American Experience season 21

Last updated

American Experience
Season 21
No. of episodes9
Release
Original network PBS
Original releaseJanuary 26 (2009-01-26) –
May 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 20
Next →
Season 22
List of episodes

Season twenty-one of the television program American Experience originally aired on the PBS network in the United States on January 26, 2009 and concluded on May 11, 2009. The season contained nine new episodes and began with the film The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byCategoriesOriginal air date
2481"The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer" [1] David Grubin Biographies, Technology, WarJanuary 26, 2009 (2009-01-26)
The film focuses on the 1954 security hearing of J. Robert Oppenheimer, called a "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project. He was held before the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for being a suspected Communist. [2] [3]
2492"The Polio Crusade" [4] Sarah ColtPopular Culture, TechnologyFebruary 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)
Examines the impact of the infectious disease polio and the campaign to conquer it beginning with the nonprofit organization March of Dimes in the 1930s and culminating in the creation of a vaccine by Dr. Jonas Salk in the 1950s. The film is in part based on the book, Polio: An American Story , by David Oshinsky.
2503"The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" [5] Barak GoodmanPresidentsFebruary 9, 2009 (2009-02-09)
The film chronicles the life of assassin John Wilkes Booth and his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the third president to die while in office. Lincoln was shot once in the back of his head while watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.
2514"A Class Apart" [6] Peter Miller & Carlos SandovalCivil Rights, Popular CultureFebruary 23, 2009 (2009-02-23)
The film chronicles a small-town Texas murder and its development into a landmark civil rights case in which Mexican American lawyers take Hernandez v. Texas to the Supreme Court, challenging Jim Crow–style discrimination.
2525"We Shall Remain (Part 1)" [7] Chris Eyre Civil Rights, Native American History, Politics, The American WestApril 13, 2009 (2009-04-13)

  • Part 1: "After the Mayflower" - In 1621, Wampanoag leader Massasoit negotiates to provide help to the ailing Pilgrims from the Mayflower, on the brink of disaster, because he thinks this alliance will ensure protection for his tribe from the threatening Narragansett tribe. For the next fifty years, it will become more and more clear that Massasoit was wrong as continuing European immigration, widespread diseases and overuse of natural resources push the interaction between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims to war led by Metacomet, Massoit's son.
2536"We Shall Remain (Part 2)" [8] Ric Burns & Chris EyreCivil Rights, Native American History, Politics, The American WestApril 20, 2009 (2009-04-20)

  • Part 2: "Tecumseh's Vision" - In 1805, plains Indians in the Midwest were feeling the threat of westward expansion by white pioneers. Tecumseh, a member of the Shawnee tribe, used the growing worry of disparate tribes to bring them together into a confederacy with the common goal of saving their ancestral land. The dream of a separate Indian nation state would die along with Tecumseh when he was killed in the Battle of the Thames in 1813.
2547"We Shall Remain (Part 3)" [9] Chris EyreCivil Rights, Native American History, Politics, The American WestApril 27, 2009 (2009-04-27)

  • Part 3: "Trail of Tears" - For many years, the Cherokee nation sought to gain respect from the United States Government by adapting Western-style religion, government and education in the hopes of receiving recognition of their ancestral land as a sovereign nation. On May 26, 1838, the United States Government had troops forcibly remove members of the Cherokee tribe from their land in the Southeastern US to Oklahoma. More than 4,000 people would die of disease and starvation along the way of the Trail of Tears.
2558"We Shall Remain (Part 4)" [10] Sarah Colt and Dustinn Craig Civil Rights, Native American History, Politics, The American WestMay 4, 2009 (2009-05-04)

  • Part 4: "Geronimo" - Apache Geronimo and his fierce band of warriors refused to accept the expansion of the United States and Mexico into his tribe's land. Geronimo and his band of warriors earned the distinction of being one of the last major forces of Native American resistance before their eventual surrender in 1886. This resistance earned Geronimo the distinction of being the most famous Native American of his time.
2569"We Shall Remain (Part 5)" [11] Stanley Nelson Civil Rights, Native American History, Politics, The American WestMay 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)

  • Part 5: "Wounded Knee" - The American Indian Movement's last stand at Wounded Knee in 1973 brought attention to the desperate conditions of Indian reservation life. Around 200 American Indians engaged in a 71-day standoff with the US government demanding redress for grievances, some dating back over 100 years.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elie Wiesel</span> Romanian-born American writer and political activist (1928–2016)

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Robert Oppenheimer</span> American theoretical physicist (1904–1967)

J. Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist who served as the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. He is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in overseeing the development of the first nuclear weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gere</span> American actor (born 1949)

Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and a starring role in Days of Heaven (1978). Gere came to prominence with his role in the film American Gigolo (1980), which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. Gere's other films include An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), The Cotton Club (1984), No Mercy (1986), Pretty Woman (1990), Sommersby (1993), Intersection (1994), First Knight (1995), Primal Fear (1996), Runaway Bride (1999), Dr. T & the Women (2000), Shall We Dance? (2004), I'm Not There (2007), Arbitrage (2012) and Norman (2016). For portraying Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago (2002), he won a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Downey Jr.</span> American actor (born 1965)

Robert John Downey Jr. is an American actor. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. Downey's career has been characterized by some early success, a period of drug-related problems and run-ins with the law, and a surge in popular and commercial success since the late 2000s. In 2008, Downey was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. From 2013 to 2015, he was listed by Forbes as Hollywood's highest-paid actor.

