American Experience

The Duel
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/peopleevents/pande19.html
Find out about President Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase.

A Midwife's Tale
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/mwt/sfeature/sf_frontier.html
Read about the pioneers who built frontier communities in early 19th century Maine.

New Orleans
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/neworleans/map/map_1849.html
Access maps of the many Crescent Cities at the mouth of the Mississippi.

Remember the Alamo
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/
Find a Texas history map, read about Texas independence, and trace the history of the Santa Fe Expedition.

The Mormons
http://www.pbs.org/mormons/history/
See a map of Mormon migrations, follow Utah's path to statehood, and more.

The Donner Party
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/donner/
Learn more about the ill-fated pioneer group, why they headed west, and their "route to hell," plus read excerpts from a Donner Party diary.

The Gold Rush
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/index.html
See if you have what it takes to "Strike It Rich!" -- and access maps, profiles of Forty-Niners, and more.

Transcontinental Railroad
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/
Map the Central and Union Pacific crews' race to Utah, learn construction lore, view a gallery of people whose lives the railroad impacted, and take a scouting trip with the film's producers.

Lost in the Grand Canyon
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/canyon/
Find out if you can make it through the Colorado River's tricky Granite Rapid, explore layers of geology, learn about the U.S. Geological Survey and its expeditions, and more.

Jesse James
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/james/index.html
Meet the legendary fighter, learn about guerrilla tactics, "shoot down" myths about Jesse James, and see pictures of Missouri outlaws.

Ulysses S. Grant
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/index.html
The Civil War general and American president grew up on the frontier, fought in the Mexican American War, and presided over federal policies that conquered Native peoples and claimed their lands.

Reconstruction: State by State
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/states/index.html
Get a snapshot of America in 1870. Explore an interactive map that shows the economic impact of the Civil War on each state.

Chicago: City of the Century
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/chicago/index.html
See a gallery of key innovations that found success in 19th-century Chicago, including Cyrus McCormick's mechanical reaper.

Ansel Adams
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ansel/peopleevents/e_closing.html
Learn about the "closing" of the American wilderness.

Las Vegas
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lasvegas/index.html
Yes, it does have a history! Delve into a map of Las Vegas, including the town's frontier days.

Annie Oakley
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/oakley/
Learn about a Western legend who grew up on the Ohio frontier and became a star in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

America 1900
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/1900/filmmore/reference/interview/lafeber_americaeconomic.html
Access an interview with historian Walter LaFeber on America's economic and industrial expansion.