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Timeline of a Nation
Public Media 250
1700s—The Revolutionary Era
Burying the Hatchet: The Tom Quick Story
Burying the Hatchet: The Tom Quick Story is the fascinating account of how Lenni Lenape tribes had been dislocated from their Milford, Pennsylvania, homeland in the late 18th century and how this largely white community and disenfranchised tribal leaders worked together to reconcile the past and forge a shared path forward based on trust, friendship, and an inspiring and healing vision of the future.
Courtmaker: John Marshall and the Forging of America's Supreme Court
Filmed across eleven states, Courtmaker explores the life of the greatest judge in American history, John Marshall, who as the fourth Chief Justice, built the Supreme Court into the third pillar of American government. Through in-depth interviews with scholars, judges and Supreme Court justices, the film sheds light on our democracy's foundational legal philosophies.
Thomas Paine's To Begin the World Over Again
Triumphs and tragedies of Thomas Paine’s life unfold in To Begin the World Over Again , a one-man play filmed live in Hollywood. Paine, provocative writer and flawed politician, ignited revolutions yet died ignored. His radical ideas on democracy, equality, and morality still challenge us: “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
Inventing America: Liberty For All
Inventing America brings our Founding Fathers back to life in a TV talk show before a live audience. In Episode 3, Liberty for All ,...
1800s—Expansion, Division & Reconstruction
Railroad Stations in American Life
The railroad station once was in institution an American life, in small towns and big cities alike. This human-interest tale is interwoven with history as the program explores how people interacted with the stations in their towns through multiple generations.
The Route to Emancipation
The Route to Emancipation by Black History Bike Ride follows three friends as they embark on a 350-mile cycling route from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the site where Juneteenth began in 1865. The journey takes viewers back through centuries of Black history in Texas.
Boom and Bust: America’s Journey on the Erie Canal
American industrial workers in steel, grain, textiles, and shipping tell their stories of labor and life along the Erie Canal. These are the men and women who built American economic prosperity on the Canal for 150 years, and bore the brunt of its decline in the final decades of the 20th century.
Harriet Tubman | From the Railroad to A Spy
Harriet Tubman | From the Railroad to a Spy is a documentary that tells her complete story. Journey through the events and details of her incredible life story that are seldom told, from the underground railroad to her work as a Union Army scout and spy in military campaigns.
Early 1900s—Progress & Protest
Mr. Besley's Forest
In 1906, Maryland was third in the nation to establish a state system of forests and parks. Fred W. Besley, appointed by Governor Edwin Warfield, became Maryland's first State Forester. During his 36 years, Besley created a model for scientific forest management and the Big Tree formula. Today, Marylanders are learning his lessons of forest conservation and listening to the music of the trees.
Remember Us: The Fight for America's World War I Memorial in Washington D.C.
Told exclusively through the words of the project’s visionaries, leaders, artisans and champions who made “the impossible plausible”, Remember Us is the remarkable story of America's new national World War I Memorial--an exceptional vision brought to life by a diverse coalition of Americans who overcame all odds to deliver a stunning achievement a full century after the War That Changed the World.
The Price of Silence: The Search for Freedom in New Jersey
The third part of “The Price of Silence” series explores the Black American flight to New Jersey during the Great Migration. Blacks hoped to find a better life in the region, devoid of the racism and discrimination they experienced in the South.
The Price of Silence: The Forgotten Story of New Jersey's Enslaved People
New Jersey, the Garden State, is known for its produce, but not for the enslaved people who tilled the soil. In this two-part...
1930s-1940s—Crisis, War & Resilience
The Green Box: At the Heart of War
Hidden secrets launch a son’s life-long quest to discover a father he never knew. Revealed: a WWII pilot’s journey from a passionate romance to a heroic doomed air battle; imprisonment in a famous POW camp; a death march across Germany, and unexpected tragedy. The story’s intimate personal details of war speak to the archetypal trauma faced by veteran families of all eras. Martin Sheen narrates.
