In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America
America (1838 to 1876) | In Pursuit | Episode 5
updated
Irish Catholic immigrants escaping bitter poverty and subjugation jam into new neighborhoods on the city’s edge. Conflict emerges in a new, Philadelphia-led American institution created to save the republic: the public school. As churches burn, slavecatchers patrol Philadelphia’s streets, and capitalists pour everything into a maturing technology, the railroad. What version of America will emerge from civil war?
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In Episode 4, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton falls ill from Yellow Fever as a devastating epidemic sends the capital into crisis and President George Washington flees to Virginia. The epidemic exposes the fragility of the new republic and the tensions simmering beneath its surface. Physician and Declaration of Independence signer Benjamin Rush convinces Reverends Richard Allen (founder of the AME Church) and Absalom Jones, both born enslaved, to organize Black nurses and undertakers to risk their lives caring for the sick, only to face accusations and discrimination.
At the center of these struggles Philadelphians invent the institutions of civil society: Nicholas Biddle battles President Andrew Jackson over the fate of the Bank of the United States, Revolutionary War veteran James Forten creates an inter-racial workforce, Roberts Vaux with political aid of Thaddeus Stevens champions public education as a path to opportunity for all children. Sarah Forten, Sarah Mapps Douglass, Lucretia Mott, and Angelina and Sarah Grimke form a potent new force: the Female Anti-Slavery Society. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass warn of a growing national divide.
As debates over race, equality, education, and economic power intensify, Philadelphians confront questions about who belongs, who has a voice, and whether a divided society can find common ground. With historian Allen Guelzo, religion scholar Anthea Butler, Richard Allen biographer Richard Newman, and Reverend Mark Kelly Tyler of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Director: Andrew Ferrett
Writer: Nathaniel Popkin
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Producers: Wendy Cox, Andrew Ferrett, Jonathan Kohl, Nathaniel Popkin
Episode Teleplay: Nathaniel Popkin, Andrew Ferrett
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Composer: Daniel Slatkin
SERIES TRAILER: youtu.be/Bm3qtfVpR0I?si=r6t3Q8CdTHz0moKU
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE HERE: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwEWxvgiPVsVD_g6JsElVoPT_HfsMvuSe&si=TKHuegmLvS5uw_vz
Yellow Fever sweeps through the U.S. capital, straining the young nation's social fabric. Richard Allen, born enslaved, rises to challenge accusations against Black nurses and undertakers. Alexander Hamilton persists in his plan for national economic growth. In the wake of the epidemic, Quaker visionary Roberts Vaux pushes for public schooling for all children, President Andrew Jackson attacks Hamilton's vision of a national Bank, as women of different racial backgrounds come together with a plan to end slavery nationwide. Is there hope for common ground?
FULL EPISODE AVAILABLE NOW: youtu.be/5YPtgi9385c?si=t2bhUImBBYJpZaVV
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In Episode 3, frontier violence and political unrest push Pennsylvania toward revolution. Armed frontiersmen known as the Paxton Boys march on Philadelphia with grievances against the government and are confronted by Benjamin Franklin. Pacifist Quakers struggle with whether to defend the city by force. Artisans, laborers, and merchants challenge British taxation. Women artisans including Betsy Ross demand a greater voice in public life. Philadelphia's large free Black community raises the stakes for liberty, and Thomas Paine provokes American colonists to unite.
As tensions with Britain escalate, revolutionaries choose Philadelphia as their capital, as the First and Second Continental Congresses led by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams push toward a Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. Now the Quaker City faces war and the threat of invasion. After British General William Howe sacks New York and occupies Philadelphia after the Battle of Brandywine, Franklin convinces King Louis XVI to save the Revolution. Soldiers revolt against Congress as the new U.S. government betrays Lenape leader White Eyes.
Leading to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, this episode explores how conflict, revolution, and competing ideas of freedom transformed Philadelphia and defined the future of the United States. Featuring the late bestselling author David McCullough, historian of democracy Sophia Rosenfeld, UCLA sociologist Marcus Anthony Hunter, poet Ursula Rucker, and Lincoln Prize winning author Allen Guelzo.
