European Heritage Month: Gateway Resources

About 40 million Americans trace their ancestry to Ireland, a number ten times greater than the population of Ireland today. Climate changes encouraged the potato blight that caused Ireland's potato famine and widespread Irish migration to North America.

The story of 35 million Europeans who left their troubled homelands for the promise of freedom and opportunity, and the hardships of the transatlantic voyage they endured to reach America. (52 minutes)

A comprehensive documentary of the Ellis Island story in all its complexity. We take you behind the scenes into the memory-haunted ruins of unrestored Ellis Island. Our cameras trace the saga of Immigrants coming from the old world through what is now Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Out of Ireland is a documentary about Irish emigration to America, from the famine-swept villages of 19th century Ireland to the industrialized cities of 20th century America. It is told through the lives and letters of eight immigrants and features the voices of Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Gabriel Byrne and more.

Written and produced by John Maggio and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Stanley Tucci, “The Italian Americans” explores the evolution of the Italian community, from “outsiders” in the late nineteenth viewed with suspicion and mistrust to some of the most prominent leaders of business, politics and the arts today. This film explores racial discrimination faced by immigrants from 1900 to 1930. In public schools, children were taught to reject their Italian identity to assimilate to American culture. Arturo Giovannitti led the largest labor strike of 1912, winning better working conditions and wages. When Italian Americans were marginalized by the Irish Archdiocese, they took to the streets to reinforce their beliefs and culture. Anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti’s execution reinforced negative stereotypes, while Prohibition bred a new kind of organized criminal. Distributed by PBS distribution.

Polish immigrants were the driving force behind Chicago’s remarkable industrial growth. But they never achieved political cohesiveness, and while a million Poles now live in Chicago, their political power is not commensurate with the number of votes they cast. (52 minutes)

Made in Paris by the French sculptor Bartholdi, with help on the metalwork from Gustave Eiffel, this symbolic monument to liberty was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence. Standing at the entrance of New York Harbor, it has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States of America since it was inaugurated in 1886.

The American population nearly doubled from European immigrants after WWI. German, Yiddish, and French flooded the English language with phrases and words. Al Capone and other gangsters added slang.

More than 10% of Americans have German blood in their veins. Their ancestors came as religious and political refugees, but their dream of building a German society within America was largely shattered by the two world wars. (52 minutes)

The Scottish tongue is one of the oldest in Britain, a Northern variety of English that, but for the accidents of history, might have become a separate language. This classic PBS program deals with the influence of the Scots in spreading the language of their historic enemies—the Sassenachs of the South—around the world. The program begins in the 15th century, the golden age of the Scottish tongue; it follows the linguistic path of the Scots as they settled in Ulster and then crossed the Atlantic into Appalachia and the American sunbelt. A look at the English of the Scottish Highlands is also included, studying the influence of the Gaelic languages that still survive on the Outer Hebrides. (58 minutes)

Between 1933 and 1941, thousands of Jews fled Nazi Germany and Austria for America. Leaving behind brothers, sisters and parents, more than 20,000 of them came together in Washington Heights in New York City. Here, for the first time, they lived among Jews. While horrific reports trickled in from the camps, the emigrants cooperated to build their new society. Like Shoah and The Sorrow and the Pity, We Were So Beloved uses gripping personal testimony to examine the complex emotional and philosophical implications of the survival of the Jews of Washington Heights.

Sweden, Norway, and Finland are united by Lapland, the land of the Sami. The populations blended during WWII when many Finnish fled their homeland as refugees. Finnish culture is derived from Swedish culture.

The homeland of the proud and resilient Basque people is split between France and Spain. From our San Sebastián home base, join European travel expert and best-selling author, Rick Steves, as we tour the ancient Basque capital of Gernika, the dazzling Guggenheim Modern in Bilbao, and then cross into France for more Basque Country charms. From yummy tapa bars to lightning-fast jai alai games, we’ll experience Basque culture at its most vivid. (30 minutes)

Joanna continues her adventure following the ancient Silk Road from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, across the rapidly changing post-Soviet states of Georgia and Azerbaijan. Joanna kicks off her journey in the brash, booming seaside resort of Batumi, where post-Soviet era new money has seen casinos and high-rise hotels built alongside old Soviet tenement blocks. It’s a huge change from when it was a small backwater and the border to Turkey was closed.

Ancient Roots traces the family history of three quintessential voices in American life. All three descend from ancestors that were part of the wave of Greek immigrants that flooded America's shores in the early decades of the 20th century. But along the way, the stories of their Greek ancestors were lost. In recovering these stories, we'll find that their ancestors overcame terrible hardship, and showed remarkable courage in times of war.

Bosnian New Yorker Alma's ancestors migrated north from the Middle East around 35,000 years ago. Her immediate family was forced to flee due to ethnic cleansing; she hopes her DNA testing will reveal common genetic history among groups in conflict. Irish musician Eamon hopes his South Korean partner's family will accept him. A National Geographic Production.