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...
TED-Ed
History vs. Richard Nixon
Should we remember Richard Nixon only for his abuse of power and the scandal that resulted in the end of his presidency? Here is a fantastic TedEd video illustrating major highlights from Nixon's term as president of the United...
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: Executive Order 9066 and Japanese-American Internment
Forced to leave, branded a security risk, held at gunpoint. It's hard to imagine this happened in the US. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, thousands of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were forced in internment camps. Using video...
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: Friendship 7: John Glenn Orbits the Earth
Exactly what is the right stuff? Individuals consider the question using video clips about the astronaut legend, John Glenn. Footage includes NASA propaganda newsreels about his upbringing, as well as speeches from Glenn and his...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Publication of The Feminine Mystique
When Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, it was considered a manifesto for women who suffered from the problem that has no name. Clips from authors and historians, as well as the writer herself, help class members consider the...
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...