American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Strathairn</span> American actor (born 1949)

David Russell Strathairn is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos Passos. He has received various accolades including an Independent Spirit Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Volpi Cup, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<i>Doctor Atomic</i> Opera by John Adams

Doctor Atomic is an opera by the contemporary American composer John Adams, with a libretto by Peter Sellars. It premiered at the San Francisco Opera on October 1, 2005. The work focuses on how leading figures at Los Alamos dealt with the great stress and anxiety of preparing for the test of the first atomic bomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Studi</span> Cherokee actor and film producer (born 1947)

Wesley Studi is a Native American actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. In 2019, he received an Academy Honorary Award, becoming the first Native American as well as the first Indigenous person from North America to be honored by the academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Jenner</span> American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman (born 1955)

Kristen Mary Jenner is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She rose to fame starring in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–2021) with her family. The success of their show led her and her family to star in multiple spin-off series, including Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami (2009), Kourtney and Kim Take New York (2011), Khloe & Lamar (2011), Rob & Chyna (2016) and Life of Kylie (2017). She acted as executive producer for most of her family's reality programs. In 2013, she hosted a six week long pop culture-driven daytime talk show, called Kris. Following her family's decision to sign off from E! in 2021, they then went on to star in The Kardashians on Hulu from 2022.

We Shall Remain (2009) is a five-part, 6-hour documentary series about the history of Native Americans in the United States, from the 17th century into the 20th century. It was a collaborative effort with several different directors, writers and producers working on each episode, including directors Chris Eyre, Ric Burns and Stanley Nelson Jr. Actor Benjamin Bratt narrated the entire series. It is part of the PBS American Experience series and premiered on April 13, 2009.

Season three of the television program American Experience originally aired on the PBS network in the United States on October 1, 1990 and concluded on February 4, 1991. This is the third season to feature David McCullough as the host. The season contained 12 new episodes and began with the film Lindbergh.

Season eight of the television program American Experience originally aired on the PBS network in the United States on October 16, 1995 and concluded on February 26, 1996. This is the eighth season to feature David McCullough as the host. The season contained nine new episodes and began with the film Murder of the Century.

Season fourteen of the television program American Experience originally aired on the PBS network in the United States on September 30, 2001 and concluded on May 12, 2002. The season contained 14 new episodes and began with the sixth part of the miniseries New York: A Documentary Film, "City of Tomorrow".

Season seventeen of the television program American Experience originally aired on the PBS network in the United States on October 4, 2004 and concluded on May 23, 2005. The season contained 11 new episodes and began with the film RFK.

Season eighteen of the television program American Experience originally aired on the PBS network in the United States on October 17, 2005 and concluded on May 22, 2006. The season contained 13 new episodes and began with the film Two Days in October.

Season twenty of the television program American Experience was originally shown on the PBS network in the United States on January 14, 2008, and concluded on May 6, 2008. The show celebrated its 20th anniversary. The season contained 14 new episodes and began with the film Oswald's Ghost. The last eight parts of the 14-part Eyes on the Prize miniseries were a rebroadcast of the production originally shown during 1990 on PBS. It was shown as a special presentation of American Experience during February in observance of Black History Month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Nolan filmography</span>

Christopher Nolan is a British-American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature directorial debut was the neo-noir crime thriller Following (1998) which was made on a budget of $6,000. Two years later, he directed the psychological thriller Memento (2000) which starred Guy Pearce as a man suffering from anterograde amnesia searching for his wife's killer. Similar to his debut feature it had a non-linear narrative structure, and was his breakthrough film. It was acclaimed by critics and was a surprise commercial success. For the film Nolan received his first nomination for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film, and for writing its screenplay he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He next directed the mystery thriller remake Insomnia (2002) which starred Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. It was his first film for Warner Bros., and was a critical and commercial success.

References

  1. ↑ "American Experience | The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer". PBS. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ Ryan, Maureen (January 26, 2009). "'J. Robert Oppenheimer': The Tragic Fall of a Nuclear Pioneer Oppenheimer". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  3. ↑ Hale, Mike (January 25, 2009). "Father of the Bomb as an Enemy to Himself". New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ "American Experience | The Polio Crusade". PBS. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ "American Experience | The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln". PBS. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ "American Experience | A Class Apart". PBS. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ "American Experience | We Shall Remain | After the Mayflower". PBS. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  8. ↑ "American Experience | We Shall Remain | Tecumseh's Vision". PBS. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ "American Experience | We Shall Remain | Trail of Tears". PBS. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  10. ↑ "American Experience | We Shall Remain | Geronimo". PBS. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  11. ↑ "American Experience | We Shall Remain | Wounded Knee". PBS. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.