AMERICA
“SHE’LL LOVE YOU IF YOU LET HER AGAIN”
AMERICA
“SHE’LL LOVE YOU
IF YOU LET HER AGAIN”
Actor/director and musician David Soul, co-star of the iconic 1970s television series, Starsky and Hutch, has created and directed a short film/documentary called AMERICA, based on a song of the same name. The song, written by Jack Murphy and recorded by David 45 years ago, was never released—until now.
David’s not-for-profit film, available FREE across all social media, reveals America’s story as illustrated in the song’s lyrics—from her slave-trading beginnings in 1619, through the years of the Civil Rights struggles, to the inspirational, global, and long-overdue Black Lives Matter movement.
AMERICA, the film, is a reminder that our uniqueness as a country—often concealed in superficial patriotic bravado and self-congratulation—actually lies in our immeasurable compassion and love, as well as in our undaunting willingness to learn from our past and rise above our differences. The film, at moments graphic and challenging, is not always easy to watch, but in fact, it serves to embrace the collective heart and soul of our nation’s diversity.
We are reminded by David Soul’s AMERICA that we must unite together on “the Yellow Brick Road” in our continuing journey to form “a more perfect union”; in essence, to ensure that the promises of equality and justice for all Americans, enshrined within the United States Constitution, are finally realized.
A NOTE FROM DAVID
We are so grateful to everyone who responded to our appeal to help us finish what we now also consider a project that you made possible. We could not do it without you.
I gotta tell you, this project, AMERICA, has been an extraordinary journey and very exciting. Laura Moretti (my brilliant editor) and I began with no script, nothing on paper; just an idea based on a song I recorded 40 years ago called AMERICA.
Though I’d never released it back in the day, suddenly with all the division, polarization and violence that is tearing away at the heart of our beloved country these days, it seemed to me the right time to use this song as a simple window … into the soul of America. I decided to use the song as the basis of a short film documentary, retracing and reminding us all of some of the highs and lows of the American experience of equality and justice for ALL Americans.
Over these past few months, the production regimen has proceeded like this: Every day, with the exception of Thursdays and Sundays, starts with a 5:30pm Skype call from my home in London to my editor-in-chief, Laura, at her home in Chico, CA. That’s 9:30am her time, an eight-hour time difference, and she won’t talk to me before breakfast. Then each day, with no compass to guide us, little by little, we walk into the unknown and somehow manage to put a story together, section by section, using the photos and video clips that Lisa Adair in Texas has sourced and the licenses for which Alison Knox in Australia has cleared for us and for the upcoming press releases that Lori Keefer in Illinois will be disseminating for us. What a team!
The point is this: I couldn’t have done this on my own. I’ve had such wonderful support from all these people and, as for Laura Moretti, what can I say? The process has been a joy … defined by great respect for each other and our goal. We have approached the project humbly and with great care. Hopefully, with the resources that your gifts have put at our disposal, we have managed to document a brief story that represents both the best and even the saddest of the American experience … a nation, nearly 350 years old, still seeking “to create a more perfect union.”
Thanks again for your belief,
—David Soul
TEAM AMERICA
BEHIND THE FILM
DAVID SOUL
Director / Editor /
Executive Producer
LAURA MORETTI
Editor / Executive Producer
LISA ADAIR
Production Content Coordinator
/ Executive Producer
ALISON KNOX
Legal Consultant / Executive Producer
HUGH BURNS
Additional Music Score
LORI KEEFER
Executive Producer
IMAGES AND FOOTAGE
COURTESY IMAGES AND FOOTAGE
Black Past
Charlotte M. Yonge, Young Folks History of England
C-SPAN
Darnella Frazier
Department of Defense
Good Free Photos
Greenwood Cultural Center
Imgur/RedAstronaut83
Jack Moebes/News & Record
Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W., Mellon Foundation and Smithsonian Institute
Kent State University Libraries, May 4 Collection, Kent State University New Services May 4 photographs; Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives
Library of Congress
@MattMcGorry
Michael Moretti
NASA
NASA Langley Research Center
National Archives
National Park Service Museum
Newspapers.com
Neysa Page-Lieberman
Oklahoma Historical Society
PBS
Princeton University Library
Ratical.org/co-globalize/MaeWanHo/
Smithsonian Institute
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
White House Archives
Wikimedia
Wikipedia
Wiki Commons
Yale Collection of Western Americana, Bienecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Shirley Aguilar
Cindy Allbee
Judy Anthony
Angela Arguelles
Susan Bagdon
Kim Baptist
Rodney Baptist
Janette Barber
Jacqueline Bates
Bryan L. Benedict
Patti Blackwell
Lauren Boaz
Anne Burrowes
Cheryl Cardello
Nada Carol
Sheila Chapman
Marion Conner
Kathy Craven
Tammy Dooley
Marianne Ewing
Antonio Fargas
Margaret Franklin
Deidre Gordon
Lynn Graham
Vania Guazzelli
Mindy Hoffman
Anja Hollaschke
Caroline Hutson
Janet Knox
Debra Kruger
Joan Lackey-DeMoss
Katherine Langley
Gail Lorden
Joann Lukasiewicz
Maria Marta Ponga
Marc Moretti
Kathleen O’Malley
Vicki Parsons
Dawn Pressley
Barbara A. Rosenbach
Doris Sanders
Christine Snell
Rusty Snyder
Deborah Stahli
Linda Stevenson
Viviane Sun Bellissant
Beth Thomsen
Linda Van Maanen
Helen Williams
Christina Baker
Emma Baptist
Sam Baptist
Zoe Baptist
Susan Barzallo
Denise Bianco
Thomas Campbel
Carla Cathcart
Linda Chapple
Joseph Connelly
Edith Crouse
Mary Dallas
Valerie Delanzy
Zamari DeMoss
Geoffrey Deuel
Donna Filsinger
Susan Fuller
Mary Glassman
Ronnie Grill
Patrica Hofman
Sharon Kay Tully
Christine Knodt-Haas
Janet Knox
Emilie LaForge
Jackson Loyd
Janet Marie
Amy Marler
Montse Martinez
Susan McEwan
Cathy McInturff
Helen Mesquita
Terri Meyer
Pilar Molina
Oscar Moreno
Eugene Moretti
Gillian Muirhead
Angela Murphy
Jean Nisley
David Pearson
Linda Powers
Laurie Ramadurai
Iris Reeb
Jo Reed
Amelia Ringheim
Brigitte Rzepa
Samantha Rzepa
Thomas Schwarz
Melodie Seeger
Valdy Sica
Jill Sinclair
Ariana Smith
Karen Smith
Monica Sztybel
Christine Tetzlaff
Keri Tompkins
Diane Triantis
Janice Visca
David W Stevenson
Gloria Weakland
Kevin Wheeler
Nicole Wheeler
Deirdre Wilkins
Deborah Williams
Patrice Williams Marks
Sally Willmott
Bigfoot’s band on Pine Ridge Reservation, 1891: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
March of the Sioux, 1905: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
Purchase of Manhattan Island, 1909: Wiki Commons
Landing Negros at Jamestown, 1619: GL Archive/Alamy Stock Photo
Thomas Jefferson: Rembrandt Peale/Wikipedia
African slaves thrown off ship, 1888: Chris Hellier/Alamy Stock Photo
His name is Gordon, 1863: Matthew Brady/Wiki Commons
Slave family in Savannah, 1860: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Frederick Douglass: George K Warren/Wiki Commons
President Abraham Lincoln: Alexander Gardner/Wiki Commons
U.S. Navy Dauntless on mission, 1943: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
U.S. troops disembarking, Normandy, 1944: Time Life Pictures/U.S. Coast Guard/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
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Eisenhower talking to troops, 1944: Unknown U.S. Army Photographer/Wikipedia
WWII soldiers playing piano in Normandy, 1944: National Archives U.S.A.
