0:00:02 > 0:00:06I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America...
0:00:08 > 0:00:10..with a new travelling companion.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Published in 1879, my Appletons' General Guide
0:00:16 > 0:00:20will steer me to everything that's novel...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23beautiful...memorable
0:00:23 > 0:00:26or curious in the United States.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28- ALL:- Amen.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33As I cross the continent I'll discover America's gilded age,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37when powerful tycoons launched a railway boom
0:00:37 > 0:00:40that tied the nation together
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and carved out its future as a superpower.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14At the time of my Appletons',
0:01:14 > 0:01:18travellers arriving in the United States encountered a nation
0:01:18 > 0:01:21where industry was beginning to boom
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and people were being drawn to the cities.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Huge changes were afoot in American society,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and the divisions, which had lately erupted in a civil war,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35were never far from the surface.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40I'm embarking on a new railroad journey,
0:01:40 > 0:01:46heading south from the city in which the United States has its origin.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49In Philadelphia, where my journey begins,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52American revolutionaries declared independence
0:01:52 > 0:01:57and the principle of government by consent.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Yet by the time my Appletons' Guide was published
0:01:59 > 0:02:01just over a century later,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03thousands of Americans had been killed
0:02:03 > 0:02:09in a mechanised civil war, in which railways played an important part.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13I hope that my journey passing through the nation's capital
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and the greatest battlefield of that civil war
0:02:16 > 0:02:20will help me to understand the price that the United States paid
0:02:20 > 0:02:24for the contradiction rooted in their foundation.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28That the land of the free, was the home of the slave.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34On this journey, I begin in the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I continue through the American Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43before turning south to Baltimore in Maryland.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49I take in the nation's capital - Washington DC -
0:02:49 > 0:02:53continue to Richmond, Virginia, and end in Jamestown,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57the first permanent English colonial settlement.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02On this leg, I explore Philadelphia.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05I make an excursion to Atlantic City.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Then strike west to Lancaster and the lush landscape
0:03:08 > 0:03:11which is home to the Pennsylvania Dutch.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15In Strasburg, I discover Train Town USA.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I'll finish in Gettysburg.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26'In Philadelphia I discover how the city flexed its financial muscle...'
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Philadelphia in the 19th century
0:03:28 > 0:03:33was the manufacturing heart of the United States.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35'..taste an American institution...'
0:03:35 > 0:03:38I think I should have had it with the molten cheese, but,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41to tell you the truth, Cheez Whizz just put me off.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42'I unleash my inner demon.'
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Argh!
0:03:47 > 0:03:50And fulfil a long-held dream.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54A memorable moment for me, my first trip on the footplate
0:03:54 > 0:03:57of an American steam locomotive.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00TRAIN WHISTLES
0:04:15 > 0:04:17I've arrived in Philadelphia,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20which, according to Appletons', was founded by William Penn,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23who came over from England in 1682,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27accompanied by a colony of Quakers.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30It then became the largest city in the United States -
0:04:30 > 0:04:33the capital of the nation.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35And its railway station received
0:04:35 > 0:04:38lines from east and west and north and south.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51A 20-minute walk from 30th Street Station
0:04:51 > 0:04:53brings me to City Hall,
0:04:53 > 0:05:01which opened in 1901, and until 1908 was the world's tallest structure.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06On the top, a magnificent 27-tonne statue of William Penn
0:05:06 > 0:05:08proudly surveys his city.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17A wonderful view.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18Philadelphia laid at my feet.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Shan Holt, a historian at Penn State University,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30is going to be my guide to the city from this rooftop eyrie.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31- Hello, Shan.- Hello, Michael.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Good morning. Welcome to Philadelphia.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Thank you very much.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37And thank you for meeting in such a spectacular place.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38Well, you're welcome.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Tell me about William Penn.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43He was an extraordinary product of the 17th century.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47He was an aristocrat who turned his back on his background
0:05:47 > 0:05:48and became a Quaker,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51broke with his father, went to jail...
0:05:51 > 0:05:52According to Appletons',
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Penn arrives here with a colony of Quakers.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58What was the character of what they founded here?
0:05:58 > 0:06:03Penn was looking to found a colony dedicated to religious liberty.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07He wanted a place for Quakers to safely practice their religion,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09because they couldn't do that in the old country.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14So he chose a plot of land on the Delaware River because,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18of course, trade and commerce was all water-based in the 17th century.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So if you were near the river, you could be prosperous.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26William Penn made a treaty with Native Americans,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and true to his Quaker beliefs named his city after
0:06:30 > 0:06:34the Greek words for love - philos - and brother - adelphos.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Philadelphia - the City of Brotherly Love.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Philadelphia in the 19th century was
0:06:41 > 0:06:45the manufacturing heart of the United States.
0:06:45 > 0:06:51Steel, railroads, textiles, leather, transportation all centred here.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I'm very interested in railways,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and I assume that they played a big part in the development of the city?
0:06:56 > 0:07:00The Pennsylvania Railroad, which was founded here and headquartered here,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03was the largest railroad in America right into the 20th century.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Pennsylvania Station in New York, Pennsylvania Station in Baltimore
0:07:06 > 0:07:08all named for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Wow. Thank you, Shan. This has been a wonderful place
0:07:11 > 0:07:13to understand Philadelphia's towering ambition.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Philadelphia's ambition was on full display
0:07:21 > 0:07:24in the Centennial Exhibition.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27It was held in 1876 in Fairmount Park,
0:07:27 > 0:07:32which Appletons' tells me is the largest city park in the world.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38The exhibition celebrated 100 years of the United States
0:07:38 > 0:07:40and its growing industrial might.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It attracted around ten million visitors,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45with railroads bringing crowds
0:07:45 > 0:07:47from across the country and the world.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Today the only building remaining is Memorial Hall.
