Who Can Become American? | The History of White People in America, Episode 6

5m 30s

This catchy, musical short chronicles the arbitrary system of race in the United States, which kept people who were not white in an ongoing battle of identity. See how immigrants had to play "race roulette" with a biased court system due to the Alien Naturalization Act of 1790, which set the standard for citizenship in America and remained law for 175 years.

Episodes

  • Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen

    S26 E2 - 1h 25m

    Riddled with survivor's guilt after his unit lost 17 men during "Operation Enduring Freedom" in Afghanistan, Marine veteran Anthony Marquez makes it his mission to reconnect with the Gold Star families of the fallen. By carving and hand-delivering a battlefield cross for each of the families affected by loss, Anthony finds the path to heal himself.

  • One Person, One Vote?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    One Person, One Vote?

    S26 E1 - 1h 16m

    At a time when many Americans question democratic institutions, One Person, One Vote? unveils the complexities of the Electoral College, the uniquely American and often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president. The documentary follows four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the intense 2020 election.

Extras + Features

  • Trailer | The Strike: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | The Strike

    S26 E10 - 30s

    The high-security Pelican Bay prison was designed for mass-scale solitary confinement, often for a decade or more, and with little due process. In 2013, 30,000 prisoners went on a hunger strike that spread into a feat of unity across California prisons. The Strike follows these solitary survivors who fought to abolish indefinite isolation.

  • Trailer | Without Arrows: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | Without Arrows

    S26 E9 - 30s

    After 13 years living in Philadelphia, Delwin Fiddler Jr., a champion grass dancer, embraces indigenous culture by returning to his ancestral home on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. Leaving his big city life behind, Delwin aims to protect his centuries-old Lakota heritage and heal from family tragedy, through his passion for dance.

  • Trailer | Minted: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | Minted

    S26 E8 - 30s

    An insider’s look at the rise and fall of the NFT (non-fungible token) phenomenon and how technology transformed the traditional art world, for better and worse. Featuring verité footage and candid interviews with groundbreaking artists—like Beeple, Latasha Alcindor, and Loish— at the center of this phenomenon, Minted delves into the complex world of the $40 billion NFT digital art market.

  • Dallas, 2019 | Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dallas, 2019 | Trailer

    S26 E3 - 30s

    As fault lines emerge between those who follow, make, and battle against the law, what will the future of Dallas look like?

  • Winter 2024 Sneak Peek: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Winter 2024 Sneak Peek

    S26 E20 - 1m

    Independent Lens is back, serving up impactful, acclaimed new docs, starting with Home Court, Bike Vessel Minted, The In Between and followed by Skin of Glass, Without Arrows, The Strike, and Dallas, 2019.

  • Trailer | One Person, One Vote?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | One Person, One Vote?

    S26 E1 - 30s

    At a time when many Americans question democratic institutions, One Person, One Vote? unveils the complexities of the Electoral College, the uniquely American and often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president. The documentary follows four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the intense 2020 election.

  • Fall 2024 Sneak Peek: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Fall 2024 Sneak Peek

    S26 E20 - 1m

    Independent Lens is back serving up powerful, acclaimed new docs, starting with One Person, One Vote? and followed by Wild Hogs and Saffron, The History of White People in America, Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen, and United States of Comedy.

Schedule

  • Image
    Independent Lens: Mama Bears: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Mama Bears

    Wednesday
    Dec 25

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Although conservative, Christian beliefs have defined their lives, mothers fight for the rights of their LGBTQ+ children.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Mama Bears: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Mama Bears

    Thursday
    Dec 26

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Although conservative, Christian beliefs have defined their lives, mothers fight for the rights of their LGBTQ+ children.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Mama Bears: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Mama Bears

    Thursday
    Dec 26

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Although conservative, Christian beliefs have defined their lives, mothers fight for the rights of their LGBTQ+ children.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Three Chaplains: TVSS: Iconic

    Independent Lens

    Three Chaplains

    Friday
    Dec 27

    1 Hour

    How Muslim chaplains in the armed forces vow to protect the right of every service member to practice their faith freely.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Three Chaplains: TVSS: Iconic

    Independent Lens

    Three Chaplains

    Saturday
    Dec 28

    1 Hour

    How Muslim chaplains in the armed forces vow to protect the right of every service member to practice their faith freely.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Three Chaplains: TVSS: Iconic

    Independent Lens

    Three Chaplains

    Saturday
    Dec 28

    1 Hour

    How Muslim chaplains in the armed forces vow to protect the right of every service member to practice their faith freely.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Mama Bears: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Mama Bears

    Saturday
    Dec 28

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    Although conservative, Christian beliefs have defined their lives, mothers fight for the rights of their LGBTQ+ children.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Three Chaplains: TVSS: Iconic

    Independent Lens

    Three Chaplains

    Saturday
    Dec 28

    1 Hour

    How Muslim chaplains in the armed forces vow to protect the right of every service member to practice their faith freely.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Friday
    Jan 3

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Friday
    Jan 3

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Saturday
    Jan 4

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Saturday
    Jan 4

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Saturday
    Jan 4

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Saturday
    Jan 4

    3 Hours

    A transgender woman, a County Court commissioner and a Health and Human Services director with Texas roots struggle with their place in the world.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Sunday
    Jan 5

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Sunday
    Jan 5

    3 Hours

    A transgender woman, a County Court commissioner and a Health and Human Services director with Texas roots struggle with their place in the world.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Monday
    Jan 6

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Monday
    Jan 6

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Dallas, 2019

    Monday
    Jan 6

    2 Hours

    Covering five weeks in Dallas the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, including stories that capture the city's pulse and the people who work and live there.
  • Image
    Independent Lens: Hidden Letters: TVSS: Banner-L1

    Independent Lens

    Minted

    Monday
    Jan 6

    1 Hour 30 Minutes

    A group of artists gain global recognition after embracing NFTs, but they must deal with the controversies that threaten to undermine this new technology.

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