American Experience: New York

This dramatic and lyrical first episode chronicles the rise of New York from its settlement by the Dutch in the early 17th century through the explosion of commercial growth sparked by the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, which made it a vital conduit to the mainland of a growing America.

Episode two looks at New York's rise as a burgeoning cultural center and multi-ethnic port.

Now the spotlight shines on the growth, glamour and grief of New York during America's giddy postwar "Gilded Age." Exploring the incomparable wealth of the robber barons and the unabashed corruption of political leaders, such as Tammany Hall boss William M. Tweed, the episode examines the era when the expansion of wealth and poverty -- and the schism between them -- built to a crescendo.

As New York spilled into the new century, the extraordinary interplay of capitalism, democracy and transformation surged to a climax. During a single generation, over 10 million immigrants arrived in New York. And arising from the plight of New York's most exploited citizens came landmark legislation that would eventually transform the lives of all Americans.

In this the post-war economic boom, the rise of consumer culture, and the birth of new mass-media industries fuel the convergence of an incredible array of human and cultural energies, ending with the Crash of 1929 and the construction of the Empire State Building.

The dramatic events that followed the Crash of '29 fuel the greatest economic depression in American history and plunge the city and the nation into economic gloom. In little more than ten years, immense new forces were unleashed in New York, from the Depression itself to the New Deal, which permanently altered the city and the country.

In this episode, the turbulent and often harrowing years from 1945 to 2000 are explored. Emerging from the Depression and the Second World War as the most powerful metropolis on Earth, New York soon confronted urban woes of unprecedented proportions, and fought for its very existence.

The final chapter presents a powerful portrait of the events leading up to and away from the fall of 2001. To understand the impact of September 11th, this episode reaches back to 1946 when the idea of building a "world trade center" in lower Manhattan was first conceived. It chronicles the construction of the towers and explores the expansion of American economic power.