America: The Story of Us — Season 1

From Jamestown to Plymouth, early settlers fight for survival. Tobacco sows the seeds of opportunity; the north becomes a powerhouse of trade. Tension, taxation and resistance explode into war as the rebels take on the might of the British Empire. Washington's army is near defeat, but new weapons and battle tactics turn the tide. Forged through revolution, a new nation is born.

A new nation is forged through the travails of a revolution against British rule.

Trailblazing pioneers set out to conquer the west, but find the land already claimed. Wagon trains meet hardship on the road to California's gold. The steamboat ushers in a new era of commerce, industry, and unprecedented wealth. In the south, cotton is king but slavery fuels a growing divide. Violence flares across the territories and the election of Lincoln is a harbinger of war.

Commerce and industry thrive, while slavery fuels a growing divide. Violence flares as abolitionists stand up for freedom, and the election of Lincoln sets the stage for civil war.

The Civil War rages. The formidable Confederate army cannot match the Union's mastery of technology; railroads, supply lines and the telegram become new weapons in a modern war. The Transcontinental Railroad unites the nation and transforms the Heartland. Farmers settle the continent; their cattle replace wild buffalo as king of the Plains. The Cowboy becomes a new American icon.

The Transcontinental Railroad unites the nation and transforms the Heartland. Native American civilizations decline as farmers settle the continent. Cattle replace wild buffalo as king of the plains, and the cowboy becomes a new American icon.

Americans conquer a new frontier: the modern city, with Carnegie's empire of steel as its backbone. Skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty are symbols of the American Dream for millions of immigrants. The discovery of oil is a boom to industry; Henry Ford puts America on the road. Urban life introduces a new breed of social ills. Prohibition fuels the growth of organized crime.

America strikes oil, and the boom time begins. When Henry Ford brings the motor car to the masses, the nation hits the road. Massive engineering projects modernize the West. Intended to cure vice, Prohibition fuels the growth of organized crime in burgeoning cities.

Boom turns to bust when the stock market crashes. The Great Depression and the dust bowl blanket the nation in darkness. Roosevelt's New Deal signals recovery. Hope for the American future collides with world conflict; the attack on Pearl Harbor brings war. American innovation and manufacturing might invigorate the Allies in Europe. In the Pacific, the ultimate piece of technology ends the war; a new global superpower takes the stage.

The attack on Pearl Harbor brings America into World War. The war effort revitalizes the nation's economy. American innovation and manufacturing might invigorate the Allies in Europe and in the Pacific, the ultimate piece of technology ends the war; a new global superpower takes the stage.

America becomes a global superpower; the economy and population boom. In the jet age and the space age, pioneers conquer new frontiers and run headlong into Cold War. The Challenger disaster and 9/11 are tragedies that challenge the nation. From the television to the credit card and the personal computer, technology drives America into the 21st Century.

The Cold War is the first test for the new superpower. The Challenger disaster and 9/11 are tragedies that challenge the nation. From the television to the credit card and the personal computer, technology drives America into the 21st Century.