The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross chronicles the full sweep of the African-American experience, from the origins of the transatlantic slave trade to the reelection and second inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. recounts the full trajectory of African-American history in his groundbreaking new six-part series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Written and presented by Professor Gates, the six-hour series explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed — forging their own history, culture, and society against unimaginable odds. Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present — when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race.

Series details

• Title: The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Genres: History
• Premiere date: 2013-10-22
• Final broadcast date listed: 2013-11-26
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: PBS
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 60 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 26368
• IMDb ID: tt3281646
• TVDB ID: 274841

Cast and credited roles

• Henry Louis Gates Jr. — Host

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2013-10-22; final listed air date 2013-11-26; episode order: 6.

Source and licence

Adapted from The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.