America: The Story of Us (2010)

I've only watched the first three episodes of this series, and I'm having trouble understanding all the negative reviews. I'm not a history major, but did take several history courses in college, and am an avid fan of American history. I must say, that most of what I've seen accompanies what I've learned - and then some. Even my husband, who admittedly finds history rather boring, thought the series was done well. I do agree that the celebrities where a bit out of place, but that probably made it more appealing to younger viewers.One reviewer claimed the series was for the "Sesame Street generation", well that might make sense, being that my husband and I both loved Sesame Street growing up. Not to mention the educational show has won 118 Emmy's in its 43 years being on air, so I don't consider that to be an insult, but rather a compliment to the series and its fans!Any American, or persons coming to America, could benefit from watching this series. The struggles the first English settlers went through makes me much more appreciative of the freedoms we have today.

When I first saw the ads for this program, I was highly interested in it and made plans to watch. After viewing the first few episodes, I couldn't stand to see any more. It would have been a really great series if they had taken it seriously and done a much better job on incorporating as much important US history as possible, even if it meant making the series longer. What they ended up doing is focusing and repeating a few events and completely leaving out others. They spent a lot of time on the Civil War and entrepeneurs such as Carnegie. It's not that those weren't important events,indeed they were, but by being so repetitive in their coverage they left out other events that deserved screen time. I never saw much mention of the War of 1812, good coverage of our forefathers and I could be wrong, but I don't think they even covered women's suffrage! If they were going to set out to create a program that truly encompassed the United States' history and its people then they should have understood what all in entailed and planned accordingly. What truly disappointed me was the face that they felt the need to use celebrity testimony instead of credible historical experts, educated people that are the backbone of this country. What do P Diddy or Sheryl Crow have to do with the study of history (other than their part in the *entertainment* aspect)? This is being shown in classrooms, I understand: is that what we should teach our children? If you want to learn history, look to our celebrities and movie stars? Completely ridiculous. I was wanting this to be an awesome series, which it could have been. Instead I ended up having my intelligence insulted and my time wasted.

This is an excellent series. From it I learned so much about 'where we came from' that I never learned in school in the 60's - and you can bet a lot less than that is being taught in schools today. First let me say that while at least one reviewer frantically objected to some of the modern-day figures who commented on the historical events, and I am not totally crazy about some of their comments, they are but a very small part of this miniseries.From it I actually learned how this country came from a handful of Pilgrims and what their lives were like, to becoming the United States. I learned about people who have long been forgotten and should not be, who endured hardships and gave up their lives that we might live in freedom.Typically we hear in school or historical references just a sentence or two about this or that battle, this or that person. This miniseries brings them to life, tells the how and the when and the where and the why. I doubt that 1/10 of 1% of Americans know even a tiny fraction of where this country came from. "America: The Story of Us" should be required viewing. While one viewer was very upset by comments made by some of the modern-day people which are interspersed here and there, those can all be taken with a grain of salt. The story itself and the historical accounts are superb and gave me an entirely new appreciation for how and why this country came to be, and it is excellent viewing. Watch it with your kids - believe me, they can use this education.

Don't bother. The commentaries kept getting more and more ridiculous. I couldn't care less about Melissa Etheridge's take on US history. The history itself was disjointed and boring. There are so many interesting aspects of United States history. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to make US history more boring than my high school teacher. I was wrong. Who did their editing? I love history. I was really looking forward to this series. I expect great things from the History Channel. I couldn't have been more disappointed. Watch American Experience on PBS. It will show you events in American history you never knew happened. It will also be commented on by people who actually know something about history.