American Experience

"FDR," a two-part biography of the Nation's only four-term President. Part 1 examines his privileged upbringing; his marriage to his distant cousin Eleanor; and his early political career. Narrated by David McCullough.

"FDR" concludes with a review of his Presidency, including his "New Deal" policies; and his wartime alliances with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill. Narrated by David McCullough.

Examining the struggle to legalize the vote for women, with a focus on the partnership of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, the movement's founders. Also: infighting within the organization; the leadership of Alice Paul. Narrated by Susan Sarandon.

"The Way West," a chronicle of the American expansion west of the Mississippi and its tragic consequences for Native Americans. The first part examines how millions were inspired to strike out for new territories. Included: tensions between settlers and Native Americans; the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. Russell Baker is the narrator. The second part examines how U.S. Army involvement and railroad construction contributed to loss of Native American land. Events covered include military campaigns against the Lakota Sioux; and Red Cloud's negotiation of the Fort Laramie treaty of 1868. Russell Baker is the narrator.

The third part examines the fight for the last remaining Native American territories. Included: the treaty-breaching plunder of the Black Hills of the Dakotas in 1873 in a search for gold; and the U.S. Army's defeat at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn. "The Way West" concludes with an examination of the crackdown on Native Americans following Custer's defeat, and their desperate fight to hold fast to their traditions and culture. Included: the tragic fates of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull; and the Government's banning of the "Ghost Dance," which led to the deaths of 250 Sioux in 1890 at the Battle of Wounded Knee.

A look at the life of Theodore Roosevelt begins by recalling how he dealt with his first wife's death; his efforts to overcome the limitations of severe asthma. Also: TR's leadership of the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American War; and, in 1901, his rise to the Presidency (at age 42, he was the youngest in U.S. history). Jason Robards narrates.

The conclusion of "TR" recalls the "frenzied quality" with which Roosevelt led the country during his second term in office; and his unsuccessful 1912 run for the Presidency under the Progressive party. Jason Robards narrates.

Challenges and triumphs of an unassuming midwesterner who was thrust into the role of national leader.

Challenges and triumphs of an unassuming midwesterner who was thrust into the role of national leader.

America in 1900 is explored. Examined are "emblematic events of the year," says producer David Grubin, including the mine disaster in Scofield, Utah; the rebellion in the Philippines against occupying American troops; and the murders of American missionaries in China during the Boxer Rebellion. David McCullough narrates.

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.

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.

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.

The conclusion of the Bill Clinton biography recalls the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which led to Clinton becoming the second U.S. president to be impeached. It also details his face-off over the federal budget with Newt Gingrich, whose refusal to compromise led to a government shutdown, and successful 1996 reelection campaign. Among those commenting: Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr; Paula Jones' attorney James Fisher; and White House counsel Bernard Nussbaum.

Clinton wins the 1996 election in a landslide, pulling off one of the greatest turnarounds in political history. But events have been set in motion that will soon divide the country and nearly destroy Clinton's presidency.

The intersection of hate and fate meet on the “Roads to Memphis.” PBS’ American Experience takes us through the journey that led to the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the capture of his assassin James Earl Ray.

The fateful narrative of James Earl Ray who shot Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968.

When an assassin took his brother's life, Robert Kennedy was bereft of someone he loved, and of a role that had given his life meaning. As he began to move beyond the shadow of his brother, he, too, was assassinated.

When an assassin took his brother's life, Robert Kennedy was bereft of someone he loved, and of a role that had given his life meaning. As he began to move beyond the shadow of his brother, he, too, was assassinated.

She was the toast of Victorian London, New York, and Paris. She was "adopted" by Indian chief Sitting Bull, charmed the Prince of Prussia, and entertained the likes of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria. Annie Oakley excelled in a man's world by doing what she loved, and won fame and fortune as the little lady from Ohio who never missed a shot.

In the chaotic decade following the Civil War, a group of young ex-slaves in Nashville, Tennessee, set out on a mission to save their financially troubled school by giving concerts.

Shortly before dawn on August 21, 1992, six heavily armed U.S. marshals made their way up to the isolated mountaintop home of Randy and Vicki Weaver and their children on Ruby Ridge in Northern Idaho. Charged with selling two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an undercover agent, Weaver had failed to appear in court and law enforcement was tasked with bringing him in. For months, the Weavers had been holed up on their property with a cache of firearms, including automatic weapons. When the federal agents surveilling the property crossed paths with members of the family, a firefight broke out. The standoff that mesmerized the nation would leave Weaver injured, his wife and son dead, and some convinced that the federal government was out of control. Drawing upon eyewitness accounts, including interviews with Weaver’s daughter, Sara, and federal agents involved in the confrontation, Ruby Ridge is a riveting account of the event that helped give rise to the modern American militia movement.

Goin’ Back to T-Town tells the story of Greenwood, an extraordinary Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that prospered during the 1920s and 30s despite rampant and hostile segregation. Torn apart in 1921 by one of the worst racially-motivated massacres in the nation’s history, the neighborhood rose from the ashes, and by 1936 boasted the largest concentration of Black-owned businesses in the U.S.

Christine Jorgensen was one of the first people to successfully undergo gender affirmation surgery.