American Icons
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American Icons
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that American Icons is a biographical documentary series that highlights a handful of American legends and leaders. George Washington, Abe Lincoln, FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and Thomas Edison are featured -- all are White and most are male.The episodes are under 30 minutes, so they give brief accounts of certain facets of each leader's life. Some smoking, drinking, and kissing is shown. An icon is described as "fun loving" as he is shown going to bars while flanked by women. In other episodes, images of dead soldiers populate battlefields.
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What's the Story?
In AMERICAN ICONS, expert historians (including Doris Kearns Goodwin) help to explain the success of the leaders and cultural influences who made a difference in American culture. Told through film clips, photographs, montages, actor recreation, the series provides a significant amount of footage to illustrate the biographies. The people covered are Babe Ruth, FDR, Abe Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Washington, Mark Twain, and Thomas Edison.
Is It Any Good?
Lacking in diversity and depth, this documentary series looks at the motivation behind a handful of American historical figures. American Icons isn't a Ken Burns series, nor does it try to be. The short biopics look at what made these icons great, and it explores that technique. Mark Twain knew how to spin a good sound bite, for example. FDR used his patience and perseverance to strategically move the public. Babe Ruth shined like the sun when he was given attention.
Parents can whet their kids' appetite by exploring these fast-paced documentaries about influential people. But the absence of diversity among the icons, and the singular focus about their rise to power, causes this series to fall short of the storytelling potential inherent in the subject matter.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how habits were different in the time periods depicted in American Icons. Smoking in particular was deemed normal. How can we talk about smoking in times gone by?
Women were not included in government, nor were they able to vote in many of these documentaries. How have women's roles changed? How can we provide good role models for girls in media?
All of the leaders and icons in this series exhibit the trait of perseverance. How can we encourage perseverance in kids?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 1, 1999
- Network: HBO Max
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: Book Characters, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, History
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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David Byrne's American Utopia
Brilliant, uplifting performance is optimistic about America
For kids who love history
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