TED-Ed
Ugly History: Japanese American Incarceration Camps
When Aki Kurose was 16 years old, her family was forced to relocate from their home in Seattle with other Japanese Americans. The government feared that despite their loyalty to the United States, they were operating on behalf of...
Stanford University
Freedom’s Ring: King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was the clarion call for the modern Civil Rights Movement. Using the immortal words of King, an animated screen allows pupils to hear his words delivered to the March on Washington in...
Crash Course
Migrations and Intensification: Crash Course Big History #7
What happens when the earth reaches its carrying capacity of humans? As human populations grow, societies change from hunters and gatherers to agriculture to the industrial age and beyond. A video takes a global perspective of migration...
TED-Ed
The History of Tattoos
Did you know that tattoos date back to 8,000 years ago? From Otzi, mummified iceman of the Alps, to high society members of Victorian Britan, discover the cultural significance of tattoos amongst a wide variety...
Lesson Planet
EdTech Tuesday: Constitution and Federalist Papers
Discover an app that will allow you and your class to delve into key primary source documents of United States history: the Constitution and the Federalist Papers. The presenters in this video offer a breakdown of the app's primary...
TED-Ed
What Gives a Dollar Bill Its Value?
What makes a one hundred-dollar bill valuable? Here is an excellent, straight-forward animated video to help your learners grasp the concept of inflation and the purpose and policies of the Federal Reserve System.
Khan Academy
Tea, Taxes, and the American Revolution
Rather than simply summarizing the events that led to the American Revolution, have your learners listen as John Green offers some interesting points to be used as discussion or writing prompts in your review of the war. Green details...
Crash Course
Greeks and Persians
Considering the evolution of democracy and civilization to this day, is there any reason to believe the Persians should have defeated the Greeks in the Persian War? Why could the legacy of Ancient Greece be considered "profoundly...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and Adaptation
The pocket mouse can be light brown like the sands of the desert, or dark brown like the volcanic lava flows that are interspersed throughout New Mexico's Valley of Fire. It seems that predators have weeded out light colored mice in this...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Me Too Movement Takes Off
Listen to the #MeToo stories from a movement that has shaped the lives of women in the twenty-first century. With a series of video clips from C-SPAN, pupils consider the genesis of the movement. Videos include discussion from the...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Germany's Invasion of Poland
While most people consider Germany's invasion of Poland the start of World War II, the invasion was only one of a sequence of events that led to the global conflict. Using archival footage of the invasion, as well as clips from...
PBS
Reconstruction: The Black Codes
During the era of Reconstruction, the planter class of the South tried to replicate the time before the Civil War by squashing rights given in the Thirteenth, Fourteenths and Fifteenth amendments. Using a video clip featuring renowned...
C-SPAN
On This Day: George Washington's Farewell Address
What would George Washington think about the current state of the United States? One needs to look no further than his Farewell Address, where he offered advice to the new nation. Curated videos include a reading of the address on the...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL
The bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four little girls galvanized a civil rights movement. Clips include interviews with the church's pastor and a survivor of the bombings, as well as a...
C-SPAN
On This Day: National Hispanic Heritage Month
From the rights of farm workers to food and culture, Hispanics have an indelible imprint on American culture. Using a curated set of videos, young scholars consider the rich heritage of Hispanic American history. Videos profile famous...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Emmett Till and the Rebirth of the Civil Rights Movement
The murder of Emmett Till, a boy accused of whistling at a white woman in the deep South in the 1950s, galvanized the civil rights movement. His open casket—revealing the ugly horror of racism—reignited a movement. Clips include an...
C-SPAN
On This Day: President Ford Pardon of Richard Nixon
Was Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon an attempt to move the country forward or the final corruption of the Watergate scandal? A collection of videos includes Ford's speech to the nation, as well as interviews with Watergate...
PBS
Reconstruction: The Birth of a Nation - Rewriting History through Propaganda
How historically accurate was the film The Birth of a Nation? Using a video that features clips from the film and analysis from historians, young scholars explore the connection between art and history. Additional activities...
PBS
Reconstruction: Ida B. Wells - Pioneer of Civil Rights
When Ida B. Wells was kicked off the whites-only ladies railway car, it ignited a ferocious warrior for civil rights. Wells and others worked to preserve the hard-won freedoms of Reconstruction, which were tenuous at best during...
PBS
Reconstruction: The 15th Amendment and African American Men in Congress
To escape to freedom, Robert Smalls had to steal a Confederate ship and sail to Union lines. He continued that fight for freedom as one of the first African American representatives in Congress during the Reconstruction era. Learners...
C-SPAN
On This Day: September 11, 2001
September 11—another date that will live in infamy. Using news footage from that day, as well as interviews with government officials who helped guide the United States during the attack, pupils learn about the tragic events. Additional...
C-SPAN
On This Day: The Department of Housing and Urban Development is Created
Just what should the federal government do to help low-income citizens find safe and affordable housing? After viewing several video clips on the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including an interview with the current HUD...
C-SPAN
On This Day: The Star-Spangled Banner
You may not be able to take your class to see Ft. McHenry, the birthplace of our national anthem, but using video clips, your learners can see the site for themselves. A curated collection of videos discusses the writing of the anthem in...
C-SPAN
On This Day: The End of the French and Indian War
Most Americans don't connect the French and Indian War with the American Revolution. Yet, scholars consider the expensive war as a major cause of the conflict. Watching video clips of historians speaking about the conflict, budding...