Multicultural History: Media

America’s European immigrants came in search of a better way of life. These programs tell the stories of some of the ethnic groups who came from Europe, how hard they had to work to create and build the American dream—and how some of them eventually found it.

"An all-star cast reads from a collection of primary sources: letters, diaries, speeches, and military records that document and acknowledge the sacrifices and accomplishments of African-Americans across four centuries of warfare. 6-part series, 45–131 minutes each."

This award winning PBS documentary "traces the civil rights movement from the Montgomery bus boycott to the Voting Rights Act; from early acts of individual courage through the flowering of a mass movement and its eventual split into factions." 14 Titles in the series

"Experience the rich cultural diversity of Native American tribes and the impact that early white explorers had on their lives." 35 segments. Part of the series "The West: A Film" by Stephen Ives. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (84 minutes)

"This Prelinger Archives film, an explanation of the World War II internment of people of Japanese descent living on the West Coast, "is an historical record of the operation, as carried out by the United States Army and the War Relocation Authority." Milton S. Eisenhower, director of the W.R.A. during the initial period of the transfer, narrates. U.S. Office of War Information."

An Oscar-nominated documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. n 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter to his literary agent describing his next project, Remember This House. The book was to be a revolutionary, personal account of the lives and successive assassinations of three of his close friends--Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin's death in 1987, he left behind only thirty completed pages of his manuscript.
Now, in his incendiary new documentary, master filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished. The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin's original words and flood of rich archival material.

Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present -- when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race. Include: The Black Atlantic (1500-1800), The Age of Slavery (1800-1860), Into the Fire (1861-1896), Making s Way Out of No Way (1897-1940), Rise! (1940-1968), It's Nation Time (1968-2013)

The Italian Americans reveals the unique and distinctive qualities of one immigrant group's experience, and how these qualities, over time, have shaped and challenged America. Unlike other immigrant groups, many Italians did not come to America to stay. At the turn of the 20th century, most came to work, earn money to support their families, and eventually return home. Includes: The Italian Americans Episode 1 - La Famiglia, The Italian Americans: Episode 2 - Becoming Americans, The Italian Americans: Episode 3 - Loyal Americans, The Italian Americans: Episode 4 - The American Dream

The Jewish Americans is a journey through time, exploring 350 years: from the first settlement in 1654 to the present. It is about the struggle of a tiny minority who make their way into the American mainstream while, at the same time, maintaining a sense of their own identity as Jews. Focusing on the tension between identity and assimilation. it is a story other minority groups will find surprisingly familiar.

Latino Americans is the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have for the past 500-plus years helped shape what is today the United States. Include: Foreigners in Their Own Land (1565-1880), Empire of Dreams (1880-1940), War and Peace (WWII years), The New Latinos (post WWII-1960s), Prejudice and Pride (1960s-1980s), Peril and Promise (1980s-present)