Black American WACS in New York, 1945: Associated Press
Statue of Liberty: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
Children hold Knoxville Journal, “War Ends,” 1945: Ed Westcott/Wiki Commons
VJ Day in Paris with American Military, 1945: Good Free Photos
Soda Jerk, 1936: Alan Fisher/World Telegram/Wiki Commons
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Then-Senator John F. Kennedy, Boston, 1957: Corbis Historical via Getty Images
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Then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in on plane, 1963: Cecil W. Stoughton/Wiki Commons
President John F. Kennedy’s horse-drawn caisson, 1963: Associated Press
President John F. Kennedy Jr. salutes father’s casket, 1963: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Vietnam village bombed, 1966: Larry Burrows/Getty Images
Vietnamese soldier walks among dead Viet Cong, 1968: Nik Wheeler/Getty Images
Wounded children running after Napalm bombing, 1972: Nick Ut/Associated Press
U.S. soldiers carry wounded from trench, 1966: Rolls Press/Popperfoto via Getty Images
U.S. wounded soldier from Hamburger Hill, 1969: Hugh Van Es/Associated Press
Hamburger Hill medic attempts to resuscitate a mortally wounded soldier, 1969: Hugh Van Es/Associated Press
Washington, D.C., Vietnam War Memorial Wall: Sean Pavone/Alamy Stock Photo
On the road to Woodstock, 1969: Baron Wolman/Getty Images
Crowd around tractor at Woodstock, 1969: Daniel Wolf/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Teens in trunk of car at Woodstock, 1969: Three Lions/Getty Images
John Sebastian performs at Woodstock, 1969: Baron Wolman/Getty Images
David Brown performs with Santana at Woodstock, 1969: Tucker Ranson/Getty Images
Jimi Hendrix performs at Monterey Pop Festival, 1967: Bruce Fleming/Associated Press
Anti-Vietnam War protesters, 1966: Bill Ingraham/Associated Press
Kent State shooting (National Guard sent in), 1970: Associated Press
Kent State (National Guards face-off with protesters), 1970: May 4 Collection, Kent State University New Services May 4 photographs; Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives
Kent State protester, 1970: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Jeffrey Miller shot at Kent State, 1970: John Filo/Getty Images
Anti-Vietnam War protester Jan Kasmir faces guns with flower, 1967: Marc Riboud/Magnum Photos
Arial view of riot damage, Chicago, IL, 1968: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Watts riots in Los Angeles, CA, 1965: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images
Children hold hands while crossing street, 1967: Bill Ray/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Race riot in Detroit, MI, 1967: AFP via Getty Images
Man forced into patrol car, Watts, CA, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
National Guard fights fires caused by riots, Watts, CA, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
National Guard patrol Watts area, CA, 1965: Lawrence Schiller/Getty Images
Young girls flee from police, Harlem, NY, 1964: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Burning building, man with distressed U.S. flag, 2020: Julio Cortez/Associated Press
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech, 1963: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Crowd at March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963: U.S. Marine Corp/Wikipedia
Group of freed slaves along harbor, 1860s: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
KKK gather with burning cross, 1920s: Classic Stock/Alamy Stock Photo
Parade down Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Black Past
Coca Cola truck and worker, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Greenwood Cultural Center
Mr. Berry’s Aeroplane, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Greenwood Cultural Center
Mr. Mann’s store and employees, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Greenwood Cultural Center
Maggie Walker and Staff of the Independent Order and St. Luck Penny Savings Bank, Richmond, VA, 1900s: Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site/MAWA 7231/National Park Service
Newspaper headline that sparks riot, 1920s: Wikimedia
“Dick Rowland”: JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images
“Sarah Page”: Roman Nerud/Shutterstock
Armed white man holding gun, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
White men in car with guns, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Freedom Riders bus on fire with onlookers, 1961: Doar Papers, Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
Freedom Riders bus burns, 1961: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Mob with motorcycle, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Tulsa National Guard gather outside police station, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Men gather outside convention center, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
Mob on foot and in cars outside courthouse, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Family out in streets, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
National Guard with machine gun crew, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Burning buildings along street, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Mt. Zion Baptist Church burning, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Huge cloud of smoke from burning buildings, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
Fire behind buildings, street view, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Smoke from buildings on street, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Greenwood houses burning, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Image of destruction of Greenwood, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Aftermath of destruction, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Dead man in suit along tracks, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Aftermath of massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Red Cross/Library of Congress
Man walks on ruins, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Race massacre victim in streets, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Greenwood street before massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Greenwood after massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Red Cross Photo/Library of Congress
Williams Dreamland Theater, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Williams Dreamland Theater destroyed, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Refugee from massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Young boy holds sibling in refugee camp, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
KKK leader with burning cross, 1965: Harry Benson/Stringer via Getty Images
KKK member in car with a noose, 1939: Everett Collections/Shutterstock
Emmett Till lying on bed, 1955: Everett Collection/Alamy Stock Photo
Emmett Till with his mom, Mamie, 1955: Everett Collection/Alamy Stock Photo
Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Carolyn Bryant, 1955: Gene Herrick/Shutterstock
Emmett Till, 1955: Associated Press
House from where Emmett Till was kidnapped, 1955: Ed Clark/Getty Images
Beaten face of Emmett Till, 1955: Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Smithsonian Institute
Mamie Till crying, 1955: Afro Newspaper/Gado via Getty Images
Emmett Till murder trial defendants, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Overhead view of spectators at Emmett Till’s trial, 1955: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Crowd gathers at Emmett Till murder trial, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
All white male jury at Emmett Till murder trial, 1955: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Emmett Till murder defendants with wives, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Headline from Florence Morning News, 1955: Newspapers.com
Emmett Till’s funeral with open casket, 1955: Associated Press
Mamie Till crying at son’s casket, 1955: Associated Press
Little Rock Nine, Elizabeth Eckford harassed on way to school, 1957: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocks integration, 1963: U.S. News & World Report via Wikipedia
Little Rock integration protests, AR, 1959: Library of Congress
Jim Crow bathrooms, 1960: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Greensboro Four at Woolworth’s counter, Greensboro, NC, 1960: Jack Moebes/News & Record
Protests in front of Woolworth’s, 1960s: Truman Moore/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
African American students sit at Woolworth’s counter, 1960s: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
White passengers board bus in Montgomery, AL, 1956: Nat Farbman/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Segregated bus with sign, 1955: Tony Vaccaro/Archive Photos via Getty Images
Segregated bus seating, 1950s: Hank Walker/Getty Images
Rosa Parks on the bus, Montgomery, AL, 1955: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Rosa Parks arrested and fingerprinted, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Underwood Archives/Getty Images
Rosa Parks mugshot, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Alpha Historical/Alamy Stock Photo
Montgomery bus boycott, AL, 1956: Grey Villet/The LIFE Pictures Collection via Getty Images
People walking to work during bus boycott, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
Freedom Walkers, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Grey Villet/The LIFE Pictures Collection via Getty Images
African Americans board the bus from the front, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
Neo-Nazi hate bus, early 1960: Joe Scherschel/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Freedom Riders wait to board bus, 1961: Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
White protesters block Freedom Riders bus terminal, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
White protesters slash tires on Freedom Riders bus, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Freedom Riders watch bus burn, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Freedom Riders around burned-out shell of bus, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Image
