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American Experience Films

Browse the entire American Experience series featuring over 200 films. Watch full films online, download teacher’s guides, go behind the scenes, and learn more about your favorite films.

The Presidents


The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Just days after the Civil War ended, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre. As a fractured nation mourned, a manhunt closed in on his assassin, the twenty-six-year-old actor, John Wilkes Booth.

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FDR

Franklin Delano Roosevelt restored hope after the Great Depression and led the nation during World War II. Part of the award-winning The Presidents collection.

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George H. W. Bush

A biography of the 41st U.S. president, from his service in World War II to his days in the Oval Office with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the race riots in Los Angeles and the breakup of the Soviet Union.

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Jimmy Carter

A peanut farmer who rose to become America's thirty-ninth president, Jimmy Carter was a failure in his single term in office. He turned to humanitarian work as an ex-president. Part of the award-winning The Presidents collection.

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John and Abigail Adams

The second U.S. president, John Adams, was arguably the most influential of the founding fathers. Using letters John and his wife Abigail exchanged, this film explores their tumultuous times.

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The Kennedys

Portrait of the Kennedy family

A saga of ambition, wealth, family loyalty and personal tragedy. From Joseph Kennedy's rise on Wall Street, through John, Robert and Edward's successes and scandals, the family has left a storied political legacy.

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LBJ

Sworn in after the assassination of JFK, Lyndon Johnson pushed progressive programs like the Civil Rights Act through Congress and won a term as president before the Vietnam War eroded his support. Part of the award-winning The Presidents collection.

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Nixon

The only American president to resign, Richard Nixon faced impeachment after the Watergate scandal, but also ended the Vietnam War and improved relations with China and the Soviet Union. Part of the award-winning The Presidents collection.

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Reagan

The life of the president who saw America as a "shining city on a hill" and himself as its heroic defender. Favoring deregulation and lower taxes, Reagan experienced wide popularity and controversy as well. Part of the award-winning The Presidents collection.

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Truman

As president, Harry Truman was responsible for dropping the atomic bomb on Japan, ending World War II and finding America's place in the international order at the start of the Cold War. Part of the award-winning The Presidents collection.

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