The Texas Centennial of 1936, commemorated by statewide celebrations of independence from Mexico, proved to be a powerful catalyst for the formation of a distinctly Mexican American identity. Confronted by a media frenzy that vilified "Meskins" as the antithesis of Texan liberty, Mexican Americans created literary responses that critiqued these racialized representations while forging a new bilingual, bicultural community within the United States.

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This film tells the stories of ten influential works of architecture, the people who imagined them, and the way these landmarks ushered in innovative cultural shifts throughout our society. From American architectural stalwarts like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, to modern revolutionaries Frank Gehry and Robert Venturi, this film examines prominent buildings designed by pioneering architects of our time, whose legacy is visible in our environmental...

The second episode in this three-part mini-series distills Rick Steves' 30 years of travel experience into 30 minutes of practical advice on how to have a fun, affordable, and culturally broadening trip to Europe. Shot on location in Amsterdam, Germany's Rhineland, Venice, Siena, the Italian Riviera, the Swiss Alps, Paris, and London, these episodes cover Rick’s favorite 3,000-mile European loop while providing viewers with essential travel skills....

The 17th century was a time of religious conflicts, political struggles, and great scientific advances. This upheaval contributed to the Baroque period's relatively unrestrained, overtly emotional, and more energetic style that is reflected, to varying degrees, in paintings from all across Europe.This program examines:o Caravaggio's The Young Lute Player (circa 1596), from The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburgo Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal...

"The classic boyhood adventure tale, updated with a new introduction by noted Mark Twain scholar R. Kent Rasmussen In recent years, neither the persistent effort to "clean up" the racial epithets in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn nor its consistent use in the classroom have diminished, highlighting the novel's wide-ranging influence and its continued importance in American society. An incomparable adventure story, it is a vignette of...

Americans dream of owning a single-family home - ideally in some leafy Arcadia not too far from the city workplace. There are many shapes to this dream - Gothic cottages and mini-castles surrounded by manicured wilderness, like the first planned suburban development in Llewellyn Park, N.J.; detached dwellings in sylvan surroundings, with restrictive land use and minimum cost regulations (Olmstead and Vauz' Riverside); the company town, whose prototype...

In the late-19th century, with the American Civil War in full swing, millions of Americans relied on the written word, illustrations and engravings for news about the conflict; until the groundbreaking work of New York photographer Mathew Brady, brought the harsh realities of war home for the very first time.

American Girl® Claudie discovers her true talent in this all-new Step 3 Step into Reading leveled reader that takes place in 1922 during the Harlem Renaissance! Meet Claudie Wells. She is 9 years old and is surrounded by artists, writers, dancers, and the culture of the Harlem Renaissance during 1922. Everyone seems to be good at something, but Claudie can't find her special talent. Claudie's story will engage today's readers as they learn what...

The National Gallery of Art is one of the most important museums in the United States. Italian Renaissance painting is particularly well represented here with works by Fra Angelico, Lippi, Perugino, Tintoretto, Raphael, Botticelli, da Vinci, and Titian. There are many other European artists of the classical period such as Rembrandt, Dürer, Vermeer, Watteau, Van Dyck, Rubens, Goya, Ingres, Delacroix, El Greco, and Velázquez represented in the collection....

The world's major religions and philosophies have their origins in ancient civilizations - and while much has changed since then, countless millions of people through history have maintained a faith and belief in religious principles and teachings that have remained unchanged for millennia. This charming program on the origins, sacred texts and beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam is an ideal introduction to...