American Experience | Official Site

Film

Tesla

Meet Nikola Tesla, the genius engineer and tireless inventor whose technology revolutionized the electrical age of the 20th century.

Film

Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory

In the chaotic decade following the Civil War, a group of young ex-slaves in Nashville, Tennessee, set out on a mission to save their financially troubled school by giving concerts.

The American Vice President | Digital Short

The vice presidency isn't what the founding fathers thought it would be

America’s first vice president, John Adams, called his job “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived.” But that would change dramatically over the next two and a half centuries. Discover how the vice presidency has evolved over time.

Race for the Superbomb | Article

Atomic Energy Commission

Learn more about the major players and occurrences that led to the development of the Hydrogen bomb. This feature details the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, including its formation, activities and the 1953 Oppenheimer hearings.

Alexander Hamilton | Article

Your Constitution I.Q.

How well do you know your government? Take this quiz about the debate over the Constitution.

Nixon's China Game | Article

Kissinger Interview

In this extended interview, Henry Kissinger discusses his role in Nixon's historic visit to China.

Murder of a President | Chapter

Murder of a President: Chapter 1

Watch the opening scene of Murder of a President.

The Transcontinental Railroad | Article

Oakes Ames

"King of Spades" Oakes Ames, a Massachusetts businessman and politician, made his money as part of of Ames & Sons, a shovelworks founded by his father and administered by brother Oliver. The transcontinental railroad would bring him even more wealth -- until 1873, when the Crédit Mobilier scandal destroyed his career.

Film

Race for the Superbomb

At the dawn of the Cold War, the United States initiated a top secret program in New Mexico to build a weapon even more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Japan. This program aired in January, 1999.

The Duel | Primary Source

Suggestions for the Classroom

Has political scandal mongering in the media changed? Ask students to research political leaders in the 1700 and 1800.

The Transcontinental Railroad | Article

Leland Stanford

Slow to speak, a deliberate thinker, Stanford was characterized by a plodding nature that repeatedly vexed his railroad partners. However, he relished public life, and it was in this capacity that he best served the Central Pacific.

Article

Rhetoric Revisited: FDR’s “Infamy” Speech

A speechwriter dissects Franklin Roosevelt’s famous Pearl Harbor address.

George W. Bush | Clip

Neocons and Moderates

President Bush assembled a team of rivals to form his cabinet.

Film

Kissinger

Kissinger is the story of the brilliant powerbroker who rose to the topmost echelons of American diplomacy. Revered or reviled, Henry Kissinger’s contradictions reflect those at the heart of U.S. foreign policy in the second half of the 20th century.