Director: Andrew Ferrett
Writer: Nathaniel Popkin
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Producers: Wendy Cox, Andrew Ferrett, Jonathan Kohl, Nathaniel Popkin
Episode Teleplay: Nathaniel Popkin, Andrew Ferrett
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Composer: Daniel Slatkin
SERIES TRAILER: youtu.be/Bm3qtfVpR0I?si=r6t3Q8CdTHz0moKU
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE HERE: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwEWxvgiPVsVD_g6JsElVoPT_HfsMvuSe&si=TKHuegmLvS5uw_vz
The disputed land deal between European settlers and the Lenape changed Pennsylvania forever. In Pursuit Episode 2: Land explores its consequences through perspectives many people have never heard before.
#history #philadelphia #philly #pennsylvania
#philadelphia #america #americanhistory
#philly #america #history #documentary
Less a century after the city's founding, a new nation is created on July 4th, 1776 in Philadelphia. Armed frontiersmen land in Philadelphia with grievances for the government. Pacifist Quakers take up guns to defend their city. Artisans chafe against British taxes. Everyone comes to Philadelphia to have their voices heard. The largest, most diverse city in British North America, will Philadelphia become the seat of empire? Or a runway for revolution?
FULL EPISODE AVAILABLE HERE: youtu.be/jFeuGF3-T_c?si=MHRRihX2z48gMII3
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FULL EPISODE AVAILABLE HERE: youtu.be/jFeuGF3-T_c?si=MHRRihX2z48gMII3
In Episode 2, pressure builds on the Penn family as debt mounts and demand for expansion grows. William Penn’s original vision required fair treaties with Indigenous communities, but his sons Thomas, Richard, and John Penn face debt and difficult choices. The future of Philadelphia, North America’s fastest growing city, lies in the balance.
At the center of it all is power broker James Logan. As he helps guide rising figures like Benjamin Franklin and John Bartram, he also becomes deeply involved in the colony’s push for land, industry, and wealth. His authority is challenged by the revolt of an enslaved man, Sampson.
For the Lenape, land is meant to be shared. For Europeans, it becomes something to be owned. That difference leads Logan to attempt to defraud Lenape sachems, an act of dispossession we know as the Walking Purchase, which expands the colony’s developable land by the size of Rhode Island. Lenape sachem Teedyuscung authors a rebellion as Pennsylvania explodes into the violence of the French and Indian War.
This episode explores how ambition, economics, and competing worldviews helped define the future of Philadelphia and the foundations of American democracy. Featuring Pulitzer Prize winning Inga Saffron, music legend Kenny Gamble, artist Aislinn Pentecost-Farren, and Lenape leader Jeremy Johnson.
Director: Andrew Ferrett
Writer: Nathaniel Popkin
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Producers: Wendy Cox, Andrew Ferrett, Jonathan Kohl, Nathaniel Popkin, Eva Roben
Editor: Jonathan Kohl
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Composer: Daniel Slatkin
SERIES TRAILER: youtu.be/Bm3qtfVpR0I?si=r6t3Q8CdTHz0moKU
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE HERE: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwEWxvgiPVsVD_g6JsElVoPT_HfsMvuSe&si=TKHuegmLvS5uw_vz
Episode 2 of #InPursuit digs into the deals, pressure, and power behind early Pennsylvania—and what it cost the Lenape people.
The second episode of the ten-part series charts the rapid growth of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania colony. Religious freedom draws waves of immigrants to Philadelphia’s port, but they can’t be settled in Pennsylvania unless the Penn family can sell them land—territory that has not yet been acquired from Lenape sachems at treaty. As pressure mounts along with the colony’s debt, will Penn’s sons betray his vision?
FULL EPISODE AVAILABLE HERE: youtu.be/rxCxgC1lYzY?si=zaHLJkkJbg-0QBju
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Into this fragile landscape comes English Quaker visionary William Penn, disciple of George Fox, pursuing a bold experiment in religious freedom and coexistence. His colony, late among the original North American colonies of King Charles II, promises tolerance and peace and institutes American concepts of individual rights and trial by jury. Yet even as Pennsylvania is founded on ideals of liberty negotiated with Lenape sachem Tamanend, slavery is already taking root. German Quaker settlers led by Frances Daniel Pastorius organize a formal protest against slavery for the first time on American soil.
Can freedom truly flourish in a society built on contradiction? Featuring Lenape elder Michael Pace, cultural leader Jeremy Johnson, the poet Ursula Rucker, historian Allen Guelzo.
