Videos on the U.S. and American Studies

Africans in America America's journey through slavery 1998

Orlando Bagwell, Susan Bellows, and Angela Bassett

Considers the contradictions that lay at the heart of the founding of the American nation.  The infant democracy pronounced all men to be created equal while enslaving one race to benefit another. Portrays the struggles of the African people in America, from their arrival in the 1600s to the last days before the Civil War. 4 videocassettes (270 min.)

MEDIA 10-3359              2-4284 --2-4287

 

For love of liberty the story of America's black patriots : [a film] c2010

Halle Berry, Avery Brooks, Frank Martin, Colin L Powell, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, Danny Glover, John Travolta, and Eleventh Day Entertainment, Inc

Gain an unprecedented look at the experiences and accomplishments of African Americans in the military, and learn why such a group of heroic men and women would fight for the freedom of others that they themselves weren't able to enjoy. Hosted by Halle Berry with an introduction by Colin Powell, and features the voices of Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, Danny Glover, John Travolta, and many more. 3 videodiscs (ca. 538 min.) :

MEDIA 10-2421

 

The Good fight the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War 1990

Noel Buckner, Mary Dore, and Sam Sills

Narrated by Stud Terkel, The good fight explores a significant gap in our history through its use of archival footage, newsreels, still photographs, interviews with Lincoln veterans and other Depression-era artifacts. The eleven surviving veterans of the war who appear in this tough, ironical film share a common pride in their sacrifices of fifty years ago when the rise of world fascism crushed the spirit of democracy in a tragic rehearsal of World War II. 1 videocassette (98 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 10-3056           1500 2-1510

 

Korea the unfinished war c2003

Brian McKenna, Terence McKenna, Arnie Gelbart, Christine Le Goff, Stephen Phizicky, Galafilm Inc, TVOntario, France 5, and Filmakers Library, inc

pt. 1. Land of the morning calm
pt. 2. Silent night
"This film documents a war where neither side was victorious, a struggle that came very close to thermonuclear war, and that still resonates in the geopolitical machinations between East and West ... combines archival footage, first person accounts with soldiers and civilians on both sides, and direct quotes from Truman, MacArthur, Mao and Stalin, clearly showing their roles in the conflict.". 1videodiscs (52 min.)

MEDIA 10-1943, 10-1947

 

Returning fire interventions in video game culture 2011

Roger Stahl, Joseph Delappe, Anne-Marie Schleiner, Wafaa Bilal, Andrew Killoy, and Media Education Foundation

Video games like Modern Warfare, America's Army, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield are part of an exploding market of war games whose revenues now far outpace even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. The sophistication of these games is undeniable, offering users a stunningly realistic experience of ground combat and a glimpse into the increasingly virtual world of long-distance, push-button warfare. Far less clear, though, is what these games are doing to users, our political culture, and our capacity to empathize with people directly affected by the actual trauma of war. For the culture-jamming activists featured in this film, these uncertainties were a call to action. In three separate vignettes, we see how Anne-Marie Schleiner, Wafaa Bilal, and Joseph Delappe moved dissent from the streets to our screens, infiltrating war games in an attempt to break the hypnotic spell of "militainment." Their work forces all of us -- gamers and non-gamers alike -- to think critically about what it means when the clinical tools of real-world killing become forms of consumer play . 1 videodisc (44 min.) :

MEDIA 10-2967

 

Africans in America America's journey through slavery 1998

Orlando Bagwell, Susan Bellows, and Angela Bassett

Considers the contradictions that lay at the heart of the founding of the American nation.  The infant democracy pronounced all men to be created equal while enslaving one race to benefit another. Portrays the struggles of the African people in America, from their arrival in the 1600s to the last days before the Civil War. 4 videocassettes (270 min.)

MEDIA 2-4284 --2-4287

 

Are we to be a nation? 1997

Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Ronald Blumer, Forrest Sawyer, and Edward Herrmann

A documentary from the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3280 2-4247

 

Battle for Korea 2001

Gavin Macfadyen and Dave Flitton

Using archival films, shows the Korean War as it has never been seen before. 1 videocassette (110 min.)

