Behind the Scenes
Preview: Season 1 | 1mVideo has Closed Captions
David Rubenstein walks us through his inspiration for creating "Iconic America."
David Rubenstein examines the history of America through some of its most iconic symbols, objects and places, on location and in conversation with historical thinkers, community members and other experts. Together, they dive deep into each symbol’s history and how its meaning has changed over time, using them as a gateway to understanding America’s past and present.
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Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein is a production of Show of Force, DMR Productions, and WETA Washington, D.C. David M. Rubenstein is the host and executive...
Behind the Scenes
Preview: Season 1 | 1mVideo has Closed Captions
David Rubenstein examines the history of America through some of its most iconic symbols, objects and places, on location and in conversation with historical thinkers, community members and other experts. Together, they dive deep into each symbol’s history and how its meaning has changed over time, using them as a gateway to understanding America’s past and present.
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How to Watch Iconic America
Iconic America is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
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Our Symbols and Stories
David Rubenstein examines the history of America through some of its most iconic symbols, objects and places, in conversation with historical thinkers, community members and other experts. Together, they dive deep into each symbol’s history, using them as a gateway to understanding America’s past and present.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(upbeat music) - [Guest] There are monuments throughout this country that you have to preserve.
(upbeat music) - The series is designed to show how iconic symbols have played an important part in our country's history.
- We grow up and we see things, and we make connections, but oftentimes we don't really know the backstory.
- [Guest] The history of the game is right here.
- The Red Sox committed the original sin of baseball.
They traded Babe Ruth.
They don't win a World Series for 86 years.
- The Hollywood sign is such an iconic landmark.
It represents dreams.
It represents glamour.
- This series does a wonderful job of really diving underneath and telling how they came about.
- The Gadsden flag can serve multiple purposes for different groups.
- I thought that no better place would exist to educate Americans about our iconic symbols than PBS.
They have a real love and interest in American history.
(upbeat music)
Returning July 11 with the First of Four New Episodes
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Preview: S1 | 31s | There are hundreds of historical sites across America, but how we perceive them changes. (31s)
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Preview: S1 | 31s | The symbols in Iconic America have a lot to say about who we are and who we have become. (31s)
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Preview: S1 | 1m | David Rubenstein walks us through his inspiration for creating "Iconic America." (1m)
The Golden Gate Bridge Preview
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Preview: Ep8 | 32s | The Golden Gate Bridge is an engineering marvel that symbolizes America’s can-do spirit. (32s)
Bridging Times: An Icon of American Innovation
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Clip: Ep8 | 2m 34s | Does America have the can-do spirit for another Golden Gate-level engineering achievement? (2m 34s)
Overcoming Construction Challenges and Skeptics
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Clip: Ep8 | 1m 47s | The plan to construct the Golden Gate Bridge was met with scores of skeptics. (1m 47s)
Hidden tolls: The Impact of Freeways on BIPOC Communities
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Clip: Ep8 | 2m 1s | BIPOC communities bear the brunt of the environmental cost of U.S. highway development. (2m 1s)
United Daughters of the Confederacy's Lost Soldiers
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Clip: Ep7 | 1m 59s | United Daughters of the Confederacy had a pivotal role memorializing Confederate soldiers. (1m 59s)
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Preview: Ep7 | 31s | Should Confederate leaders remain on places like Stone Mountain, or should they be erased? (31s)
Pushback in the Immediate Aftermath of Integration
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Clip: Ep7 | 23s | Gloria Brown discusses the unfulfilled promises of integration. (23s)
Meet Stone Mountain Memorial Association's Black Chairman
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Clip: Ep7 | 5m 38s | The head of Stone Mountain Memorial Association discusses plans for the monument's future. (5m 38s)
Confederate Monuments as a Constant Reminder of Separatism
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Clip: Ep7 | 27s | Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith discusses Stone Mountain's psychological toll on Black people (27s)
An Alternative Rationalization for the Civil War
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Clip: Ep7 | 3m 2s | Hasan Jeffries explains why some Southerners try to reframe the causes of the Civil War. (3m 2s)
Restoring and Hacking Bald Eagles in NY
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Clip: Ep6 | 3m 52s | David talks to Peter Nye, the biologist who saved the bald eagle population in New York. (3m 52s)
The Infamous Bird's 1000 Pound Nest
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Clip: Ep6 | 45s | This clip features a Bald Eagle's nest that is estimated to weigh around 1000 pounds. (45s)
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Clip: Ep6 | 31s | The effect of DDT on the Bald Eagle population in the northeastern U.S. was devastating. (31s)
Bald Eagles Gather in the Pristine Alaskan Ecosystem
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Clip: Ep6 | 4m 55s | The greatest bald eagle migration on Earth happens in the Alaskan village of Haines. (4m 55s)
The Bald Eagle Appears in the First Great Seal of the U.S.
