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Finding Your Roots

We Come from People

Season 2 Episode 6 | 53m 01s

Trace three guests’ roots into the heart of slavery, revealing that there is no singular narrative and challenging preconceptions of an era that shaped our nation’s sense of itself. Nas discovers a web of his slave ancestors' intimate relationship with their slave master; Angela Bassett meets ancestors whose slave family tragedy is rivaled only by a triumphant emancipation story

Aired: 10/27/14
Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Candace King Weir; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.
Extras
Watch • 0:20
The American Revolution
'We Would Not Have Had a Country Without Him'
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Preview: 0:20
Watch • 0:43
The American Revolution
The First Shot
A single shot echoes on Lexington Green, and the American Revolution begins.
Clip: 0:43
Watch • 3:37
The American Revolution
Inside Look | People Just Like Us
The filmmakers on how understanding the people of the Revolution can help us understand who we are.
Clip: 3:37
Watch • 10:33
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Voices of the Revolution
Filmmakers discuss how they used stories of both well-known and lesser known figures.
Clip: 10:33
Watch • 3:57
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Finding Facts
The filmmakers discuss how the story of The American Revolution came together.
Clip: 3:57
Watch • 6:29
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Making the Revolution
The filmmakers discuss how they crafted imagery to help tell the story of the American Revolution.
Clip: 6:29
Watch • 0:30
The American Revolution
'We Are in the Very Midst of a Revolution'
John Adams, read by Paul Giamatti. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Preview: 0:30
Watch • 0:50
The American Revolution
From A Small Spark
A spark ignites—quiet, unstoppable. What follows changes everything.
Clip: 0:50
Watch • 5:13
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Sounds of the Revolution
The filmmakers on how they tapped a broad range of influences to recreate the music of the era.
Clip: 5:13
Watch • 0:33
The American Revolution
Saratoga: A Psychological Turning Point
Historian Stephen Conway on the psychological impact of Saratoga on the British.
Clip: 0:33
Latest Episodes
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  • Finding Your Roots Season 11
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  • Finding Your Roots Season 9
  • Finding Your Roots Season 8
  • Finding Your Roots Season 7
  • Finding Your Roots Season 6
  • Finding Your Roots Season 5
  • Finding Your Roots Season 4
  • Finding Your Roots Season 3
  • Finding Your Roots Season 2
  • Finding Your Roots Season 1
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Finding Your Roots
Finding My Roots
Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Episode: S11 E10 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
Moving On Up
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph & historian Lonnie Bunch.
Episode: S11 E9 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
The Butterfly Effect
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of actors Debra Messing & Melanie Lynskey.
Episode: S11 E8 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
The Ties That Bind
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of married actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.
Episode: S11 E7 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
Latin Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets musician Rubén Blades & journalist Natalie Morales.
Episode: S11 E6 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
Family Recipes
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry of notable chefs José Andrés & Sean Sherman.
Episode: S11 E5 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
Dreamers One And All
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the ancestry of actor Sharon Stone & model Chrissy Teigen.
Episode: S11 E4 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
Stranger Than Fiction
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.
Episode: S11 E3 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
La Famiglia
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Italian roots of Joy Behar & Michael Imperioli.
Episode: S11 E2 | 52:10
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Finding Your Roots
Larger Than Life
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. connects Lea Salonga & Amanda Seyfried to their dramatic ancestors.
Episode: S11 E1 | 52:10