The American Future: A History What is an American?
Simon looks at the bitter conflict over immigration in American history. Who should be allowed to enter America and call themselves an American has always been one of the nation's most divisive issues, and it continues to be so at this election. He traces the roots of this conflict to the founding of America. The early settlers were themselves immigrants, but they saw America as fundamentally a white and Protestant nation. Simon looks at the key events that challenged this view: the annexation of parts of Mexico in 1848 that made 100,000 non-whites American citizens, the immigration and subsequent expulsion of the Chinese in the late 19th century, and the massive immigration from Eastern Europe during the industrialisation of the 1920s. Each time there have been those who have insisted America must stay white if it's to stay true to itself, and each time they have been defeated by the sheer force of history. John F. Kennedy defined America as a Nation of Immigrants in 1964 and Simon argues that the candidacy of Barack Obama represents the final triumph of the vision of America as a multi-ethnic nation.
Simon Schama travels through America to dig deep into the conflicts of its history as a way to understand the country's contemporary political situation.
Primary Title
- The American Future: A History
Episode Title
- What is an American?
Date Broadcast
- Monday 24 August 2009
Start Time
- 03 : 30
Finish Time
- 04 : 30
Duration
- 60:00
Episode
- 4
Channel
- Documentary Channel
Broadcaster
- Sky Network Television
Programme Description
- Simon Schama travels through America to dig deep into the conflicts of its history as a way to understand the country's contemporary political situation.
Episode Description
- Simon looks at the bitter conflict over immigration in American history. Who should be allowed to enter America and call themselves an American has always been one of the nation's most divisive issues, and it continues to be so at this election. He traces the roots of this conflict to the founding of America. The early settlers were themselves immigrants, but they saw America as fundamentally a white and Protestant nation. Simon looks at the key events that challenged this view: the annexation of parts of Mexico in 1848 that made 100,000 non-whites American citizens, the immigration and subsequent expulsion of the Chinese in the late 19th century, and the massive immigration from Eastern Europe during the industrialisation of the 1920s. Each time there have been those who have insisted America must stay white if it's to stay true to itself, and each time they have been defeated by the sheer force of history. John F. Kennedy defined America as a Nation of Immigrants in 1964 and Simon argues that the candidacy of Barack Obama represents the final triumph of the vision of America as a multi-ethnic nation.
Classification
- PGR
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- United States--History--21st century
- United States--Politics and government--2001-2009
- Optimism--United States
- Documentary television programs
Genres
- Documentary
Hosts
- Simon Schama (Host)
Contributors
- Sam Hobkinson (Director)
- Ricardo Pollack (Director)
- Simon Schama (Writer)
Subjects
- United States--History--21st century
- United States--Politics and government--2001-2009
- Optimism--United States
- Documentary television programs