Original subtitles

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(Charlie) 'Now, before we begin our analysis'

of the Johnson administration

I just want to point out how lucky you are

to have a teacher that actually remembers what it was like.

Am I interrupting something?

- Absolutely. - Thank you.

If I may have your attention for a moment?

The city is sponsoring an essay contest

and one of you is going to win it.

- Oh, that's great! - Oh! That's wonderful.

One of you will get a certificate of achievement

and we will get our pictures taken with the mayor.

[indistinct chatter]

With you and the mayor?

Oh, be still, my heart.

The essay will consist of a thousand words

on any aspect of the history of New York City.

'And I know you won't let me down.'

- May I speak with you? - Sure.

Mr. Moore, this contest is being sponsored

by the mayor's office.

Need I say more?

Yeah.

Mayor Koch is sensitive to the problems in the city.

He doesn't need criticism from high school kids. Hmm?

So we should avoid, uh

the nursing home crisis, the homeless, West Way

corruption in the taxi industry--

Yeah, now, you're getting my drift.

Get the ball rollin'.

[sighs] So, what are we gonna write about?

I'm gonna write about the Bronx Zoo.

The art galleries and the museums.

Oh, Central Park, it's the heart of the city.

Why even bother writing anything?

We all know Alan's gonna win.

Is that so?

If it's an essay, I usually win.

Except when Darlene beats you.

I think Darlene occasionally shows some talent.

[scoffs] You're right, Alan.

You're a real prize winner.

You know, I don't think anybody here

is gonna win any prizes

unless we throw some imagination into this.

I mean, you really see New York

as just places and things?

What about all the people?

There's too many of 'em.

You have to take a number to breathe.

But you're sharing the air with some of the most

interesting people in this country.

He's right. This city attracts the cream of the crop.

(Charlie) 'Yeah, you're all New Yorkers, I mean..'

Why not find out who you are and how you got here?

I mean, that would be a prize-winning essay.

Uh, gee, Mr. Moore, sounds little, um, far out.

I think we should play it safe.

(all) Yeah.

- Do you hear that? - What? No.

It sounds like 50,000 high school students chanting

"I'm gonna write about the Statue of Liberty."

[laughs] I think Mr. Moore is right.

I mean, writing about our families is a great way to win.

Like, my family, they come from France.

My father's side were chefs, and my mother's, philosophers.

Let me see if I can guess her family motto.

"I cook, therefore I am."

Mr. Moore, if we're talking about exciting dynamic New York

families, look no further than the Pinkards.

Really?

Uh, Mayflower, Boston Tea Party, The New York.

The name is synonymous with the building of the city.

You can trace my family's coat of arms

back to a county seat in the English Midlands.

- Coat of arms? - 'Yeah.'

A wasp rampant on a field of mayonnaise.

I understand your anger, Darlene.

That's why here in America, my family dropped all that.

They felt it was a little too flashy

for a classless society.

You mean, we don't have to salute you anymore, Alan?

Okay. Now, anybody else?

I believe I've got them beat, Mr. Moore.

I come this close

to being a direct descendant

of Mary, Queen of Scotts.

How close?

I'm a relative of Mary Scott of Queens.

Okay. Uh, I tell you what.

I am going to make this essay a formal class assignment.

Great, then we'll kill two birds with one stone.

I've got my grandmother's diary.

That's good.

Uh, I mean this could be

very interesting. Darlene?

Oh, I'll pass.

Why?

Because I can tell you the whole story now.

Which is?

Once there was a black slave owned by a white man.

- Oh, that's it? - That's it.

Come on, Darlene, we're all a part

of this great melting pot.

Those of us from high backgrounds

and those of us from low.

That's what makes this city so great.

I think it's kind of beautiful.

[scoffs] Isn't it funny, Alan, how some people

from high backgrounds can be so low?

I think you two should fight it out on paper. Hmm?

(Charlie) 1963..

Lyndon Johnson began the first in a series

of ugly public barbeques on his ranch in Texas.