Demonstrators repelled by fire hose, Birmingham, AL, 1963: Charles Moore/Getty Images
African American teenager attacked by police dogs, Birmingham, AL, 1963: Bill Hudson/Associated Press
Freedom Marcher with VOTE on forehead, Selma to Montgomery march, AL, 1965: Steve Schapiro/Getty Images
Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
John Lewis marching across Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL, 1965: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Tom Lankford, Birmingham News
Mounted police line to stop Selma, AL, civil rights marchers, 1965: Charles Moore/Getty Images
Police line to stop Selma, AL, civil rights marchers, 1965: Charles Moore/Getty Images
John Lewis marching across Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL, 1965: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group/Photo by Spider Martin, Birmingham News
John Lewis beaten at Selma, AL, civil rights march, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on march to Montgomery from Selma, AL, 1965: Morton Broffman/Getty Images
Opponents to Selma, AL, marchers, 1965: William Lovelace/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being shoved by police, 1966: Associated Press
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested, 1958: Charles Moore/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in jail cell, 1962: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on March to Montgomery, AL, 1965: Ben Martin/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Soldier Field, 1966: Afro American Newspapers/Gado via Getty Images
Newspaper headline (FBI Chief calls MLK a liar), 1964: radical.org/co-globalize/MaeWanHo/
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads protest march, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Boston Tea Party protest drawing: Charlotte M. Yonge, Young Folks History of England
Women put up poster for Votes for Women, 1914: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“I Am A Man” protest, Memphis, TN, 1968: mccool/Alamy Stock Photo
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964: MixPix/Alamy Stock Photo
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act, 1964: White House Press Office/Wikipedia
President Lyndon B. Johnson shakes Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s hand after signing Civil Rights Act, 1964: AFP via Getty Images
Lorraine Motel at night, Memphis, TN: Henry Groskinsky/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Lorraine Motel, 1968: King Anniversary Photo Gallery/Associated Press
Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson with others on Lorraine Motel balcony where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, 1968: Joseph Louw/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
Assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968: Joseph Louw/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
“I Am A Man” at Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN, 2008: Miami Herald/Getty Images
Protester wearing “He said I can’t breathe” mask, 2020: Nikolai Linares/Getty Images
Derek Chauvin mugshot, 2020: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Mugshots of officers charged in George Floyd’s death, 2020: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Overhead view of George Floyd memorial at Cup Foods, 2020: Chanda Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
Woman pays respects to George Floyd at memorial site, 2020: Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Terence Floyd kneels with mourners at brother George Floyd’s memorial, 2020: Eric Miller/Reuters Pictures Archives/Reuters Connect
Terence Floyd kneels in prayer at brother George Floyd’s memorial, 2020: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Marketplace-Reuters Pictures Archive/Reuters Connect
Terence Floyd falls to his knees at site of brother George Floyd’s murder scene, 2020: Stephen Maturen/Stringer/Getty Images News
Terence Floyd looks at mural of brother George Floyd, 2020: Star Tribune via Getty Images
Flowers at George Floyd memorial site, 2020: Vasanth Rajkumar via Wiki Commons
George Floyd mural and flowers at night, 2020: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images News
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters at night with cell phones, 2020: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters with painting of George Floyd, 2020: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images News
“No Justice No Peace” sign, 2020: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Philonise Floyd emotional testimony to Congress, 2020: Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
Philonise Floyd during testimony to Congress, 2020: Pool/Getty Images News
“I Can’t Breathe” sign on fire, 2020: Nathan Howard/Stringer/Getty Images News
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters near burning building in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Mark Vancleave/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Building on fire in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Nick Woltman/MediaNews Group/Pioneer Press via Getty Images
1921 Greenwood massacre, OK: Greenwood Cultural Center
1943 Detroit race riot, MI: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
1965 Watts riots, Los Angeles, CA: PhotoQuest/Archive Photos via Getty Images
1992 Los Angeles riots, CA: Gary Leonard/Corbis via Getty Images
2020 riots in Minnesota: Star Tribune via Getty Images
Shipping containers, “This is for George Floyd,” 2020: Adam Bettcher/Alamy Stock Photo
Minneapolis protesters outside burning Arby’s, MN, 2020: John Minchillo/Associated Press
Protesters in Ferguson, MO, 2014: Scott Olson/Getty Images News
Man with fist in air in front of burning building, 2020: Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images
American flag in front of burning building, 2020: Mark Vancleave/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Burning building in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Nick Woltman/MediaNewsGroup/Pioneer Press via Getty Images
Aftermath of riot in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Man walks past charred wreckage in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Man rides scooter past charred wreckage in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Boarded up store after looters emptied store, 2020: Javier Tovar/AFP via Getty Images
Black Lives Matter (BLM) marchers cross Edmund Pettus Bridge, 2015: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“No More Silence” sign, 2020: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Woman in mask, “More Scared of a Racist World Than a Pandemic,” 2020: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
“Say Their Names” protest sign, 2020: Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images
George Floyd and Breonna Taylor mural, Louisville, KY, 2020: Neysa Page-Lieberman
“No More Normal” on wall, 2020: Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Man sees loved one through window, 2020: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Boy at window in mask, smiling, 2020: Juanmonino/Getty Images
Woman transfers body from hospital, 2020: Misha Friedman/Getty Images
Covid-19 bodies in caskets, 2020: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Nurses comfort each other, 2020: DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Man peers around border wall, 2006: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Donald Trump holds MAGA rally, 2019: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Migrant with child at river checkpoint climbing wall, 2018: Edgard Garrido/Reuters Connect
Couple climbs border wall with child, 2018: Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
Men and children in cages at border, 2019: Office of Inspector General/Department of Homeland Security via Getty Images
Migrant children in caravan, 2018: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump inspects border wall, San Luis, AZ, 2020: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Child cries at border, McAllen, TX, 2018: John Moore/Getty Images
Child colors “Black Lives Matter” sign, 2020: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Katherine Johnson’s equation for Flight-Path Angle of a Reentry Vehicle in the Upper Atmosphere, 1962: NASA
Katherine Johnson, 1962: NASA Langley Research Center
Buzz Aldrin on the moon, 1969: NASA
9/11 aerial shot of collapsed World Trade Center towers, New York, NY, 2001: NYPD Aviation Department, Det. Greg Semendinger
Secret Service agent carries woman to ambulance after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Thomas Monaster/NY Daily New Archive via Getty Images
Firefighters carry injured man after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Todd Maisel/NY Daily News Archives via Getty Images
Firefighters carry fallen firefighter to safety after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty Images
Exhausted firefighters take a break after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: ZUMA Press/Alamy Stock Photos
Firefighters embrace after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty Images
Fireman Dan Potter rests on city bench after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty Images
Rubble of 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Porter Gifford/Corbis via Getty Images
Woman covered in dust and ash after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images
Man walks through ash after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Doug Kanter/AFP via Getty Images
Man standing amid ash after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Doug Kanter/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump supporter holds anti-Muslim sign, 2016: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
“White Power” hand signals, 2020: Ted S. Warren/AP/Shutterstock
Cartoon image of Donald Trump: doamama/Vector/Shutterstock
Tiki torch marchers at Charlottesville, VA, 2017: Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images
Victim of Charlottesville car attack, VA, 2017: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Injured protester from Charlottesville, VA, 2017: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Man sits on curb in front of boarded up store, 2020: Aaron Lavinski/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Cleaning up after riots, 2015: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
