© 2025

FCC Public Inspection Files:
· · ·
· · ·
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Access to this video is a benefit to members

“The Golden Door” (Beginnings-1938)

Season 1 Episode 1 | 2hr 08m 43s

After decades of maintaining open borders, a xenophobic backlash prompts Congress to pass its first laws restricting immigration. Meanwhile, in Germany, Hitler and the Nazis begin their persecution of Jewish people, causing many to try to flee to neighboring countries or America. Franklin Roosevelt and other world leaders are concerned by the growing refugee crisis but fail to coordinate a response.

Aired: 09/17/22 | Expires: 01/31/24
Corporate funding provided by Bank of America. Major funding provided by David M. Rubenstein; the Park Foundation; the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation; Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; and by the following members of The Better Angels Society: Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine; Jan and Rick Cohen; Allan and Shelley Holt; the Koret Foundation; David and Susan Kreisman; Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder; Blavatnik Family Foundation; Crown Family Philanthropies, honoring the Crown and Goodman Families; the Fullerton Family Charitable Fund; Dr. Georgette Bennett and Dr. Leonard Polonsky; The Russell Berrie Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; John and Catherine Debs; and Leah Joy Zell and the Joy Foundation. Funding was also provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by public television viewers.
Extras
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS.
See how secret letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots, were finally decoded.
Discover how two revolutionary ancient inventions changed the course of humanity forever.
An unprecedented discovery could reveal new information about Cleopatra’s reign.
Learn about Marlee Matlin, Oscar-winning actress and champion of the Deaf community.
Marlee Matlin refused to allow a hearing actor to play her Deaf husband in the 2021 film “CODA.”
Marlee Matlin visits the house she grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois.
Henry Winkler took Marlee Matlin in for two years while she recovered from a turbulent time.
A new generation of lions, cheetahs, and leopards comes of age in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
Follow ancient humans’ journey into an icy and perilous new land.
Latest Episodes
Los Aliados liberan los campos Alemanes y el público ve la magnitud del Holocausto.
As the Allies liberate German camps, the public sees the sheer scale of the Holocaust.
En la guerra, algunos estadounidenses ayudan a los refugiados; otros son indiferentes.
As war begins, some Americans work tirelessly to help refugees; others remain indifferent.
Una reacción xenófoba lleva al Congreso a restringir la inmigración.