Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein - Season 1
Season 1
In this new eight-episode documentary series, David Rubenstein explores America's 400-year history through a close examination of iconic national symbols: indelible artifacts, places, and archetypes. Each episode tells the story of an American symbol to reveal its origins, significance and the arc of its resonance.
Episodes
Fenway Park
Baseball is America's pastime and obsession, and no ballpark is more iconic than Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The story of a city's loyalty to its team and love for its ballpark through thick and thin
The Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign episode examines the history of the Los Angeles landmark, which was erected in 1923 originally as a real estate advertisement, and went on to become an international symbol of fame, fortune, and the American dream.
The Gadsden Flag
The "Don't Tread on Me" flag is such a potent symbol of independence that it has been co-opted by a wide variety of Americans over its long history.
The Cowboy
The cowboy is the quintessential American — fiercely independent, brave and laconic. The episode examines the myths and realities of this archetype, which remains as potent as ever in the 21st century.
The Statue of Liberty
The evolving meaning of this symbol for a "nation of immigrants," and how it embodies our values and our conflicts, from abolition and women's suffrage to the treatment of refugees.
The American Bald Eagle
The story of how the American Bald Eagle soared to its vaunted perch in American iconography, a symbol not only of patriotism but also of environmental activism and Native American traditions.
Stone Mountain
As Confederate statues are torn down across the country and the nation wrestles with its past, there are heated arguments about the fate of the Monument at Stone Mountain, Georgia, the Confederate Mount Rushmore.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate bridge is an engineering marvel that symbolizes America's can-do spirit. Can America continue to execute bold and ambitious infrastructure projects in the 21st century?
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