People working together to clean up after riots, 1992: Tony Barnard/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Kids and adults clean up their communities, 1992: Visions of America LLC/Corbis via Getty Images
Ceasefire Chicago protests, 1999: Christian K Lee/Associated Press
Early voting during a pandemic, 2020: Sean Rayford for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Vice President Joe Biden, 2020: Patrick Semansky/Shutterstock
Woman with “Yes We Can” sign, 2008: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock
U.S. Representative John McCain, 2010: Christopher Holloran/Shutterstock
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2009: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
Former U.S. Presidents in Oval Office, 2009: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images
Tommie Smith & John Carlos, 1968 Olympics: Associated Press
NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneels on sidelines, 2016: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Mercury Fever kneel for national anthem, 2016: Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers kneel in playoffs, 2020: Kim Klement/Associated Press
Police officers in Florida “take a knee,” 2020: Eva Maria Uzcategui/Getty Images
New York Police Chief hugs protester, 2020: SOPA Images/Getty Images
President Barack Obama and U.S. Representative John Lewis embrace on Edmund Pettus Bridge, 50th Anniversary, Selma, AL, 2015: Official White House Photo taken by Pete Souza
John Lewis’ casket and carriage cross John Lewis Bridge, 2020: Nathan Posner/Shutterstock
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument, 2020: Michael Moretti
“Love Trumps Hate” sign, 2017: Glynnis Jones/Shutterstock
“Make America Kind Again,” 2017: Imgur/RedAstronaut83
Bald eagle in tree: blackboxguild/Adobe Stock
Close up of bald eagle: andamanec/Shutterstock
Bald eagle taking off from tree: Doug Jensen/Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: blackboxguild/Adobe Stock
U.S. troops raising the flag on Iwo Jima, 1945: Courtesy of Department of Defense
Troop ship Thomas Barry bringing soldiers to New York from World War II, 1945: Critical Past
Wounded soldiers returning home to the USA from World War II, 1945: Courtesy of Department of Defense
Families welcome soldiers home from World War II, 1945: Courtesy of Department of Defense
Men and women celebrate VJ Day in streets, 1945: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Family rushes to meet returning soldier, 1945: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Soldier greeting little girl with “Welcome Home” sign, 1945: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access Collection via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: blackboxguild/Adobe Stock
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Free at last!,” 1963: Rick Ray/ Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access Collection via Getty Images
Greenwood Avenue 1920s Cars Driving in Street, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Men walking on sidewalk of Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Women walking around Cab Bottling Truck, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Man working in clothing store, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Man working in barber shop, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Unknown Credit
Woman working on telephone switchboard, OK, 1920s: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
Men walking out of shop with guns, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Trucks driving down the street, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
Black men getting out of truck, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Black men standing with guns, 1920s: PBS
White men battering courthouse door, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Bi-wing airplane flying solo, 1920s: Australian War Memorial
Men in plane dropping bomb, 1920s: Australian War Memorial
Bombs falling from sky and exploding on town, 1920s: Australian War Memorial
Mt. Zion Baptist Church on fire, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Man kicks at a pile of rubble after race riot, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access via Getty Images
Emmett Till’s funeral, 1955: PBS Experience
Mamie Till speech, “I am not afraid,” 1955: Unknown
Audio clip of Governor George Wallace’s inauguration speech, 1963: Alabama Department of Archives and History
Video and audio of the Selma to Montgomery March with John Lewis, 1965: Unknown
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech, Memphis, TN, April 4, 1968: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Bald eagle soaring in sky: Wild Eye Productions/Shutterstock
Body cam footage of George Floyd’s murder, 2020: Minneapolis Police Department
Cell phone footage from a witness to George Floyd’s murder, 2020: Courtesy of Darnella Frazier
Mourners at George Floyd memorial, 2020: AFPTV via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: huresilie/Shutterstock
Philonise Floyd testifies to Congress, 2020: CSPAN
Police footage of Eric Garner’s death, 2014: New York Daily News via Getty Images
Beating of Robert Johnson, 2018: Mesa Police Department
Shooting of Terence Crutcher, 2016: Tulsa Police Department
Shooting of Philando Castile, 2016: Minnesota Police Department
Smothering of Daniel Prude, 2020: Rochester Police Department
Police beating protesters, 2020: Matt McGorry via Twitter
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: Mark O’Connell Exclusive/Pond 5/Adobe Stock
Civil Rights activist John Lewis at March on Washington, 1963: Unknown
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963: James Blue for the U.S. National Archives
Commitment March on Washington, 2020: CSPAN
Coronavirus animation: VectorFusionArt/Adobe Stock
Glaciers melting and falling into ocean: Bruce Aspley/Shutterstock
Hurricane rips roof off house: Cinematic Storm Footage/Shutterstock
Flood in Louisiana: Nexstar/WGNO New Orleans via Getty Images
Aerial view of forest fire: BlackBoxGuild/Shutterstock
Helicopter over forest fire: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Donald Trump shoves his way in front of NATO leaders, 2017: Unknown
Protesters in front of St. John’s church, Washington, DC: Nicole Glass Photography/Shutterstock
Donald Trump walks to Lafayette Park, Washington, DC, 2020: C-SPAN
Bald eagle flying: huresilie/Shutterstock
Apollo 11 astronauts, 1969: NASA
Apollo 11 rocket takes off, 1969: NASA
Mission Control for Apollo 11, 1969: NASA
Apollo 11 rocket lift-off, 1969: NASA
NASA staff watch Apollo 11 launch, 1969: NASA
Apollo 11 rocket, 1969: NASA
President Barack Obama gives Medal of Freedom to Katherine Johnson, 2015: WhiteHouse.gov
Car plows into protesters in Charlottesville, NC, 2017: Evan Henderson
Man walks past charred wreckage in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Voting via mail: VideoLand/Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: BBC Natural History via Getty
Jackie Robinson at bat, 1940s: npatou via YouTube
Police and protesters face each other in street and kneel, 2020: Fayetteville, NC, Police Department
John Lewis’ casket going over Edmund Pettus Bridge in carriage, 2020: C-SPAN
Bald eagle flying: Mark O’Connell/ Adobe Stock
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: Smithsonian Collection via Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy announces death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968: Unknown
Bald eagle landing on a rock: Echo Films/Getty Images
AMERICA
Song by Jack Murphy
Ex-Marines and winter scenes in 1945
Gee, it was great to be alive.
Soda-jerks in khaki shirts
Fresh back from a war
Safe and sound and well in sight of shore.
All the families were waiting
All the widows were dating
Everyone had grown up so fast
Home at last.
Chorus
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together
We can weather any storm.
Picket lines and protest signs in 1964
Doing our best to stop a war.
Arm-in-arm on a Woodstock farm
Gypsy Angels play
Catching a breeze from Monterey.
All the children were turning
All the ghettos were burning
While the voice told the crowd, so vast
“Free at last!”
Chorus
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together
Bridge
Cold wind; the river’s frozen over
Storm clouds rolling in again.
No one around that she can turn to
She used to have so many friends.
All on her own now
All the children are grown now
All that’s left of the brave and the free
Is you and me.
Chorus
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together!
Repeat chorus
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Black Lives Matter Movement
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963
The Commitment March on Washington, August 28, 2020
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Tommie Smith & John Carlos – 1968 Olympics
NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick
“Ask not what your country can do for you;
ask what you can do for your country.”
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
Actor/director and musician David Soul, co-star of the iconic 1970s television series, Starsky and Hutch, has created and directed a short film/documentary called AMERICA, based on a song of the same name. The song, written by Jack Murphy and recorded by David 45 years ago, was never released—until now.
David’s not-for-profit film, available FREE across all social media, reveals America’s story as illustrated in the song’s lyrics—from her slave-trading beginnings in 1619, through the years of the Civil Rights struggles, to the inspirational, global, and long-overdue Black Lives Matter movement.
AMERICA, the film, is a reminder that our uniqueness as a country—often concealed in superficial patriotic bravado and self-congratulation—actually lies in our immeasurable compassion and love, as well as in our undaunting willingness to learn from our past and rise above our differences. The film, at moments graphic and challenging, is not always easy to watch, but in fact, it serves to embrace the collective heart and soul of our nation’s diversity.