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Appletons' tells me that this
0:07:59 > 0:08:04trade fair was based on the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07But I'm thinking that just one of these exhibition halls
0:08:07 > 0:08:10would have been bigger than the Crystal Palace.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12And here were shown innovations.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, the typewriter.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Inventions that would transform our lives.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24And Philadelphia showed to the world that, for all its brotherly love,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27it was fearfully competitive.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Walking back into downtown Philadelphia, one building
0:08:33 > 0:08:37is distinguished, not by its size,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39but by its momentous history.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Independence Hall, says Appletons',
0:08:43 > 0:08:46is the most interesting object in Philadelphia.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49"Here, on July 4th, 1776,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54"the Declaration of Independence was adopted and publicly proclaimed."
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Imagine a crowd of 2,000 people hearing those words,
0:08:59 > 0:09:04in prose that was as elegant as it has been enduring,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06announcing a new relationship
0:09:06 > 0:09:09between the people and their government.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19In the Pennsylvania State House, the Founding Fathers declared
0:09:19 > 0:09:24independence, and asserted that all men are created equal
0:09:24 > 0:09:28and entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30And that, more than that, if a government failed to
0:09:30 > 0:09:37guarantee those benefits, men were entitled to reform it or abolish it.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39There are more than 100 democracies in the world today
0:09:39 > 0:09:46that more or less pay tribute to those then-original principles.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51This bell already hung in the Pennsylvania State House,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and it bore the Biblical inscription,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56"Proclaim liberty throughout the land."
0:09:56 > 0:10:00But at the time of the formation of the United States, declaring that
0:10:00 > 0:10:03all men had been created equal,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05there were millions of slaves.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09And in the 19th century, this bell became the symbol of those
0:10:09 > 0:10:11who would abolish slavery.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Philadelphia is also known as the City of Neighbourhoods.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Philadelphians are proud of their city,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27but they hold a special affection for their own district.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32A half-hour stroll south from Independence Hall
0:10:32 > 0:10:37takes me to South Philadelphia, and Pat's King of Steaks -
0:10:37 > 0:10:38home of the Philly cheesesteak.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46This is very intimidating. It says, "How to order a steak."
0:10:46 > 0:10:48And it says, "If you make a mistake,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51"just go to the back of the line and start over."
0:10:51 > 0:10:55But it also says, "Practise the above while waiting in line."
0:10:55 > 0:11:00So I've got to specify whether it's with, or as they say here, wit,
0:11:00 > 0:11:01onions or without onions.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04And then I have a choice of things here.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06I think I've got it, I think I've got it. OK.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- Can I help you?- I want a steak wit American cheese, please.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- American with onions?- Wit, wit.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- What did you think of my ordering? Was it OK?- That was great.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- American wit.- American wit, American wit.- I understood it.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25- How much is that, sir? - 10.- Oh, wow.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28That's more than I've got, I think. Hang on.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I was told to have my money ready. This is very terrifying now.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- That's why we put the sign up there. - There we go, sir.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So why is this so famous in Philadelphia, this cheesesteak?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39We're the inventor of the steak sandwich.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- What, this very shop? This very place?- Yes, it is.- How long has it been going, then?- Since 1930.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45And you've sold a few in that time, have you?
0:11:45 > 0:11:47A few. More than a few.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- OK, great. Thank you very much. - You got it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Hi, there. Do you mind if I join you a second?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- Go ahead.- Oh, thank you.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Are you a great connoisseur of cheesesteaks?
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- Do you eat cheesesteaks a lot? - Um...coming to Philly I do.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Are you from outside Philly?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I am. I just moved to North Jersey, and then drove all the way
0:12:07 > 0:12:10from North Jersey here to have a cheesesteak.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11That is amazing.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- And is it as good as you thought? - It is, it's perfect.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16How did you order yours? What did you have in yours?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- OK, so, I got the cheesesteak with Whiz.- That's molten cheese.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21I didn't even know what Whiz was.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23And then I was like, "Oh, cheese Whiz."
0:12:23 > 0:12:24What did you get in yours?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I've got American cheese and it's "wit" onions.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- That's pretty good, isn't it? - It's amazing.- A tasty steak.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I think I should have had it with the molten cheese,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38but, to tell you the truth, Cheez Whiz just put me off.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Well, thank you very much. It's been a real joy sharing lunch with you.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43- Yeah, definitely. - Bye-bye. Take care.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Take care. Have a good one.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52The food in the United States is so gargantuan that I feel
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I need to take a run to keep fit.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56And I'm inspired to do so
0:12:56 > 0:13:02by Philadelphia's greatest fictional hero - Rocky Balboa.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06But in order to get myself going, I need his theme music.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09MUSIC: Theme from Rocky
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Go, Rocky!
0:13:22 > 0:13:23Rocky!
0:14:08 > 0:14:12My next stop is the University of Pennsylvania,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14which Appletons' tells me occupies,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17"Spacious and substantial stone buildings
0:14:17 > 0:14:20"at 36th and Locust Streets."
0:14:22 > 0:14:25The university grew out of a school established
0:14:25 > 0:14:28in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin -
0:14:28 > 0:14:31a Founding Father of the nation.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34It's one of the elite group of eight Ivy League colleges,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38which includes Harvard and Yale.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41The spacious and substantial buildings mentioned
0:14:41 > 0:14:42in Appletons' are still here,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and they create a sense of heritage and of history,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and they seem to exude an excellence.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And these pathways provide a wonderful meeting place
0:14:52 > 0:14:55for students - a real sense of community.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Oh, to be young again!
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Penn's American football tradition
0:15:08 > 0:15:11is amongst the oldest in the country.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14They've played over 1,350 games -
0:15:14 > 0:15:16more than any other college team.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Their stadium, Franklin Field, opened in 1895,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25making it the nation's most historic college football venue.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33This football field has a capacity of more than 50,000 spectators,
0:15:33 > 0:15:38which makes it bigger than the average English Premier League football club.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43And you have to remember that this is just the college game!
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I've agreed to a crash course in American football.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58And I'm entering the Franklin Field locker room with trepidation.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I'm now going to get myself into the famously fearsome
0:16:04 > 0:16:06American football kit.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09This should provide some useful protection.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17HE GROWLS
0:16:17 > 0:16:21To help me get to grips with the on-pitch complexities,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I'm meeting Ray Priore, head coach of the Penn football team.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Good to see you, Coach. - Nice to meet you.- How are you?
