The Warren Commission staff, and others trace the events leading up to that November day in Dallas, and try to explain why the investigations, media coverage and personalities associated with the tragedy remain compelling and controversial.

Involving more than 550,000 U.S. troops by the end of it, the escalation of the war in Vietnam brought social and political polarization home. It was televised so the more Americans saw of the war, the more unpopular the conflict became.

Selma, Birmingham, and the March on Washington are re-examined. Eyewitnesses to history give context to the lunch counter sit-ins, Freedom Rides, integration, and the Children's Crusade for the moral mission of the Civil Rights Movement.