This powerful 10-part historical documentary explores the complex origins of Philadelphia and the United States, and the enduring tensions around liberty, equality, and democracy that continue to shape the nation today.
Director: Andrew Ferrett
Writer: Nathaniel Popkin
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Producers: Wendy Cox, Andrew Ferrett, Jonathan Kohl, Nathaniel Popkin, Eva Roben
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Composer: Daniel Slatkin
SERIES TRAILER: youtu.be/Bm3qtfVpR0I?si=r6t3Q8CdTHz0moKU
ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE HERE: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwEWxvgiPVsVD_g6JsElVoPT_HfsMvuSe&si=TKHuegmLvS5uw_vz
AWARDS:
Mid-Atlantic Emmy Best Documentary (2019)
Mid-Atlantic Emmy Best original score (2019)
Mid-Atlantic Emmy Best Audio Production (2019)
Mid-Atlantic Emmy Best photography (2019)
This multi-part documentary series spans centuries of United States history, examining politics, culture, race, labor, and civic life through ten hour-long episodes releasing throughout 2026. The series connects Philadelphia’s history to the urgent questions shaping America today, from democracy and citizenship to inequality and social change.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Andrew Ferrett and written by author Nathaniel Popkin, In Pursuit is produced by Sam Katz, recipient of the 2021 Library of Congress / Ken Burns Prize for Film.
Narrated by acclaimed actor Michael Boatman and featuring an original score by internationally recognized composer Daniel Slatkin, In Pursuit is a Philadelphia history documentary series and a definitive exploration of American democracy, past and present.
FIRST EPISODE AVAILABLE HERE: youtu.be/TdelSP7NxZA?si=WjPK15vO5YlPUaOt
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FULL EPISODE AVAILABLE HERE: youtu.be/TdelSP7NxZA?si=WjPK15vO5YlPUaOt
Attend a screening: inpursuit.tv/attend-a-screening
Episodes: inpursuit.tv/episodes
From History Making Productions: historymakingproductions.com
AWARDS
Mid-Atlantic Emmy Best Cultural Program - Special (2015, 2016)
From History Making Productions: historymakingproductions.com
AWARDS
Mid-Atlantic Regional emmy awards
Best Documentary (2018)
Best Editing (2018)
Best original music (2018)
From History Making Productions: historymakingproductions.com
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Directed by Andrew Ferrett
Written by Nathaniel Popkin
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Associate Producer: Jonathan Kohl
Co-Producers: Andrew Ferrett and Nathaniel Popkin
Segment Producer: Wendy Cox
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Original Music by Patrick De Caumette
Sound Design: Dan La Porta
Creative Director: Virginia Lasco
Narration by Michael Boatman
In 1900, Philadelphia welcomes the new century with a burst of energy. As immigrants flow in, they find a metropolis of smoke and machines making every product under the sun. But a political machine keeps thousands of children working in the factories, too. For newly arrived Europeans and Black migrants from the South, it will take genius and grit to bend the old lines of power. This episode carries the viewer on a tour de force of the booming city that launched a baseball dynasty, a skyscraper boom, and the voice of a generation.
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Directed by Andrew Ferrett
Written by Nathaniel Popkin
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Associate Producer: Jonathan Kohl
Co-Producers: Andrew Ferrett and Nathaniel Popkin
Segment Producer: Wendy Cox
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Original Music by Patrick De Caumette
Sound Design: Dan La Porta
Creative Director: Virginia Lasco
Narration by Michael Boatman
2018
History Making Productions
Philadelphia celebrates the Centennial of the USA with a spectacular World's Fair in 1876. The merchant John Wanamaker captures the spirit of the times with his grand department store. He leads the effort to build a city within the city for the Fair, including the largest building in the world. As millions flock to the Centennial, it becomes a magnet for activists. Susan B. Anthony leads a group of women who disrupt the July 4th celebration at Independence Hall to advocate for women's right to vote. Educator Caroline LeCount presses for the inclusion of Black Philadelphians in the planning process. The city bristles with ambition and aspiration, which manifest in the plans for a towering new City Hall. But as construction of City Hall drags on for decades, John Wanamaker worries that the soaring city he imagined will fall under the influence of a corrupt political machine.