MEDIA 2-4364

 

Bloody stalemate 1987

Peter Batty

Bloody stalemate recounts the Battle of Antietam, where more Americans died in a single day than on any field of battle before or since, and concludes with Lincoln's first Emancipation Proclamation, which turns the War into a fight to free slaves rather than a dispute over states' rights. 1 videocassette (51 min.)

MEDIA 2-496

 

Blows must decide 1997

Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Ronald Blumer, Forrest Sawyer, and Edward Herrmann

A documentary from the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3276 2-4243 2-4243 copy 2

 

Bombies 2001

Jack Silberman and Alec Willows

Between 1964 and 1973 the United States conducted a secret air war, dropping over 2 million tons of bombs and making tiny Laos the most heavily bombed country in history. Millions of these cluster bombs did not explode when dropped, leaving the country massively contaminated with "bombies" as dangerous now as when they fell a quarter century ago. Bombies examines the problem of unexploded cluster bombs through the personal experiences of a group of Laotians and foreigners and argues for their elimination as a weapon of war. 1 videocassette (57 min.)

MEDIA 2-5090

 

Causes of the Civil War c1996

Dana Palermo, Henry Nevison, Charles Hardy , Hollis Payer, InVision Communications, and Schlessinger Video Productions

Industrial North; agricultural South and the cotton belt; plantation slavery; Black resistance to slavery; Nat Turner's Rebellion; ascent of the Republican Party; free Blacks and the abolition movement; Underground Railroad; sectional polarization; the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850; popular sovereignty; the Dred Scott case; Abraham Lincoln; secession of southern states. 1 videocassette (ca. 35 min.)

MEDIA 2-6602

 

The Civil war 1989

Ken Burns

The first full scale film history of the conflict that tore the country apart and defined us as a nation.  This landmark documentary presents the entire sweep of the war, from the battlefields to the homefronts, from the politicians and generals to the enlisted men and their families, from the causes of the war and the opening guns at Sumter to the stillness at Appomattox and Lincoln's assassination and beyond. 9 videocassettes (680 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA 2-998 cassette 1 2-999 cassette 2 2-1000 cassette 3 2-1001 cassette 4 2-1002 cassette 5 2-1003 cassette 6 2-1004 cassette 7 2-1005 cassette 8 2-1006 cassette 9 2-4142 cassette 1 2-4143 cassette 2 2-4144 cassette 3 2-4145 cassette 4 2-4146 cassette 5 2-4147 cassette 6 2-4148 cassette 7 2-4149 cassette 8 2-4150 cassette 9

 

The Civil War c1996

Henry Nevison, Dana Palermo, Catherine Samson, Charles Hardy, Hollis Payer, InVision Communications, and Schlessinger Video Productions

Explores key battles of the Civil War, life on the Northern and Southern homefronts, and the role of African Americans in the war. 1 videocassette (ca. 35 min.)

MEDIA 2-6603

 

The Civil War era 1993

John Simmons and Eugene Williams

Dr. Simmons' lecture explores the Civil War era in American religious history and closely looks at the separate religious traditions that African-Americans formed during this time. 1 videocassette (55 min.)

DANA 1455

 

Civil War shorts 1990

Examines New Jersey's role in the Civil War through its participants and historical landmarks. 1 videocassette (33 min.)

MEDIA 2-1219

 

Civil War the fiery trial 1988

From Fort Sumter to Appomattox this documentary tells the entire story of the war. On site photography at more than a dozen battlefields. 1 videocassette (35 min.)

MEDIA 2-845

 

Conclusion at Appomattox 1987

Peter Batty

Conclusion at Appomattox ponders the South's legacy of defeat and the War's continuing impact on American life.  In abolishing slavery, did the War eliminate--or exacerbate--racial problems? 1 videocassette (51 min.)

MEDIA 2-499

 

Crucible of empire the Spanish-American War 1999

Daniel A Miller, Edward James Olmos, Daniel B Polin, Larry Linville, Laurence Luckinbill, Lou Diamond Phillips, Shawn Elliott, Jeffrey De Munn, and Roger Pretto

An account of the United States war with Spain beginning in 1898 which eventually led to U.S. control of Cuba and the Philippines and later resulted in the independence of Cuba and the Philippines.  Explains the United States' experiment in imperialism which it later decided against. 2 videocassettes (125 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-4312 cassette 1 2-4313 cassette 2

 

Cuba, in the shadow of doubt 1986

Jim Burroughs, Carol Polakoff, Suzanne Bauman, Peter Winn, Carolyn Neipris, and Raul Julia

Describes U.S. and Cuban relations from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to the present day. Fidel Castro, American officials, and Cubans discuss everyday life in Cuba and the present government. 1 videocassette (ca. 58 min.)

