Iconic America

The greatest bald eagle congregation on Earth happens in southeastern Alaska in the village of Haines just before the fierce Alaskan winter. Lying on a remote peninsula, nestled between the Chilkat and Chilkoot rivers, each November the village becomes home to the largest bald eagle migration in the world.

The effect of DDT, a pesticide widely used in the mid-20th century, on the Bald Eagle population in the northeastern United States was devastating. When eagles consumed prey contaminated with DDT, the pesticide accumulated in their bodies over time. As a result, the eagles experienced thinning eggshells, making them more prone to breakage during incubation.

The story of how the American Bald Eagle soared to its vaunted perch in American iconography, a symbol not only of patriotism but also of environmental activism and Native American traditions.

Eva Diaz, associate professor of art history at Pratt University, explains the cultural and allegorical significance of the Founding Fathers' decision to use the bald eagle as the prominent symbol in the Great Seal of the United States.

It's hard to argue that there's a more iconic symbol of America today than the Statue of Liberty. For people around the world, The Statue of Liberty stands for freedom. This episode explores the evolving meaning of The Statue of Liberty as symbol for a “nation of immigrants,” and how it embodies our values and our conflicts, from abolition and women’s suffrage to the treatment of refugees

The statue's official name, "Liberty Enlightening the World," embodies the ideals of liberty, democracy, and enlightenment. It stands as a beacon of hope, welcoming immigrants and symbolizing the United States as a land of freedom and opportunity. In this clip, David Rubenstein asks Ed Berenson, Chair and Professor of History at New York University, why Lady Liberty is a symbol of America.

"A monument isn't a policy, but it's an object for which our vocabulary, and our feelings, our hopes and even our anxieties can be projected." United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith reflects on the Statue of Liberty's potential as an agent of change. Smith wrote “Harbor” to celebrate the 2019 opening of the Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island in New York City.

Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus" was not originally chosen to be engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty, it was actually added to the statue several years after its dedication. Here's the story behind its inclusion.

In this clip, Alan Kraut, Chair of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island History Advisory Committee and Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, explain the statue’s anti-slavery historical roots to David Rubenstein, and how their representation on the statue changed over time.

David Rubenstein visits Ellis Island with Atlantic writer Caitlin Dickerson and discusses the history of the facility, from immigration hub to detention center, and the daunting reality facing many of the immigrants who left everything they had known to seek out a better existence in America.

America's greatest symbol has its roots in a small town in France, about 300 miles from Paris, where Bartholdi was born and first conceived of his vision for the statue. There is no better way to understand the statue's evolution than to go where it all began.

There are hundreds of historical monuments across America. These markers are one way a nation tells it’s story, but how we perceive them
changes over time. In each episode of Iconic America, David Rubenstein (co-founder of the Carlyle Group and acclaimed philanthropist) explores a symbol from history — using them as a gateway to understanding to understanding America's past and present.