History Thursdays on PBA 30

This documentary tells the story of the critical Eastern Line of the Underground Railroad and it role in the 19th Century anti-slavery movement in America. Ed Asner and Blair Underwood play roles in the dramatic re-enactments filmed on location in the historical settings where the freedom fighters undertook their dangerous work.

Atlanta Congressman John Lewis is the subject of this engrossing documentary in which Lewis visits important sites associated with the civil rights movement and reflects on his experiences at each location.

James Earl Jones narrates this compelling story of the integration of the first public high school in the South following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown vs. the Board of Education decision that ended legalized segregation. It follows the story of the twelve black teenagers that entered an all-white school in Clinton, Tennessee in 1956, as well as the events of that school year. Included is rare archival footage and interviews with eleven of the twelve former-students.

Originally a four-hour series, this documentary is a re-edited version that takes a look at the iconic American family and their saga of ambition, wealth, and tragedy. The story includes Joseph Kennedy’s rise on Wall Street and John Kennedy’s march to the presidency, as well as additional footage added to put more emphasis on the Teddy Kennedy story.

This five-part series, narrated by Benjamin Bratt, spans 300 years to tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective. Episode One deals with the Wampanoags in the 1600’s and their alliance with the English from the Mayflower. Other episodes include stories on Tecumseh, the forced expatriation of the Cherokee, Geronimo, and the bold Indian leaders of the 1970’s, concentrating on Wounded Knee.

Also

Thursday, May 14 at 8:00pm

This acclaimed five-part documentary by Ken Burns is considered to be the benchmark for all pieces done on the Civil War. When it was first broadcast in 1990, it garnered 40 major awards, including a Peabody and two Emmys, and was the highest-rated series in PBS history. Its use of archival photographs, music, and narration ushered in a new style for documentaries, and established Ken Burns as the most accomplished documentary filmmaker of his generation.

Also

Thursday, May 14 at 9:30pm

This five-part series, narrated by Benjamin Bratt, spans 300 years to tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective. Episode One deals with the Wampanoags in the 1600’s and their alliance with the English from the Mayflower. Other episodes include stories on Tecumseh, the forced expatriation of the Cherokee, Geronimo, and the bold Indian leaders of the 1970’s, concentrating on Wounded Knee.

Also

Thursday April 23 at 8:00pm
Thursday April 30 at 8:00pm
Thursday May 7 at 8:00pm
Thursday May 14 at 8:00pm

This acclaimed five-part documentary by Ken Burns is considered to be the benchmark for all pieces done on the Civil War. When it was first broadcast in 1990, it garnered 40 major awards, including a Peabody and two Emmys, and was the highest-rated series in PBS history. Its use of archival photographs, music, and narration ushered in a new style for documentaries, and established Ken Burns as the most accomplished documentary filmmaker of his generation.

Also

Thursday April 23 at 9:30pm
Thursday April 30 at 9:30pm
Thursday May 7 at 9:30pm
Thursday May 14 at 9:30pm

Noted historians share their insight into the details of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood years, explaining how this little-known chapter of his life formulated his personality and character, as well as his early political notions.

The old Jewish cemetery in Prague contains 12,000 headstones and may cover as many as 100,000 members of Prague’s historic Jewish community. This documentary tells the story of this neighborhood that was once a ghetto but is now quite fashionable.

This documentary interweaves the inspiring stories of six Jewish women imprisoned inside the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. The women maintained a spiritual resistance against the Nazi aggressors through prayer, community, music, and even humor.

This three-part series is a sweeping look at the 350-year history of Jewish immigrants and the struggle of a tiny minority that gradually wove themselves into the fabric of American life. Beginning with the arrival of a small number of Jews that came to America in the 1700’s, the series documents the stories of triumph and tragedy, including the hardships endured due to anti-Semitism. This series will prove to be the most comprehensive documentary ever made on Jewish life in America.

Part Three: Thursday April 9 at 8:00pm

This two-part collaboration between Frontline and American Experience is a portrait of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of America’s fastest growing religions. The documentary explores the beliefs, complexities and controversies of the Mormon’s story as told through interviews with leaders and members of the church, historians, and both supporters and critics of the Mormon faith. The goal of the program is to provide an accurate picture of a religion that is often misunderstood, and considered mysterious, despite having over twelve million members worldwide.

This documentary tell the little-known story of a band of underdog Mexican-American lawyers who took a small-town murder case all the way to the Supreme Court, where they successfully challenged Jim Crow-style discrimination against Mexican-Americans. This event, which occurred in 1951, resulted in a landmark civil rights case that changed the legal standing of tens of millions of Americans.

