President Barack Obama will introduce AMERICA THE STORY OF US, a new 12-hour series on HISTORY™, sharing reflections on the spirit and resilience that continue to shape our country. The President’s remarks will open the premiere episode on Sunday, April 25, at 9pm ET. New episodes of America – The Story of Us air on Sundays through Memorial Day, covering 400 years of our nation’s history.
The President will say that the turning points in American history “remind us that our American story has never been inevitable. It was made possible by ordinary people who kept their moral compass pointed straight and true when the way seemed treacherous; when the climb seemed steep; and when the future seemed uncertain. People who recognized a fundamental part of our American character: that we can remake ourselves – and our nation – to fit our larger dreams.”
The largest programming event the network has ever undertaken, America – The Story of Us tells the extraordinary story of how America was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress— from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad, the internet of its day, to triumphing over vertical space through construction of steel structured buildings. The series is also a story of conflict – with Native American peoples, slavery, the revolutionary war that birthed the nation, the Civil War that divided it and the great world war that shaped its future.
America – The Story of Us also includes the most extensive education initiative History has ever launched in association with a broadcast. The full series will be made available on DVD to every school and accredited college in the country, and additional educational resources and grant contests will be offered to students, faculty and institutions. Resources for teachers will be created in collaboration with the Library of Congress.