Though Eisenhower and Kennedy charted its course, the Vietnam War quickly became known as Lyndon Johnson's war. Hear phone conversations that reveal his inner torment over the conflict that would become his unwanted legacy.
Who was Ronald Reagan and what made him tick? From his impoverished childhood and Hollywood stardom to his ultimate role as Commander in Chief, discover how the events of his life informed the man and shaped a president.
From George Washington, who defined the presidency, to James Monroe, the last of the Revolutionary War heroes, the office of president evolves and is tested as the fledgling United States undergoes growing pains.
America's leadership changes hands from the Founding Fathers to a new breed of Founding Sons in a period marked by rapid growth and contentious politics, including the bitterest election in U.S. history.
A fractious era of the presidency bookended by polar opposites Taylor and Lincoln becomes one of the most turbulent in U.S. history when the volatile issues of states' rights and slavery erupt in civil war.
During America's Age of Reconstruction, the ruptured nation faces the difficult task of rebuilding a union after four years of civil war and a presidential assassination.
From Grover Cleveland to William Howard Taft, the Gilded Age of the American presidency features a new breed of men in the White House and a new era of unbridled economic growth.
A challenging period of U.S. history marked by financial depression and two world wars ultimately sees America's emergence as a superpower on the global stage.
Between the dropping of the first atom bombs and the first presidential resignation, an seemingly blissful era turns into a period of total political disenfranchisement.
Presidents from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush grapple with a new world order defined by the fall of the Berlin Wall and shattered by the specter of global terrorism
Teddy Roosevelt overcame debilitating asthma, lived through a war, and succeeded an assassinated president by the age of 42. President George W. Bush introduces this look at one of America's most beloved presidents.
President Teddy Roosevelt tested and extended the limits of the White House like no other before him or since, from battling with captains of industry and their corporate trusts to mediating the Russo-Japanese War.
From the construction of the Panama Canal to his extraordinary commitment to preserving the environment, Teddy Roosevelt used his bully pulpit to engineer a series of radical departures from established U.S. policies.
Teddy Roosevelt's second term was marked by his active presence on the world stage, as well as his win of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. President Bill Clinton helps examine TR's monumental legacy.
Part 1 of a documentary series presenting the flesh-and-blood men behind early American legends examines the political agitation of the early 1770s and how a group of loyal British citizens was driven to commit treason
Part 2 sees pockets of discontent grow as patriots argue among themselves at meetings of the First and Second Continental Congress.
Part 3 looks at the toll on the patriots as undeclared war simmers for a year, peace talks fail, and the Declaration of Independence is debated, written, and issued.
In Part 4, the Founding Fathers face the momentous and monumental task of framing a federal constitution for the 13 states.
The triumphs of Richard Nixon's presidency were overshadowed by a scandal that forced his resignation. Learn more about the driven but flawed 37th president from those who worked closest to him.
Years after the assassination of JFK, Americans still can't agree on what happened on November 22, 1963. Leading experts explore the many theories surrounding who did it and why.
From dissecting the shape of the Oval Office to uncovering why a brothel once operated on White House grounds, Washington, D.C. native Henry Rollins uncovers the most thought-provoking details about the Executive Mansion.
Orphaned at 14, Andrew Jackson became a lawyer without a formal education, an army general without military experience, and a U.S. president without a fortune. But his legacy complicated.
Thomas Jefferson is the most researched, most written about, most referenced, and most quoted of our Founding Fathers. And yet, somehow, he remains the most stubbornly inscrutable.
Historian David Eisenbach uncovers little-known details about the life of John F. Kennedy: He was a courier in Nazi Germany, a body builder, and a man addicted to danger.
Discover what makes Air Force One faster, more secure, more comfortable, and more capable than any other comparable plane.
Director Vikram Jayanti explores Abraham Lincoln's remarkable rise from humble beginnings to the highest office in the land.
Was Abraham Lincoln's lifelong anguish the driving force behind his ultimate transcendence to America's most beloved President? Award-winning director Vikram Jayanti takes a look through Lincoln's eyes on his last day.
Moments after the President of the United States is sworn into office, he gains access to the "Nuclear Football," a briefcase that contains the most volatile top-secret information in the world: America's nuclear launch codes.
The United States of America is a bold invention of enormous risk. This democracy in a world ruled by kings and emperors is a new experiment with three branches of government.
The era of the Founding Fathers is coming to an end. Over the next 25 years, six presidents will reflect the country's sometimes uneasy transition from old traditions to an expansion of land, influence, and opportunity.
By the mid-1800s, America is triple its original size thanks to bold but controversial decisions by presidents such as Jefferson, Jackson, and Polk. But the question of slavery must be addressed.
The Civil War ends and America desperately needs leadership. The president who'd seen the nation through its most divisive conflict is dead, leaving no road map for peace.
Since the end of the Civil War, Congress and the deep pockets of Big Industry have dictated the course for the nation, but one president fights for the common man, just as a grisly international fight begins.
In the 1920s, America is poised for a fresh start as the horrific brutality of the first global war ends. But as America crashes into Depression and another World War, a strong leader is needed.
America emerges as a superpower. The Cold War threatens the nation with the possibility of nuclear annihilation. The struggle against the spread of communism abroad, and the corrosive effects of inequality at home, demand a steadfast leader.
The presidency is burdened by the personal failings of the men who occupied the office and by a Congress determined to reassert its power. The Cold War ends but global terror networks rise to present a more complicated threat.