Seasons & episodes

A short introduction to the series.

A summary of the series.

An interview with the director of the series.

S1 · E1The Ancestors: Early Cultures of North America 1995-04-20 · 60 min＋

This volume takes a look at the massacre of the Sioux at Wounded Knee then flashes back to examine societies of Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers.

S1 · E2Mexico: The Rise and Fall of the Aztecs 1995-04-20 · 60 min＋

The rise and fall of the Aztec Empire is examined from their defeat of the Toltec regime to Cortez's ultimate conquest of the Aztecs and all of Mexico.

S1 · E3Clash of Cultures: The People Who Met Columbus 1995-04-21 · 60 min＋

Columbus' arrival and the subsequent defeat of the Caribbean tribes are chronicled, along with De Soto's destruction of the Southeast tribes such as the Coosa and the Mobile nation.

S1 · E4Invasion Of The Coast: The First English Settlements 1995-04-21 · 60 min＋

An examination of the Native Americans of New England and their experiences with the British who settled at Jamestown and Plymouth. Includes background to the first Thanksgiving.

S1 · E5Cauldron Of War: Iroquois Democracy And The American Revolution 1995-04-27 · 60 min＋

Hostilities between Native Americans and European settlers erupt across the eastern part of the continent as the colonists prepare for revolution. Pontiac's siege of Detroit and the splintering of the Iroqois Confederacy are examined.

S1 · E6Removal: War And Exile In The East 1995-04-27 · 60 min＋

After Tecumseh's Shawnee people side with the British in the War of 1812, President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, forcing all tribes to move into "Indian Territory," along the famed trail of tears.

S1 · E7Roads Across The Plains: Struggle For The West 1995-04-28 · 60 min＋

The twin gold rushes in California and Colorado bring hordes of settlers into the Western Territories where such Native American leaders as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the Kiowa chief Satanta organize futile resistance.

S1 · E8Attack On Culture: 'I Will Fight No More Forever' 1995-04-28 · 60 min＋

The Indian resistance of the late 19th-century is examined, including Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, the Apache leader Cochise and Geronimo, who surrenders and is imprisoned into the 20th-century. The government-mandated suppression of Native American culture culminates in the massacre at Wounded Knee, bringing the series full circle.