Back to Show
American Experience
Woodrow Wilson: The Decider
For President Woodrow Wilson, the Great War was a crusade “to make the world safe for democracy” — a chance to transform the international order in America’s image. “No one had articulated a kind of vision of America as a global citizen,” says filmmaker Stephen Ives. But at the close of the war, Wilson’s arrogance and inflexibility ultimately undermined his own lofty goals.
Support Provided By

1:47:20
The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.

1:52:38
Revisit 1970s Boston, when court-mandated school integration unleashed racial unrest.

1:36:51
Casa Susanna was a refuge for transgender women and cross-dressing men in the 1950s-60s.

52:22
Unsung scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun.

1:22:39
Discover the story of the 1969 showdown between President Nixon and the antiwar movement.

Unlock with PBS Passport
52:36
Discover the unexpected history behind Monopoly, America’s favorite board game.

1:52:24
The influential author and anthropologist whose work reclaimed and honored Black life.

52:45
The story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern justice.

1:51:34
The Iran hostage crisis through the stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.

1:52:24
The Iran hostage crisis through the stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.

1:52:49
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard with Spanish subtitles.

1:52:23
How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.