0:16:27 > 0:16:31I'm just thinking, I don't really understand the rules of football,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34but does it derive from British rugby?
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Definitely from British rugby.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38A very physical game, where there's tackling.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40And I believe in English rugby
0:16:40 > 0:16:43the passes can go only backwards, where in American football
0:16:43 > 0:16:45you're allowed to throw the ball down the playing field.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47In the late 19th century,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50American universities adapted the game of rugby.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Their changes to the rules included
0:16:52 > 0:16:55reducing the size of the team and the pitch,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and introducing limited attempts
0:16:57 > 0:17:01to travel ten yards towards the goal line, known as downs.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06The game is measured by getting what is called a first down.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09We have four opportunities to gain ten yards,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and then really on the third opportunity,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14when it turns to the fourth, you have the chance to go for
0:17:14 > 0:17:16what's called a first down,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19or punt the ball to the opposition.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20So then they have the ball
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and they have the ability to try to score on you.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25OK, OK. I think I follow that.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26Now, listen, Coach.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I'm a little bit self-conscious today.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30It's the first time I've had pads on.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31I'm anxious to blend in.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- How do you think I'm doing? - I think you look pretty good.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Why don't you try putting the helmet on?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38I have a feeling I'm going to need this.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40There you go, that looks good.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Nice and snug.
0:17:41 > 0:17:425-7, let's see the grunt!
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!
0:17:45 > 0:17:47- Hello.- Hi.- What are we doing here?
0:17:47 > 0:17:51The only objective is to punch this as hard as you can, OK?
0:17:51 > 0:17:54And when you hit it I want a nice grunt.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Let me hear your grunt now. - HE GRUNTS
0:17:56 > 0:17:57No, no, no. Louder.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- HE GRUNTS LOUDER - There we go, there we go.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01- I'm going to hit it with my body? - No, no, no.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04You're going to hit it with your hands and your helmet.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Let's practise the grunt again. Let me hear it.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- HE GRUNTS - There it is! Go!
0:18:08 > 0:18:11HE ROARS
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Close, close. OK, easy, easy.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16OK. All right, all right.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Now I need a little more oomph today.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Let me hear your grunt.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22HE GRUNTS
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Ah!
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Good job, good job. Good job, good job.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- My man. Good job, good job. - Good coaching, man.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- No problem, no problem. - Good coaching.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42- It's not quite soccer.- It isn't.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45I don't usually feel this dizzy after soccer.
0:18:45 > 0:18:46Am I ready for the big match?
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- Uh, you know... - MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- You've got a little work to do.- OK.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53THEY BOTH GRUNT
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Get down!
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Well, that wasn't quite as embarrassing as I'd feared.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Time to rest my aching limbs before continuing my journey tomorrow.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22It's a new day, and I'm in search of sustenance, American-style.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Breakfast is a big deal in the United States.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And some of what's on the menu is familiar to Europeans -
0:19:33 > 0:19:35eggs and bacon and so on.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39But what about this one? Peanut butter and jelly French toast.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Weird.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47There's just me, you know.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49- It's big, but it's delicious. - It's big.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50SHE CHUCKLES
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Thank you, thank you very much. - Enjoy.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55So, um... It's arrived with lots of things that weren't advertised,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58like whipped cream and peach.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And actually I'm...so put off by the quantity, there's just
0:20:01 > 0:20:03far too much. But anyway, I'll...
0:20:03 > 0:20:05have a go at this.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09We'll add a little...banana, there's peanut butter there...
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Here comes the jelly.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16We will add a little whipped cream, so many calories.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21It is delicious. Delicious.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Today I'm taking the subway from Race-Vine to Fairmount Station
0:20:32 > 0:20:35to visit an innovative building.
0:20:37 > 0:20:392 and a quarter.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Thank you.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52New thinking in the New World made Europe take notice.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Up to the 19th century, most prisons were no more
0:20:55 > 0:20:59than crowded and violent holding cells.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03In 1787, a group of largely Quaker reformers, calling itself
0:21:03 > 0:21:10The Philadelphia Society For Alleviating The Miseries Of Public Prisons,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12proposed a radical idea.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17"The Eastern Penitentiary," says Appletons',
0:21:17 > 0:21:21"resembles a baronial castle." And so it does.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25"The separate, not solitary, system is adopted here.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27"Each prisoner is furnished with work,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31"and is allowed to converse with the chaplain and prison officials,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34"but not with any of his fellow prisoners."
0:21:34 > 0:21:37An interesting experiment in prison reform.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38I wonder whether it worked.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44The society lobbied Pennsylvania to adopt its suggestions.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And 30 years later the effort paid off.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51The Eastern State Penitentiary opened in 1829.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57The prison had seven wings with individual cells.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00It had running water and central heating,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04at a time when the White House had neither.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06In the century after it was built,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10more than 300 prisons across the world copied its novel design.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14The way the prison was run was also radical.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Sean Kelley, the senior vice president of the Penitentiary Museum,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21is meeting me to explain more.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Sean, my Appletons' tells me
0:22:26 > 0:22:30that here in the prison they adopted the separate, not solitary, system.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31What was that?
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The system was inspired by the Quaker belief in the inner light -
0:22:34 > 0:22:35the sense that all people are good.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And so they believed that
0:22:37 > 0:22:40if they kept people in separation, they would spend that time
0:22:40 > 0:22:43looking into their hearts, and eventually all people would make
0:22:43 > 0:22:48the correct moral decision to behave themselves, to fit into society.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52When the prisoners came out of their cells, didn't they see other prisoners then?
0:22:52 > 0:22:53They covered their heads with hoods.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57They would never see another inmate, they would rarely see other staff members.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59They had no books, only the Bible.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02But no letters from home, no visitation.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06I can see that this system was based on an intellectual idea -
0:23:06 > 0:23:07rationalism.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10But did it have its opponents and critics in its day?
