500 Nations
500 Nations is an eight part documentary which explores the history of the indigenous peoples of North and Central America, from pre-Colombian times, through the period of European contact and colonization, to the end of the 19th century and the subjugation of the Plains Indians of North America. 500 Nations relies on historical texts, eyewitnesses accounts, pictorial sources and computer graphic reconstructions to explore the magnificent civilizations which flourished prior to contact with Western civilization, and to tell the dramatic and tragic story of the Native American nations' desperate attempts to retain their way of life against overwhelming odds.
- 1995-1995
- 1 season
- Warner Home Video
- Documentary
500 Nations is an eight part documentary which explores the history of the indigenous peoples of North and Central America, from pre-Colombian times, through the period of European contact and colonization, to the end of the 19th century and the subjugation of the Plains Indians of North America. 500 Nations relies on historical texts, eyewitnesses accounts, pictorial sources and computer graphic reconstructions to explore the magnificent civilizations which flourished prior to contact with Western civilization, and to tell the dramatic and tragic story of the Native American nations' desperate attempts to retain their way of life against overwhelming odds.
Season 1 Episode Guide
8 Episodes 1995
Episode 1
The Ancestors
Thu, Apr 20, 1995 45 mins
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.
Episode 2
Mexico
Thu, Apr 20, 1995 45 mins
Follow the dramatic and tragic history of the Mexican Indian nations from pre-Colombian times, through the period of European contact and colonization. Witness the rise and fall of the Toltecs and the growth of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capitol.
Episode 3
Clash of Cultures
Fri, Apr 21, 1995
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.
Episode 4
Invasion of the Coast
Fri, Apr 21, 1995
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.
Episode 5
Cauldron of War
Thu, Apr 27, 1995
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.
Episode 6
Removal
Thu, Apr 27, 1995 45 mins
After Tecumseh's Shawnee people side with the British in the War of 1812, President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, forcing all tribes to move into "Indian Territory," along the famed trail of tears.
Episode 7
Roads Across the Plains
Fri, Apr 28, 1995 45 mins
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.
Episode 8
Attack on Culture
Fri, Apr 28, 1995 45 mins
The Indian resistance of the late 19th-century is examined, including Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, the Apache leader Cochise and Geronimo, who surrenders and is imprisoned into the 20th-century. The government-mandated suppression of Native American culture culminates in the massacre at Wounded Knee, bringing the series full circle.