Morning. How's it going?

This is the part of the job I hate.

- What? - Disciplinary problems.

Listen to this one.

He walks into the nurse's office

and says that he has a sore throat.

She turns to get the tongue depressor

and he's all over her.

Trying to kiss her, to hug her.

Telling her that he wants her like crazy.

- The nurse? - Yeah!

It's just awful, Charlie.

What am I gonna do about this?

Well, you might try discussing this with his father.

Well, I don't even know if his father's still around.

Yeah. These kids.

And it breaks your heart.

What kids? It's Mr. Cooper, the chemistry teacher.

Come on, move it.

If you can get up there to spray it on

you can get up there to scrub it off. Move it.

They didn't even spell it right.

Which reminds me, Mr. Moore

nothing about graffiti in the essay.

No graffiti, no garbage strikes, no gridlock--

No street crime, no organized crime.

- No white collar crime. - Now, you got it.

Mayor doesn't appreciate

hearing about things like that.

He lives here, you know, he's bound to hear

about it sooner or later.

But not from me.

Morning, everybody.

- Hi. - 'Good morning.'

Well, anybody get as far back

as their great-great-grandparents?

Wait till you hear this.

I found out that my great-grandparents

owned a lumber company that supplied a lot of wood

for the original Yankee Stadium.

Hey, you know, if it wasn't for my great-uncle

that whole place would've collapsed.

- Architect? - Termite control.

This is interesting, Mr. Moore.

I'm a mathematician.

My father and grandfather were mathematicians

and his father and grandfather were mathematicians.

Do you know what that means?

Yeah, it means you're a nerd to the fifth power.

That's right. Five generations of pocket protectors.

Come on, you guys. I mean, what did you find out?

Alright, check it out, my grandfather came to New York

from Lithuania in 1901.

Guy started out with a few apples in a pushcart.

Turned it into a produce market.

That's how my mother inherited the fruit business.

Then, my father blew it all at the track.

Uh, goes to show you. One rotten apple. Huh?

There you go. Life in New York, huh? Janice?

I'm a Lazaratto.

We trace our heritage back to a distant branch

of the Medici family in Florence, Italy.

And it turns out we came

from the lost city of Atlantis.

Wow. Darlene?

Why don't we just move along to Captain John Smith?

I mean, I'm sure he's dying to tell us

about his family's trip over on the Mayflower.

Okay. Uh, Alan?

I'm not interested in the assignment.

(all) What?

[scoffs] I'm sorry to hear that

because I am interested in the assignment.

I gave it, remember?

But I don't wanna do the assignment, Mr. Moore.

Why?

Because it's a waste of time.

Look, I don't have to prove anything.

And besides, I have more important things to do.

I think the Pinkard family tree

has just been struck by root rat.

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- Well.. - Well, what?

Well, I thought I was gonna have to deliver

my "Alan, what's wrong?" speech

but I see you're one step ahead of me.

Uh, this is my oceanography homework.

But if it'll make you feel any better give me the speech

although I don't think it'll do you any good.

Okay, Alan, let's talk about this problem.

Now, of all the kids in my IHP class

you are the most compulsive

about doing your assignments well and on time.

This one could earn you a prize.

And yet, you refuse to do it.

You wanna explain that to me?

Well, aren't you the one who's always telling us to relax?

Goof off once in a while just to see what it's like?

Yeah, but why now?

(all) Shh!

Why not?

Okay. I guess I have to read you your rights.

Uh, work that's not turned in on time earns an automatic C.

Works that's not turned in at all earns an F.

[scoffs] Fine.

Alan, if you've uncovered something

that's embarrassing, I--

No, don't be ridiculous.

I just think it's a frivolous assignment

and I don't have time for it.

- Wait, Alan! - Shh!

Darlene. Hold on.

Look, I-I know you don't wanna do this assignment

but I urge you to reconsider.

You're wasting your time.

- Damn it. I am not wasting-- - 'Shh!'

My time.

I just told Alan, and I'm telling you.