The Price of Silence: The Search for Freedom in New Jersey
The third part of “The Price of Silence” series explores the Black American flight to New Jersey during the Great Migration. Blacks hoped to find a better life in the region, devoid of the racism and discrimination they experienced in the South.
Barry Farm: Community, Land and Justice in Washington, D.C.
Barry Farm shares a journey for community, land, and justice in the nation’s capital. It is a story of the Barry Farm neighborhood, but...
Snapshots of Confinement
During World War II, the U.S. government initially imposed policies that limited the use of cameras by Japanese Americans in the...
1950s-1970s—Civil Rights & Social Change
33 Black Frog: An American Story
33 Black Frog: An American Story is a powerful documentary about Chief Petty Officer Eddie L. Ferguson, one of the first African American Navy Frogmen. Battling racism and adversity, Ferguson’s journey is one of courage, perseverance, and a legacy that paved the way for generations.
1955, Seven Days in Fall
1955, Seven Days in Fall tells the story of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodger/New York Yankee World Series based upon the poem entitled ‘1955’, by James T. Crawford and directed by Rory Fielding. In unprecedented style, the program uniquely blends the traditional documentary elements of archival footage and stills, narration, period music, player and fan interviews. The poetry recital weaves through 1955 Seven Days of Fall to recount this timeless story decades later.
Riot: From Rebellion to Redemption
As cities across the US continue to be plagued by conflict, Riot: From Rebellion to Redemption traces the trail of heartbreak from the 1967 riots to modern Newark, NJ, the city that still struggles to recover from the tragedies of that summer. More than just a dusty history lesson, Riot brings viewers face-to-face with the people who refused to let the riot define or defeat them.
Triumph: Tampa's Untold Chapter in the Civil Rights Movement
Discover a hidden chapter of the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s Tampa, Florida. A courageous group of Black high school students organize peaceful sit-ins at a downtown lunch counter, sparking a wave of change across the city. Their actions grew into a movement that helped open a segregated society. The film brings to life the voices of ordinary people who transformed their community and beyond.
1980s-1990s—Culture, Technology & Power
Christa
Christa McAuliffe, America’s first teacher in space, is the subject of a moving documentary on the creation of her statue, unveiled in September 2024 at the New Hampshire State House and created by Idaho sculptor Benjamin Victor. Through interviews with former students, educators, and state leaders, the film celebrates her life and belief that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.
UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos
Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) was founded in 1981, only a dozen years after the Stonewall rebellion and only a couple of years...
Struggle and Success – Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ Communities
Explore the historical and ongoing struggle for equality and dignity in Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ communities through regional perspectives and...
The St. Louis Teacher Who Founded LGBTQ+ History Month | Living St. Louis
In 1994, Mehlville High School history teacher Rodney Wilson set out to start xt, which has now been adapted in countries around the world.
2000s to Today—A Nation in Reflection
The Young Vote
The Young Vote follows a diverse group of students and activists during the 2020 election to understand young people's perceptions of voting and civic engagement.
The Green Box: At the Heart of War
Hidden secrets launch a son’s life-long quest to discover a father he never knew. Revealed: a WWII pilot’s journey from a passionate romance to a heroic doomed air battle; imprisonment in a famous POW camp; a death march across Germany, and unexpected tragedy. The story’s intimate personal details of war speak to the archetypal trauma faced by veteran families of all eras. Martin Sheen narrates.
Railroad Stations in American Life
The railroad station once was in institution an American life, in small towns and big cities alike. This human-interest tale is interwoven with history as the program explores how people interacted with the stations in their towns through multiple generations.
The Route to Emancipation
The Route to Emancipation by Black History Bike Ride follows three friends as they embark on a 350-mile cycling route from the Texas Capitol in Austin to the site where Juneteenth began in 1865. The journey takes viewers back through centuries of Black history in Texas.
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