Crash Course
Slavery
Teach high schoolers about the difficult legacy of slavery in the United States with a video that summarizes the institution that stemmed from a cotton-based agriculture and economy. It details the brutality of slave...
Khan Academy
US History Overview 1: Jamestown to the Civil War
Complete with territory maps, photos, and interesting anecdotes, this video covers the major events of American History, roughly from 1754 to 1865. Plymouth and Jamestown are mentioned at the beginning of the video, but the speaker...
TED-Ed
What Is Juneteenth, and Why Is It so Important?
A short TEDEd video details the history of Juneteenth celebrations, the events of June 19, 1865, and the importance of Juneteenth celebrations.
National Constitution Center
14th Amendment Discussion Starter: The Black Codes
The Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws were rules that served the same purpose: to restrict the rights of African Americans. Young historians watch performers read Black Code laws from different states to explain how African Americans were...
National Constitution Center
14th Amendment Discussion Starter: The 39th Congress Debates
The ratification process for the Fourteenth Amendment that granted citizenship to everyone male born in the United States was contentious. The video reenacts a portion of the 39th Congressional debates focusing on the ratification of the...
National Constitution Center
14th Amendment Discussion Starter: The Emancipation Proclamation
In 1863 life forever changed for African American slaves when the Emancipation Proclamation was announced. An interesting video clip shows two actors reading excerpts from the Emancipation Proclamation and a letter by a slave named Annie...
National Park Service
Much More than Brick and Mortar
Take a look at where it all began: Fort Sumter. Individuals learn about the history of Fort Sumter, the location of the first battle of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was also important to the defense of the Confederate city of Charleston....
C-SPAN
On This Day: The Freedman's Bureau
The Civil War ended slavery, but how did the government enforce the Thirteenth Amendment? Scholars learn about the creation of the Freedman's Bureau, the department's responsibilities, and experiences of African Americans who the program...
C-SPAN
On This Day: The Battle at Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was the deadliest day of the Civil War. An eye-opening video is filmed at the Antietam battlefield and provides pupils with an overview of the battle. Academics learn the military strategy General Lee and McClellan...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Emancipation Proclamation
While Abraham Lincoln is remembered for the Emancipation Proclamation, the document didn't actually free any peoples. Listening to scholars, learners explore its military purpose and how it helped turn the tide of the Civil War. They...
National Constitution Center
14th Amendment with Eric Foner
The Civil War ended slavery, but what was the status of the newly freed people? Renowned historian Eric Foner explains how the Fourteenth Amendment—written to answer this question—created a foundation for the rights of all citizens. The...
PBS
Louisa May Alcott | The Civil War
Louisa May Alcott longed to fight in the Civil War to end the scourge of slavery, but like most nineteenth-century women, was relegated to the ranks of wartime nurses and seamstresses. Learners watch a short dramatization of Alcott's...
Bill of Rights Institute
Dred Scott vs. Stanford
The United States was on the brink of a war within itself when the Dred Scott case came before the Supreme Court. Viewers examine the defining case that served as a ratuionale for slavery leading into the Civil War.
Bill of Rights Institute
Economics of the North and South Before the Civil War
How did economic issues lead to war? Viewers watch an AP review video to examine one of the main causes of the American Civil War, the Tariff of Abominations. They examine the issues concerning the economies of the North and South prior...
Curated Video
Franklin: Animated Battle Map
Though not as well known as other battles of the Civil War, the Battle of Franklin resulted in substantial Union gains and enormous Confederate casualties. Learn more about an important battle of 1864 with an animated map video.
Curated Video
Cedar Creek: Animated Battle Map
The preservation of Civil War era battlefields is an ongoing argument between cities, corporations, and groups like the Civil War Trust. After watching a brief animated analysis of the Battle of Cedar Creek, a video from the Civil War...
American Battlefield Trust
Civil War Trust Animated Map: First Day at Chancellorsville
Following the Battle at Fredericksburg, the Union Army was suffering from low morale and even lower troop numbers. Once General Joseph Hooker took control, however, the outlook was not so bleak. An animated map from the Civil War Trust...
American Battlefield Trust
Civil War Trust Animated Map: Chantilly
As the Union Army retreated from their defeat at Bull Run, the Confederate Army prepared to attack. A detailed animated map illustrated the troop movements and precision with which the generals from both ends of the battlefield executed...
Curated Video
Fredericksburg: Animated Battle Map
After the Battle of Fredericksburg, Major General Ambrose Burnside's heavy losses and strategic defeat seemed to spell the end for the Union. See how the battle unfolded with an animated map resource that demonstrates the way General...
American Battlefield Trust
Civil War Trust Animated Map: First Manassas
The Battle of First Manassas, commonly known as the First Battle of Bull Run, was the first major battle of the Civil War, signaling a conflict that would last for many years and take many lives in the process. View an animated map that...
Curated Video
Fort Sumter: Animated Battle Map
Fort Sumter is a lasting emblem of the duration of the Civil War, and the American flag on its pole is a symbol of the Union's hard-fought victory. A short, informative video takes learners through the military strategies of the battle,...
Curated Video
The Wilderness to Cold Harbor, Grant's Overland Campaign: Animated Battle Map
Ulysses S. Grant, having been elevated to general-in-chief to the Armies of the United States, began the 1864 Overland Campaign that brought the Civil War to northern Virginia. High schoolers watch an informative video...
American Battlefield Trust
Civil War Trust Animated Map: Chickamauga
One small miscommunication can be extremely costly on the battlefield. The Battle of Chickamauga is a historical example of how the best-laid strategy can be destroyed with a single mistake — in this case, Major General Rosecrans'...
American Battlefield Trust
Civil War Trust Animated Map: Vicksburg
Many consider the 1862 siege at Vicksburg to be the turning point of the American Civil War. Learn more about the necessity of Vicksburg for both the Confederacy and the Union — and the importance of its conquest on July 4, 1862 —...