America The Story of Us

Episode 4: Division

Boston Harbor in the 18th century (CGI)
Southern troops storm Harpers Ferry after its capture by John Brown

America becomes a nation at the moment a revolution in commerce and industry sweeps across the western world. The construction of the Erie Canal--an audacious feat of engineering achieved against the odds with black-powder and hard work-- results in hundreds of workmen being killed, but the pay-off is immense. This vast new country, rich in resources, experiences a rapid change--in trade, transport and manufacturing--quickly turning America into one of the wealthiest nations on earth. New York booms, the factory town of Lowell becomes the cradle of the American industrial revolution, and in the South, with the invention of the cotton gin, cotton is king. Now two different Americas, united in prosperity, but divided by culture, face each other across a growing gulf. The issue is slavery. It underpins the prosperity of the South, but the North, though complicit, shows growing unease. There are violent clashes in Kansas. Abolitionist John Brown carries out a suicidal mission to try to end slavery in Virginia. He fails. With the election of Abraham Lincoln the stage is set for war.

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Upcoming Episodes

Southern troops storm Harpers Ferry after its capture by John Brown
Episode 4: Division
Soldiers in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Episode 5: Civil War
Transcontinental Railroad
Episode 6: Heartland
Construction of the Statue of Liberty
Episode 7: Cities
Spindletop salt mound in southeastern Texas on January 10, 1901
Episode 8: BOOM
Construction of Mount Rushmore
Episode 9: BUST
D-Day, the military invasion at Omaha beach (CGI)
Episode 10: WWII
Buzz Aldrin Standing by Flag on the Moon, 1969
Episode 11: Superpower
World Trade Center Light Memorial
Episode 12: Millennium

Show Schedule


Episodes in the next 2 weeks
  1. Wednesday, Feb 15, 10/9c Rebels: TVPG
  2. Wednesday, Feb 15, 12/11c Westward: TVPG
  3. Wednesday, Feb 15, 2/1c Civil War: TVPG
  4. Wednesday, Feb 15, 4/3c Metropolis: TVPG
View Complete TV Schedule
Rebels:
Wednesday, Feb 15, 10/9c
Westward:
Wednesday, Feb 15, 12/11c
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