The Colonization of the United States

Using video segments from the PBS series Finding Your Roots, this lesson explores Spanish colonialism in the Southwest; the lesson also expands the discussion to include other countries that colonized in North America.

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.

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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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Early America: Dr. Thomas Walker

In this video segment from the KET Kentucky Life series, members of the Bell County Historical Society celebrate Bell County as the “Gateway to the American West” and discuss early explorer Dr. Thomas Walker. By reviewing Walker’s journal, historians have been able to document the settlement of Kentucky.

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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Explore Colonial Boston

Explore the town of Boston and its natural and human-made features in colonial times in this interactive activity produced by WGBH and featuring materials from the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library.

Free, but not Free: Life of Free Blacks before the Civil War

This hands-on, media-enhanced lesson explores the life of free blacks in the United States prior to the Civil War using video segments from Finding Your Roots.

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.

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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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Pocahontas Revealed

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

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The Pueblo Revolt

This video segment from Finding Your Roots discusses the Pueblo Revolt, a battle in history in which Pueblo Indians revolted against Spanish colonists who were imposing their culture and religion on the Native Americans.

Slavery and the U.S. Constitution

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students explore how delegates to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in 1787 addressed slavery in the Constitution as they debated the idea of fair representation in the government.

Slaves in New Amsterdam

This video from Dutch New York uncovers the story of enslaved Africans, some of New Netherland’s earliest yet unrecognized residents.

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The Story of Pocahontas

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students explore what may have happened when Pocahontas and John Smith met by comparing popular and historical versions of the famous story.

Trade and Commerce

In this segment from Dutch New York, learn about the fur trade in New Netherland as well as the purchase of Manhattan Island.

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