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In this episode, Andrew Marr tells the story of the first empires to lay the foundations for the modern world. Using dramatic reconstructions, documentary filming around the world and cutting-edge computer graphics, he covers conquerors from the Assyrians to Alexander the Great; developments such as the Phoenician alphabet and Jewish monotheism; and ideas from Socrates, Confucius, and Buddha. Buddhism offered an alternative to empire building and...

Polish immigrants were the driving force behind Chicago's remarkable industrial growth. But they never achieved political cohesiveness, and while a million Poles now live in Chicago, their political power is not commensurate with the number of votes they cast.

More than 10% of Americans have German blood in their veins. Their ancestors came as religious and political refugees, but their dream of building a German society within America was largely shattered by the two world wars.

In 20 years, four million Italians entered the U.S. While all immigrant groups were disdained by those who had come even a generation before, Italians suffered especially. Many became poorly-paid laborers, but many others made good.

From the Czarist persecutions to those of Hitler, America provided a haven for Jews. Their influx made New York the world's most densely populated city. They went on to become one of the most influential immigrant groups in America.

The story of 35 million Europeans who left their troubled homelands for the promise of freedom and opportunity, and the hardships of the transatlantic voyage they endured to reach America.

On May 24, 1983, the Brooklyn Bridge was closed to traffic all day because New York City was holding a three million dollar birthday party to celebrate the centennial of its oldest, most famous bridge. Not even that display could match the triumph of May 24, 1883 when the bridge first opened, linking the then independent cities of Brooklyn and New York. By overcoming the geographical separation, the bridge led to the merger that created the greater...

This episode of American Stories by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns presents the history of one of our greatest icons. For over a century, she has stood on Liberty Island, a gift from France created by sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi. Torch eternally aloft, Lady Liberty has been the symbol of hope for generations of immigrants. Interviews with ordinary Americans reveal the statue's great significance. Nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy, this documentary...

Get set for an adventure that marked a new era in America! Filmmaker Ken Burns presents the hilarious 1903 saga of the first transcontinental automobile trip. On a visionary whim and a.

On Angel Island, the history is written on the walls. From 1910 until 1943, Chinese immigrants to America passed through Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, the Ellis Island of the West. Unlike other groups, the Chinese were legally discriminated against under an 1882 law called the Chinese Exclusion Act. This program looks at how two women-one an artist, the other a documentary filmmaker-are raising funds and awareness to have the old immigration...