If you don't hand in this assignment, you get an F.

- I won't get an F. - Oh, yes, you will.

Mr. Moore, I'm doing the paper.

I don't believe in Fs.

How's it going?

It's interesting.

Have you ever heard of Sally Hemings?

- The Sally Hemings? - Yeah.

There's always been talk in my family

that we're related to her.

But you should be researching that.

- That's what I'm doing. - Right.

[indistinct chatter]

Shh! This is a library, boys.

Did you discover anything fascinating, Maria?

No, I'm just a typical New Yorker.

Come from a long line of single parents.

It's kind of a dull story

but it's one I could pass on

to my future ex-husband's children.

(Charlie) 'Thank you. Next.'

Okay, Alan?

I decided to give it a shot.

- Well, I thought you.. - I changed my mind.

Tell me what you think of it.

What I think of it? It's your family history.

- I-It's a bit rough, I.. - Rough?

I just have to nail down some of the details.

I may want to adjust it later on.

Or not, I..

[school bell ringing]

(Darlene) Mr. Moore, I need an extension.

Can I have mine in on Monday?

Uh, okay.

And remember, everybody

I am gonna read these over the weekend

and Monday, we start with the Chicago demonstrations.

Aren't they referred to as the Chicago riots?

Well we were demonstrating

a large number of people in uniform were rioting.

[laughs] Okay.

[upbeat music]

[school bell rings]

- Morning. - 'Good morning.'

- How was the weekend? - Yeah, wonderful.

Well, here are your essays.

They're all very interesting.

But, uh, it's hard to be objective

because they're so personal.

So, I've decided not to grade these papers.

[indistinct chatter]

Mr. Moore, in this class, a paper with no grade

is like "Sunday In The Park Without George."

How do I know if it's any good?

I mean what was the point of doing it in the first place?

Maria, are you saying that something is not worth doing

unless someone else validates it by putting some meaningless

letter of the alphabet in the margin?

Where have you been?

What? You know how hard you've worked on this.

The research, I mean

you all know what you put into it.

So, I've decided to let you grade your own papers.

'Right away, please.'

I have to record your grades.

Great. A plus.

Plus...Plus.

Mr. Moore, uh, I-I'm giving myself an A.

I'm not completely convinced it's A work

but I'd hate to drag down the class average.

- What's wrong, Alan? - Nothing.

Everything is fine. It's an A paper.

Make that an F paper.

(all) F? Why?

A or F, either one.

I don't understand.

Okay, F. Poor organization of the facts.

(all) What?

You sure you wanna stick with that?

Well, it's basically all there.

I just adjusted some of the facts.

In what way did you adjust some of the facts?

I.. I left some out, I changed some around.

I would say..

...I lied.

- Alan. - What?

You, uh, want to adjust that?

- I wanna tell the truth. - 'Good.'

Please.

The first Pinkard arrived from Ireland

in the late 1800s.

Don't tell me, he was held up in traffic

and he missed the Mayflower?

By a couple of hundred years?

Milo Pinkard.

[indistinct chatter]

Alright. Pinkard.

He left home when he was 17 during the potato famine.

He was poor. He couldn't even find a job at first.

There were a lot of signs here that said

"No Irish need apply."

But eventually, he became an apprentice to a bricklayer.

What about the coat of arms?

He sent away for one.

You mean, you made all that stuff up?

No!

My grandmother did, and she passed it on to my mother

who passed it on to me.

The only family heirloom we have is that story.

Darlene, I owe you an apology.

I was kind of patronizing before

I said I was somebody and you were nobody.

But I was wrong.

We're both nobodies.

You know, Alan, I never thought of you as sensitive before.

And now I know why.

Uh, Darlene, you have something to read.

Can't I just hand it in? I mean, you'll have it in writing.

And isn't that the assignment?

Uh, not anymore.

I think we need to hear it now.

- I learned from my great-- - Unh-unh. Please.

I learned from my great-grandmother

that she was descended from slaves who'd been freed

in the early part of the 19th century

long before the civil war.

