American Experience (1988)
American Experience (1988)
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

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7x01 FDR (1): The Center of the World (1882-1921)

12 October, 1994 5:00 am
This first episode looks at the early life of FDR. Born into a wealthy family, there was little about his youth that would suggest the giant of history that he would become. His entry into state politics and a significant meeting with a woman named Eleanor would change his life and the course of a nation.

7x02 FDR (2): Fear Itself (1922-1933)

12 October, 1994 5:00 am
In this second episode, the subject is FDR's courageous fight with polio. With his wife Eleanor Roosevelt at his side, FDR, wins the Democratic nomination for president. He takes office at the beginning of the Great Depression. Exhorting the nation to keep the faith, FDR utters his famous words: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

7x03 FDR (3): The Grandest Job in the World (1933-1940)

13 October, 1994 5:00 am
In episode three, the subject is FDR's leadership of America during the Great Depression. The nation turned to this son of great wealth for a host of social programs that promised a New Deal for the common man.

7x04 FDR (4): The Juggler (1940-1945)

13 October, 1994 5:00 am
In this last episode, the story turns to the war years. The days leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II were turbulent ones in America. FDR's strong leadership charted America's course, as the newly emerging world power took on the responsibilities of the war in Europe. Meanwhile, back in America, the New Deal was still a work in progress.

7x05 Telegrams from the Dead

20 October, 1994 5:00 am
A program that examines America's fascination with spiritualism and the occult in the second half of the 1800s.

7x06 Midnight Ramble

27 October, 1994 4:00 am
Oscar Micheaux and the History of Race. Oscar Micheaux wrote, produced and directed over 40 movies and despite this was really not known because he was African American . This movie recounts the history of the black film industry from 1910 to the 1940s and includes rare clips and highlights.

7x07 Battle of the Bulge

10 November, 1994 5:00 am
American forces moving toward Germany to end the war are opposed by a deadly counter-offensive that leads to a great loss of life.

7x08 One Woman, One Vote

16 February, 1995 5:00 am
The struggle of the women's movement and the 19th Amendment that finally extended national suffrage to women.

7x12 The Way West (4): Ghost Dance (1877-1893)

10 May, 1995 5:00 am
Chronicles the crackdown on Native American tribes across the Northwest in the aftermath of the Battle of the Little Big Horn in June 1876, and charts the final, desperate days of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Examines the rise of the heartbreaking Ghost Dance religion, and the last, horrendous massacre at Wounded Knee.

7x13 One Woman, One Vote (2)

16 February, 1995 5:00 am

7x14 FDR: The Center of the World/Fear Itself

13 October, 1994 5:00 am
"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.

7x15 FDR: The Grandest Job in the World/The Juggler

14 October, 1994 5:00 am
"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.

7x16 One Woman, One Vote

16 February, 1995 5:00 am
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.

7x17 The Way West: Westward, the Course of Empire Takes Its Way/Approach of Civilization

09 May, 1995 5:00 am
"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.

7x18 The Way West: The War for the Black Hills/Ghost Dance

10 May, 1995 5:00 am
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.

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