0:23:10 > 0:23:12The most notable critic was Charles Dickens.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16And he visited the building in 1842, and he went back to England.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19He wrote his book American Notes about his experience
0:23:19 > 0:23:22in the United States, and he devoted a full chapter to this building.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25He acknowledged that the people who built this prison
0:23:25 > 0:23:27had the best of intentions, but he went on to say
0:23:27 > 0:23:30he thought they had no idea what they were doing.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34He wrote, "I hold the slow and daily tampering with the mysteries
0:23:34 > 0:23:39"of the brain to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body."
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Do we have any idea whether it was
0:23:41 > 0:23:43actually successful in rehabilitating prisoners?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46It's really hard to know.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49But a psychiatrist or psychologist today will tell you
0:23:49 > 0:23:51that prolonged isolation is in fact destructive.
0:24:02 > 0:24:08Finally, in 1913, the separate system was abandoned.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11By then, the world knew it as the Pennsylvania System,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and its legacy was long-lasting.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18In some European and Asian countries, reform didn't come
0:24:18 > 0:24:20until after the Second World War.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I have been in cells that were smaller than this,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31but in the Eastern Penitentiary the punishment was lack of society.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35I'm a gregarious person.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38To me, not to be able to speak to other people,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40that would be the worst punishment.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44And I don't believe that it would lead me to sit here in silence,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47reflecting on the errors of my ways,
0:24:47 > 0:24:53but rather maybe to plan vengeance on a system that had used me so ill.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06With my thoughts full of crime, punishment and redemption,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I head east, out of Philadelphia,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13on an excursion recommended by my Appletons' -
0:25:13 > 0:25:16across the New Jersey state border to Atlantic City.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22This city is built on a sand barrier island,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24just off the New Jersey coast.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29It was first linked to the mainland by rail in 1854.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34"Atlantic City," says Appletons',
0:25:34 > 0:25:37"is a favourite resort of the citizens of Philadelphia,
0:25:37 > 0:25:42"and draws thousands of visitors from all parts of the country.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45"The regular bathing hour is 11 o'clock,
0:25:45 > 0:25:51"but gentlemen are allowed to bathe without costume before 6am."
0:25:51 > 0:25:52I don't know about you,
0:25:52 > 0:25:57but I'm not attracted to nude bathing on a rainy day like this.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05I'm meeting Heather Perez -
0:26:05 > 0:26:08archivist from the Atlantic City Free Public Library -
0:26:08 > 0:26:14to learn how the city and its famous boardwalk became a tourist hot spot.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16- Welcome to Atlantic City.- Thank you.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18It's lovely to be here, even on a rainy day.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21What were the origins of Atlantic City as a resort?
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Well, in 1854 Dr Pitney got the idea
0:26:24 > 0:26:26of making Atlantic City a health resort.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27So those tourists would come over
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and enjoy the health benefits of the ocean air and the sea.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33And so he got together with some of his buddies in Philadelphia
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and they incorporated the Atlantic City Railroad System, which brought
0:26:37 > 0:26:40the railroads into Atlantic City, and consequently, all the traffic.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43And apparently, according to my Appletons' Guide,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47by the 1870s it's really successful, bringing visitors,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50not only from Philadelphia, but from all over the country.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52That's true. Certainly.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Thousands upon thousands of people came
0:26:54 > 0:26:56to Atlantic City during its heyday.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57The boardwalk is very famous.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58When did that originate?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01The boardwalk came into being in 1870.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02The hotel owners were upset
0:27:02 > 0:27:05because all these women in their long gowns would track that sand
0:27:05 > 0:27:08on into their lobbies, and they were tired of sweeping it up.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10So they got together and came up with this idea of laying boards
0:27:10 > 0:27:13on the sand for the ladies to promenade on.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The boardwalk became a permanent fixture,
0:27:19 > 0:27:24but the advent of the jet age saw the crowds dwindle.
0:27:24 > 0:27:30To reverse the decline, the city legalised gambling in 1976.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Today it's the casino capital of the East Coast.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38This place is on a dizzying scale.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42You can scarcely see one end of the room to the other.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44In the centre here we've got the blackjack,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47we've got the craps, we've got the roulette.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Every conceivable way of getting people to gamble their money.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Hello. Do you mind if I chat to you for a moment?
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Go ahead, chat away.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01Do you do this very much?
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- Two or three times a week.- Really?
0:28:03 > 0:28:06These things are programmed so that you lose.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- So presumably you lose more than you win?- Absolutely.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11MICHAEL LAUGHS But you still do it?
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Sometimes you can do pretty good,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15even at 40 cents, if you get the right hit.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16You never know.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- I wish you the right hit. Bye-bye.- Thank you.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23- May I interrupt you two just a second?- Sure.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26How's it gone this afternoon? How you doing?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Well, I'm hoping to get a ten here,
0:28:28 > 0:28:29- and I got a ten.- Oh!
0:28:29 > 0:28:31- Oh, my God!- 21.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33- You must be good luck.- 21.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I'm bringing you good luck. I think I should stay.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Absolutely, you totally are. I think you should stay as well.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- But actually, I have to go. It was nice to meet you.- Oh, right.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44- Good luck to you both.- Thank you. - Bye-bye.- Thank you very much.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Personally, I'm more attracted to bed than to the card tables.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11This morning, I'm heading west through the green and pleasant
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Pennsylvania landscape.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17According to Appletons' - I'm passing through,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20"One of the richest agricultural districts in America.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22"Which will be apt to remind the tourist
0:29:22 > 0:29:25"of the best farming districts of England."
0:29:26 > 0:29:30I think I'll discover that one part of the Pennsylvania countryside
0:29:30 > 0:29:33had a decisive influence on American history.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36It was a field of battle, not of crops.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42I'm making for Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45in the heart of Amish country.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48From there, I'll head south to ride America's oldest
0:29:48 > 0:29:50short-line railroad in Strasburg.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55I'll discover the sweetest town on earth
0:29:55 > 0:29:58and finish my journey on the battlefield of Gettysburg.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Describing a part of Pennsylvania, Appletons' tells me that
0:30:12 > 0:30:16"the inhabitants of this district are chiefly of German origin
0:30:16 > 0:30:20"and a dialect of German, known as Pennsylvania Dutch,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23"prevails extensively among them."
