500 Nations

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500 Nations is an eight part documentary on the Native Americans of North and Central America. It documents from pre-Columbian to the end of the 19th century. Much of the information comes from text, eyewitnesses, pictorials, and computer graphics. The series was hosted by Kevin Costner, and directed by Jack Leustig. It included the voice talents of narrator Gregory Harrison, Eric Schweig, Wes Studi, Edward James Olmos, and Patrick Stewart. "500 Nations tries to crystallize the sweeping events that reshaped North America- one of the largest and most pivotal stories in human history - a story we feel is widely unknown. Often painful, sometimes shocking, but in the end it is simply about understanding." Kevin Costner

1 Episodes
2 External links

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Episode 1:Wounded Knee Legacy and The Ancestors

Explore three early North American cultures in THE ANCESTORS, the first in the series 500 NATIONS. Tour the 800-room Pueblo Bonito in the arid southwest, view the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde, and visit Cahokia, the largest city in the U.S. before 1800.

[edit] Episode 2: Mexico

Follow the dramatic and tragic history of the Mexican Indian nations from pre-Columbian times, through the period of European contact and colonization. Witness the rise and fall of the Toltecs and the growth of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec city of an empire.

[edit] Episode 3: Clash of Cultures

Explore the conflict between indigenous peoples and Spanish expeditions in the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S. As native nations defy a plundering advance by outsiders, they are subject to two unconquerable weapons: muskets...and disease.

[edit] Episode 4: Invasion of the Coast

As more foreigners arrive in North America, tensions rise as native peoples lives are impacted. At Jamestown, the story of the Powhatan princess, Pocahontas, unfolds. Thanksgiving at Plymouth leads to the bloodiest of colonial Indian wars in 1675.

[edit] Episode 5: Cauldron of War

Europe fights to control American resources, turning Indian homelands into a "Cauldron of War." Many indigenous nations side with the French but when the defeated country leaves its Indian allies vulnerable determined leader, Pontiac, rises to prominence.

[edit] Episode 6: Removal

Follow the Trail of Tears as Native Americans are displaced even as they adopt American ways. Shawnee leader Tecumseh sparks a return to traditional ways but The Indian Removal Act becomes law in 1830. Many stoically accept; others resist.

[edit] Episode 7: Roads Across the Plains

Native tribes of the Great Plains watched their lifestyles end as American settlers extinguished huge buffalo herds. Though native leaders pursue a path of peace it is met with tragedy at Sand Creek. The massacre suffers severe repercussions.

[edit] Episode 8: Attack on Culture

The final episode of this mini series explores the legislative attack on native ways, including the disbanding of communal land. Today, the renewal of native cultures reminds us of the glory of America's original people and the hardships they endured. All episode summaries from Home page.