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...
PBS
Wyoming Women Get the Vote | State of Equality
After watching the trailer for the documentary State of Equality, class members conduct addition research and develop a digital presentation, poster or essay about the Women's Suffrage Movement.
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...
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 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: Branch Davidian Standoff
When David Koresh and his followers refused to let a group of federal agent search their compound for illegal weapons, a firefight that eventually ended in the deaths of dozens of people ensued. What could law enforcement have done to...
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...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting
When a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, the tragedy gave birth to a new age of student activism. Using video from the March from our Lives and politicians scrambling to react to the crisis,...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Greensboro, North Carolina Sit-In
More than an iconic image, the picture of young people sitting at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., to protest segregation and Jim Crow laws also sparked a new phase of the civil rights movement. Video clips, including activists,...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it returned home in 2003, it sparked questions about the future of America's space program. Using video footage that includes former astronauts involved in the shuttle program, experts on...
C-SPAN
On This Day: McCarthyism and the Red Scare
Senator Joseph's McCarthy's claims that communists had infiltrated and threatened the American way of life set off a red scare in the 1950s—and those claims have influenced today's concepts of loyalty to country. Using video clips from...
C-SPAN
The First Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
While most Americans can identify civil rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they often are not aware of how controversial he was in his time. Using video resources that include documentation of the first federal holiday to honor him...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Life and Contributions of Alexander Hamilton
Historians have been fascinated by Alexander Hamilton long before he was the subject of a Broadway hit. Using video resources, scholars explore how his early upbringing as an orphan and social outcast may have influenced his role in the...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Many Americans can identify Thomas Paine and his seminal work, Common Sense. Yet, only six people showed up at his funeral. Using video resources, class members study both the document and the outcomes of his inflammatory words. Clips...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of freedom since the people of France gifted it to the US. Today, as immigration debates grip the nation, learners consider the iconic image. Using a vintage newsreel about the statue, a scholar's...