Boxers Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali are considered by many to be the two greatest heavyweight champions of all time. But as Marciano retired undefeated in 1955 before Ali even started his career, there had always been a debate as to who would have won a fight between the two. So, in 1969, after feeding a computer with data regarding their fighting styles and patterns, an imaginary winner was decided. Both Ali and Marciano then agreed to stage a fight for a movie in which the fighters sparred punch-by-punch to the specifics determined by the computer. This film had one release worldwide and then disappeared—until now. Besides the actual edited fight, this special also includes the buildup to the fight, including interviews with the participants.

This documentary chronicles the decades-long crusade to eradicate polio, one of the 20th century’s most dreaded diseases. The polio epidemic, which affected thousands of children, leaving them crippled or paralyzed, was the subject of lengthy research and a multi-million dollar campaign in 1954 to provide polio vaccine shots to nearly two-million school children in what was essentially the largest public health experiment in American history.

This biography presents a revealing portrait of one of the most important scientists of the 20th century, who is also known as “the father of the atomic bomb”. Interweaving interviews with family members and scholars and dramatic recreations (with David Strathairn as Oppenheimer), the program takes a look at his involvement in international physics and top-secret missions, to his eventual fall in the wake of the Red Scare and McCarthyism.

Ellis Island holds an important place in American history in that it served as the first stop for hundreds of thousands of immigrants a century ago. Standing in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the Ellis Island hospital was once one of the world’s greatest public medical centers with state-of-the-art equipment. Those wishing to enter the country were held there for checkups, and those that passed were allowed to go on, while those deemed feeble of mind or body were deported. This documentary traces the history of Ellis Island.

This 90 minute film recounts of the death of America’s first assassinated president and the aftermath of the tragedy. While seven million people lined the tracks to observe the train that carried the body of Abraham Lincoln, the largest manhunt in history was closing in on Lincoln’s assassin, famous actor John Wilkes Booth.

Reprise: Sunday, February 15 at 11:00pm

This documentary chronicles the twenty year period of Lincoln’s life prior to his presidency and focuses on his participation in the Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit. During that time, Lincoln and a group of other young lawyers traveled the state attending court session. It was during this period that he honed his storytelling skills, as well as establishing friendships that would assist him in becoming the 16th President of the United States.

The Battle of Antietam during the Civil War was the bloodiest single day in American History. A desperate Abraham Lincoln wagered the fate of the Union on this one fight, and for the North, had to be one at all costs. This documentary tells the tale of that fateful confrontation.

Noted historians share their insight into the details of Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood years, explaining how this little-known chapter of his life formulated his personality and character, as well as his early political notions.

This two-part documentary profiles the life and career of our 41st President, George H. W. Bush. Examined is Bush’s service in World War II, his early career in Texan, and his time in the White House, first as Vice-President to Ronald Reagan, and next as the Commander-in-Chief. Bush’s personal diaries and interviews with advisors and critics provide the basis of this biography, which also explores Bush’s role as a patriarch of a political family unequaled in American life.

The President series continues with the biography of our 37th President, Richard Nixon. Nixon’s entire life and career are covered, including his childhood in California, his rise to prominence as a congressman and vice-president, and his controversial presidency, in which his triumphs with such nations as China and the Soviet Union ended up being overshadowed by the Watergate scandal, resulting in his resignation.

The life and career of our 36th President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, is covered in this two-part Presidential biography. Part one covers his childhood in Texas, his rise to political power, and his vice-president to President transition after the Kennedy assassination. Part two deals with his “war on poverty”, the deepening involvement in Viet Nam, and his eventual easing into private life and retirement.

This two-part biography takes a look at the life and presidency of Harry S. Truman. As a former farmer and unknown politician from Missouri, Truman may have been the least prepared person ever to become our 33rd President upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt. But he would prove to be a big surprise. This excellent segment of the “President Series” examines Truman’s youth, marriage and political career.

This Presidential installment is a two-part portrait of our 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Perhaps the most important leader of the 20th Century, Roosevelt led America through two of the most difficult periods in its history, the Great Depression and World War II. This documentary takes viewers through Roosevelt’s childhood, early political years as a New York state senator and assistant secretary of the navy, his troubled marriage to Eleanor, his bout with polio, and finally, his years in the Oval Office.

This documentary tells the story of George III, who became the King of England at the age of 22 and ruled for a 60 year period that included the Revolutionary War in America. Most of his reign was plagued by a disease that induced manic behavior…and ultimately resulted in blindness and isolation.

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22nd, 1963, not only changed our country, but also the landscape of broadcast journalism. This special takes a look at the news coverage of that historic day, and how local Texas reporters had to take the lead in presenting accurate news to the American people. Included are clips of local broadcast coverage, as well as amateur films, and interviews with reporters that were on the scene.

America’s wartime experience, both on the battlefield and at home, is vividly and intimately brought to life by combining original color film footage with compelling passages from diaries and letters written by people who were part of this unforgettable period of history.