America: A Personal History of the United States

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First transmitted in 1972, Alistair Cooke's America was a series of thirteen, fifty-minute films in colour, written and narrated by Alistair Cooke. The programmes trace the history of the United States from the early voyages of discovery to the present.

Documentary★ 7.0/1019721 season

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Season 1

13 episodes

1. The First ImpactAlistair Cooke explains his own fascination with the United States of America and tells the story of how he first came to the US and tells of the country that he found.CC50minNov 12, 1972
2. The New Found LandAlistair Cooke travels back to the discovery of the American continent by the Europeans and follows the settlement of the Spanish in the Southern continent and the French in the far North of the continent and later their migration into their respective areas of a land now known as the United States.CC50minNov 19, 1972
3. Home From HomeIn this episode of the series, Cooke tracks the English venture into the New World during the 16th and 17th centuries, from the initial inspiration through to the landing at Jamestown and beyond...CC50minNov 26, 1972
4. Making a RevolutionBy the middle of the 18th century, the American nation was not a nation at all but a number of separately governed colonies. In this edition of America, Alistair Cooke explores the reasoning of the colonists in rising together against the British king and tells of the rise of a young colonial soldier called George Washington...CC50minDec 3, 1972
5. Inventing a NationUpon winning the War of Independence, the American colonists returned to their own independent colonies and settled down but all was not well. In this edition of America, Alistair Cooke discusses the coming together of the 13 independent colonies to form a new United States of America and how the men now known as the "Founding Fathers" went about inventing a nation.CC50minDec 10, 1972
6. Gone WestCooke discusses where the West begins and how and why in the early 19th century the West was conquered by outsiders who, in the process of doing so, displaced the Native Americans.CC50minDec 17, 1972
7. A Firebell in the NightIn this episode, Cooke travels to the Southern States to explore the world of the 19th century slave and the causes and effects of one of the bloodiest and bitterest wars in history - the American Civil War.CC50minDec 24, 1972
8. Domesticating A WildernessIn the 1840s over the crest of the Rockies there lay the first successful community West of the United States, the residents called it the City of the Saints, it's more commonly known as Salt Lake City. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Americans headed further West, Cooke follows in their footsteps...CC50minDec 31, 1972
9. Money on the LandIn the late 19th century, Americans started getting rich through business and technology. Alistair Cooke explores the rise of industry in the United States.CC50minJan 7, 1972
10. The Huddled MassesThree quarters of the population of the United States who call themselves "the American people" are descendants of immigrants from Asia, Africa and, most of all, from Europe. What impact did the flood of immigrants to the US have at the beginning of the 20th century - Alistair Cooke takes an in-depth look.CC50minJan 14, 1973
11. The Promise Fulfilled and the Promise BrokenThis edition looks at the 1920s, which saw America go from an era of unparalelled prosperity to the severest economic depression ever known.CC50minJan 21, 1972
12. ArsenalThis episode looks at the impact that warfare and the military has had on the history of America.CC50minJan 28, 1973
13. The More Abundant LifeTo give Americans a "more abundant life" was the stated aim of FDR's `New Deal' in the 1930s. Alistair Cooke travels from New England to Hawaii to consider if this was achieved.CC50minFeb 4, 1973

America: A Personal History of the United States

Documentary

★ 7.0/1019721 season13 episodesEnded

Creators and cast

Created by: Michael Gill

Maturity rating

Not yet rated.

Audio languages

English

Where to watch

Not currently listed on any streaming, rental or purchase service.

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