We are reminded by David Soul’s AMERICA that we must unite together on “the Yellow Brick Road” in our continuing journey to form “a more perfect union”; in essence, to ensure that the promises of equality and justice for all Americans, enshrined within the United States Constitution, are finally realized.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH DAVID’S SHORTENED RE-VISION OF THE FILM
AMERICA
Song by Jack Murphy
Ex-Marines and winter scenes in 1945
Gee, it was great to be alive.
Soda-jerks in khaki shirts
Fresh back from a war
Safe and sound and well inside her shore.
All the families were waiting
All the widows were dating
Everyone had grown up so fast
Home at last.
Chorus
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together
We can weather any storm.
Picket lines and protest signs in 1964
Doing our best to stop a war.
Arm-in-arm on a Woodstock farm
Gypsy Angels play
Catching a breeze from Monterey.
All the children were turning
All the ghettos were burning
While the voice told the crowd, so vast
“Free at last!”
Chorus
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together
Bridge
Cold wind; the river’s frozen over
Storm clouds rolling in again.
No one around that she can turn to
She used to have so many friends.
All on her own now
All the children are grown now
All that’s left of the brave and the free
Is you and me.
Chorus
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together
Think about America then
She’ll love you if you let her again
We never had it better than when we stick together!
Repeat chorus
A NOTE FROM DAVID
We are so grateful to everyone who responded to our appeal to help us finish what we now also consider a project that you made possible. We could not do it without you.
I gotta tell you, this project, AMERICA, has been an extraordinary journey and very exciting. Laura Moretti (my brilliant editor) and I began with no script, nothing on paper; just an idea based on a song I recorded 40 years ago called AMERICA.
Though I’d never released it back in the day, suddenly with all the division, polarization and violence that is tearing away at the heart of our beloved country these days, it seemed to me the right time to use this song as a simple window … into the soul of America. I decided to use the song as the basis of a short film documentary, retracing and reminding us all of some of the highs and lows of the American experience of equality and justice for ALL Americans.
Over these past few months, the production regimen has proceeded like this: Every day, with the exception of Thursdays and Sundays, starts with a 5:30pm Skype call from my home in London to my editor-in-chief, Laura, at her home in Chico, CA. That’s 9:30am her time, an eight-hour time difference, and she won’t talk to me before breakfast. Then each day, with no compass to guide us, little by little, we walk into the unknown and somehow manage to put a story together, section by section, using the photos and video clips that Lisa Adair in Texas has sourced and the licenses for which Alison Knox in Australia has cleared for us and for the upcoming press releases that Lori Keefer in Illinois will be disseminating for us. What a team!
The point is this: I couldn’t have done this on my own. I’ve had such wonderful support from all these people and, as for Laura Moretti, what can I say? The process has been a joy … defined by great respect for each other and our goal. We have approached the project humbly and with great care. Hopefully, with the resources that your gifts have put at our disposal, we have managed to document a brief story that represents both the best and even the saddest of the American experience … a nation, nearly 350 years old, still seeking “to create a more perfect union.”
Thanks again for your belief,
—David Soul
Production Credits
David Soul
Director / Editor /
Executive Producer
Laura Moretti
Editor / Executive Producer
Lisa Adair
Production Content Coordinator
/ Executive Producer
Alison Knox
Legal Consultant / Executive Producer
Hugh Burns
Additional Music Score
Lori Keefer
Executive Producer
On-Film Credits
IMAGES AND FOOTAGE
Adobe Stock
Alabama Department of Archives and History (donated by Alabama Media Group). Photo by Tom Lankford, Birmingham News
Alabama Department of Archives and History (donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Spider Martin, Birmingham News
Alamy Images
Associated Press
Audio Jungle
Audio Network
Australia War Memorial
Critical Past
Evan Henderson
Getty Images
Marc Riboud/Magnum Photos
Reuters
Reuters Connect
Shutterstock
COURTESY IMAGES AND FOOTAGE
Black Past
Charlotte M. Yonge, Young Folks History of England
C-SPAN
Darnella Frazier
Department of Defense
Good Free Photos
Greenwood Cultural Center
Imgur/RedAstronaut83
Jack Moebes/News & Record
Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W, Mellon Foundation and Smithsonian Institute
Kent State University Libraries, May 4 Collection, Kent State University New Services May 4 photographs; Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives
Library of Congress
@MattMcGorry
Michael Moretti
NASA
NASA Langley Research Center
National Archives
National Park Service Museum
Newspapers.com
Neysa Page-Lieberman
Oklahoma Historical Society
PBS
Princeton University Library
Ratical.org/co-globalize/MaeWanHo/
Smithsonian Institute
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
White House Archives
Wikimedia
Wikipedia
Wiki Commons
Yale Collection of Western Americana, Bienecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Contributors
Shirley Aguilar
Cindy Allbee
Judy Anthony
Angela Arguelles
Susan Bagdon
Kim Baptist
Rodney Baptist
Janette Barber
Jacqueline Bates
Bryan L. Benedict
Patti Blackwell
Lauren Boaz
Anne Burrowes
Cheryl Cardello
Nada Carol
Sheila Chapman
Marion Conner
Kathy Craven
Tammy Dooley
Marianne Ewing
Antonio Fargas
Margaret Franklin
Maria Garcia
Deidre Gordon
Lynn Graham
Vania Guazzelli
Mindy Hoffman
Anja Hollaschke
Caroline Hutson
Janet Knox
Debra Kruger
Joan Lackey-DeMoss
Katherine Langley
Gail Lorden
Joann Lukasiewicz
Maria Marta Ponga
Marc Moretti
Kathleen O’Malley
Vicki Parsons
Dawn Pressley
Barbara A. Rosenbach
Doris Sanders
Christine Snell
Rusty Snyder
Deborah Stahli
Linda Stevenson
Viviane Sun Bellissant
Beth Thomsen
Linda Van Maanen
Helen Williams
Supporters
Christina Baker
Emma Baptist
Sam Baptist
Zoe Baptist
Susan Barzallo
Denise Bianco
Thomas Campbel
Carla Cathcart
Linda Chapple
Joseph Connelly
Edith Crouse
Mary Dallas
Valerie Delanzy
Zamari DeMoss
Geoffrey Deuel
Donna Filsinger
Susan Fuller
Mary Glassman
Ronnie Grill
Patrica Hofman
Sharon Kay Tully
Christine Knodt-Haas
Janet Knox
Emilie LaForge
Jackson Loyd
Janet Marie
Amy Marler
Montse Martinez
Susan McEwan
Cathy McInturff
Helen Mesquita
Terri Meyer
Pilar Molina
Oscar Moreno
Eugene Moretti
Gillian Muirhead
Angela Murphy
Jean Nisley
David Pearson
Linda Powers
Laurie Ramadurai
Iris Reeb
Jo Reed
Amelia Ringheim
Brigitte Rzepa
Samantha Rzepa
Thomas Schwarz
Melodie Seeger
Valdy Sica
Jill Sinclair
Ariana Smith
Karen Smith
Monica Sztybel
Christine Tetzlaff
Keri Tompkins
Diane Triantis
Janice Visca
David W Stevenson
Gloria Weakland
Kevin Wheeler
Nicole Wheeler
Deirdre Wilkins
Deborah Williams
Patrice Williams Marks
Sally Willmott
Image Credits
Bigfoot’s band on Pine Ridge Reservation, 1891: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
March of the Sioux, 1905: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
Purchase of Manhattan Island, 1909: Wiki Commons
Landing Negros at Jamestown, 1619: GL Archive/Alamy Stock Photo
Thomas Jefferson: Rembrandt Peale/Wikipedia
African slaves thrown off ship, 1888: Chris Hellier/Alamy Stock Photo
His name is Gordon, 1863: Matthew Brady/Wiki Commons
Slave family in Savannah, 1860: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Frederick Douglass: George K Warren/Wiki Commons
President Abraham Lincoln: Alexander Gardner/Wiki Commons
U.S. Navy Dauntless on mission, 1943: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
U.S. troops disembarking, Normandy, 1944: Time Life Pictures/U.S. Coast Guard/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
U.S. troops on Iwo Jima, 1945: Joe Rosenthal/Associated Press
Eisenhower talking to troops, 1944: Unknown U.S. Army Photographer/Wikipedia
WWII soldiers playing piano in Normandy, 1944: National Archives U.S.A.
