The West - Presented by Ken Burns (Pts 1-3 of 9) 1996

"The West" is presented (and executive produced) by filmmaker Ken Burns, director of the acclaimed documentaries "The Civil War" and "Baseball." Here, director Stephen Ives examines the numerous ways in which the American psyche has been defined by "manifest destiny" and the trek westward. Using diaries, letters, archival footage and more, Ives provides a multi-layered history of this broad landscape. This epic covers the personalities, stereotypes, religious and racial issues associated with this part of the country, and the struggle of those who settled there. Finally, spectacular footage of the mountains, plains, rivers, and canyons of the West makes this documentary both a visual, as well as an informative, treat for all.

Episode One (To 1806)
The People
The West begins as the whole world to the people who live there. It becomes a New World when Europeans arrive, a world shaken by incompatible visions. And almost three centuries later, when Lewis and Clark venture west to find a Northwest Passage, this world becomes the testing-ground for a young nation's continent-spanning dream.

Episode Two (1806 to 1848)
Empire Upon the Trails

Americans head west along many pathways -- following the fur trade into the mountains, fighting for self-determination in Texas, seeking religious freedom in Utah or a better life along the Oregon Trail. But whatever direction they travel, they move closer with every step to a “Manifest Destiny” that will make the West their own.

Episode Three (1848 to 1856)
Speck of the Future

The Gold Rush brings the whole world to the West, as 49ers from Asia, South America and the eastern states scramble for “a share of the rocks,” littering the hills with mining towns and creating the West’s first metropolis. But in the push to strike it rich, many are violently pushed aside.