By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Become a NMPBS member to enjoy
NMPBS
Passport
Get extended access to 1600+ episodes, binge watch your favorite shows, and stream anytime - online
or in the PBS app.
Episode 1 | 1h 40m 58s
| Video has closed captioning.
Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cotton Kingdom of the South to the northern abolitionists who opposed it. Here are the burning questions of Union and states' rights, John Brown at Harpers Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides.
Your report has been successfully submitted. Thank you for helping us improve PBS Video.
Production made possible by grants from General Motors Corporation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
Teaching resources for
Find standards-aligned teaching resources for
The Civil War.
The latest film from Ken Burns, the U.S. and the Holocaust, examines America's response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. The U.S. and the Holocaust premieres Sunday, September 18th at 8/7c
