So I watch a TON of documentaries. Movie, series, mini-series, or one off, it doesn’t matter as long as it is almost entertaining. With that all said, it should come as no surprise that I was excited to watch the mini-series, “America: The Story of Us” on the history channel (new episodes air Wednesday, Sunday on the History Channel at 8pm est.)

The excitment died after about twenty five minutes of the show. I have to say that I find this show absolutely discusting. So far, in the 4 episodes I have watch, I have been floored by how much they are sweeping under the rug. There has been VERY little mentioned about the injustices suffered by the Native Americans and the African Americans at the hands of the European Americans.

Very often, the horrid treatment of those two groups are justified, as in the case of the Pilgrims slaughtering a whole camp of Natives, and the statements about the horrors of slavery are barely mentioned, much less is the origins of this horrible practice discussed.

I know, I know, these subjects have been covered ad nauseam, but they deserve to be talked about again. Hell, the trail of tears is give only a few moments of screen time, and that was an event that killed thousands of the Cherokee people.

This white washing of our history is not th only problem I have with this show, I REALLY want to know when Michael Strahan, and Sheryl Crow became experts in American history. I mean come on History Channel, do you really think that having them in this show adds a level of street cred? Heck, I know a little bit about history, and I can read prepared statements, why don’t you get me to say some stuff so you can get an everyman perspective.

Now I don’t like to be one-sided, and there is some interesting things in this series.  When ever they start talking about how new technologies changes everything, the show hits it stride, and I have to admit, I was riveted by the segment on the creation of barbed wire, and how it changed the west.

So now we are at the point where I need to sum up this post, and I don’t exactly know how to do it with any grace, so I will just get right to it, this series has very real problems, and it ignores or tragic history with race, one of the most important problems or country has had to deal with, but all of that acknowledged, I am sure that I will end up watching all of the series, but as I said at the beginning, I watch a lot of these types of shows.