0:30:23 > 0:30:27I'm hoping to see the diversity of the United States today
0:30:27 > 0:30:31and to glimpse a simpler way of life that was more widespread
0:30:31 > 0:30:33at the time of my guide.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48- TRAIN ANNOUNCER:- At Lancaster, most doors will open. Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07This delightful railway station belongs to Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10which Appletons' tells me "is pleasantly situated near
0:31:10 > 0:31:12"the Conestoga Creek."
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Having arrived here by electric train, I hope to be transported back
0:31:16 > 0:31:20not just to the age of steam, but to that of the horse and buggy.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34When William Penn founded the state that bears his name, he wanted
0:31:34 > 0:31:39it to be a haven for the religiously oppressed from across the world.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45This rural part of Pennsylvania is known for its Amish population.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48The Amish are one of three religious communities here
0:31:48 > 0:31:51who lead a simple life.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53The groups were created after divisions
0:31:53 > 0:31:57in the Swiss Anabaptist church in the 16th century.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02Persecuted in Europe, many of them emigrated to follow in Penn's footsteps.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07They became known, confusingly, as the Pennsylvania Dutch.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12I'm meeting Jack Meyer, a Pennsylvania Dutch farmer,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16to learn more about the community and its origins.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21- Hello, Jack.- Hello, young man. Nice to see you.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Very good to see you and very nice to be in your barn
0:32:23 > 0:32:26- and to be with your beautiful horses.- Thank you.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30- So, Jack, my guidebook tells me about the Pennsylvania Dutch...- Yes.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33..and I'm just wondering, who are the Pennsylvania Dutch?
0:32:33 > 0:32:36Well, they're people that came from Holland.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41Some actually came from Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland
0:32:41 > 0:32:45and they compose basically of three groups - Amish, Brethren and Mennonites.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48- Which of those three are you, by the way?- Brethren.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52Might we take a ride in one of your buggies and talk a bit more?
0:32:52 > 0:32:54- Sure, we can. No problem.- Great.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58We'll back right out of here...
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Though a few arrived earlier, the largest migration
0:33:01 > 0:33:06of the Pennsylvania Dutch to America occurred in the early 18th century.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10The strictest amongst them believe that modern technology will
0:33:10 > 0:33:13undermine their tightknit communities.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17So, since before my Appletons', the roads of Lancaster County
0:33:17 > 0:33:21have echoed to the sound of horses' hooves.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Jack, how many Pennsylvania Dutch are there, do you think?
0:33:25 > 0:33:28- In the state of Pennsylvania - ten million.- Really?
0:33:28 > 0:33:32That's all sorts and kinds, that's not just horse-and-buggy people.
0:33:32 > 0:33:37- No.- That's folks who dress on the street,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38you know, just the same as you would.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Horse-and-buggy people -
0:33:40 > 0:33:42and how many of those do you think there are?
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Well, in Lancaster County, for instance, there are about
0:33:46 > 0:33:5030,000 Amish, 15,000 horse-and-buggy Mennonites -
0:33:50 > 0:33:54so we're looking at 45,000 that still use horse and carriage.
0:33:54 > 0:34:00- Do you use a mobile telephone? - People are allowed to do that, a lot depends on your church district.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02The Brethren have them, the Mennonites have them.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05The Amish have them, some of the folks will tell you their district
0:34:05 > 0:34:07doesn't allow them to have them.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10For instance, the district we're in right now
0:34:10 > 0:34:13doesn't allow for a power lawnmower.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15You have to use the old push-type with the reel,
0:34:15 > 0:34:20but that district down the hill there will allow you to use a lawnmower that has a motor.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Now, that's very interesting, then.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25- So, the district is very powerful in that respect.- Right.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29There are about 100 Amish districts in Lancaster County.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Is the number of people leading the traditional life going up or down?
0:34:32 > 0:34:36It's going up. About 85% of the young people stay,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39so the size of, for instance, the Old Order Amish church is doubling
0:34:39 > 0:34:42every 20 to 25 years.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44And why is that happening, Jack?
0:34:44 > 0:34:47For folks on the outside it might seem to be a very backward
0:34:47 > 0:34:50way of living, but it's a very enjoyable lifestyle.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54So, is there a moment in life when a young man or a young woman
0:34:54 > 0:34:56makes this decision to stay or to go?
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Normally, in their teen years.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02There's a set of rules in the church, let's say.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05Nobody is forced to follow those rules.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07You know, it's because you want to.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11You're not forced to join church, but as far as individual liberties
0:35:11 > 0:35:16or choices in religion - a person should have their choice.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20That's where it all began.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Coming from an urban environment,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33I couldn't imagine existing in the country.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37And I was amazed to discover that those who are choosing to live
0:35:37 > 0:35:42the Pennsylvania Dutch traditional way of life is on the increase.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46But I shouldn't have been, because really it's not hard to explain
0:35:46 > 0:35:50how some people would choose community,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53neighbourliness, godliness,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56in preference to the globalised rat race.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07You might think that such a distinct lifestyle would set
0:36:07 > 0:36:10the Pennsylvania Dutch apart from others around them,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12but that's not what I find.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17I've come to the fire station in Strasburg, Pennsylvania,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20where there's an auction going on and it seems to consist
0:36:20 > 0:36:24mainly of the Pennsylvania Dutch selling some of their items.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26Very intriguing.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANT
0:36:45 > 0:36:49INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANTING
0:37:02 > 0:37:04- Hello.- Oh, hello.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09I'm a stranger in town, this seems to be a rather extraordinary event, does it happen very often?
0:37:09 > 0:37:12We do two sales - one in the spring and one in the fall.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15The stuff that is being sold here is mainly home-made items
0:37:15 > 0:37:18that have been prepared by the Pennsylvania Dutch community.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22Many of the items, yes. There's wood crafts and there's also quilts.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25So, the fire company does get a bit of the money that they're sold for
0:37:25 > 0:37:28and the rest goes back to the person who made it.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30So, you take all your fire engines out for the day
0:37:30 > 0:37:34- and hand this space over to the sale?- That's correct, yes.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36And who are the buyers mainly, do you think?
0:37:36 > 0:37:39We get buyers from all over the eastern United States.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42We get a lot of people from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45A lot from Pennsylvania and Maryland and Delaware.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48There is shops in New York that do specialise in Amish quilts,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51so they will come down and it's pretty easy to pick them out
0:37:51 > 0:37:54because they buy a lot of quilts, maybe 20 or 30 while they're here.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57I've just been looking at the quilts that have been on sale. They're stunning.
0:37:57 > 0:38:03- Yeah, most of them are very, very nice.- So, if a quilt goes for 350,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06any idea how many hours of work that might represent?
0:38:06 > 0:38:09It could be hundreds of hours, depending on the amount of stitching that's in it
0:38:09 > 0:38:12and the detail that they decide to put in the quilt.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANT
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Sold. 175. 349, 349.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23INDISTINCT AUCTIONEER CHANT
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Sold. 350.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Apart from its Amish heritage,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Strasburg holds another interest for me.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44In the early 19th century, the town became prosperous
0:38:44 > 0:38:47because it was on the cross-state wagon trade route.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52But in 1834, the new railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia
0:38:52 > 0:38:56bypassed Strasburg and the town feared decline.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00To save it, a group of local businessmen
0:39:00 > 0:39:02built a branch to the main line.
0:39:02 > 0:39:09It opened in 1837 and it's operated continuously ever since.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14And Strasburg itself is affectionately known as Train Town, USA.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19- Hello!- Hello, there.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23- Are you Bill?- I am, sir.- I'm Michael.- Hi, Michael.- How do you do?
0:39:23 > 0:39:25- Can I help you with the oiling up? - Certainly.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30These two cups actually feed oil down onto the piston rod and the valve stem.
0:39:30 > 0:39:35These are already full, but they need to be set so they don't drop too much oil and waste it.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39So, that's what these little knobs do right here. You actually would just open it up to a quarter turn...
0:39:39 > 0:39:42That's moving nice and freely.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47- Close it up fully a quarter turn. - Right.- Great.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50- This can has a different kind of oil in it...- Right.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55..and this gets poured into the weak spots here on the bottom part of the crosshead.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57- Thank you.- It's just a squirt.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01After some light lubrication,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04I'm thrilled to join Bill on the footplate.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Whoa! This is hot and this is big.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22HEAVY THUD
0:40:22 > 0:40:24TRAIN BELL DINGS
0:40:25 > 0:40:28- Ready to move, Bill?- We are.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37A memorable moment for me, my first trip
0:40:37 > 0:40:41on the footplate of an American steam locomotive.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47By the end of the 1830s,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52the United States had overtaken Europe in rail construction,
0:40:52 > 0:40:58with 3,000 miles built compared to 1,800 across the Atlantic.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02And Pennsylvania was in the vanguard of the railroad revolution,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05with a quarter of all US track.
0:41:06 > 0:41:07Thank you.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Bye, guys.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15With the locomotive securely attached to its carriages,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18I'm joining the passengers for the 45-minute trip.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25TRAIN BELL DINGS
0:41:33 > 0:41:36TRAIN CHUFFS
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Pennsylvania has the most wonderful rural landscape,
0:41:42 > 0:41:47but with apologies to Appletons', it doesn't in any way remind me of England.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02- Hello!- Hello.- I hope you're enjoying the ride.- Yes, we are.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06May I ask you, what made you take the trip today?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09We do this every so many years.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14We come back to Lancaster, tour around and always ride the railroad.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18Because you enjoy railroads in particular, or what?
0:42:18 > 0:42:21We enjoy railroads and the countryside
0:42:21 > 0:42:24and seeing the Amish farms.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- Are you keen on railways? - I like the railroad.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31I grew up about half a mile from a double-track rail line
0:42:31 > 0:42:34and I hung around the rail line quite a bit.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47It's not just travelling with a vintage steam locomotive
0:42:47 > 0:42:51in an old observation car like this that makes me feel that I'm
0:42:51 > 0:42:56travelling through history, it's also the look of the countryside,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00with its very traditional architecture of barns, that takes me back in time.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19I want to find out more about the history of this splendid line
0:43:19 > 0:43:23from the Strasburg railroad stationmaster, Steve Barrall.
0:43:25 > 0:43:30- Hello, Steve. I'm Michael. - Hi, Michael.- Good to see you.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33To what do we owe the preservation of this magnificent railroad?
0:43:33 > 0:43:38Ever since 1958, it's been our mission to make sure that this railroad is preserved
0:43:38 > 0:43:43as an example of early 20th-century, small-town steam railroading.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46And who was it who got together and saved it?
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Well, Strasburg railroad was on the verge of abandonment,
0:43:49 > 0:43:54but in 1958, there was a group of 24 railroad buffs and industrialists
0:43:54 > 0:43:58that came together and decided to save the railroad.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00- Thank goodness.- Absolutely.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Now, you seem to have a pretty broad collection of rolling stock
0:44:04 > 0:44:09and locomotives and that's a big part of what you do, is it? To restore the old?
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Absolutely. We have a machine shop that's very instrumental in preserving
0:44:13 > 0:44:16not only our own equipment but the other equipment throughout
0:44:16 > 0:44:19other tourist railroads in the United States.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Part of what makes this a great experience is that we seem to be
0:44:21 > 0:44:26- moving through a very traditional rural landscape.- Absolutely.
0:44:26 > 0:44:32We're privileged to have a line that goes through Amish countryside.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35Because of that, the Amish really help to preserve not only our line,
0:44:35 > 0:44:41but the landscape around us, as it was, really, in the early 20th century.
0:44:41 > 0:44:47So, you have a very bucolic pastoral view as you go along the Strasburg railroad.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49So, we have a beautifully preserved heritage railroad,
0:44:49 > 0:44:52we have a very traditional countryside
0:44:52 > 0:44:54and, if I may say so, you've dressed the part, too.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57- HE LAUGHS - Well, thank you.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00We all try to do our part to make this a place that folks can
0:45:00 > 0:45:04have fun and hopefully it's a little bit of a step back in time.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07STEAM TRAIN HORN TOOTS
0:45:07 > 0:45:10BELL TOLLS
0:45:10 > 0:45:13HORN TOOTS
0:45:28 > 0:45:33After the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of the Strasburg railroad,
0:45:33 > 0:45:37I'm spending the night in the old Lancaster cork works,
0:45:37 > 0:45:42now converted to a hotel, before continuing my journey tomorrow.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45- Good evening!- Hi, good evening. Welcome.- Checking in.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50- The name is Portillo.- Perfect. We have you on the top floor.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54- Here are your keys.- Thank you so much.- Have a great evening. - Thank you.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15Today, I'm rejoining the Keystone Service that runs down from New York,
0:46:15 > 0:46:20as it continues west to the Pennsylvania state capital of Harrisburg.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23From there, I'll head about 20 miles east to a
0:46:23 > 0:46:27town built not long after my guidebook was published.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31They call it, "the sweetest place on earth." Hershey.
0:46:32 > 0:46:37I'm meeting Pam Whitenack, director of the Hershey Community Archives,
0:46:37 > 0:46:40to learn more about the world's largest chocolate factory.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42And the town that bears its name.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45- Hello, Pam.- Hi, Michael, it's good to meet you.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49Hershey - the town and the chocolate brand seem to have the same name.
0:46:49 > 0:46:50How come?
0:46:50 > 0:46:53Because they were both created by one man -
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Milton S Hershey. Who came here in 1903
0:46:56 > 0:47:00to build a chocolate factory for his rapidly growing chocolate business.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04But he also wanted to build a model industrial town.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07So, he came here because it - one, offered lots of fresh milk,
0:47:07 > 0:47:11this area was known for its dairy herds.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14But it also offered a lot of open space for him to
0:47:14 > 0:47:19- build this model town.- Where had he started his confectionery business?
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Milton Hershey's first confectionery business was a caramel company
0:47:23 > 0:47:26and that was started in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29But he was intrigued by the idea of using milk to make
0:47:29 > 0:47:34milk chocolate, which at that time was a very closely guarded Swiss secret.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Hershey experimented, and in 1900 he hit upon a
0:47:37 > 0:47:42formula which allowed him to mass-produce milk chocolate.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44He began to market it across America,
0:47:44 > 0:47:49using the expanding rail freight network.
0:47:49 > 0:47:54Hershey had grown up in the strict Pennsylvania Dutch Mennonite community.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58He had limited formal education, but with an apprenticeship
0:47:58 > 0:48:01and a 150 loan from his aunt, he became one of America's
0:48:01 > 0:48:07most successful businessmen and one of its greatest philanthropists.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12He wanted to create a town that would
0:48:12 > 0:48:15enhance his workers' lives.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19He provided lots of opportunities for recreation and culture,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22theatres, libraries. Everything that would make
0:48:22 > 0:48:24the town a very attractive place to live.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- And also to visit.- And you can walk down Chocolate Avenue,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30or Cocoa Avenue, and all the street lamps
0:48:30 > 0:48:32are made to look like chocolate drops.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35We call them "Hershey's Kisses," and they are a landmark,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39people come from miles around just to see our street lamps.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41During the Second World War,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43almost all the company's production capacity
0:48:43 > 0:48:47was devoted to manufacturing chocolate for the troops -
0:48:47 > 0:48:49the Ration D Bar.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53Over three billion units were produced and they became a poignant
0:48:53 > 0:48:55and patriotic memory of home.
0:48:55 > 0:49:01The Hershey Bar's place as an American icon was sealed.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05Today, Hershey is the headquarters of a worldwide confectionery company,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08which employs 13,000 workers.
0:49:08 > 0:49:12Hundreds of thousands of gallons of milk from Pennsylvania dairy farms
0:49:12 > 0:49:14are delivered each day.
0:49:14 > 0:49:19Along with almonds from California and cocoa from around the world.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Sweets and mints and other snacks are now
0:49:21 > 0:49:26made alongside chocolate bars, under 80 different brand names.
0:49:32 > 0:49:37My guidebook recommends a place no longer on the passenger rail network.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41So, I must travel the final 40 miles by road.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44My destination is Gettysburg -
0:49:44 > 0:49:48site of the American Civil War's most famous battle.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01Appletons' tells me that "a great battle,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05"perhaps the most important of the Civil War, was fought here
0:50:05 > 0:50:10"at Gettysburg on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July, 1863.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13"Between the national forces under General Meade
0:50:13 > 0:50:17"and the Confederate army under General Lee."
0:50:17 > 0:50:21Abraham Lincoln arrived at this station in November 1863,
0:50:21 > 0:50:26to attend a dedication ceremony to the thousands of Union dead.
0:50:26 > 0:50:31In an address, he defined the Civil War as a fight not just to end
0:50:31 > 0:50:35the rebellion of the Southern slave-owning states,
0:50:35 > 0:50:40but also for the nation to enjoy a new birth of freedom,
0:50:40 > 0:50:44so "that government by the people, of the people, for the people,
0:50:44 > 0:50:46"shall not perish from the earth..."
0:50:46 > 0:50:51and for equality, as promised in the Declaration of Independence.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14I've arranged to meet Peter Carmichael,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17the professor of Civil War Studies from Gettysburg College,
0:51:17 > 0:51:21on the fields where the future of America was forged.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27Peter, the Battle of Gettysburg comes roughly at the midpoint
0:51:27 > 0:51:29of the American Civil War, what was the war about?
0:51:29 > 0:51:32The war was ultimately about slavery.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35In 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected in the North,
0:51:35 > 0:51:41his party, the Republican Party, was viewed in the South as a threat
0:51:41 > 0:51:45against the Southern way of life, which is code words for slavery.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49And so, at the beginning of the conflict, the majority of the slave-owning states
0:51:49 > 0:51:53actually declare a separate nation, they leave the Union.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57Yes, and that act of leaving the Union is called secession
0:51:57 > 0:52:01and the secession movement, its epicentre, was in the Deep South.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07In April 1861, the war began.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12Despite the North's having superior forces, the Union's hopes for
0:52:12 > 0:52:16a quick victory over the Southern Confederate States were dashed.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20The conflict settled into a grinding stalemate.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26How important was the role that the railroads played in the American Civil War?
0:52:26 > 0:52:30Extraordinary. The very nature of warfare itself.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34It gave a tremendous advantage to the side on the defence,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37and that side was the Confederacy.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Because the political aim of the Confederacy is independence.
0:52:40 > 0:52:45They don't need to conquer the North, they just simply need to outlast the North.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47The more territory that those Northern armies gain,
0:52:47 > 0:52:54the more extended, the more vulnerable that those armies were to Confederate raiders.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Those long railroad lines - which of course brought equipment,
0:52:57 > 0:53:01they brought troops - they became more extended, and so that,
0:53:01 > 0:53:03of course, left it vulnerable to Confederate cavalry to come in
0:53:03 > 0:53:08and slash and attack - and that, actually, slowed down the Union.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15In the spring of 1863, the Confederate general Robert E Lee
0:53:15 > 0:53:20made successful advances through Virginia into Pennsylvania.
0:53:20 > 0:53:26On Lee's advance north, he encountered the Union's army here at Gettysburg.
0:53:26 > 0:53:31Despite warnings that the line was too strong, Lee ordered an attack.
0:53:31 > 0:53:36RE Lee decided to strike the very centre of the Union line.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40He did that by orchestrating a massive artillery bombardment -
0:53:40 > 0:53:45a bombardment of more than 120 guns, a bombardment that lasted an hour-and-a-half.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49That bombardment had modest success and knocked out some of the Union batteries
0:53:49 > 0:53:51and then came the infantry.
0:53:51 > 0:53:56Nearly 14,000 Virginia soldiers, North Carolina soldiers,
0:53:56 > 0:54:01struck the Union line and they actually broke the Union position.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05But anticipating just such an assault on their position,
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Union troops had been conserving ammunition.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14The infantry held fire until its opponents were only a few hundred yards away
0:54:14 > 0:54:19and then unleashed 1,700 muskets and 11 cannon.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23And how many Confederate casualties did that produce?
0:54:23 > 0:54:28So, it's roughly 13,000 to 14,000 men - 50% casualties in about 45 minutes.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Though the war continued until 1865,
0:54:34 > 0:54:40Gettysburg marked the furthest extent of the Confederate advance.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43From that moment, the South was on the defensive.
0:54:45 > 0:54:51The aftermath of the battle was one of the first to be photographed.
0:54:51 > 0:54:58And in looking at those photographs, without question that Lincoln had to be influenced in some way
0:54:58 > 0:55:03- in his thinking about the Gettysburg Address.- Extraordinary.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Four months later, President Lincoln travelled to Gettysburg
0:55:14 > 0:55:19to dedicate a cemetery for the Union dead.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Confederates remained in shallow graves on the battlefield
0:55:22 > 0:55:25until repatriated during the 1870s.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
0:55:31 > 0:55:36A mere 272 words long, it's one of the most stirring
0:55:36 > 0:55:39and visionary speeches that I know.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55And it had such an impact because it elevated the cause of Union -
0:55:55 > 0:55:57bringing the nation back together -
0:55:57 > 0:56:02it connected it with the high ideas of human liberty.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05Lincoln did it in such a way that it was open-ended.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08He never mentioned slavery, he never mentioned emancipation,
0:56:08 > 0:56:12but it was articulated in a way that any group of people
0:56:12 > 0:56:15could connect to it and they could draw from that
0:56:15 > 0:56:18just cause to continue fighting the war.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22From this point forward everyone understood - North and South alike -
0:56:22 > 0:56:26that this war, if it's going to come to a close, if the North's going to succeed,
0:56:26 > 0:56:30it's going to come with Union preserved and slavery eliminated.
0:56:45 > 0:56:51"All men are created equal" was the ideal that inspired the American Revolution,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54and 87 years later, here at Gettysburg,
0:56:54 > 0:56:59Abraham Lincoln claimed that the American Civil War was testing
0:56:59 > 0:57:04whether a nation dedicated to that proposition could long endure.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09It has endured, but the struggle for equality has continued, too.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13That doesn't make me cynical. The United States were conceived
0:57:13 > 0:57:18with the noblest of aims and have often failed to live up to them.
0:57:18 > 0:57:25But without an ideal, a nation has no standard by which to judge its shortcomings
0:57:25 > 0:57:29and without a torch of liberty, no way to light the path ahead.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38'Next time, I ride a giant of the railroads...'
0:57:38 > 0:57:40TRAIN HORN BLOWS
0:57:40 > 0:57:45The drama of an American locomotive bears no comparison with anything in Europe.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48'..discover the explosive origins of an American powerhouse...'
0:57:48 > 0:57:50GENTLE EXPLOSION
0:57:50 > 0:57:52Whoa! HE LAUGHS
0:57:52 > 0:57:54What a magnificent noise.
0:57:54 > 0:57:59'..encounter the untamed landscape that would have greeted the first settlers.'
0:57:59 > 0:58:02What you've seen is a touch of wildness.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05You know, the wildness this place used to have,
0:58:05 > 0:58:07the wildness that this place still has.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11I find out about life on the wrong side of the tracks...
0:58:11 > 0:58:16I'd been to close to 200 funerals by the time I graduated high school.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20..and sink my claws into a local delicacy.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22Can you give me any idea what's in that sauce?
0:58:22 > 0:58:24Absolutely not, that's a secret recipe!
0:58:24 > 0:58:26THEY LAUGH