10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America

Fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, the Battle of Antietam (Battle of Sharpsburg to Southerners) was the first major battle of the American Civil War to take place in the north. The battle would leave more than 23,000 soldiers dead, its carnage impossible to visualize. The victory of the north gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation, bringing an end to slavery in America.

On May 26, 1637, English settlers and their Indian allies attacked Mystic Fort, home of the Pequot Indians, in Mystic Connecticut would change the relationship between the colonists and Indians forever. Several hundred Pequot Indians would be massacred in this battle, and those who tried to flee were either killed or sold into slavery afterwards. This single battle severely decimated the Pequot Indian tribe. Over the years, the tribe living on their reservation had diminished to merely three people. They would go on to take on the American government, getting land and federal recognition. Their tribe has been able to make a resurgence thanks to the controversial construction of a bingo hall and eventually a casino in the northeast.

Albert Einstein's letter to FDR urged the development of an unthinkably powerful new weapon. The result, known as the Manhattan Project, brought government and science together to build a bomb that would change the world forever. Directed by Emmy, Peabody, and duPont winner Barak Goodman, and narrated by Campbell Scott. Produced by Ark Media

Set against the backdrop of the 1901 World's Fair and the dawning of the new century, the assassination of President William McKinley ushered in a new Progressive Era under the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. directed by Emmy, Peabody, DGA, Sundance, and Independent Spirit Award winner Joe Berlinger and narrated by Terry Kinney. Produced by @radical.media

Elvis Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, signified a whole new culture that involved teenage independence, sexuality, race relations and a new form of music. Directed by Emmy, Peabody, Sundance, and Independent Spirit Award winner Bruce Sinofsky. Produced by @radical.media

On January 24, 1848, a carpenter named James Marshall discovered gold in a California river, assuring in the famous gold rush, which would propel the creation of the state of California seemingly overnight, fuel vast industrial growth, and make America a world economic power. While gold had been discovered elsewhere, by the Egyptians, Hittites, Romans, Greeks, Babylonians, there had never been a gold rush. There had always been an emperor, king, pharaoh, or czar who could keep people away from the vast riches.

July 21, 1925 marked the start of the Scopes Monkey Trial. At issue was the Butler Act, which had been passed a few months earlier by the Tennessee General Assembly. The law said "... that it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals".The debate of evolution and divine creation is one that continues to this very day, and this trial is often referenced to.

Harsh working conditions at Carnegie's Homestead steel mill led to a union strike. The battle between management and labor signaled an end to workers believing they had an ownership stake in their jobs, and widened the divide between the two sides. Directed by Emmy Sundance, and Independent Spirit Award winner Rory Kennedy and narrated by Martin Sheen. Produced by Moxie Firecracker Films

In 1964, national attention turned to Mississippi when three Civil Rights workers (two white and one black) were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. This watershed moment eventually led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Directed by Peabody and duPont winner Marco Williams, and narrated by Joe Morton. Produced by Two Tone Productions

A violent protest against debt collection and taxation practices motivated George Washington to come out of retirement to help strengthen the fragile new nation. This was the spark that led to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Directed by Emmy winner R.J. Cutler with Hector Elizondo, and animation by Bill Plympton. Produced by Actual Reality Pictures.