Browse - Most popular shows featuring: presidential history^x

The Reagans explores the many surprisingly unexamined aspects of the Reagan White House, and how Nancy Reagan's paper-doll image was at odds with the power she ultimately wielded throughout her husband's presidency.

The documentary-series examines Grant's life story using his perspective and experiences to explore a turbulent time in history: the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Washington tells the story of how a fatherless young soldier full of personal ambition becomes a leader of men willing to sacrifice all for the common cause. How a once-loyal British subject rises to battle an empire in a liberty-or-death campaign to forge a new nation. And then how, at the zenith of his power, the victorious general voluntarily steps down, becoming what King George III would call "the greatest man in the world." Believing his public duty complete, he heads into retirement ready to be a farmer. But with the young country on the verge of collapse, he is once again called to lead, creating the most powerful and successful democracy in history. You may think you know George Washington, but there's more to our preeminent founding father than you've been told. Washington chips away the marble to reveal the man at the heart of our nation's story. You'll never look at George Washington, or the founding of our country, the same way again.

The Nineties follows in the footsteps of previous CNN decade series The Sixties, The Seventies and The Eighties. Executive produced by Emmy®-winning producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman in association with HBO and Emmy-winning producer Mark Herzog, the eight-part series will highlight cultural and political milestones, from the birth of the internet to President Bill Clinton's impeachment that defined the decade.

Executive produced by world-renowned presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning bestselling author Doris Kearns Goodwin, Appian Way's Jennifer Davisson and Leonardo DiCaprio and RadicalMedia, this five-hour television event is based upon Goodwin's New York Times bestseller, "Leadership: In Turbulent Times" and will provide a rich, panoramic portrait of the first modern President of the United States-Theodore Roosevelt, a champion of social justice, a passionate conservationist and the self-proclaimed "bull moose" who once delivered an 84-minute speech bleeding from the chest after being shot in a failed assassination attempt. This two-night premium documentary event Theodore Roosevelt will explore the breadth and depth of one of history's most interesting men-a cowboy, soldier, statesman, conservationist, adventurer, reformer and author who suffered profound personal loss and became at age 42 the youngest president of the United States, having a monumental impact that is still felt today. From coming to understand Roosevelt's privileged yet sickly childhood, viewers will see how his early motivation and perseverance to "make" his body set him up for a lifelong pursuit of fighting injustice. His resilience, humility, empathy, ambition, political acumen, and humor are on full display as he moves seamlessly through a long and winding career from the Dakota Badlands to the halls of power in New York, from the battlefields of Cuba leading the "Rough Riders" to victory during the Spanish-American War and eventually to the White House when the assassination of William McKinley catapulted him to the presidency during one of the most turbulent periods in American history. By combining expert interviews, premium dramatic live-action sequences as well as Roosevelt's own words and rich archival material, this documentary event will chart Roosevelt's riveting journey and timely story showcasing how his relentless and compassionate determination to fight for the working man reshaped the political landscape forever and helped propel America into the 20th century. Theodore Roosevelt includes interviews with renowned historians and authors Dr. H.W. Brands, Col. USMC Ret. Doug Douds, Dr. Kathleen Dalton, Dr. Douglas Brinkley, Dr. Megan Kate Nelson, Dr. Leroy G. Dorsey, Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Clay Jenkinson, Roosevelt's great-grandson Tweed Roosevelt and more. Rufus Jones (Camping, Hunderby) portrays Theodore Roosevelt in the series.

As Americans, do we really know and understand our shared and complicated history? How do we recall the small details and forgotten players that influenced some of the biggest events from America's past?

The Kennedys is an eight-hour mini-series chronicling the lives of the famous Kennedy family and the tragedies they have suffered.

The three-part miniseries chronicles the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the thirty-second President of the United States.

This documentary is a fresh exploration of President Lincoln and the complex journey to end slavery. Narrated by Jeffrey Wright and featuring the voices of Bill Camp as Abraham Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. as Frederick Douglass, the series is a 21st century examination of a complicated man and the people and events that shaped his evolving stance on slavery.

The story of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the president of the United States, told in real time by those who were there. This three-part series will capture how in November 1963, the American president was shot, a search ensued, a policeman was killed, and the assassin was then murdered.

Watergate is about the Watergate scandal, which began in June 1972 when five men were arrested for breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. The subsequent investigation revealed a cover up initiated by high-ranking White House officials that eventually forced the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

An examination of the long, complex history of American presidents testing the rule of law and the FBI trying to enforce it. Featuring interviews with current and former U.S. government officials.

A celebration of our nation's sixteenth president. This series presents a complex portrait of a man who many consider to be our greatest commander-in-chief, but who considered himself "the loneliest man in the world." Bringing to life the tumultuous times in which Lincoln led his country, some of his finest Civil War moments, and his final hours, "History" examines the Lincoln legacy in a modern context. "Abraham Lincoln: His Life And Legacy" is the ultimate tribute to the ultimate president and includes the following seven documentaries: "Lincoln"; "Investigating History: Lincoln: Man or Myth"; "Man, Moment, Machine: Lincoln and the Flying Spying Machine"; "Conspiracy?: Lincoln Assassination"; "High Tech Lincoln"; "Sherman's March"; "The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth".

Featuring never-before-seen footage, Tricky Dick explores Richard Nixon's life and times - tracking his rise, fall, incredible comeback and political destruction.

Chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of the most prominent and influential family in American politics.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary, CNN reexamines the Watergate affair and the anatomy of the infamous break-in that started it all - this time told firsthand by John Dean, former White House Counsel to President Richard Nixon, in the CNN Original Series, Watergate: Blueprint for a Scandal. Produced by Herzog & Company, it is an immersive look inside Nixon's inner circle and the schemes behind closed doors by the Committee to Re-Elect the President that would eventually unravel his presidency. Across four revealing episodes, Dean divulges more than he ever could under oath, shedding new light on the back-channeling, the back-pedaling, and the backstabbing. Featuring rich archival footage and interviews with key insiders who had a front-row seat to the biggest presidential scandal of the 20th century, this series questions if America has learned anything since Watergate or if we as a nation will repeat the past. 

LBJ: Triumph and Tragedy is a four-part CNN Original Series that offers a captivating look at one of the most consequential and enigmatic presidents in American history: Lyndon Baines Johnson. Thrust into the presidency under tragic circumstances, LBJ used the office and political mastery to pass the most significant civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. But while he was reshaping the social fabric of America, he was simultaneously escalating a war that would rip the country apart at the seams, subsequently overshadowing his domestic accomplishments. Weaving together dramatic first-hand accounts from the last surviving members of LBJ's inner circle, never-before-broadcast archival material, and LBJ's own voice from secretly recorded audiotapes, Emmy Award-winning director Pat Kondelis crafts an intimate portrait of a larger-than-life figure full of fascinating contradictions, who left behind a complicated and polarizing legacy. 

Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union chronicling the personal and political journey of President Barack Obama as the country grapples with its racial history. Weaving together conversations with colleagues, friends, and critics, and interspersed with his own speeches and news interviews, the series begins with Obama's childhood and takes us through his perspective as the son of a white mother from Kansas and an African father, his spiritual formation informed by a generation of Black leaders, and his hopes for a more inclusive America.

The Kennedy Files is a fascinating 10-week series that delves into the iconic family's legacy, revealing untold stories and secrets. From JFK's presidency to the family's tragedies and triumphs, this exclusive look offers a captivating glimpse into America's most famous family.