Black American WACS in New York, 1945: Associated Press
Statue of Liberty: Everett Collection/Shutterstock
Children hold Knoxville Journal, “War Ends,” 1945: Ed Westcott/Wiki Commons
VJ Day in Paris with American Military, 1945: Good Free Photos
Soda Jerk, 1936: Alan Fisher/World Telegram/Wiki Commons
Woman hugs soldier while older couple smiles, 1945: Harold M. Lambert/Getty Images
Then-Senator John F. Kennedy, Boston, 1957: Corbis Historical via Getty Images
People reading newspapers of President John F. Kennedy’s death, 1963: Carl Mydans/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in on plane, 1963: Cecil W. Stoughton/Wiki Commons
President John F. Kennedy’s horse-drawn caisson, 1963: Associated Press
President John F. Kennedy Jr. salutes father’s casket, 1963: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Vietnam village bombed, 1966: Larry Burrows/Getty Images
Vietnamese soldier walks among dead Viet Cong, 1968: Nik Wheeler/Getty Images
Wounded children running after Napalm bombing, 1972: Nick Ut/Associated Press
U.S. soldiers carry wounded from trench, 1966: Rolls Press/Popperfoto via Getty Images
U.S. wounded soldier from Hamburger Hill, 1969: Hugh Van Es/Associated Press
Hamburger Hill medic attempts to resuscitate a mortally wounded soldier, 1969: Hugh Van Es/Associated Press
Washington, D.C., Vietnam War Memorial Wall: Sean Pavone/Alamy Stock Photo
On the road to Woodstock, 1969: Baron Wolman/Getty Images
Crowd around tractor at Woodstock, 1969: Daniel Wolf/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Teens in trunk of car at Woodstock, 1969: Three Lions/Getty Images
John Sebastian performs at Woodstock, 1969: Baron Wolman/Getty Images
David Brown performs with Santana at Woodstock, 1969: Tucker Ranson/Getty Images
Jimi Hendrix performs at Monterey Pop Festival, 1967: Bruce Fleming/Associated Press
Anti-Vietnam War protesters, 1966: Bill Ingraham/Associated Press
Kent State shooting (National Guard sent in), 1970: Associated Press
Kent State (National Guards face-off with protesters), 1970: May 4 Collection, Kent State University New Services May 4 photographs; Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives
Kent State protester, 1970: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Jeffrey Miller shot at Kent State, 1970: John Filo/Getty Images
Anti-Vietnam War protester Jan Kasmir faces guns with flower, 1967: Marc Riboud/Magnum Photos
Arial view of riot damage, Chicago, IL, 1968: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Watts riots in Los Angeles, CA, 1965: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images
Children hold hands while crossing street, 1967: Bill Ray/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Race riot in Detroit, MI, 1967: AFP via Getty Images
Man forced into patrol car, Watts, CA, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
National Guard fights fires caused by riots, Watts, CA, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
National Guard patrol Watts area, CA, 1965: Lawrence Schiller/Getty Images
Young girls flee from police, Harlem, NY, 1964: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Burning building, man with distressed U.S. flag, 2020: Julio Cortez/Associated Press
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech, 1963: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Crowd at March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963: U.S. Marine Corp/Wikipedia
Group of freed slaves along harbor, 1860s: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
KKK gather with burning cross, 1920s: Classic Stock/Alamy Stock Photo
Parade down Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Black Past
Coca Cola truck and worker, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Greenwood Cultural Center
Mr. Berry’s Aeroplane, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Greenwood Cultural Center
Mr. Mann’s store and employees, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Greenwood Cultural Center
Maggie Walker and Staff of the Independent Order and St. Luck Penny Savings Bank, Richmond, VA, 1900s: Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site/MAWA 7231/National Park Service
Newspaper headline that sparks riot, 1920s: Wikimedia
“Dick Rowland”: JHU Sheridan Libraries/Gado/Getty Images
“Sarah Page”: Roman Nerud/Shutterstock
Armed white man holding gun, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
White men in car with guns, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Freedom Riders bus on fire with onlookers, 1961: Doar Papers, Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
Freedom Riders bus burns, 1961: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Mob with motorcycle, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Tulsa National Guard gather outside police station, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Men gather outside convention center, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
Mob on foot and in cars outside courthouse, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Family out in streets, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
National Guard with machine gun crew, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Burning buildings along street, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Mt. Zion Baptist Church burning, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Huge cloud of smoke from burning buildings, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
Fire behind buildings, street view, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Smoke from buildings on street, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Greenwood houses burning, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Image of destruction of Greenwood, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Aftermath of destruction, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Dead man in suit along tracks, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Aftermath of massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Red Cross/Library of Congress
Man walks on ruins, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Oklahoma Historical Society
Race massacre victim in streets, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Greenwood street before massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Greenwood after massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Red Cross Photo/Library of Congress
Williams Dreamland Theater, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Williams Dreamland Theater destroyed, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Refugee from massacre, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Greenwood Cultural Center
Young boy holds sibling in refugee camp, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum
KKK leader with burning cross, 1965: Harry Benson/Stringer via Getty Images
KKK member in car with a noose, 1939: Everett Collections/Shutterstock
Emmett Till lying on bed, 1955: Everett Collection/Alamy Stock Photo
Emmett Till with his mom, Mamie, 1955: Everett Collection/Alamy Stock Photo
Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Carolyn Bryant, 1955: Gene Herrick/Shutterstock
Emmett Till, 1955: Associated Press
House from where Emmett Till was kidnapped, 1955: Ed Clark/Getty Images
Beaten face of Emmett Till, 1955: Johnson Publishing Company Archive. Courtesy Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Smithsonian Institute
Mamie Till crying, 1955: Afro Newspaper/Gado via Getty Images
Emmett Till murder trial defendants, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Overhead view of spectators at Emmett Till’s trial, 1955: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Crowd gathers at Emmett Till murder trial, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
All white male jury at Emmett Till murder trial, 1955: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Emmett Till murder defendants with wives, 1955: Ed Clark/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Headline from Florence Morning News, 1955: Newspapers.com
Emmett Till’s funeral with open casket, 1955: Associated Press
Mamie Till crying at son’s casket, 1955: Associated Press
Little Rock Nine, Elizabeth Eckford harassed on way to school, 1957: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocks integration, 1963: U.S. News & World Report via Wikipedia
Little Rock integration protests, AR, 1959: Library of Congress
Jim Crow bathrooms, 1960: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Greensboro Four at Woolworth’s counter, Greensboro, NC, 1960: Jack Moebes/News & Record
Protests in front of Woolworth’s, 1960s: Truman Moore/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
African American students sit at Woolworth’s counter, 1960s: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
White passengers board bus in Montgomery, AL, 1956: Nat Farbman/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Segregated bus with sign, 1955: Tony Vaccaro/Archive Photos via Getty Images
Segregated bus seating, 1950s: Hank Walker/Getty Images
Rosa Parks on the bus, Montgomery, AL, 1955: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Rosa Parks arrested and fingerprinted, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Underwood Archives/Getty Images
Rosa Parks mugshot, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Alpha Historical/Alamy Stock Photo
Montgomery bus boycott, AL, 1956: Grey Villet/The LIFE Pictures Collection via Getty Images
People walking to work during bus boycott, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
