This is an excellent documentary series by Stephen Ives and Ken Burns that details the peopling of the Western United States by non-native newcomers starting in 1528 up until the early 1900’s, describing how the United States came to have its current configuration while also explaining how native populations have been displaced and exterminated.

This documentary describes the decade-long catastrophe in the American midwest during the 1930’s where years of seemingly non-stop dust storms were caused by improper plowing techniques used on farmland combined with drought, striping the topsoil and impoverishing farmers who where already made poor by the Great Depression.  The documentary shows many photographs and interviews of people who experienced the situation.

This eight part miniseries by Ric Burns chronicles the history of New York City from the time Manhattan was a wooded wilderness in the year 1600 up until 2001.  It is a very well-produced and engrossing documentary, every episode is interesting.

This documentary by Ken Burns explains the monumental task of building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City in the 1800’s, being the first bridge into the city.

This documentary by Ric Burns explains the journey of the Pilgrims to the New World and the difficulties they experienced during their first decade living there.

This series chronicles the history of slavery in the United States, from its beginnings in New Amsterdam in 1626 with the import of 11 African slaves, through to the Civil War that started in 1861.  It also explains the situation after the Civil War during Reconstruction.  The documentary makes use of interviews with experts and recreations of key events.

This 2015 documentary details the horrible fate of the English settlers at Jamestown, Virginia in the early 1600’s, where evidence shows that they resorted to cannibalism.

This documentary is a well-made reenactment of Lewis and Clark’s expedition across the western United States to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800’s.

This is a definitive United States Civil War documentary by Ken Burns.

This interesting documentary describes American society immediately after the Civil War in a period known as “Reconstruction” starting in 1863, where in many cases slavery had essentially not ended but rather it continued under the guise of sharecropping and Jim Crow laws until as late as the 1960’s.

This Ken Burns documentary explains how in 1903 two men Nelson Jackson and Stewart Crocker were the first people to drive an automobile across the United States on a whim after a bet, after other people failed in their attempts in the previous years.  It explains the challenges they faced in doing so, since most roads were not intended for automobiles at that time.  The documentary incorporates photographs that they made during the trip, which they documented very well.

This documentary details the outrageous life of the boxer Jack Johnson, the first Black man to win the heavyweight boxing title.

This documentary details the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey circuses in the 1800’s and 1900’s.

This Documentary by Michael Uys and Lexy Lovell details details the story of how over 250,000 depression-era teenagers left their homes to ride freight trains across the U.S. in search of employment.  It contains archival footage and music as well as present-day interviews with people who took part at the time.

This well-made 2019 documentary details the 1969 Woodstock music festival.  [Note: It is interesting that they decided not to go through with having a 50th anniversary reunion concert.  I think that is just as well though, as it likely would have been a lot of Antifa-type supporters performing and attending.  What a contrast between then and now!]

This in-depth documentary talks about the lesser-known Spanish control of the Florida region of the southeastern part of North America, starting decades before the first European settlements at Jamestown and Plymouth, and with Spain controlling the area for over 200 years.  It explains how the Spanish were more tolerant of Native Americans and African Americans than the English and Americans were during that time (as long as they pledged to convert to Christianity), and it also explains how those people experienced problems once control of the region was handed over to the U.S., at which point most of them were forced to migrate to the Caribbean.

This miniseries details African American populations in various regions of Latin America, including in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.

This documentary summarizes the events of the American Revolutionary War

This movie starting Mel Gibson presents a convincing portrayal of brutal battles during the American Revolutionary War.  Watch a battle scene from this movie.

This video details John D. Rockefeller establishing his oil refining empire in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1800’s, becoming the wealthiest person in the U.S.

This documentary details the life of the Pittsburgh steel magnate Andrew Carnegie.

This A&E documentary details an overview of the life of J. Peirpont Morgan, the industrialist banker who rose to power in the late 1800’s that eventually controlled much of the steel and railroad industries and wielded much influence over the economy of the United States.

This History Channel series portrays the American industrialists who gained prominence during the 1800’s and 1900’s, explaining the shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, the oil Baron John D. Rockefeller, the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, the financier J.P. Morgan, and the car manufacturer Henry Ford.  [Note: This series is ok, but I prefer other portrayals that I’ve seen in the past that are no longer online.]

This Masaman video explains the origins of African descended people of Latin America.

This History Channel documentary details the difficult task of the construction of the Panama Canal in the early 1900’s, creating a water route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in Central America.