American Experience

The Rise and Fall of Penn Station Preview

The Pennsylvania Railroad built tunnels under New York City's Hudson and East Rivers, connecting New York with New England, and terminating in one of the greatest architectural achievements of its time, Pennsylvania Station. It covered nearly eight acres, extended two city blocks, and housed one of the largest public spaces in the world. But 53 years later, the monumental building was destroyed.

The Rise and Fall of Penn Station Preview

30s

  • American Coup: Wilmington 1898: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    American Coup: Wilmington 1898

    S36 E7 - 1h 51m

    American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government.

  • The American Vice President: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The American Vice President

    S36 E6 - 52m 36s

    The American Vice President tells the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to a position of political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh perspective on succession in the executive branch.

  • The Riot Report: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Riot Report

    S36 E5 - 1h 53m

    When Black neighborhoods across America erupted in violence during the summer of 1967, President Johnson appointed a commission to determine what happened, why it happened, and what could be done to keep it from happening again. The bi-partisan commission’s final report offered a shockingly unvarnished assessment of American race relations that would doom its finding to political oblivion.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.