Skip to main content
Access to this video is a benefit for members through

Up Next

The Grandest Enterprise Under God

The Grandest Enterprise Under God

Season 1996 Episode 5
1:24:33
Fight No More Forever

Fight No More Forever

Season 1996 Episode 6
1:25:06
The Geography of Hope

The Geography of Hope

Season 1996 Episode 7
1:24:53
Ghost Dance

Ghost Dance

Season 1996 Episode 8
58:38
One Sky Above Us

One Sky Above Us

Season 1996 Episode 9
1:02:58
Episode 5: The Calling

The Calling

Season 4 Episode 5
53:05
When Whales Could Walk

When Whales Could Walk

Season 51 Episode 1
53:31
Back to Show
The West

Death Runs Riot

Season 1996 Episode 4

Civil war comes early to the West. In “Bleeding Kansas,” abolitionists battle for free soil. In Utah, federal troops march against Mormon polygamy. And along the Rio Grande, oppressed Mexican Americans rebel. The war between North and South unleashes brute savagery in the West, and leaves behind an army prepared for total war against the native peoples of the plains.

Support Provided By
One Sky Above Us
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:02:58
As the 20th century neared, Americans celebrated with the World Columbian Exposition.
Ghost Dance
Unlock with PBS Passport
58:38
As settlers race to claim tribal lands, Native Americans take up the Ghost Dance.
The Geography of Hope
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:24:53
Newcomers arrive by the millions, bringing a spirit of conformity to the West.
Fight No More Forever
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:25:06
The federal government tightens its grip on the West.
The Grandest Enterprise Under God
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:24:33
A triumph of the human spirit, the transcontinental railroad opens a new era in the West.
Speck of the Future
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:24:49
The Gold Rush brings the whole world to the West.
Empire Upon the Trails
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:24:31
Americans head west along many pathways.
The People
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:22:20
The West begins as the whole world to the people who live there. It becomes a New World.
Active loading indicator