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Clip: Ep6 | 1m 49s | Why did the Founding Fathers decide to use the bald eagle in the Great Seal of the U.S.? (1m 49s)
The American Bald Eagle Preview
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Preview: Ep6 | 31s | The story of how the Bald Eagle soared to its vaunted perch in American iconography. (31s)
"Their Immigration Story Becomes the Story of Their Life"
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Clip: Ep5 | 2m 45s | David Rubenstein visits Ellis Island with Atlantic writer Caitlin Dickerson. (2m 45s)
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Clip: Ep5 | 47s | David Rubenstein asks Professor Ed Berenson why Lady Liberty is a symbol of America. (47s)
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Preview: Ep5 | 31s | It's hard to argue that there's a more iconic symbol of America than the Statue of Liberty (31s)
A Poem for All Americans, About Immigration
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Clip: Ep5 | 55s | A look at how the poem, "The New Colossus" came to be engraved on the Statue of Liberty. (55s)
How the Statue of Liberty's Anti-Slavery Origins Evolved
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Clip: Ep5 | 3m 41s | A look at how Lady Liberty's anti-slavery origins and design changed over time. (3m 41s)
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Clip: Ep5 | 3m 56s | America's greatest symbol has its roots in a small town in France, 300 miles from Paris. (3m 56s)
A Catalyst for Reflection on Our Past Transgressions
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Clip: Ep5 | 1m 6s | Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith reflects on Lady Liberty's potential as an agent of change. (1m 6s)
Why Did Cowboy Movies Leave Women Out of the Picture?
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Clip: Ep4 | 1m 55s | Westerns downplayed the role that women and minorities played in settling The West, (1m 55s)
Philip Morris' Marlboro Man Lassoes a Hit Ad Campaign
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Clip: Ep4 | 1m 3s | The appeal and success of the Marlboro Man cigarette ad campaigns spanned decades. (1m 3s)
The Homestead Act Spurs Westward Expansion
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Clip: Ep4 | 3m 35s | The Homestead Act attracted thousands of settlers to The West with 160 acres of free land. (3m 35s)
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Preview: Ep4 | 31s | The cowboy is the quintessential American — fiercely independent, brave and laconic. (31s)
Buffalo Bill Helps Spread the Cowboy Mystique
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Clip: Ep4 | 3m 12s | Wild West Shows led to a skewed perspective of the role of real cowboys in America. (3m 12s)
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Clip: Ep3 | 1m 27s | Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells David Rubenstein how he defines true patriotism. (1m 27s)
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Preview: Ep3 | 32s | The “Don’t Tread on Me” flag has been co-opted by a range of Americans throughout history. (32s)
The Gadsden Flag in Combat Abroad
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Clip: Ep3 | 33s | Armed forces vets discuss embracing the Gadsden flag during combat in the Middle East. (33s)
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Clip: Ep3 | 4m 7s | Flags are clearly an important part of what it means to be an American, but why is that? (4m 7s)
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Clip: Ep3 | 2m 57s | The Continental Congress chose the Gadsden flag as the first symbol of its naval ships. (2m 57s)
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Preview: Ep1 | 31s | No ballpark is more iconic than Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. (31s)
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Clip: Ep2 | 1m 2s | Hollywood has bottled a kind of intangible magic that is inaccessible to most people. (1m 2s)
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated
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Clip: Ep2 | 3m 15s | From Dollywood to Bollywood & Nollywood, the Hollywood sign has inspired many imitators. (3m 15s)
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Preview: Ep2 | 31s | The story of how a real estate advertisement international symbol of the American dream. (31s)
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Clip: Ep2 | 1m 22s | This clip looks at some of the anecdotes and myths about the origin of the Hollywood. (1m 22s)
Hollywood as the Ultimate LA Symbol
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Clip: Ep2 | 1m 14s | This clip explains the role that car culture played in creating this timeless icon. (1m 14s)
Could Hollywood Be Successful Again?
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Clip: Ep2 | 1m 10s | A once-popular genre enjoyed a renaissance and helped save Hollywood in the 60s. (1m 10s)
Should Fenway be a National Monument?
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Clip: Ep1 | 54s | Fenway Park is the top attraction in Boston, and an international tourist destination. (54s)
The Red Sox' "Cursed" 1986 and 2003 Seasons
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Clip: Ep1 | 4m 48s | No game epitomizes The Curse of the Bambino more than game 7 of the 1986 World Series. (4m 48s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 18s | In this clip, we look at checkered past and their resistance to signing black athletes. (3m 18s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 2m 57s | The Red Sox committed the original sin of baseball by trading Babe Ruth to The NY Yankees. (2m 57s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 37s | The Red Sox's World Series win in 2004 was a historic moment for the team and its fans. (37s)
The 1967 Red Sox and The Impossible Dream
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Clip: Ep1 | 45s | The comeback 1967 Red Sox won over fans and were known as the "Impossible Dream" team. (45s)
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Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein is a production of Show of Force, DMR Productions, and WETA Washington, D.C. David M. Rubenstein is the host and executive...