Movies: American history

Describes the Quakers' struggle for religious freedom and the founding of the Pennsylvania colony, under the leadership of William Penn. Describes the colony's belief in freedom of speech and religion, and in the equality of all. Explains why Pennsyl...

Using newly uncovered historical documents, this documentary short pieces together the most complete and accurate account of the life of Viro Small ever told. Nicknamed "Black Sam of Vermont" for his ties to the Green Mountain State, Small was a pro ...

The first American space station Skylab is found in pieces scattered in Western Australia. Putting these pieces back together and re-tracing the Skylab program back to its very conception reveals the cornerstone of human space exploration....

Learn about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, on the one hundredth anniversary of the crime, and how the community of Tulsa is coming to terms with its past, present, and future....

A documentary film about the internment of Japanese Americans at Heart Mountain, Wyoming during World War II. The program, hosted by Jan Yanehiro, proceeds in part as a series of interviews. It also includes archival film footage of Heart Mountain an...

Charlotte Biltekoff is the author of “Eating Right in America” where she traces the food reform movements throughout American history. She questions socially accepted ideas about “good and bad eaters” and what those assumptions reveal about food, cul...

An Episcopal minister. 41 naval recruits. A zealous newspaper editor. A pandemic. A drag show. A beanstalk. The YMCA. A future president of the United States. This multiple screen installation looks at the 1919 Newport Sex Scandal....

Relates the history of the Louisiana Purchase to the westward expansion of the United States, describing events leading to the purchase of the territory and its exploration, settlement and importance....

Chronicles early history of the Jamestown Colony. Describes voyage and hardships of the first settlers from England and the trials of later arrivals....

Uses the authentic words of Revolutionary War soldiers to recreate the ordeal of the harsh, crucial winter of 1778. Filmed in Valley Forge National Park....

A look at the history of Blair County, Pennsylvania, celebrating centuries of stories, valor and courageous actions of the area’s peoples....

Explains the ways the English culture influenced our own--Democratic thought, jurisprudence, civil liberties, language, literature, art and styles....

Freedom, rights, obligations, the pursuit of happiness -- meanings of these terms are explored as this film develops its theme that the Declaration of Independence is not a dead historical document, but a vital force and guide to living today....

Agent Yellow is a powerful indictment of the U.S. government’s systematic prejudice against Chinese-American scientists. The film focuses on the mistreatment of Chinese scientists who contributed significantly to American military research, specifica...

From Race Track to Assembly Center documents life for San Francisco Bay Area residents of Japanese ancestry incarcerated at the Tanforan Race Track in San Mateo County after being evicted from their homes during World War II....