Wonderscape
The Battle of Bunker Hill: Fact vs. Fiction
This video uncovers the surprising truth behind the famous Battle of Bunker Hill, explaining how most of the fighting took place on Breed’s Hill. It explores the errors made by both American and British forces, and why this American loss...
Wonderscape
The Battles of Lexington and Concord: The Shot Heard Around the World
This video explores the events of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, debunking myths about who fired the first shot of the American Revolution. It explains how the term “the shot heard around the world” originated and why the identity...
Wonderscape
Paul Revere’s Ride: Separating Fact from Fiction
This video explores the real story behind Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, debunking myths popularized by Longfellow’s poem. Viewers learn that Revere wasn’t alone, didn’t shout “The British are coming,” and didn’t reach Concord....
Wonderscape
George Washington and the Cherry Tree: Myth or Fact?
This video uncovers the famous myth of George Washington and the cherry tree. Viewers learn how the story was added by Mason Locke Weems years after Washington’s death and why historians believe it’s untrue. The video explains the...
Curated Video
Julia Stockton Rush: Love and Family Amid War
Julia Stockton Rush's letters offer a unique glimpse into the lives of women during the American Revolution, capturing a nation's birth from a female perspective.
Curated Video
Sources: Primary and Secondary
Sources: Primary and Secondary explains the differences between primary and secondary sources, citing at least examples of each type of source.
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...
Curated OER
World War II
This WWII footage is in full color, a rarity for documentary images from this time period. The images are described in relation to what war is, how Germany fell to Hitler's control, and the new world order. Primary source documents such...
Curated OER
World War I
Set to music from the time, this clip shows actual footage taken prior to and during WWI. From the funeral procession for Franz Ferdinand, to the mobilization of troops, this video is sure to give your class an idea of life in 1914-1919....
PBS
Reaction to the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968
A short video features an archival video from a 1968 Boston rally where two speakers respond to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
PBS
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign
Two short PBS videos introduce young scholars to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 Poor People's Campaign, his support for the Memphis sanitation worker's strike, and the plans for the march on Washington, D.C., to fight poverty. Viewers...
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: 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...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Benedict Arnold
Was Benedict Arnold a friend or foe of the American Revolution? An interesting resource explains that Arnold was a prominent leader of the American Revolution and why he made the decision to betray his fellow soldiers. Scholars learn of...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Mayflower Compact
Learners consider how the Mayflower Compact created a sense of order for the new residents of North America. Video clips include a scholar and a re-enactor playing Plymouth Gov. William Bradford, and others include Native American...
C-SPAN
On This Day: President John F. Kennedy - Life, Death, Legacy
John F. Kennedy and the American Camelot dazzled the United States. His legacy is more complicated, however, and it includes the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Pupils view history as it unfolded with news reels on the Bay of Pigs, Cuban...
National WWII Museum
The Bomb
The spectacular explosion of the first atomic weapon is documented with dramatic video footage in a short film. Using pictures and videos of the bomb's preparation, as well as its aftermath, scholars consider the ramifications of this...
National WWII Museum
What Would You Do? Scenario: Segregation
Young African American men at the start of World War II faced a dilemma: they could fight the racism of the Nazis but only by enlisting in a racist Army. Scholars consider this situation as they study the life of a man who in 1941 was...
National WWII Museum
What Would You Do? Scenario: Standing up to Hitler
A reporter for the Chicago Daily News, based in Germany in 1933, is documenting Hitler's rise to power. As his stories grow more critical of the regime, he faces increasing pressure to stop. Eventually, even the American government...
National WWII Museum
What Would You Do? Scenario: Dachau
When American troops liberated the Dachau concentration camp, they were so enraged by the death they saw that a group of soldiers summarily executed Nazi soldiers. One man filmed the actions, and then struggled with a moral dilemma:...
C-SPAN
The Structure of the United Nations
How is the United Nations structured? Learn all about it with a video from the Office of War that documents the 1945 United Nations conference, and describes how the United Nations is structured.
Curated OER
History Matters: Scholars in Action: Analyzing a Thomas Nast Cartoon
On this site from Scholars in Action, part of History Matters, find a discussion of a Thomas Nast cartoon about the gold standard, an issue during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. After analyzing the cartoon, listen to historian...
Yossarian the Grammarian
Yossarian the Grammarian: Diagramming Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
This video lesson from Yossarian the Grammarian demonstrates how to diagram the Gettysburg Address.