PBS
At Mt. Vernon, remembering the enslaved people who built America (SRL)
A tour guide at George Washington's Mt. Vernon, who is also a distant relation of a person who was enslaved at the Virginia estate, offers his perspective about American history, slavery and the founding fathers. This story was produced...
PBS
Founding Fathers (July 5, 2004)
Ray Suarez speaks with three historians, Richard Brookhiser, Ron Chernow and Jan Lewis, about what the founding fathers might have thought of America today.
PBS
Conversation with Toni Morrison (Mar. 9, 1998) (8:44)
A conversation with the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist about her book, "Paradise."
PBS
Edward Ball - 'Slaves in the Family' (Nov. 24, 1998)
The 1998 National Book Award winner in the nonfiction category was Edward Ball for his book, "Slaves in the Family". It's about the lives of his slave-owning ancestors on their rice plantations near Charleston, South Carolina. The book...
PBS
Michael Beschloss (2007 Author Interview)
Book:Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989
PBS
Relics and treasures reveal U.S. history through African-American lens
One hundred years in the making, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will open on Saturday in Washington. The museum presents history through objects both celebratory and sobering -- showcasing everything from...
PBS
New national park celebrates Harriet Tubman's legacy
After Harriet Tubman, famed conductor of the Underground Railroad, rescued dozens of people from slavery and served in the Civil War, she settled down in the small city of Auburn in upstate New York and continued a life of service. The...
PBS
How The Autobiography Of A Muslim Slave Is Challenging An American Narrative
Omar Ibn Said was 37 years old when he was taken from his West African home and transported to Charleston, South Carolina, as a slave in the 1800s. Now, his one-of-a-kind autobiographical manuscript has been translated from its original...
PBS
Lynne Cheney On American Presidents Of 'The Virginia Dynasty'
Four of America’s first five presidents were born and raised within a 60-mile radius in the state of Virginia. Those men -- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe -- and their sometimes complicated...
Crash Course
Commerce, Agriculture, and Slavery: Crash Course European History
We've been talking a lot about kings, and queens, and wars, and religious upheaval for most of this series, but let's take a moment to zoom out, and look at the ways that individuals' lives were changing in the time span we've covered so...
Crash Course
Slavery, Ghosts, and Beloved: Crash Course Literature 214
In which John Green teaches you about Beloved by Toni Morrison. I'll warn you up front, this book is something of a downer. That's because it deals with subjects like slavery, the death of a child, a potential haunting, and a bunch of...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Four sisters in Ancient Rome - Ray Laurence
How did the young, wealthy women of Ancient Rome spend their days? Meet Domitia and her sister Domitia and her sister Domitia and her sister Domitia. Ray Laurence sketches the domestic life of leisure that these young girls lived,...
Crash Course
Slavery - Crash Course US History
In which John Green teaches you about America's "peculiar institution," slavery. I wouldn't really call it peculiar. I'd lean more toward horrifying and depressing institution, but nobody asked me. John will talk about what life was like...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: From slave to rebel gladiator: The life of Spartacus - Fiona Radford
Spartacus was a slave -- one of millions taken from territories conquered by Rome to work the mines, till the fields or fight for a crowd’s entertainment. Imprisoned for deserting the Roman Army, he and other slaves fought their way free...
Crash Course
War & Expansion Crash Course US History
In which John Green teaches you about the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s, and the expansion of the United States into the western end of North America. In this episode of Crash Course, US territory finally reaches from the...
Crash Course
When is Thanksgiving Colonizing America Crash Course US History
In which John Green teaches you about the (English) colonies in what is now the United States. He covers the first permanent English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the various theocracies in Massachusetts, the feudal kingdom in Maryland,...
TED Talks
TED: The symbols of systemic racism -- and how to take away their power | Paul Rucker
Multidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker is unstitching the legacy of systemic racism in the United States. A collector of artifacts connected to the history of slavery -- from branding irons and shackles to postcards...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Historical role models - Amy Bissetta
Many notable American historical figures are considered role models -- but why? George Washington was devilishly smart, and Abraham Lincoln was a brave leader, but have you heard of Sybil Ludington or Beriah Green? Amy Bissetta expounds...
Crash Course
Haitian Revolutions Crash Course World History
Ideas like liberty, freedom, and self-determination were hot stuff in the late 18th century, as evidenced by our recent revolutionary videos. Although freedom was breaking out all over, many of the societies that were touting these ideas...
Crash Course
The Atlantic Slave Trade Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about one of the least funny subjects in history: slavery. John investigates when and where slavery originated, how it changed over the centuries, and how Europeans and colonists in the Americas arrived at...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The Atlantic slave trade: What too few textbooks told you - Anthony Hazard
Slavery has occurred in many forms throughout the world, but the Atlantic slave trade -- which forcibly brought more than 10 million Africans to the Americas -- stands out for both its global scale and its lasting legacy. Anthony Hazard...
Curated Video
The Atlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about one of the least funny subjects in history: slavery. John investigates when and where slavery originated, how it changed over the centuries, and how Europeans and colonists in the Americas arrived at...
Crash Course
The Civil War, Part I Crash Course US History
In which John Green ACTUALLY teaches about the Civil War. In part one of our two part look at the US Civil War, John looks into the causes of the war, and the motivations of the individuals who went to war. The overarching causes and the...
Crash Course
Women in the 19th Century Crash Course US History
In which John Green finally gets around to talking about some women's history. In the 19th Century, the United States was changing rapidly, as we noted in the recent Market Revolution and Reform Movements episodes. Things were also in a...