America’s First River, Bill Moyers on the Hudson

Hudson_smA waterway of ethereal beauty and vast commercial utility, the Hudson River has been both a precious medium for communing with nature and a convenient sewer for industrial waste. Over the course of this captivating two-part series, Bill Moyers explores the dramatic history, complex ecology, profound natural beauty and far-reaching legacy of the Hudson, a powerful symbol of the nation’s conflict between its deep love of nature and its relentless desire for development. This series includes archival film, photos, paintings, engravings, journal entries, book excerpts and breathtaking location footage illustrate the many faces of the Hudson while historians, environmentalists, and others explain how colliding agendas have combined to shape the story of America’s first river. (2002)

WATCH THE FULL SERIES

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING

  • Stories From the Hudson
    April 23, 2002 | America’s First River, Bill Moyers on the Hudson
    Bill Moyers examines both the beauty that attracted the Hudson River school painters and the potential that lured early industrialists to the mighty Hudson River.
  • The Fight to Save the Hudson River
    April 24, 2002
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    As Bill Moyers says, "Progress brought pollution to paradise -- and almost overwhelmed it." Bill explores the dramatic history, complex ecology and profound natural beauty of the Hudson River.