American Experience | Official Site

Ulysses S. Grant | Timeline

Ulysses S. Grant

Timeline of Ulysses Grant, from his birth on April 27, 1822, to his death on December 14, 1902.

Murder of a President | Article

Protecting the President

The U.S. President has not always had a protective detail. Only after the murder of President McKinley in 1901 did Congress assign the task of presidental protection to the Secret Service.

Mount Rushmore | Article

The Contest to Explain Mount Rushmore

Among his first ideas about carving Mount Rushmore into the likenesses of American presidents, the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, insisted that there should be an explanatory inscription, which he called the Entablature.

Custer's Last Stand | Image Gallery

Lt. Col. George Custer

Browse this image gallery of Custer as he became known as the fearless Lieutenant Colonel who embodied the American Western frontier.

Billy the Kid | Image Gallery

The Golden Age of the American Cowboy

As these photos reveal, a cowboy's life was a hard one, but living freely on America's western frontier nevertheless appealed to thousands of men.

Film

Nixon

The enigmatic nature of the Nixon presidency combined comparatively progressive legislative initiatives with a flagrant abuse of presidential power and the public trust.

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln | Article

The Co-Conspirators

Meet the key players involved in the assassintation of Abraham Lincoln.

The Mormons | Article

Polygamy and the Church: A History

Of all the Mormon doctrines, none caused as much controversy as polygamy, called plural or celestial marriage within the church.

Mount Rushmore | Article

Inscribe Rushmore!

In 2002, America Experience held a competition asking viewers to send in their own inscriptions for Mount Rushmore.

McCarthy | Digital Short

Joseph McCarthy: Senator of Anti-Communism

The McCarthy hearings are now emblematic of the 1950s "Red Scare."

Voice of Freedom | Chapter

Voice of Freedom: Chapter 1

Watch a preview of Voice of Freedom.

God in America | Article

Introduction

Since the days when the Puritan "city on a hill" beckoned on the horizon of the New World, religious faith and belief have forged America's ideals, molded its identity and shaped its sense of mission at home and abroad.

Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern | Timeline

Farming in the U.S.

In 1862, President Lincoln signed legislation establishing the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He called it "the people's department" since 90 percent of Americans at the time were farmers.

The Gold Rush | Article

African Americans in the Gold Rush

California was a free state, but under state and federal laws a fugitive slave could be captured and returned to bondage.

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.