MEDIA D-285

 

Deadly enemies 2004

Susan Lambert, Erik Thomson, Jumping Dog Productions, ABC Television Network, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and First Run/Icarus Films

" ... documents the secret history of biological warfare. Using archival footage from the 1950s, filmmaker Susan Lambert demonstrates how science and politics colluded to play a game of one-upmanship"--Container. 1 videocasssette (52 min.)

MEDIA 2-6895

 

Death runs riot 1996

Stephen Ives, Ken Burns, Peter Coyote, Jody Abramson, and Michael Kantor

In the 1850s, as more American pioneers poured west, they brought with them the nation's oldest, most divisive issue--slavery--and the rough frontier would supply the sparks that would ignite the Civil War. Indians would be dragged into "the white man's war," while the besieged Mormons would commit the worst massacre of innocent pioneers in American history and a young writer named Sam Clemens would find adventure in Nevada's silver camps. And as the bitter Civil War drew to a close, celebrated Union heros such as George Armstrong Custer and William Tecumseh Sherman would use the tactics which had defeated the South against the Native Americans of the West. 1 videocassette (84 min.)

DANA. MEDIA. MEDIA 1266 2-3222 2-4233

 

Dr. Toer's amazing magic lantern show 199-?

Bret Eynon, Carl Gordon, Toney Blue, Frances Foster, and Tony Todd

Takes a look at the Magic Lantern Show of J.W. Toer, a Baptist minister and former slave who traveled the rural South in the years following the Civil War.  The show featured music and stories of the Black people before, during and after the Civil War.  Especially focuses on the misrepresentation by the North of the former slaves and the progress of Reconstruction. 1 videocassette (21 min.)

DANA 988

 

The duel 2000

Linda Hunt, David G McCullough, Carl Byker , Mitch Wilson, and David Mrazek

On the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel by Aaron Burr in the culminating act of a political war that had lasted for more than a decade.  The rivals' final encounter in Weehawken ruined Burr's career and changed the fate of a nation. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA  MEDIA 2-4330  2-5787

 

A few...appropriate remarks! Lincoln at Gettysburg 2001

Jim Whitefield and Eben Fowler

Besides talking about the speech and the dedication of the national cemetary, the video also covers the life of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, including the battle of Gettysburg, and events leading up to the war. 1 videocassette (35 min.)

MEDIA 2-5791

 

Forward to Sumter 1987

Peter Batty

The split between the North and South wasn't a surprise--the United States had been evolving into two separate societies and cultures since independence.  This episode illustrates the rise of the Republican party and the emergence of Abraham Lincoln, the moves toward secession in the South, the industrialization of the North, the impact of the cotton gin on the economic development of the South, and the origins of slavery in North America.  These burning embers finally ignite into the firing of that fateful first shot at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, beginning the War Between the States. 1 videocassette (51 min.)

MEDIA 2-495

 

The Good fight the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War 1990

Noel Buckner, Mary Dore, and Sam Sills

Narrated by Stud Terkel, The good fight explores a significant gap in our history through its use of archival footage, newsreels, still photographs, interviews with Lincoln veterans and other Depression-era artifacts. The eleven surviving veterans of the war who appear in this tough, ironical film share a common pride in their sacrifices of fifty years ago when the rise of world fascism crushed the spirit of democracy in a tragic rehearsal of World War II. 1 videocassette (98 min.)

DANA. MEDIA 1500 2-1510

 

The good soldier c2009

Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys, and Out of the Blue Productions

"The Good Soldier follows the journeys of five combat veterans from different generations of American wars as they sign up, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier"--Container. 1 videodisc  (78 min.)

