First Contacts (28,000 BCE-1821 CE)
Native American History: Origins of Early People in the Americas
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All Videos in First Contacts (28,000 BCE-1821 CE)
- 1. Native American History: Origins of Early People in the Americas
- 2. Mesoamerican Civilizations: The Olmecs to Cortes
- 3. The Inca Civilization and Pizarro: Pre-Columbian South America
- 4. Pre-Columbian Civilization: North American Indians Before Europeans
- 5. Effects of European Colonization: Christopher Columbus and Native Americans
- 6. New Spain: Spanish Explorers and Spanish Colonies
- 7. The Columbian Exchange
Settling North America (1497-1732)
North American Exploration & Failed Colonies of France & England
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- 1. North American Exploration & Failed Colonies of France & England
- 2. The Settlement of Jamestown Colony
- 3. New France, New Netherlands & New Sweden: North American Settlements
- 4. The Mayflower and the Plymouth Rock Settlement
- 5. The Puritans and the Founding of the New England Colonies
- 6. The Southern Colonies: Settlement and Growth
- 7. The Middle Colonies: New York, Delaware, New Jersey & Pennsylvania
- 8. The 13 Colonies: Life in Early America
- 9. Rise of Slave Trade: Black History in Colonial America
- 10. The 13 Colonies: Developing Economy & Overseas Trade
- 11. The 13 Colonies: World Events that Influenced Colonial America
The Road to Revolution (1700-1774)
The American Enlightenment: Intellectual and Social Revolution
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- 1. The American Enlightenment: Intellectual and Social Revolution
- 2. The First Great Awakening: Religious Revival and American Independence
- 3. The French and Indian War: Causes, Effects & Summary
- 4. Sons of Liberty: Resistance to the Stamp Act and British Rule
- 5. Boston Massacre: Colonists and the Declaratory and Townshend Acts
- 6. The Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts & First Continental Congress
The American Revolution (1775-1783)
Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill: The American Revolution Begins
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- 1. Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill: The American Revolution Begins
- 2. The Second Continental Congress and Thomas Paine's Common Sense
- 3. The Declaration of Independence: Text, Signers and Legacy
- 4. British Loyalists vs. American Patriots During the American Revolution
- 5. George Washington's Leadership at Trenton, Saratoga & Valley Forge
- 6. John Paul Jones and the Naval Battles of the Revolutionary War
- 7. Loyalists in the Southern Colonies at the End of the Revolutionary War
- 8. The Battle of Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris
- 9. American Revolution: Social and Economic Impact
- 10. The Second Great Awakening: Charles Finney and Religious Revival
The Making of a New Nation (1776-1800)
Creating State Constitutions After the American Revolution
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- 1. Creating State Constitutions After the American Revolution
- 2. The Articles of Confederation and the Northwest Ordinance
- 3. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and Shays Rebellion
- 4. The Constitutional Convention: The Great Compromise
- 5. The Ratification of the Constitution and the New U.S. Government
- 6. The US Constitution: Preamble, Articles and Amendments
- 7. The Bill of Rights: The Constitution's First 10 Amendments
- 8. George Washington and the New United States Government
- 9. Hamilton and the Federalists vs. Jefferson and the Republicans
- 10. The French Revolution, Jay Treaty and Treaty of San Lorenzo
- 11. The Whiskey Rebellion and Battle of Fallen Timbers
- 12. President John Adams: From Alien and Sedition Acts to XYZ Affair
The Virginia Dynasty (1801--1825)
President Jefferson's Election and Jeffersonian Democracy
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- 1. President Jefferson's Election and Jeffersonian Democracy
- 2. Thomas Jefferson's Presidency: Louisiana Purchase, Lewis & Clark, and More
- 3. Barbary Pirates, Napoleonic Wars and Embargo of 1807
- 4. President Madison and the War of 1812
- 5. James Madison After the War of 1812: The Era of Good Feelings
- 6. James Monroe's Presidency: The Monroe Doctrine
- 7. John Marshall's Supreme Court During the Virginia Dynasty
- 8. Economic Expansion in the 1800s: Slavery, Immigration & Corporations
- 9. American Industrialization: Factory System and Market Revolution
- 10. Education in Early America: Birth of Public Schools and Universities
- 11. Henry Clay and the Missouri Compromise of 1820
Jacksonian Democracy (1825 -- 1850)
President John Quincy Adams and the Election of 1824
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- 1. President John Quincy Adams and the Election of 1824
- 2. President Andrew Jackson and the Age of the Common Man
- 3. Andrew Jackson vs. the Whig Party: Rise of Executive Power
- 4. Regional Conflict in America: Debate Over States' Rights
- 5. Jacksonian America: Bank of the United States and the Panic of 1837
- 6. The Trail of Tears and Jackson's Indian Removal Act of 1830
- 7. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
- 8. Presidents Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison
Life in Antebellum America (1807-1861)
American Renaissance: Uniquely American Art, Literature and Culture
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- 1. American Renaissance: Uniquely American Art, Literature and Culture
- 2. Reform Movements of the 19th Century
- 3. The Transportation Revolution: Turnpikes to Steamboats to Railroads
- 4. Economic Developments in the North: A Commercial Revolution
- 5. Problems of Urbanization and Daily Life in the North
- 6. Life in the South: Ordered Society and Economy of the Southern States
- 7. Slavery in America: Cotton, Slave Trade and the Southern Response
- 8. Abolitionist Movement: Important Figures in the Fight to End Slavery
Manifest Destiny (1806-1855)
The Oregon Trail: Westward Migration to the Pacific Ocean
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- 1. The Oregon Trail: Westward Migration to the Pacific Ocean
- 2. Manifest Destiny's Texas Annexation Problem
