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American Experience

American Experience

Season released 14th Nov, 199915 episodes

IMDb8.6/ 10

Where to watch American Experience Season 12

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Availability checked 28 October 2026. Streaming availability data from JustWatch.

American Experience Season 12 episodes

  1. S12 E01

    New York (1): The Country and the City

    55 mins · Sun, 14 Nov 1999

    The Country and the City, 1609-1825: New York, notes narrator David Ogden Stiers, "was a business proposition from the very start," when Henry Hudson, exploring for the Dutch East India Company, sailed into its harbor. Part 1 also focuses on New Yorker Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary; and Gov. DeWitt Clinton, who built the Erie Canal. "All America," says Stiers, "now met in New York."

  2. S12 E02

    New York (2): Order and Disorder

    55 mins · Mon, 15 Nov 1999

    "Order and Disorder: 1825-1865" recalls a period of tremendous growth and ferment. Most of the new arrivals were Irish immigrants (100,000 by 1842-and that was before the potato famine), and the subsequent overcrowding led to the construction of Central Park (1857-58). But that didn't quell the ferment, which exploded in 1863 with the racially charged draft riots. "It was the largest incident of civil disorder in U.S. history," notes historian Mike Wallace.

  4. S12 E03

    New York (3): Sunshine and Shadow

    55 mins · Tue, 16 Nov 1999

    "Sunshine and Shadow: 1865-1898" During the Gilded Age, New York "was home to the greatest concentration of wealth in human history," says narrator David Ogden Stiers. And, he adds, "the greatest concentration of poverty." This episode surveys that dichotomy, from Fifth Avenue mansions to slums documented by Jacob Riis in "How the Other Half Lives." Also recalled: the fall of William H. "Boss" Tweed ("he took a fall for the system," claims Pete Hamill).

  5. S12 E04

    New York (4): The Power and the People

    55 mins · Wed, 17 Nov 1999

    "The Power and the People: 1898-1914" recalls the era of mass immigration. "The entire world would arrive on the city's doorstep," says narrator David Ogden Stiers (1.2-million in 1907 alone). "There was a message," says writer Pete Hamill. "Come here, everything is possible." The program also follows the political career of "Happy Warrior" Al Smith; and charts the construction of the subways and the rise of skyscrapers in the clogged city.

  7. S12 E05

    New York (5): Cosmopolis

    55 mins · Thu, 18 Nov 1999

    "Cosmopolis: 1914-1931" recalls the WWI years and the "Roaring '20s" in the city that F. Scott Fitzgerald called "the land of ambition and success." Of course, an egg was laid on Wall Street in 1929, but before that happened the city gave rise, narrator David Ogden Stiers says, "to a new culture, a mass culture" that was broadcast live on radio networks headquartered in New York.

  8. S12 E06

    Eleanor Roosevelt

    55 mins · Mon, 10 Jan 2000

    Profiling Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), the wife of one president, the niece of another and, says historian Geoffrey Ward, "one of the best politicians of the 20th century" in her own right. That's a remarkable achievement considering that she was also an implacable social reformer all her life. This biography recalls Roosevelt on the public stage, and delves gently but forthrightly into her complex private life.

  9. S12 E07

    Houdini

    55 mins · Tue, 7 Mar 2000

    Mandy Patinkin narrates a biography of Harry Houdini (1874-1926) that focuses on his amazing feats (later ones are seen in clips; others are re-created) and the obsessions---notably his mother and death---that shaped his personality. "Escapology" was also high on the list. "He was so insanely devoted to what he did," observes author E.L. Doctorow, "that the ultimate insanity of his life never occurred to him."

  10. S12 E08

    Nixon's China Game

    55 mins · Tue, 1 Feb 2000

    Charting the tortuous three-year gambit that led to Richard Nixon's historic February 1972 visit to the People's Republic of China. What it did, says narrator David Ogden Stiers, was “alter the global balance of power.” How he did it is chronicled in vintage footage and interviews with major players, including Henry Kissinger and Alexander Haig, as well as Chinese and Soviet officials, and Nixon himself (in a 1977 TV interview).