DANA 458

 

The Hunt for Pancho Villa 1993

Hector Galán, Sandra Adair, David G McCullough, Linda Hunt, and Paul Espinosa

The story of the "Punitive Expedition" into Mexico that failed to capture Pancho Villa and brought the United States and Mexico to the brink of war. 1 videocassette (56 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3106 2-4042

 

John Brown's holy war 2000

Robert Kenner, David G McCullough, Joe Morton, and Ken Chowder

A look inside a complex man, farmer and warrior, family man and avenging angel, to reveal the man behind the legend.  He is the father of American terrorism-- and an inspiration to the Civil Rights movement.  More than 150 years after his execution, questions swirl around John Brown: was he a madman or a martyr? A bloodthirsty fanatic or a great American hero? Draws on interviews with historians and writers, including novelist Russell Banks, and stunning dramatic reenactments to trace one man's obsessive battle against human bondage. 1 videocassette (85 min.)

DANA. MEDIA  MEDIA 1774 2-5786  2-4329

 

Korea MacArthur's war 1988

Denis Mueller

The Korean War was described by lifetime diplomat Averill Harriman as a "sour little war."  Over 33,000 Americans and two million Chinese and Koreans died during the conflict that ended as a stalemate.  It was also marked by a dramatic confrontation between two men--General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry S. Truman.  Complete with footage never seen before in this country, Korea: Mac Arthur's war provides an insightful look into the war and the collision between two powerful men in history. 1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA 2-1563

 

Korea, the forgotten war 1987

Don Horan and Robert Stack

June 25, 1950 marks the beginning of a war that was to be like no other.  Hurtled into combat, thousands of young, inexperienced soldiers battled overwhelming odds and highly trained North Korean forces. 1 videocassette (92 min.)

MEDIA DANA 2-1396 1119

 

Korean war stories 2001

Robert Uth, Phylis Geller, and Walter Cronkite

Veterans share their stories of the "Forgotten War", reminding the viewer of the human and social costs the Korean war had on America. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA 2-4365

 

Lincoln 1992

Philip B Kunhardt, James Earl Jones, Alan Menken, Philip B Kunhardt, Philip B Kunhardt, Peter W Kunhardt, Jason Robards, and Glenn Close

Captures the drama of Lincoln in his own words.  Drawn from letters, speeches and diaries, Lincoln's words are brought to life by the voice of actor, Jason Robards.  Uses historic black and white photographs to portray Lincoln and the period of the Civil War in American history. 4 videocassettes (56 min. each)

DANA                                                                                                        MEDIA 965 cassette 1 965 cassette 2 965 cassette 3 965 cassette 4              2-4194    2-4195   2-4196   2-4197

 

Mary Silliman's war 1993

Steven Schecter, Barry Cowling, Louisa Burns-Bisogno, Stephen Surjik, Nancy Palk, and Richard Donat

Based on the memoir and letters of Mary Silliman, this film depicts the struggle during the American Revolutionary War, of Fairfield, Conn., a town deeply and bitterly divided over independence. After the kidnapping and imprisonment of her husband by the British, Mary Silliman managed to secure her husband's freedom while still handling domestic affairs and coping with the war. 1 videocassette (94 min.)

MEDIA 2-2269

 

The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry 1991

Jacqueline Shearer, Leslie Lee, David G McCullough, and Morgan Freeman

The story of the first officially sanctioned regiment of northern Black soldiers formed in Boston during the Civil War. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

DANA 1771

 

Memories of a forgotten war 2001

Camilla Griggers, Sari Raissa Lluch Dalena, National Commission on Culture and the Arts (Philippines), Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Newsreel (Firm), and Women in Film

The Philippine-American War of 1899 was one of the most violent imperial wars of the 20th century and set the precedent for U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia, yet few remember the details of the war or why it was fought. The film is told from the unique perspective of the film's co-director, Camilla Benolirao Griggers, who draws parallels between the history of war and violence between the two countries and her own family history as the granddaughter of a U.S. calvary soldier and a Filipina seamstress. 1 videodisc (61 min.)

DANA 384

 

Oh, fatal ambition! 1997

Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Forrest Sawyer, Ronald Blumer, and Edward Herrmann

A documentary from the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3278 2-4245

 

Our time in hell the Korean War c2003

Chris Wheeler, Bill Fike, Great Divide Pictures, Discovery Channel (Firm), and Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm)

Through personal accounts from Americans and Koreans, original film footage, newsreels, and narration, this documentary presents the history and the horrors of the Korean War. 1 videocassette (53 min.)

