Alexander Hamilton: Early Influences

In this video segment from American Experience, learn about how the events of Hamilton's youth in the West Indies influenced the direction of his life.

Building the Erie Canal

In this video segment adapted from American Experience, learn about the construction of the Erie Canal, the biggest public works project of its time.

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Building the Erie Canal

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students look at how the construction of the Erie Canal brought about major changes within United States, particularly in New York City, upstate New York, and the Midwest.

A Case for the Separation of Powers

This video segment adapted from American Experience introduces how John Adams called for the separation of powers in the Massachusetts Constitution into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Conflict Over Western Lands

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students explore how the differing worldviews of white settlers and Native Americans led to conflicts over land when Americans surged westward in the 1860s.

Debating Slavery

In this video segment adapted from Africans in America, learn how the issue of slavery shaped the debate at the U.S. Constitutional Convention.

Deciphering the Maya Code

This video segment adapted from NOVA examines the ancient Maya writing system and looks at what they recorded in their writings.

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Declaring Freedom...But For Whom?

In this video segment adapted from Africans in America, consider the American view of freedom that was defined by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.

Dutch West India Company (1621)

This segment from Dutch New York describes the formation of the Dutch West India Company, which established some of the earliest settlements in North America.

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English Ships (1664)

This segment from Dutch New York describes how, in 1664, the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam became the English colony of New York.

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Freedom of Conscience

This segment from Dutch New York describes how the Dutch allowed settlers in New Netherland colony to practice any religion, free from the threat of persecution.

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From Slavery to Freedom in Colonial Times

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students examine the life of Venture Smith, an African man enslaved in America, to learn about the experiences of enslaved and free African Americans in the New England colonies.

Henry Hudson

In this video from Dutch New York, Henry Hudson’s voyage on the Half Moon is fueled by a quest for a trade route to the East.

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I'll Take Mannahatta

In this lesson students learn about the original ecology of Manhattan and about the Lenape, the native people who inhabited the island for thousands of years before the arrival of the Dutch in 1609.

The Life of Venture Smith

In this video segment adapted from Africans in America, learn about Venture Smith's early experiences as a slave in the American colonies.

Living With the Land

This video segment adapted from American Experience tells the story of how some Native American tribes once migrated the length of the North American continent to find the resources they needed.

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Mannahatta 1609

Learn about the rich and diverse ecosystem of early Manhattan in this video from Dutch New York.

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The Myth of Pocahontas

This video segment adapted from NOVA introduces the popular story of how Native American princess Pocahontas rescued colonist John Smith.

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New Amsterdam: The Early Years (1621 - 1647)

In this segment from Dutch New York, learn how the Dutch West India Company governed New Amsterdam from 1624 to 1664.

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Pocahontas Revealed

In this video adapted from NOVA, examine a historical version of the story of Pocahontas and John Smith.

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