In this new value-packed six-DVD set, that is printed on foil stock
with embossing, the spirit of America comes to life through powerful
images and stirring stories of the men who attained the highest office
in the land, the innovators whose visions were a testament to the
American dream, and the ordinary citizens whose courage and heroism
helped this nation to achieve greatness and fulfill its promise of
liberty and justice for all. Through revolution, civil war, social
change, world war and political upheaval, relive America's struggle to
preserve its cherished ideals.
The first three discs of this set, that were co-produced by NBC News, contains the compelling and comprehensive series entitled Portraits of American Presidents.
This series combines historical footage, period artwork, dramatic
re-enactments, and historical commentary to profile all forty-three
American presidents and highlight the key events of their
administrations.
DVD 1: Portraits of American Presidents: Six Presidents Guide a Young Nation
- America's first forty years were distinguished by the extraordinary
leadership of six great leaders, as well as other figures such as
Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, who created a new form of
government that became America's greatest success story, the presidency.
These visionaries expanded the original colonial boundaries beyond the
Mississippi River and developed the institutions that upheld the ideals
stated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Includes: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams.
DVD 2: Portraits of American Presidents: America Faces its Greatest Challenge -
This powerful program charts America's agonizing struggle over the
issue of slavery, which divided the nation, and exploded into Civil War
in 1861. The 19th century is also a time of substantial accomplishments,
but also instability as five presidents die in office. Names such as
John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster come to represent an
emerging, eclectic national heritage. Includes: Andrew Jackson, Martin
Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, Zachary
Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham
Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A.
Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison,
William McKinley.
DVD 3: Portraits of American Presidents: Triumph and Turmoil Shape the Presidency
- This compelling program chronicles the challenges American presidents
faced through the 20th century. Theodore Roosevelt ushers the United
States onto the world stage. Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano
Roosevelt protect and promote democracy. Following World War II, America
becomes entrenched in the Cold War, the arms race, the containment of
Communism, human rights, the environment, emerging Third World nations,
and terrorism. Through it all, the presidency endures as each leader
leaves his mark on the most powerful office in the world. Includes:
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G.
Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry
S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson,
Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George
H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush.
DVD 4: Headline Stories of the 20th Century, In the News
- Before the advent of television, theatrical newsreels were truly "the
eyes and ears of the world," and an integral part of the movie-going
experience. Compiled and edited by the Hearst News Library, this
fascinating collection is a visual time capsule that opens a window onto
the past, preserving in powerful images the key events as the Wright
Brothers' maiden flight, the U.S. entry into World War I, Charles
Lindbergh's historic flight, the stock market crash, the Hindenburg
disaster, the star-studded Gone With the Wind premiere, the
attack on Pearl Harbor, Elvis Presley's induction into the Army, John F.
Kennedy's assassination, and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream"
speech.
DVD 5: The Century That Made America Great -
Produced by Reader's Digest and narrated by Charles Osgood, this
stirring program chronicles of a century of extraordinary achievements
and defining moments in America's story, including the rise of the
aviation industry, the birth of the electrical age, medical and
scientific advances, the space race, and the Civil Rights movement. Get
up close to larger-than-life personalities whose vision, energetic
spark, and entrepreneurial spirit helped forge a nation. In three
parts: The Eagle Soars, Miracles of Communication, and Wonders of the Century.
DVD 6: Great American Leaders and Nations - Great American Indian Leaders
etches vivid portraits of four extraordinary figures who were willing
to die to preserve their way of life, and to hold onto a land they
called home. Crazy Horse refused to bring the Lakota people into
submission. Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce on a 1,700 mile flight from
the United States Army. Geronimo, of the Apaches, used his powers to
confound pursuers. Quanah Parker, "Last Chief of the Comanche," and son
of a white woman, guided his people between two worlds. This is the
poignant and tragic story of the end of the American Indians' way of
life and freedom. Great American Indian Nations tells the
moving story of six mighty Indian nations: The Iroquois, the most
powerful of the eastern tribes; the Seminoles of Florida; the Shawnee,
whose Chief Tecumseh formed a confederation of eastern tribes to protect
their land; the Navajo of the southwest; the Cheyenne of the Great
Plains; and the Lakota Sioux. Majestic landscapes, dramatic
reenactments, historical photographs and authentic music combine to
preserve the richness of these Native American histories and cultures.