Oh, see? You feel better already, right?

Alan, wait.

My great-grandmother said that she'd been named

after her grandmother

whose maiden name she couldn't remember.

But her death notice in the records of the probate court

of Rose County, Ohio

gives the name Sarah Hemings.

Who was?

Sarah was the daughter of Madison Hemings.

Madison was one of five children born

to a slave named Sally Hemings.

And?

Well, the father was said

to be a powerful white Virginia landowner.

Sally and her children were freed by him

in his will after his death in 1826.

(Charlie) 'Darlene, aren't you gonna, uh'

tell us who the powerful white Virginian landholder was?

He was Thomas Jefferson.

(all) Thomas Jefferson!

Darlene, I-I don't know what to say.

Congratulations.

- For what? - For what?

Thomas Jefferson was one of the founding fathers of this country

and apparently of your family.

I mean, if I had those credentials

they'd be tattooed on my chest.

You should be proud.

I admit it. I'm turning green here.

Oh, so, you're saying, Alan, I win the snob contest

because Thomas Jefferson slept with a distant relative of mine?

He owned her, Alan.

He could've set her free, but he didn't

until after his death. A little late.

Am I supposed to be proud of that?

Uh, Da-Darlene, your research is fine up to a point

but that's not the full story of Jefferson and Sally Hemings.

I mean, many historians argue

that they actually loved one another.

[scoffs] A happy slave love story? No thanks.

But her son Madison told the story years later.

Now, according to him, after Jefferson's wife died

and he was appointed minister to France

he brought Sally to Paris.

She was the woman of the house. His companion.

But if Jefferson loved her

how could he keep her as his property?

The times dictated it.

I mean, when they came back to America

it would have been impossible

for them to live together..

...in Virginia, in the same house

unless she was legally his slave.

Whether she loved him or not is hard to prove.

But Sally Hemings got something from that relationship

that was crucial to her.

Freedom for her children.

Her own freedom came after Jefferson died.

Darlene, I really had it wrong.

Look, Alan, I just wanna be who I am.

And I think you should do the same.

[chuckles] Darlene, I'm not saying I won't get over it.

Look, i-it's important to know where you came from.

But who your ancestors were, whoever they were..

...isn't who you are now.

'See, the point of this is, it helps us'

'to understand history if we look at it from there'

'not just from here.'

Sally Hemings, a very strong woman

who lived with her choices

in a difficult situation.

And Milo Pinkard..

Pinkard.

He did build the city. Not your way, his way.

Brick by brick.

Something to think about, Alan?

Yeah, our own history.

And write it down.

Not just the facts, either.

Because what'll make it interesting

for future History students is knowing

how you feel about it.

And that way, they learn about you, as well.

Alright, let's, uh, talk about Richard Nixon's promise

of an open presidency.

Mr. Moore.

What about your history?

What would you write?

Well, uh..

I'm the quintessential New Yorker.

I wasn't born here.

I didn't go to school here.

I'm second-generation German-English.

And my parents met in Texas.

And I'm from Weiser, Idaho.

And here I am.

I teach a class with a, a student from New Delhi, India

and one of Irish peasant stock.

and a descendent of Thomas Jefferson.

Now, you name me one other city

in the United States where that could happen.

Okay, Washington D.C.

Okay, I'll give you Washington

but, uh, Washington has no theater.

National Theater.

Okay, I'll give you the National Theater.

You name me one extraordinary delicatessen.

- Delicatessen? - Ha-ha!

Guess what? I won.

[cheering]

Congratulations.

Uh, Darlene, I don't know if this will sound

convincing or not, but I'm glad you won.

I'm not convinced, Alan.

Neither am I.

So, how did you tie Sally Hemings

into the history of New York?

I didn't, I mean, that was a great story

but this was to win.

So, what did you write about?

Well, I combined two themes.

Corruption in the building of the Statue of Liberty.

"Corruption in the building of the Statue of Liberty."

I like it.

Mr. Moore, may I see you a moment?

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