Not sure how many of you have been able to this production, but I caught a few episodes on the History Channel recently: “America: The Story of Us”.  There are a few episodes available online for viewing.  It's very well put together, not the least of which is the most realistic re-enactments I have seen on a historical documentary.  It also includes impressive maps and diagrams (such as how a minie ball would travel through a soldier's chest during the Civil War), and spliced into all of this are videobytes of contemporary historians and other recognizable figures who comment on historical issues.  This latter part must be the weakest thing about the series, given that some of these people have absolutely no historical expertise (to my knowledge).  Brian Williams?  Michael Strahan?  Melissa Etheridge?  The documentary includes their comments.  Anyway, I suggest watching this.