Freedom Walkers, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Grey Villet/The LIFE Pictures Collection via Getty Images
African Americans board the bus from the front, Montgomery, AL, 1956: Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
Neo-Nazi hate bus, early 1960: Joe Scherschel/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
Freedom Riders wait to board bus, 1961: Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images
White protesters block Freedom Riders bus terminal, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
White protesters slash tires on Freedom Riders bus, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Freedom Riders watch bus burn, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Freedom Riders around burned-out shell of bus, 1961: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Demonstrators repelled by fire hose, Birmingham, AL, 1963: Charles Moore/Getty Images
African American teenager attacked by police dogs, Birmingham, AL, 1963: Bill Hudson/Associated Press
Freedom Marcher with VOTE on forehead, Selma to Montgomery march, AL, 1965: Steve Schapiro/Getty Images
Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
John Lewis marching across Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL, 1965: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Tom Lankford, Birmingham News
Mounted police line to stop Selma, AL, civil rights marchers, 1965: Charles Moore/Getty Images
Police line to stop Selma, AL, civil rights marchers, 1965: Charles Moore/Getty Images
John Lewis marching across Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma, AL, 1965: Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group/Photo by Spider Martin, Birmingham News
John Lewis beaten at Selma, AL, civil rights march, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on march to Montgomery from Selma, AL, 1965: Morton Broffman/Getty Images
Opponents to Selma, AL, marchers, 1965: William Lovelace/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being shoved by police, 1966: Associated Press
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested, 1958: Charles Moore/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in jail cell, 1962: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on March to Montgomery, AL, 1965: Ben Martin/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Soldier Field, 1966: Afro American Newspapers/Gado via Getty Images
Newspaper headline (FBI Chief calls MLK a liar), 1964: radical.org/co-globalize/MaeWanHo/
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads protest march, 1965: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
Boston Tea Party protest drawing: Charlotte M. Yonge, Young Folks History of England
Women put up poster for Votes for Women, 1914: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“I Am A Man” protest, Memphis, TN, 1968: mccool/Alamy Stock Photo
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964: MixPix/Alamy Stock Photo
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act, 1964: White House Press Office/Wikipedia
President Lyndon B. Johnson shakes Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s hand after signing Civil Rights Act, 1964: AFP via Getty Images
Lorraine Motel at night, Memphis, TN: Henry Groskinsky/Getty Images
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Lorraine Motel, 1968: King Anniversary Photo Gallery/Associated Press
Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson with others on Lorraine Motel balcony where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, 1968: Joseph Louw/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
Assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968: Joseph Louw/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
“I Am A Man” at Lorraine Motel, Memphis, TN, 2008: Miami Herald/Getty Images
Protester wearing “He said I can’t breathe” mask, 2020: Nikolai Linares/Getty Images
Derek Chauvin mugshot, 2020: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Mugshots of officers charged in George Floyd’s death, 2020: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Overhead view of George Floyd memorial at Cup Foods, 2020: Chanda Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
Woman pays respects to George Floyd at memorial site, 2020: Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Terence Floyd kneels with mourners at brother George Floyd’s memorial, 2020: Eric Miller/Reuters Pictures Archives/Reuters Connect
Terence Floyd kneels in prayer at brother George Floyd’s memorial, 2020: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Marketplace-Reuters Pictures Archive/Reuters Connect
Terence Floyd falls to his knees at site of brother George Floyd’s murder scene, 2020: Stephen Maturen/Stringer/Getty Images News
Terence Floyd looks at mural of brother George Floyd, 2020: Star Tribune via Getty Images
Flowers at George Floyd memorial site, 2020: Vasanth Rajkumar via Wiki Commons
George Floyd mural and flowers at night, 2020: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images News
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters at night with cell phones, 2020: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters with painting of George Floyd, 2020: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images News
“No Justice No Peace” sign, 2020: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Philonise Floyd emotional testimony to Congress, 2020: Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
Philonise Floyd during testimony to Congress, 2020: Pool/Getty Images News
“I Can’t Breathe” sign on fire, 2020: Nathan Howard/Stringer/Getty Images News
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters near burning building in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Mark Vancleave/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Building on fire in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Nick Woltman/MediaNews Group/Pioneer Press via Getty Images
1921 Greenwood massacre, OK: Greenwood Cultural Center
1943 Detroit race riot, MI: Bettmann Collection/Getty Images
1965 Watts riots, Los Angeles, CA: PhotoQuest/Archive Photos via Getty Images
1992 Los Angeles riots, CA: Gary Leonard/Corbis via Getty Images
2020 riots in Minnesota: Star Tribune via Getty Images
Shipping containers, “This is for George Floyd,” 2020: Adam Bettcher/Alamy Stock Photo
Minneapolis protesters outside burning Arby’s, MN, 2020: John Minchillo/Associated Press
Protesters in Ferguson, MO, 2014: Scott Olson/Getty Images News
Man with fist in air in front of burning building, 2020: Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images
American flag in front of burning building, 2020: Mark Vancleave/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Burning building in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Nick Woltman/MediaNewsGroup/Pioneer Press via Getty Images
Aftermath of riot in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Man walks past charred wreckage in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Man rides scooter past charred wreckage in Minneapolis, MN, 2020: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Boarded up store after looters emptied store, 2020: Javier Tovar/AFP via Getty Images
Black Lives Matter (BLM) marchers cross Edmund Pettus Bridge, 2015: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“No More Silence” sign, 2020: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Woman in mask, “More Scared of a Racist World Than a Pandemic,” 2020: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
“Say Their Names” protest sign, 2020: Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images
George Floyd and Breonna Taylor mural, Louisville, KY, 2020: Neysa Page-Lieberman
“No More Normal” on wall, 2020: Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Man sees loved one through window, 2020: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Boy at window in mask, smiling, 2020: Juanmonino/Getty Images
Woman transfers body from hospital, 2020: Misha Friedman/Getty Images
Covid-19 bodies in caskets, 2020: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Nurses comfort each other, 2020: DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Man peers around border wall, 2006: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Donald Trump holds MAGA rally, 2019: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Migrant with child at river checkpoint climbing wall, 2018: Edgard Garrido/Reuters Connect
Couple climbs border wall with child, 2018: Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
Men and children in cages at border, 2019: Office of Inspector General/Department of Homeland Security via Getty Images
Migrant children in caravan, 2018: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump inspects border wall, San Luis, AZ, 2020: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Child cries at border, McAllen, TX, 2018: John Moore/Getty Images
Child colors “Black Lives Matter” sign, 2020: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Katherine Johnson’s equation for Flight-Path Angle of a Reentry Vehicle in the Upper Atmosphere, 1962: NASA
Katherine Johnson, 1962: NASA Langley Research Center
Buzz Aldrin on the moon, 1969: NASA
9/11 aerial shot of collapsed World Trade Center towers, New York, NY, 2001: NYPD Aviation Department, Det. Greg Semendinger
Secret Service agent carries woman to ambulance after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Thomas Monaster/NY Daily New Archive via Getty Images
