8.4/1032 votes#1 - The Ancestors: Early Cultures of North America
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/20/1995
This volume takes a look at the massacre of the Sioux at Wounded Knee then flashes back to examine societies of Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1024 votes
#2 - Mexico: The Rise and Fall of the Aztecs
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/20/1995
The rise and fall of the Aztec Empire is examined from their defeat of the Toltec regime to Cortez's ultimate conquest of the Aztecs and all of Mexico.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1014 votes
#3 - Clash of Cultures: The People Who Met Columbus
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/21/1995
Columbus' arrival and the subsequent defeat of the Caribbean tribes are chronicled, along with De Soto's destruction of the Southeast tribes such as the Coosa and the Mobile nation.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1019 votes
#4 - Invasion Of The Coast: The First English Settlements
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/21/1995
An examination of the Native Americans of New England and their experiences with the British who settled at Jamestown and Plymouth. Includes background to the first Thanksgiving.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1019 votes
#5 - Cauldron Of War: Iroquois Democracy And The American Revolution
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 4/27/1995
Hostilities between Native Americans and European settlers erupt across the eastern part of the continent as the colonists prepare for revolution. Pontiac's siege of Detroit and the splintering of the Iroqois Confederacy are examined.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1018 votes
#6 - Removal: War And Exile In The East
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 4/27/1995
After Tecumseh's Shawnee people side with the British in the War of 1812, President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, forcing all tribes to move into "Indian Territory," along the famed trail of tears.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1019 votes
#7 - Roads Across The Plains: Struggle For The West
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 4/28/1995
The twin gold rushes in California and Colorado bring hordes of settlers into the Western Territories where such Native American leaders as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the Kiowa chief Satanta organize futile resistance.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.6/1018 votes
#8 - Attack On Culture: 'I Will Fight No More Forever'
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 4/28/1995
The Indian resistance of the late 19th-century is examined, including Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, the Apache leader Cochise and Geronimo, who surrenders and is imprisoned into the 20th-century. The government-mandated suppression of Native American culture culminates in the massacre at Wounded Knee, bringing the series full circle.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of 500 Nations Season 1
Every episode of 500 Nations Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of 500 Nations Season 1!
500 Nations is an eight-part documentary on the Native Americans of North and Central America. It documents from pre-Columbian to the end of the 19th...
Genre:Documentary
Network:CBS
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Ancestors: Early Cultures of North America" is the best rated episode of "500 Nations" season 1. It scored 8.4/10 based on 32 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 4/20/1995. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Mexico: The Rise and Fall of the Aztecs".