The Star-Spangled Banner: inspiring the anthem -- Presidents and generals: images of leadership -- Conscience and conflict: religious history -- The growth and spread of slavery -- Emancipation and the Civil War -- Gold, guns, and grandeur: the West -- The first Americans: then and now -- Planes, trains and automobiles ... and wagons -- Communications: from telegraph to television -- Immigrant dreams and immigrant struggles -- User friendly: democratizing technology -- Extinction and conservation -- Kitty Hawk to Tranquility: innovation and flight -- Cold War: red badges, bombs, and the Berlin Wall -- National tragedy: Maine, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 -- For the greater good: public health -- Women making history -- The power of portraits -- Two centuries of American style -- Hollywood: the American myth machine -- The Hope diamond: America's crown jewel -- Sing out for justice: American music -- Exploring the land, exploring the universe -- "All men are created equal": civil rights.