AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, THE: NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM: ORDER AND DISORDER {EPISODE TWO} {TAPE 1 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
Tape one of two. One in this documentary series. Part two in a seven-episode Ric Burns documentary that chronicles the history of New York from its inception as a Dutch Colony to its aggressive and destructive urban renewal campaigns of the 1950s. Utilizing archival photographs, film footage, news clippings, and interviews with scholars and writers, this episode covers the growth and change of New York from its sedate days in the early 1800s through the aftermath of the Civil War draft riots in 1863. The New York of the early 1800s is described by the narrator as "simple and harmonious." Historian Kenneth T. Jackson talks about the revolutionary changes in the way in which people lived at this time, along with the rapid population growth of the city. The opening of the Erie Canal in October 1825 changed the city's economy, and by 1830 the city's population swelled. The narrator explains that New York gave birth to the first slums, the first suburbs, and the first modern police force, among other things. He describes poet Walt Whitman's arrival in New York in 1841, the work he did to make a living, and his writing. Historian Daniel Czitrom says that by the 1830s New York was in need of newspapers to get "some sense of order" in the sprawling city, and the narrator talks about the growth of the city's press. Next, the work of Phineas Taylor Barnum, proprietor of the colorful American Museum, is described. The Museum's exhibits are talked about in some detail; Barnum's own words describe his displays as "queer curiosities" and "monstrosities." The program then deals with New York's attitude toward its new immigrant groups -- and its discrimination against them. "The Great Migration" of the mid-1800s is described, as well as widespread prejudice against the Irish, their horrendous living conditions, and the violence on New York's streets. In 1854, the man the narration dubs a "slippery and corruptible one-time liquor store owner," Fernando Wood, was elected mayor. Wood's election caused various problems, viewers learn, and New York was described by the New York Times as "the worst-governed city in the world." On July 5, 1855, Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" was published; the narrator calls it an unprecedented literary event. Segments are read, and scholars offer comments about it. The narrator goes on to describe Whitman's struggle for success. Continues with T:66498.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Blake Byrne.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 15, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:53:13
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:66497
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; History - American; New York (N.Y.)
- SERIES RUN: PBS, TV series - 1988-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Margaret Drain … Executive Producer
- Judy Crichton … Executive Producer
- Ric Burns … Executive Producer, Director, Writer
- Kerry Herman … Coordinating Producer
- Kate Roth Knull … Supervising Producer
- Lisa Ades … Producer
- Steve Rivo … Associate Producer
- Ray Segal … Associate Producer
- Helen Kaplan … Associate Producer
- Meghan Horvath … Researcher
- Anya Sirota … Researcher
- James Sanders … Writer
- Brian Keane … Music by
- David Ogden Stiers … Narrator
- P.T. Barnum
- Daniel Czitrom
- Kenneth T. Jackson
- Walt Whitman
- Fernando Wood