![America The Story Of Us (3-Disc Collection) [DVD] (Packaging May Vary)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81WN8QDHYFL.jpg)
Product Description A riveting adventure of how America was invented, America: The Story of US focuses on the people, ideas and events that built our nation, covering 400 years of American history in the most extensive and in-depth television series ever produced by History. From the rigors of linking the continent by wagon trails to the transcontinental railway, the engineering of steel-structured buildings through to landing on the moon, this epic 12-part series is a grand cinematic vision of how this country was built. America: The Story of US brings this story to life firsthand through patriots, frontiersmen, slaves, abolitionists, Native Americans, pioneers, immigrants, entrepreneurs and inventors. From the revolutionary war that birthed the nation to the civil war that divided it, into the making of the modern world, America: The Story of US is an epic, dramatic, heartbreaking and triumphant journey that reminds US that American history truly belongs to we, the people. Sharing their thoughts on the building of America, and what it means to be an American, are a world-class group of individuals including Tom Brokaw, Michael Douglas, Meryl Streep, Buzz Aldrin, Colin Powell, Donald Trump, John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Brian Williams and more. .com With 12 chapters spread out over three discs and a total running time of more than nine hours (not including bonus material), the History Channel's America: The Story of Us is a sprawling primer on the history of the country and its people. Starting about 100 years after Columbus with the arrival of the earliest white settlers from across the Atlantic and finishing in the present day, the series can boast episodes devoted to major conflicts like the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II; the more gradual but still significant developments that helped shape the nation (like western expansion and the mass migration to major cities); and the various elements and forces (the discovery of oil; the growth of industry, engineering, and infrastructure; the development of the automobile and other means of mass transportation, and, of course, the accumulation of vast economic and military might) that combined to make the United States the world's dominant superpower in the 20th century and beyond. To the filmmakers' credit, the darker aspects of this history--slavery and racial strife, the treatment of Native Americans, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII--are not given short shrift. And while much of the material is dealt with in fairly broad strokes, there are also various enlightening details in each chapter. Who knew that George Washington established a network of spies who wrote notes in invisible ink in order to deceive the British, or that the most valuable currency for those who first explored the West was beaver pelts? A combination of reenactments, photos, CGI, models, and other elements delivers a great deal of information here, along with frequent references to Americans' pioneer spirit, devotion to hard work, and belief that if you can dream it, you can do it. Yet this isn't an especially scholarly document. The events depicted, from the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere's midnight ride to the Alamo and the Gettysburg Address, not to mention more lurid tales like the Donner Party and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, should be familiar to those with even a cursory knowledge of US history. The emphasis on star power, be it the comments from a parade of talking heads including actors, musicians, politicians (President Barack Obama among them), athletes, soldiers, and so on, or the focus on charismatic historical figures like John Brown, Daniel Boone, and many others, reflects our celebrity-obsessed culture. And the constant hyperbole (narrator Liev Schreiber intones some variation of "What's about to happen will change things forever!" at least half a dozen times in the first episode alone) becomes tedious. Then again, considering the number of Americans who can't find their own country on a map, presenting the material like a dramatic TV show instead of textbook was a shrewd idea. --Sam Graham
A**R
Great Resource
When I taught American history, I supplemented with this. The kids loved the stories and actionHighly recommend if you teach American history, homeschool, or just want to learn more.
P**Y
One of the Best
For me to give 5 stars for anything - is not common. This survey of the history of the United States ranks among one of the best and leaves little excuse for not being in every parent's DVD library. Here are some of my reasons for recommendation:1. Everywhere I look it is priced well below what you would expect($20 at Sam's just yesterday, $22 here, delivered).2. The digital visuals used throughout are second to none. It holds the attention of viewers of all ages.3. The reenactments are well researched and expertly presented.4. The narration is well done also.4. As an educator I know that if you are going to put something on the big screen - it better be as entertaining as it is educational. This is it.5. There is an excellent free teacher's guide on their website.The negative criticisms about this DVD although may have merit, should not stop anybody from buying it. Simply put, you can't please everybody all the time. Here are the two major complaints I see:1. There are commentary opinions put forth by actors, poets, political figures, educators, historians and even professional athletes that some viewers may disagree with. So what! That's what America IS all about. Freedom to dispute. These are points to discuss while watching with your kids or students.2. Key events are covered in extremely short periods of airtime or not at all while others are given center stage for arguably too much time. I say it's a survey and if you don't like it - as a consumer, augment it with what you believe is more important. If you want to study World War Two, for instance, I highly recommend the 1974 The World at War (30th Anniversary Edition) It's over 22 hours long.... Given when it was made - no series tops it. (By the way - it used to cost well over $100)Bottom line - buy 'America: The Story of Us' and watch it with your kids. In the classroom - I have students asking to watch more of it. Do I need to say more?
M**E
Great, plain and simple
This is a great documentary, plain and simple. After studying US history through high school and university classes, I must say that this documentary gets it. I am patriotic. I love the national anthem. I love US history. However, I hate history text books. It's sad to say that classes in US history have actually bored me. That was not the case for this documentary.I believe the documentary requires the viewer to have at least a cursory understanding of the sequence of events, as they are presented more topically than chronologically. This approach proved to be highly effective.After reading some of the one star reviews for this documentary, the prevailing criticism seems to be that certain events were left out and that there were celebrity commentators. The viewer must understand that the documentary (as mentioned above) is topical, not chronological- this will natural lead to the exclusion of certain events. Taken in context, this is not a detriment to the documentary series. On the topic of celebrity commentators- the series is titled: America: The Story of *Us* (emphasis added). I found the inclusion of celebrities and politicians (there are historians as well) to be very effective. Rather than a group of US history PhDs who lecture about what happened, these famous people add a different approach by describing events in US history in a more personal context. They don't claim to be experts. The intermingling of these accounts with those of historians is actually very effective.Another complain I've seen in the one star section is that it is revisionist in the respect that it glorifies US history and fails to acknowledge the achievements of other nations in events, such as WWII. Once again, the documentary series is called: *America*: The Story of US (once again, emphasis added). The documentary doesn't focus on other nations' achievements because that wouldn't be appropriate in context.I would recommend this documentary series to anyone who wants an addendum to a general knowledge of US history. It is not for those without any background on the subject, but it is a great supplement in the field of US history. If only my high school and college US history classes could have been this good...
Trustpilot
2 months ago
5 days ago
![America The Story Of Us (3-Disc Collection) [DVD] (Packaging May Vary)](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81WN8QDHYFL._AC_UL116_SR116,116_.jpg)
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