Despite the assassinations of four US presidents (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy), the in-office deaths of four (Harrison, Taylor, Harding, FDR), the wounding of two (T. Roosevelt, Reagan) and attempts on the lives of several others, before 1963, the unthinkable was unaddressed in the US Constitution. For the first two hundred years of America's democracy, it was not a foregone conclusion that the vice president would step in to replace the president in times of crisis. The office itself has been an afterthought, a punchline, and an Achilles heel for the president. But vice presidents of the United States have also acted as stabilizers, tiebreakers and architects of critical policy despite the office being described by one disgruntled VP as "not worth a bucket of warm spit." So what happens when the President of the United States can't fulfill their duties due to death, illness or incapacity? In this one-hour film, The American Vice President, we will focus in on the fraught period between 1963 and 1976 when a grief-stricken, then scandal stricken America was forced to confront the purpose of the vice president and the succession process through the evolution of the 25th amendment.
Episode Duration: 56 minutes and 46 seconds
Episode Number: 3606
Fri, Oct 4 | 9:00 P.M. | The American Vice President NH World (11.3) |
Sat, Oct 5 | 2:00 A.M. | The American Vice President NH World (11.3) |
Sat, Oct 5 | 10:00 A.M. | The American Vice President NH World (11.3) |
Sat, Oct 5 | 4:00 P.M. | The American Vice President NH World (11.3) |
As television's longest-running, most-watched history series, American Experience brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that helped form this nation.
Sat, Sep 7 | 8:00 P.M. | The Busing Battleground NH World (11.3) |
Sun, Sep 8 | 12:00 A.M. | The Busing Battleground NH World (11.3) |
Wed, Sep 11 | 2:30 P.M. | Zoot Suit Riots NH Explore (11.2) |
Wed, Sep 11 | 3:30 P.M. | Sandra Day O'connor: The First NH Explore (11.2) |
Thu, Sep 12 | 3:00 A.M. | Sandra Day O'connor: The First NH Explore (11.2) |
Wed, Sep 18 | 4:00 P.M. | Roberto Clemente NH Explore (11.2) |
Wed, Sep 18 | 7:00 P.M. | Roberto Clemente NH World (11.3) |
Thu, Sep 19 | 12:00 A.M. | Roberto Clemente NH World (11.3) |
Thu, Sep 19 | 4:00 A.M. | Roberto Clemente NH Explore (11.2) |
Thu, Sep 19 | 8:00 A.M. | Roberto Clemente NH World (11.3) |
Wed, Sep 25 | 3:00 P.M. | LBJ: Beautiful Texas NH Explore (11.2) |
Thu, Sep 26 | 3:00 A.M. | LBJ: Beautiful Texas NH Explore (11.2) |
Thu, Sep 26 | 9:00 P.M. | LBJ: Beautiful Texas NHPBS (11.1) |
Fri, Sep 27 | 1:00 A.M. | LBJ: Beautiful Texas NHPBS (11.1) |
Fri, Sep 27 | 9:00 P.M. | LBJ: Beautiful Texas NH Explore (11.2) |
Sat, Sep 28 | 1:00 A.M. | LBJ: Beautiful Texas NH Explore (11.2) |
WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham
WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton
WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene
W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover
W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg