How the States Got Their Shapes: Season One

When the founding fathers drew the first map of America, they confronted many of the same challenges that unite and divide us today. HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES, the hit series from HISTORY® explores how our borders evolved -- and continue to change -- in response to religion, transportation, communication, politics, culture clashes and even Mother Nature. This is no textbook-style documentary series, and THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE arrives on DVD this November in a 4-DVD set. In HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES, journalist and former "Daily Show" correspondent Brian Unger hits the road to uncover the history hidden in our map. From the crooked borders in the east to the organized boxes in the west, the shapes of the states are more than simple geography. Every line on the map of America is a surprising clue that reveals how the 13 colonies became the 50 states and how an intrepid group of settlers and immigrants built a new nation. The same forces that shaped our states still influence us today -- how we eat, speak, vote, pray and play. Do you wonder how flying fish are threatening to re-draw the shape of Illinois? Or what the use of cell phones by Pennsylvania's Amish has to do with the shape of their state? How about how is the phrase "sold down the river" linked to the shape of what might be our 51st state? From the Atlantic to the Pacific, the nation's capital to your own backyard, HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES will uncover the history you never knew about the places you know best.