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American Experience
One Slave Makes a Difference
George Latimer arrived in Boston in the fall of 1842, only to be thrown in jail at the request of a Virginia planter. Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison rallied other local abolitionists to call for Latimer's freedom. It worked, and within months Massachusetts passed the Personal Liberty Act, which would soon have nationwide ramifications.
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Casa Susanna was a refuge for transgender women and cross-dressing men in the 1950s-60s.
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52:22
Unsung scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun.
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Discover the story of the 1969 showdown between President Nixon and the antiwar movement.
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52:17
Discover the unexpected history behind Monopoly, America’s favorite board game.
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The influential author and anthropologist whose work reclaimed and honored Black life.
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The story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern justice.
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Discover how bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco
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The Blinding of Isaac Woodard with Spanish subtitles.
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How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.
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1:52:47
Part Two examines the mounting dispute over strategies and reveals the pervasive racism.
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1:52:42
The fiery campaign that led to passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the vote.
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The Eugenics Crusade tells the story of the campaign to breed a “better” American race,