Nov 3, 2008, Multiply, The American Future by Simon Schama

PLEASE GIVE ONE HOUR OF YOUR TIME

I KNOW ONE WHOLE HOUR IS A LOT

BUT, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS

PLEASE WATCH IT

YOU ONLY HAVE FOUR DAYS LEFT

THEN THIS POST DISAPPEARS

THIS IS A FULL VERSION OF THE

TV PROGRAMME

THE AMERICA FUTURE; A HISTORY

BY SIMON SCHAMA

EPISODE 4,

‘’WHAT IS AN AMERICA??’’

AND IT IS VERY, VERY RELEVANT.

SIMON SCHAMA IS AN ACADEMIC HISTORIAN NOT A POLITICIAN

  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fbd0d

FROM THE BBC WEB SITE
While the 2008 presidential campaign is in full swing, Simon Schama travels through America to dig deep into the conflicts of its history to understand what is at stake right now.
Simon looks at the bitter conflict over immigration in American history. Who should be allowed to enter America and call themselves an American has always been one of the nation's most divisive issues, and it continues to be so at this election. He traces the roots of this conflict to the founding of America.
The early settlers were themselves immigrants, but they saw America as fundamentally a white and Protestant nation. Simon looks at the key events that challenged this view: the annexation of parts of Mexico in 1848 that made 100,000 non-whites American citizens, the immigration and subsequent expulsion of the Chinese in the late 19th century, and the massive immigration from Eastern Europe during the industrialisation of the 1920s. Each time there have been those who have insisted America must stay white if it's to stay true to itself, and each time they have been defeated by the sheer force of history.
John F Kennedy defined America as a Nation of Immigrants in 1964 and Simon argues that the candidacy of Barack Obama represents the final triumph of the vision of America as a multi-ethnic nation

Tags: america, politics, history, simonschama

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edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 3, '08 veryfrank said The message from the BBC is...'Sorry, this video is only available in the UK' Perhaps it will turn up on BBC America. Yep unfortunately thats right, Brenda already said that...............what a shame

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Nov 3, '08, edited on Nov 3, '08 The message from the BBC is...'Sorry, this video is only available in the UK'. Perhaps the history video will turn up on BBC America. BBC will not permit us to view the sites for some regular programming either. There are the complete UK sites and then some sites for international consumption. I have been trying to find out what happened to shows that I watched last year, Torchwood and Hotel Babylon, but the sites are closed to us.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 3, '08 Hi..............just in from my drawing class and I see Brenda saying this link is nor working outside the UK. That is a real shame, I loved this programme it taught me a lot about America and how she became the great nation she is today. It tells the story of how America is built on immigration, it tells some horror stories of how some immigrants were treated in the past,( we all have these skeletons in our pasts) but it also tells of great people who have fought for freedom and justice and equality for all people. People like Grace Abbott who set up reception areas in main train stations to offer help to vulnerable young female immigrants who were preyed on by brothel owners and such like. Until I watched this programme I had never heard of Grace Abbott and she is someone I will find out more about. Simon Schama rounded off the programme by saying who ever actually wins the forthcoming election, and what ever your particular political persuasion, it is a TRIUMPH FOR AMERICA that a man who is Afro/American descent, who comes from a poor background, whose father is a Muslim and who has a Muslim name, can become a presidential candidate. That in itself shows what a great, multi cultural and ethnically diverse county America is. Maybe not his exact words but that is more or less is what I understood him to mean. This programme is number 4 in a series on American history and if it is ever shown over there..............please watch it cos I think you'll enjoy it.

delete reply octoberwitch wrote on Nov 3, '08 it is a shame how strong the old puritan values still cling to our world here in the USA. Im voting Obama, and I am proud to believe this is a country of diversity and of immigrants like JFK said. It is not propaganda. It is fact and historical reference, but the old prejudice thinking runs deep. Lucky for us, its changing, slowly but surely.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Nov 3, '08 "Sorry. This link is only available in the UK" so we can't watch it. I didn't think for one moment that you were making a political statement. May God bless the USA (and the UK too)!

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Nov 3, '08 Thanks for the link, Loretta.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Nov 3, '08 seanymph3 said While you have a right to post what you want, I wont be watching this. I am not voting for Obama and this sounds like one more propaganda thing to sway the vote that way. This is not a political programme, it is a history programe. Simon Schama is an academic historian who researches his topic throughly and relays his findings in a way that is both accurate and accessible to ordinary people. As a historian he does not promote either major political party he merely researches history reports his findings. I enjoyed the programme and I thought others would as well. I said it is relevant because it is about the diverse history of America and how America came to be in the position it is today.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Nov 3, '08 Actually, to be accurate, many Africans were brought here. They contributed mightily, before and after slavery.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Nov 3, '08 I am voting for Obama. I am not able to watch this right now as we have a sudden warm spell and I must put the garden down. But I believe that America has been made richer by all nationalities and ethnicities. Italians, Poles, Chinese, Chaldeans, Africans: all came here looking for a better life. They found a better life and they made the US a better place through their labors and ideals.

delete reply seanymph3 wrote on Nov 3, '08 While you have a right to post what you want, I wont be watching this. I am not voting for Obama and this sounds like one more propaganda thing to sway the vote that way.