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Curated Video
Reasons The North Went to War
Think you know all about the American Civil War? Think again! This is the untold story of why the North took up arms against the South.
Curated Video
Sally Hemings: Surviving Slavery and Sexual Exploitation
Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman who had several children with Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. Her story of agency and eventual emancipation remains an inspiration.
Curated Video
The Enslaved Chef Who Revolutionized American Cuisine
James Hemings was an enslaved man and the first American to learn classic French cuisine. He helped popularise many of the dishes you know and love today.
Hip Hughes History
The Emancipation Proclamation Explained: US History Review
So you think you know your history? Mr. Hughes lays down the tracks to help you understand the true purpose behind the Emancipation Proclamation and why the Civil War was fought. Brought to you by Mr. Hughes in an easily digestible...
Curated Video
Joseph Henry Douglass: Changing America With Music
Classical violinist Joseph Henry Douglass helped empower the Black community through music and education at a time when Southern lawmakers were pushing back against the progress of Reconstruction.
Curated Video
Thaddeus Stevens: an Abolitionist Who Championed the Rights of Blacks
Born on the 4th April 1792, in Danville, Vermont, United States, Thaddeus Stevens was known to be a fearsome reformer, who never backed down from a fight. Having witnessed the oppressive slave system at close range, he developed a...
Weird History
What It Was Like to Be a Civil War Soldier
The Civil War was the bloodiest in US history: more Americans perished in five years than in all other conflicts combined. What was it like to fight? Soldiers faced new technology on the field, like rifle-muskets that could cut down...
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Did You Know? Juneteenth
Learn more about Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States
Epic History TV
History of Russia Part 4
Russia's long and dramatic history is explored through animated maps and timelines. Part 4 describes the 'Decembrist Revolt' againt Emperor Nicholas I, Russian defeat in the Crimean War and the reforms of Alexander II 'the Liberator'....
Curated Video
Emancipation Proclamation Exposed
The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the most important and misunderstood documents in US history. So, what did it actually proclaim?
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Britannica Q&A: Juneteenth
Discover the history of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
Curated Video
Elizabeth Keckly: From Slavery to the White House
She was enslaved at birth – but became the first lady’s favorite dressmaker and the author of a sensational memoir that shocked the nation. So who was Elizabeth Keckly?
Curated Video
Thomas Garrett and the Underground Railroad
By day he worked as an iron merchant – but by night, Thomas Garrett helped thousands escape slavery as a station master on the Underground Railroad.
Curated Video
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates of 1858 were some of the most controversial in US history. Having deepened the divide between North and South – they helped bring the nation to war.
Curated Video
Dred Scott: Suing for Freedom
Dred Scott went to the US Supreme Court to sue for his freedom. The Court ruled that Black people were “inferior beings” with no Constitutional rights. This decision helped spark the American Civil War.
Curated Video
Women of the Civil War
Women weren’t just spectators of the American Civil War – they played a vital role in the home, the workplace, the battlefield and beyond.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Looking for Lincoln: Was Lincoln a White Supremacist?
Was Abe Lincoln a White Supremacist? Find out in this video segment that explores Lincoln's proposed "compromise" solution to slavery which had involved the deportation of slaves to colonies in Panama and Liberia. [6:03]
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Abolitionists: Abolitionist Leader William Lloyd Garrison
Learn about William Lloyd Garrison, leader of the abolitionist movement and publisher of The Liberator. [5:58] Includes supplemental materials for both students and teachers.
A&E Television
History.com: American Civil War: Reconstruction
A good outline covering the developments leading up to Reconstruction, the events as it progressed, and how this period of history ended. Accompanied by a video entitled 'The Failure of Reconstruction'. [2:35]
A&E Television
History.com: Slavery in America
Video looks at the history of slavery in America including how it started, the impact that the invention of the cotton gin had on slavery, abolition, the slavery debate as the nation expanded westward, the Civil War, and the aftermath of...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Reconstructing a Nation
This video delves into the challenges and opportunities that arose during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War and, in particular, re-unifying the states. [28:25]
Backstory Radio
Back Story Radio: Henceforth Free: The Emancipation Proclamation
BackStory Radio episode on freedom and the Emancipation Proclamation. The American History Guys reflect on the complicated history of emancipation, what it means to a diverse group of people, and how it is commemorated. It provides the...