America: The Story of Us (2010)

America: The Story of Us (also internationally known as America: The Story of the U.S.) is a six-part, 12-hour documentary television miniseries with 12 episodes presenting the history of how the United States was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress – from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad to triumphing over vertical space through the construction of steel-structured buildings. The series also is a story of conflict, with Native American peoples, slavery, the Revolutionary War that birthed the nation, the Civil War that divided it, and the great world war that shaped its future.
The program depicts over 400 years of American history (with emphasis on the creation, trials and effects of new technologies by Americans on America's history and by implication, the world) spanning from the successful English settlement of Jamestown on May 14, 1607, through to the present day. Narrated by Liev Schreiber and (Danny Webb for the international version), the series recreates many historical events by using actors dressed in the style of the period and computer-generated special effects. The miniseries became the most-watched special in the channel's history to date.

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1 "Rebels"
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 causes the American colonists to begin doing what many consider impossible: to successfully rebel against the British Empire.

2 "Revolution"
George Washington's army is near defeat, but new weapons and battle tactics turn the tide. The colonies declare independence from the British Empire. Forged through revolution, a new nation is born.

3 "Westward"
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.

4 "Division"
Commerce and industry thrive across the new nation, now one of the wealthiest in the world. The Erie Canal brings big risk and bigger reward. In the South, cotton is king but slavery fuels a growing divide. Violence flares across the territories and abolitionists make a stand for freedom. The election of Abraham Lincoln is a harbinger of war.

5 "Civil War"
The American Civil War rages. The formidable Confederate army cannot match the Union's mastery of technology; railroads, supply lines and the telegraph become new weapons in a modern war.

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

7 "Cities"
Americans conquer a new frontier: the modern city, with Andrew Carnegie's empire of steel as its backbone. Skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty are symbols of the American Dream for millions of immigrants. Urban life introduces a new breed of social ills, causing several bold individuals to make a stand.

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

9 "Bust"
Boom turns to bust when the stock market crashes. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl blanket the nation in darkness. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal signals recovery, while boxer Joe Louis overcomes racial disputes to help bring America's pride back.

10 "World War II"
The attack on Pearl Harbor brings America into World War II. The war effort revitalizes the nation's economy. American innovation and manufacturing might invigorate the Allies in Europe and in the Pacific, nuclear weapons help end the war.

11 "Superpower"
America becomes a global superpower; technology fuels a boom in the economy and the population. American pioneers conquer new frontiers, from the jet age to the space age, and run headlong into a new threat: Communism.

12 "Millennium"
In 2001, the September 11 attacks fuel the War on Terror and America continues its growing journey towards the future, whatever it may be.






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