America Explained
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund
An introduction to Thurgood Marshall and his relationship with The NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
How the Founding Fathers Viewed Slavery
What did the Founding Fathers really think of slavery? And how did that impact the laws they created?
The Citizen Soldier in the American Revolution
With the first shots of the American Revolution, they downed tools and ran to help in the fight for independence. This is the story of the ordinary people who helped found a nation.
Museum of Artifacts That Made America
The Tobacco Press: Revolutionising Farmers’ Gold
Today we know the risks of smoking tobacco, but over 100 years ago the dangers were less so, and tobacco became a booming business in Kentucky. Its success can in part be credited to the Burley tobacco press.
Civil War Prosthetics: A Step Forward in Battlefield Medicine
James Edward Hanger was hit by shrapnel from a cannonball at the beginning of the American Civil War- he designed the world’s first articulated prosthetic that could bend like a real leg.
The Swivel Chair: How Thomas Jefferson Invented the Office Chair
As one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s words helped found a nation. But did you know that he also invented the modern day swivel chair?
Hidden Figures
Stetson Kennedy: Unmasking the Ku Klux Klan
Folklorist and social crusader – Stetson Kennedy, who helped unmask one of the deadliest hate groups in US history – the KKK.
Constance Baker Motley: Breaking Barriers by Fixing the Law
For civil rights activist, lawyer, judge and state senator Constance Baker Motley, breaking through the limits placed on women and people of colour was all in a day’s work.
Mercy Otis Warren: Founding Fathers’ Fiercest Critic
At a time when the British ruled over the 13 colonies of North America with an iron fist, poet, playwright and ‘whistleblower’ Mercy Otis Warren – used her words to throw serious shade their way.
Women and the American Story
Harriet Robinson Scott: How Filing for Freedom Triggered the Civil War
The story of Harriet Robinson Scott who challenged slavery in the highest court in the United States.
Sojourner Truth: Black History & Woman’s Rights Heroine
The story of how an enslaved woman, Sojourner Truth, became one of the most important social justice activists in American history.
Marsha P. Johnson: A Trans Pioneer for Equal Rights
The story of transgender activist, Marsha P. Johnson, who dedicated her life to LGBTQ+ rights.
Art That Changed America
Harlem Renaissance: A Movement Like No Other
The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of African-American culture and creativity that began in 1920s New York.
The Golden Age of Sci-Fi
The Golden Age of Sci-Fi Literature saw American authors combine factual science with fantastical fiction to take readers into the farthest reaches of the imagination.
The Ball Culture of New York City
As far back as the 1860s, LGBTQ+ people created safe spaces where they could celebrate their identities freely. Odd Fellow Balls became the birthplace of drag ball culture.
Things You Didn’t Know
How America Prepared for Nuclear War
Think America was prepared for the ultimate Cold War threat? Think again! This is the untold story of how the US prepped citizens for a potential atom-bomb Armageddon.
American POWs in Asia: The Hidden Heroes of WW2
They experienced incredibly hardships in the fight against fascism. This is the story of the US servicemen and women held as prisoners of war.
The Equal Rights Amendment
Think the US Constitution protects equal rights for women? Think again! This is the untold story of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Academy of American Democracy
The Stonewall Uprising
How the The Stonewall Inn became the focus of the LGBTQ+ community’s fight for rights in the 1960s
Public Spaces and Democracy
Why are public spaces – places that are open to everyone, where people can gather – necessary for democracy?
The Atlantic World
How did the Atlantic World connect the Old World and New World and impact the development of early America?
Speeches That Changed America
George W Bush: Speech After September 11
President George W. Bush delivers a much anticipated speech to a Joint Session of Congress, outlining America’s reaction to the unprecedented atrocity.
Patrick Henry – Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death
Patrick Henry delivers a speech on the rights of the colonies before the Second Virginia Assembly. His words ‘give me liberty or give me death’ would become the war cry of the revolution.
Shirley Chisholm – Equal Rights for Women Speech
Shirley Chisholm, the first African American Woman elected to Congress, addresses the US House of Representatives to argue in support of a controversial women’s rights bill; the Equal Rights Amendment.
Ronald Regan – Tear Down This Wall
On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivers a speech to the people of West Berlin, calling upon the Soviet Union to tear down the wall that divides the city.
Lyndon B Johnson – The Great Society Speech
36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his famous speech “The Great Society”. See if you can hear any parallels to modern-day America?
William Jennings Bryan – Flag of an Empire Speech
Former U.S. Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan deliver an impassioned speech regarding Imperialism