In a series of fascinating interviews, today’s best and brightest historians weigh in on the crucial moments in American history.

American Heritage’s Great Minds of American History takes you to critical moments in American history, imbuing the past with an immediacy that goes well beyond the scope of formal histories. Roger Mudd’s highly knowledgable questions illuminate five truly first-rate minds:

In World War II and the Post-War Era, Stephen Ambrose‚Äîthe biographer of Eisenhower and Nixon, bestselling author of Citizen Soldiers and Undaunted Courage, and adviser to Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan‚Äîoffers his expert insight into war and its aftermath.

In The American Revolution, Gordon Wood, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Radicalism of the American Revolution and renowned expert on the colonial era, brings to life the birth of the first modern democracy.

In America’s Forgotten Era: 1865-1914, David McCullough‚Äîacclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize‚Äìwinning author of Truman‚Äîoffers his stunning perspective on the dawn of The American Century.

In The American West, Richard White, MacArthur Genius Award winner and author of groundbreaking books on the American West, offers his challenging views on the winning and the losing of the West.

In The Civil War, James McPherson‚ÄîPulitzer Prize‚Äìwinning author of Battle Cry Of Freedom, and one of the foremost experts on the Civil War‚Äîoffers his compelling insight into our nation’s darkest and bloodiest hour.