Firefighters carry injured man after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Todd Maisel/NY Daily News Archives via Getty Images
Firefighters carry fallen firefighter to safety after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty Images
Exhausted firefighters take a break after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: ZUMA Press/Alamy Stock Photos
Firefighters embrace after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty Images
Fireman Dan Potter rests on city bench after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty Images
Rubble of 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Porter Gifford/Corbis via Getty Images
Woman covered in dust and ash after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images
Man walks through ash after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Doug Kanter/AFP via Getty Images
Man standing amid ash after 9/11 attack, New York, NY, 2001: Doug Kanter/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump supporter holds anti-Muslim sign, 2016: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
“White Power” hand signals, 2020: Ted S. Warren/AP/Shutterstock
Cartoon image of Donald Trump: doamama/Vector/Shutterstock
Tiki torch marchers at Charlottesville, VA, 2017: Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images
Victim of Charlottesville car attack, VA, 2017: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Injured protester from Charlottesville, VA, 2017: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Man sits on curb in front of boarded up store, 2020: Aaron Lavinski/Star Tribune via Getty Images
Cleaning up after riots, 2015: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
People working together to clean up after riots, 1992: Tony Barnard/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Kids and adults clean up their communities, 1992: Visions of America LLC/Corbis via Getty Images
Ceasefire Chicago protests, 1999: Christian K Lee/Associated Press
Early voting during a pandemic, 2020: Sean Rayford for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Vice President Joe Biden, 2020: Patrick Semansky/Shutterstock
Woman with “Yes We Can” sign, 2008: Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock
U.S. Representative John McCain, 2010: Christopher Holloran/Shutterstock
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2009: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
Former U.S. Presidents in Oval Office, 2009: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images
Tommie Smith & John Carlos, 1968 Olympics: Associated Press
NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneels on sidelines, 2016: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Mercury Fever kneel for national anthem, 2016: Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Los Angeles Lakers kneel in playoffs, 2020: Kim Klement/Associated Press
Police officers in Florida “take a knee,” 2020: Eva Maria Uzcategui/Getty Images
New York Police Chief hugs protester, 2020: SOPA Images/Getty Images
President Barack Obama and U.S. Representative John Lewis embrace on Edmund Pettus Bridge, 50th Anniversary, Selma, AL, 2015: Official White House Photo taken by Pete Souza
John Lewis’ casket and carriage cross John Lewis Bridge, 2020: Nathan Posner/Shutterstock
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument, 2020: Michael Moretti
“Love Trumps Hate” sign, 2017: Glynnis Jones/Shutterstock
“Make America Kind Again,” 2017: Imgur/RedAstronaut83
Video Credits
Bald eagle in tree: blackboxguild/Adobe Stock
Close up of bald eagle: andamanec/Shutterstock
Bald eagle taking off from tree: Doug Jensen/Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: blackboxguild/Adobe Stock
U.S. troops raising the flag on Iwo Jima, 1945: Courtesy of Department of Defense
Troop ship Thomas Barry bringing soldiers to New York from World War II, 1945: Critical Past
Wounded soldiers returning home to the USA from World War II, 1945: Courtesy of Department of Defense
Families welcome soldiers home from World War II, 1945: Courtesy of Department of Defense
Men and women celebrate VJ Day in streets, 1945: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Family rushes to meet returning soldier, 1945: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Soldier greeting little girl with “Welcome Home” sign, 1945: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access Collection via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: blackboxguild/Adobe Stock
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Free at last!,” 1963: Rick Ray/ Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access Collection via Getty Images
Greenwood Avenue 1920s Cars Driving in Street, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Men walking on sidewalk of Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Women walking around Cab Bottling Truck, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Man working in clothing store, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Man working in barber shop, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Unknown Credit
Woman working on telephone switchboard, OK, 1920s: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
Men walking out of shop with guns, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Trucks driving down the street, Tulsa, OK, 1920s: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Naomi Long Madgett
Black men getting out of truck, 1920s: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Black men standing with guns, 1920s: PBS
White men battering courthouse door, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Bi-wing airplane flying solo, 1920s: Australian War Memorial
Men in plane dropping bomb, 1920s: Australian War Memorial
Bombs falling from sky and exploding on town, 1920s: Australian War Memorial
Mt. Zion Baptist Church on fire, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Unknown
Man kicks at a pile of rubble after race riot, Tulsa, OK, 1921: Excerpts from Solomon Sir Jones Films courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access via Getty Images
Emmett Till’s funeral, 1955: PBS Experience
Mamie Till speech, “I am not afraid,” 1955: Unknown
Audio clip of Governor George Wallace’s inauguration speech, 1963: Alabama Department of Archives and History
Video and audio of the Selma to Montgomery March with John Lewis, 1965: Unknown
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech, Memphis, TN, April 4, 1968: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Bald eagle soaring in sky: Wild Eye Productions/Shutterstock
Body cam footage of George Floyd’s murder, 2020: Minneapolis Police Department
Cell phone footage from a witness to George Floyd’s murder, 2020: Courtesy of Darnella Frazier
Mourners at George Floyd memorial, 2020: AFPTV via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: huresilie/Shutterstock
Philonise Floyd testifies to Congress, 2020: CSPAN
Police footage of Eric Garner’s death, 2014: New York Daily News via Getty Images
Beating of Robert Johnson, 2018: Mesa Police Department
Shooting of Terence Crutcher, 2016: Tulsa Police Department
Shooting of Philando Castile, 2016: Minnesota Police Department
Smothering of Daniel Prude, 2020: Rochester Police Department
Police beating protesters, 2020: Matt McGorry via Twitter
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: Mark O’Connell Exclusive/Pond 5/Adobe Stock
Civil Rights activist John Lewis at March on Washington, 1963: Unknown
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963: James Blue for the U.S. National Archives
Commitment March on Washington, 2020: CSPAN
Coronavirus animation: VectorFusionArt/Adobe Stock
Glaciers melting and falling into ocean: Bruce Aspley/Shutterstock
Hurricane rips roof off house: Cinematic Storm Footage/Shutterstock
Flood in Louisiana: Nexstar/WGNO New Orleans via Getty Images
Aerial view of forest fire: BlackBoxGuild/Shutterstock
Helicopter over forest fire: Rick Ray/Shutterstock
Donald Trump shoves his way in front of NATO leaders, 2017: Unknown
Protesters in front of St. John’s church, Washington, DC: Nicole Glass Photography/Shutterstock
Donald Trump walks to Lafayette Park, Washington, DC, 2020: C-SPAN
Bald eagle flying: huresilie/Shutterstock
Apollo 11 astronauts, 1969: NASA
Apollo 11 rocket takes off, 1969: NASA
Mission Control for Apollo 11, 1969: NASA
Apollo 11 rocket lift-off, 1969: NASA
NASA staff watch Apollo 11 launch, 1969: NASA
Apollo 11 rocket, 1969: NASA
President Barack Obama gives Medal of Freedom to Katherine Johnson, 2015: WhiteHouse.gov
Car plows into protesters in Charlottesville, NC, 2017: Evan Henderson
Voting via mail: VideoLand/Shutterstock
Bald eagle flying: BBC Natural History via Getty
Jackie Robinson at bat, 1940s: npatou via YouTube
Police and protesters face each other in street and kneel, 2020: Fayetteville, NC, Police Department
John Lewis’ casket going over Edmund Pettus Bridge in carriage, 2020: C-SPAN
Bald eagle flying: Mark O’Connell/ Adobe Stock
Bald eagle flying: Discovery Access via Getty Images
Bald eagle flying: Smithsonian Collection via Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy announces death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968: Unknown
Bald eagle landing on a rock: Echo Films/Getty Images
Learn More
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Black Lives Matter Movement
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963
The Commitment March on Washington, August 28, 2020
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Tommie Smith & John Carlos – 1968 Olympics
NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
