern slave owner. As Abraham deals with the national tragedy of the Civil War, the couple also face a tragedy much closer to home: the 1862 death of their son Willie. The aftermath of son Willie's death finds Mary turning to spiritualists for comfort and, perhaps, slipping from sanity. President Lincoln, however, has another matter larger than his own grief that demands attention---the war. Included: the step he took that changed the nature of the conflict, the Emancipation Proclamation, which he issued on Jan. 1, 1863.

The Lincolns arrive in Washington with Abraham's ability to lead in question.

Mary struggles with personal grief, as Abraham Lincoln becomes consumed with the nation's tragedy.

In 1863, when opposition to the Civil War spread among Northerners: some see the high level of casualties as unacceptable, while others resent fighting to free black slaves. Abraham Lincoln, understandably, becomes anxious. Mary Todd Lincoln, meanwhile, copes by spending money compulsively, and falls into debt as a result. The final 16 months of the Civil War are charted, including the battle at Gettysburg and Abraham Lincoln's battlefield dedication and, just days after the South's surrender at Appomattox, his assassination. Included: Abraham's dedication to bringing the South into the Union; Mary's private wish for revenge.

While criticism of Abraham Lincoln increases during the Civil War, Mary Lincoln plunges into debt.

Focuses on the battle of Gettysburg, the surrender at Appomattox and Lincoln's assassination.

False allegations of rape taint the record of justice in Alabama during the early 1930s.

A story of the flooding of the Mississippi River in 1927 and how it exposed social and racial problems beyond the natural disaster itself.

Chronicle of the short life of one of America's first nationally-recognized songwriters.