Produced by the Great Projects Film Company and South Carolina ETV for PBS, it details how the United States' imperial ambitions largely grew out of its war with the Spanish Empire and was the harbinger for the American Century.
Directed by Daniel A. Miller, written and produced by Miller and Daniel B. Polin, and narrated by Edward James Olmos, the film first aired on PBS in the United States on August 23, 1999.
[3] Walter Goodman of The New York Times stated that the Spanish–American War "receives colorful treatment tonight [in Crucible of Empire], enlivened with period flavor, political contradictions and populist enthusiasms.
"[3] Crucible of War was first released on VHS by PBS Home Video (distributed by Warner Home Video) on November 2, 1999.
[5] PBS later released the film on DVD by October 16, 2007.