  11. S12 E09

    The Duel

    55 mins · Tue, 15 Feb 2000

    The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, narrator Linda Hunt says, was an 1804 gunfight between “the founder of American capitalism and the first modern American politician.” Included: profiles of Burr (1756-1836) and Hamilton (1757-1804), and sketches of the political differences between them. In the Nation's early days, the political parties had not yet taken root and, as historian Joanne Freeman puts it, “the political and the personal mixed in.” Voice of Hamilton: Rene Auberjonois. Voice of Burr: Brian Dennehy.

  12. S12 E10

    John Brown's Holy War

    55 mins · Mon, 28 Feb 2000

    John Brown could be seen as a hero or a madman (perhaps both), but either way, there's no doubt he played a role in igniting the Civil War. Actor Joe Morton narrates a chronicle of Brown's life (1800-59), which features archival stills, atmospheric re-creations and the comments of historians. Interviewed: Russell Banks, Bruce Olds, Margaret Washington, Dennis Frye, Edward Renehan, James Horton, James Stewart, Paul Finkelman and Charles Joyner.

  13. S12 E11

    George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (1)

    55 mins · Sun, 23 Apr 2000

    A haunting two-part profile of George Wallace, who, says narrator Randy Quaid, "divided a nation and launched a conservative movement that transformed the country." Part 1 covers Wallace's career up to the death of his first wife, Lurleen, in 1968, just as he was embarking on his second Presidential bid. But it begins by concentrating on what Quaid calls "the devil's bargain" he made to gain the Alabama governorship. Interviewed: lawyer J.L. Chestnut and Wallace biographer Dan Carter, as well as journalists, Wallace aides and two of his children.

  14. S12 E12

    George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2)

    55 mins · Mon, 24 Apr 2000

    The conclusion of a two-part profile of George Wallace (1919-98) focuses on his Presidential campaigns and the 1972 attempt on his life, which left him paralyzed. "He loved power," says his daughter Peggy, and the shooting didn't stop him from regaining the Alabama statehouse or from running for President in 1976. But it did lead to reflection, and when he ran for governor again, in 1982, he sought black votes. "He's repented," says one black voter. Also interviewed: Wallace's ex-wife, Cornelia; Wallace biographer Dan. T. Carter. Randy Quaid narrates.

  15. S12 E13

    Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory

    55 mins · Mon, 1 May 2000

    Former slaves spread the gospel of African-American music in an inspiring 2000 chronicle of the 1870s Tennessee vocal group Jubilee Singers that introduced such songs as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "This Little Light of Mine" into popular culture. Dion Graham narrates the hour, which follows the Jubilees as they tour the U.S. and Europe. They had to battle racism and internal strife, and in the process saved their school -- Nashville's Fisk University -- from bankruptcy. More important, they permanently broadened American music.

  16. S12 E14

    Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life

    55 mins · Mon, 8 May 2000

    An atmospheric profile of Joe DiMaggio (1914-99), baseball's "Yankee Clipper," explores how and why he played what narrator (and co-writer) Richard Ben Kramer calls "the hero's game" by projecting -- and zealously guarding -- an image of effortless elegance on and off the field. On the field, the Yankees won nine World Series in the 13 years he played for them. Off the field, former teammate Jerry Coleman describes DiMaggio's short-lived marriage to Marilyn Monroe this way: "She was the greatest woman in the world and he was the greatest man."

  17. S12 E15

    George Eastman: The Wizard of Photography

    55 mins · Tue, 23 May 2000

    Profiling George Eastman (1854-1932), whose Kodak and Brownie cameras "forever changed the way people see their world," says narrator Judith Light. The hour uses interviews with historians and, of course, vintage stills and clips to recall the autocratic Eastman, whose business strategy bypassed professional photographers. "You press the button and we do the rest," was Kodak's slogan, and when he introduced the $1 Brownie in 1900, the "you" was everybody.

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