- 3. President John Tyler: American Expansion and Sectional Concerns
- 4. President James K. Polk's Accomplishments in the Lower 48 States
- 5. The Mexican-American War, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo & the Wilmot Proviso
- 6. Election of 1848 and the California Gold Rush
- 7. President Fillmore and the Compromise of 1850
- 8. President Franklin Pierce's Politics and Economics
Sectional Crisis (1850-1861)
Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tension Over Slavery in the 1850s
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- 1. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Tension Over Slavery in the 1850s
- 2. Bloody Kansas: Causes, Effects and Summary of Events
- 3. Dred Scott v. Sanford and President Buchanan
- 4. John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry: Fighting Slavery
- 5. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Summary & Significance
- 6. Lincoln's Election, Southern Secession & the New Confederacy
- 7. The Battle of Fort Sumter & the Start of the Civil War
American Civil War (1861-1865)
Civil War Begins: Northern and Southern Advantages Compared
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- 1. Civil War Begins: Northern and Southern Advantages Compared
- 2. The First Battle of Bull Run: Civil War Blood is Shed
- 3. Key Civil War Battles in 1862: Monitor and Merrimac, Antietam, New Orleans & Shiloh
- 4. The Emancipation Proclamation: Creation, Context and Legacy
- 5. How the Civil War Affected the Economy and Everyday Life in the North and South
- 6. Civil War Turning Points: Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Vicksburg
- 7. End of the Civil War: General Grant Begins the March Toward Richmond
- 8. Sherman's March to the Sea
- 9. Lincoln's Assassination and Lee's Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
Reconstruction (1865-1877)
President Lincoln's Legacy: Plans for a Reconstructed Union
All Videos in Reconstruction (1865-1877)
- 1. President Lincoln's Legacy: Plans for a Reconstructed Union
- 2. President Andrew Johnson: Attempts to Continue Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan
- 3. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: Conflict Between President and Congress
- 4. President Ulysses S. Grant: Election, Successes and Corruption
- 5. The Reconstruction Amendments: The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
- 6. Reconstruction's Effects on African Americans: Politics, Education and Economy
- 7. Life in the South After the Civil War
- 8. Transcontinental Railroad, Homestead Act and Women's Suffrage
- 9. The Indian Wars: Struggle Between Native Americans and Settlers
- 10. The End of Reconstruction and the Election of 1876
- 11. Reconstruction Period: Goals, Success and Failures
About This Course
History 103 tells the story of how the United States (and other parts of North America) came to be. Learn what really happened to the settlers at Jamestown and find out why the Mayans believed the world would end on December 21, 2012.
Instructors Clint Hughes and Alexandra Lutz will take you from 28,000BCE to the late 1800s, one ten minute lesson at a time. After each lesson, take our free online quiz to see what you've learned and don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us using the thumbs up/thumbs down buttons on the top right hand corner of each video.
Watch a History 103 video today and go back in time from the comfort of your computer.
How to Earn Real College Credit You Can Transfer
History 103: US History I prepares you to earn real college credit by taking the College Board's US History I CLEP exam. For more details about earning credit, click here.
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Education Portal Instructors
Education Portal's 53 instructors bring a diverse array of experience and expertise to each course. From teaching philosophy in Athens, Greece, to exploring the mystery of genetics, each instructor is uniquely qualified to bring students the best online learning experience possible. Meet them now!
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Jessica Bayliss, M.S.
Jessica is our Director of Education and leads the development of Education Portal's free courses. She has 10 years of experience in education and online teaching. Her work with students of all age levels drives
her belief in the power of free online resources to make higher education more affordable and efficient. Jessica's favorite part of the day is
reading feedback from Education Portal's students. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in
instructional technology from Texas A&M - Kingsville.
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Greg Chin, Ph.D.
Greg has taught genetics, molecular biology, and general biology to
high school, collegiate, and post-graduate students at Stanford University, the University of California, Los Angeles, Santa Clara
University and the Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He has also taught science workshops for the general
public and led biology teacher enrichment workshops throughout the U.S. He received a B.S. in Genetics from the University of
California, Davis, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Find out how your genes work in Greg's introduction to genetics video lesson!
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Max Pfingsten, M.Ed.
Max has taught classics, history and philosophy
at a variety of levels at the Dikemes Academy in Athens, the Boulder Valley School District, University of Colorado at Boulder and
the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA). His work is noteworthy for its synthesis of technology and simulation with more
traditional teaching approaches. He received a B.A. in Classics from Depauw University, a M.A. in Classics from University of
Colorado at Boulder, and a M.Ed. from Jones International University. See Socrates come to life in Max's lesson on the life, death,
and philosophy of the great Socrates.
- Meet all 53 of our instructors
Contact Information
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The videos were a great study tool. I aced the CLEP exam and earned 3 college credits!
Claire Steiner, Nursing Student More success stories
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