MEDIA 2-7014

 

Race for the superbomb 1999

Thomas Ott, David Ogden Stiers, and Richard Rhodes

Featuring newly discovered archival sources from Russia, civil defense films, and recently declassified military footage, "Race for the Superbomb" tells the story of a world at the brink of destruction. 2 videocassettes (113 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-4297 cassette 1 2-4298 cassette 2

 

The Reluctant revolutionaries 1997

Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Ronald Blumer, Forrest Sawyer, and Edward Herrmann

A documentary from the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3275 2-4242

 

"Remember the Maine" the roots of the Spanish-American war 1998

Hugh Purooll and Jack Roberts

Using archival footage, newspaper excerpts, and historical documents, this program traces the roots of the Spanish-American War to Spain's quest to preserve its flagging empire, American imperialism, and the genuine desire on the part of Cubans to shake off the yoke of Spanish domination. 1 videocassette (50 min.)

MEDIA 2-3715

 

The Revolutionary war 1995

Charles Kuralt, Carol L Fleisher, and Paula Deats

Charles Kuralt narrates this program about the American Revolutionary War. 3 videocassettes (ca. 270 min.)

DANA. DANA. DANA 1143 cassette 1 1143 cassette 2 1143 cassette 3

 

The Road to rock bottom 1993

Terry Kay Rockefeller, Joe Morton, and Steve Fayer

As the Great Depression progressed, economic collapse took its toll on rural America. Crops went unsold, farm mortgages were called in by banks, hungry farmers protested, and robberies increased dramatically. The U.S. Army was called in to defend the nation's capital from veterans who were demanding that President Hoover and Congress pay a bonus for their services in World War I. The film ends with Franklin Roosevelt's landslide election to the presidency. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-2223 2-4177

 

Sea of honor the U.S. Navy story, 1775- 1945 1996

A history of the United States Navy, from its inception during the American Revolution to the end of World War Two. 7 videocassettes (5 hrs. 13 min.)

DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA 1205 cassette 1 1205 cassette 2 1205 cassette 3 1205 cassette 4 1205 cassette 5 1205 cassette 6 1205 cassette 7

 

The Spanish-American war a conflict in progress 1998

Hugh Purooll and Jack Roberts

This program examines the conduct of the war, from Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, to the defeatist attitude of Spanish commander Admiral Cerveras, to Cuban General Gomez and his decision to side with the Americans. 1 videocassette (52 min.)

MEDIA 2-3716

 

The Spanish Civil War 1978

Anthony Ross Potter, Eric Sevareid, Herb Schmertz, and Scott Neal Garen

A documentary presentation on the events of and the attitudes towards the Spanish Civil War. 1 videocassette (26 min.)

MEDIA 2-4137

 

The times that try men's souls 1997

Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Ronald Blumer, Forrest Sawyer, and Edward Herrmann

A documentary from the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3277 2-4244

 

Total war 1987

Peter Batty

Share the experiences of soldiers and civilians through their songs, diaries, poems, paintings, memoirs, and letters. Examines the changing face of warfare in light of new technological developments, Lincoln's strategic appointment of General Ulysses S. Grant as overall military commander, and the roles and experiences of blacks--enslaved and freed--during the war. 1 videocassette (51 min.)

MEDIA 2-498

 

U.S. Mexican War, 1846-1848 1998

Ginny Martin, Robert Tranchin, Andrea Boardman, and Bruce DuBose

Tells the dramatic story of a war in which Mexico lost almost half of its national territory to the United States. This critically-acclaimed documentary series explores the events surrounding the conflict between two neighboring nations struggling for land, power and identity. 2 videocassettes (approx. 4 hrs.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-5884 cassette 1 2-5885 cassette 2

 

War letters 2001

Andrew Carroll, Robert Kenner, and Paul Taylor

Tells the story of American wars from the viewpoint of the men and women in the front lines and those who waited at home. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-4366

 

The Weapon of choice 1989, 1988

Against the backdrop of the Cold War and the development of the hydrogen bomb, the growing reliance of superpowers on nuclear weapons is explored. The Korean War and its impact on U.S. nuclear weapons decisions is also examined. 1 videocassette (60 min.)

MEDIA 2-788

 

The world turned upside down 1997

Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer, Ronald Blumer, Forrest Sawyer, and Edward Herrmann

A documentary from the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.)

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-3279 2-4246