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Directed by Andrew Ferrett
Written by Nathaniel Popkin
Co-Producers: Andrew Ferrett and Nathaniel Popkin
Segment Producer: Wendy Cox
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Original Music by Patrick De Caumette
Associate Producer: Jonathan Kohl
Sound Design: Dan La Porta
Creative Director: Virginia Lasco
Casting Director: Cynthia Janzen
Costume Designer: Millie Hiibel
Production Designer: Lisa Groomes
Hair & Make-Up: April Chatman-Royce
Director of Education: Amy Cohen
Audio Director: Patrick De Caumette
Colorist: David Bauer
Illustrations: Fred Danziger
Watch "Disorder (1820-1854)," the sixth installment of "Philadelphia: The Great Experiment" for free at HistoryOfPhilly.com
Directed by Andrew Ferrett
Edited by Annie Roge
The Civil War shatters neighborhood calm and brings old tensions to a boiling point. Philadelphia will be the powerhouse of the North: brimming with industrial muscle, scores of war hospitals, and thousands of troops. Citizens rally around President Lincoln's call that "all should have an equal chance." But with the war over and the President dead, the fight for equality becomes a battle in the streets - with tragic results.
History Making Productions presents
PHILADELPHIA THE GREAT EXPERIMENT
Episode 7: AN EQUAL CHANCE - 1855 - 1871
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Directed by Andrew Ferrett
Produced by Wendy Cox
Written by Nathaniel Popkin & Andrew Ferrett
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Original Music by Patrick De Caumette
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Associate Producer: Jonathan Kohl
Sound Design: Dan La Porta
Co-Producer: Kathleen Kearney
Creative Director: Virginia Lasco
Casting Director: Cynthia Jantzen
Costume Designer: Millie Hiibel
Production Designer: Lisa Groomes
Hair & Make-Up: Krystal Tini
Fight Choreographer: Ian Rose
Colorist: Charles Bouril
Illustrations: Fred Danziger
Made possible through the generous support of:
Kay & Harry Halloran
Bonnie & Peter McCausland
Lisa Kabnick & John McFadden
In 1965, youth members of Philadelphia's NAACP rallied under the leadership of Cecil B. Moore to desegregate Girard College. Originally founded in 1831 for white orphan boys, Girard College remained segregated until 1968, by which time it was enveloped in Philadelphia's fastest-growing and most thriving African American neighborhood. Fifty years later, four Freedom Fighters recount their struggle.
'Over the Wall' is the third and final installment of "Cecil's People: The Freedom Fighters". It was released on February 19th, 2016, at Cristo Rey High School in North Philadelphia, at a screening attended by the Freedom Fighters.
In the decades before the Civil War, the city we know as Philadelphia was divided into 29 independent towns and districts. With no unified police, fire, or political authority, chaos ruled the streets. Riots over slavery, jobs, and religion became the norm during the most violent period in the city's history. See the dreamers attempting to hold on to the revolutionary past, the firebrands who challenge the city to rise up against slavery, and the mobs who threaten to destroy it all. Whose Philadelphia will survive?
History Making Productions presents
"PHILADELPHIA THE GREAT EXPERIMENT"
Episode 6: "DISORDER 1820 - 1854"
Executive Producer: Sam Katz
Directed by Andrew Ferrett
Produced by Wendy Cox
Written by Nathaniel Popkin, Andrew Ferrett, and Devon McReynolds
Narrator: Michael Boatman
Director of Photography: Paul Van Haute
Music Composed by Patrick De Caumette
Editor: Rachel Sophia Stewart
Sound Design: Dan La Porta
Associate Producer: Jonathan Kohl
Co-Producer: Kathleen Kearney
Creative Director: Virginia Lasco
Casting Director: Cynthia Jantzen
Costume Designer: Millie Hiibel
Production Designer: Lisa Groomes
Hair & Make-Up: Krystal Tini
Fight Choreographer: Ian Rose
Illustrations: Fred Danziger
Made possible through the generous support of:
Kay & Harry Halloran
Bonnie & Peter McCausland
Lisa Kabnick & John McFadden
Watch more at http://www.historyofphilly.com
Philadelphia: The Great Experiment (Franklin's Spark)
How did women in colonial Philadelphia contribute to society most? Women's roles were mostly associated with the comforting domestic roles--but they also were involved in education and trade. Colonial Philadelphia thrived thanks to the help of the women who ran most day-to-day work under the guise of their husbands' ownership.
Be sure to watch more at http://www.historyofphilly.com
Don't forget to visit our website! http://www.historymakingproductions.com


