How We Became America: The Untold History (Videos)

How We Became America: The Untold History shines light on stories that don’t always make it into the classroom. This free collection of short, riveting history videos is designed for teachers and students alike but can be enjoyed by all. Untold is here to fill in the gaps of knowledge that exists outside of our history textbook and brings new stories to life.

While the initial series premiered last year, a new installment of 15 videos was introduced in 2022 with an eye toward the American Civil War. A conflict of immense depth, the Civil War is explored through several lenses in the Untold series. Viewers will learn about such things as the vital and diverse roles of women during the war, the emergence of new technologies and innovations, how the camera changed the way war was viewed by the mass public, the great weight of the two-minute Gettysburg Address, the evolution of medical kits and how they empowered medics in the field, how Native Americans chose sides in the war and why Black soldiers put their lives on the line to preserve the Union. And at no longer than three minutes, they are sure to hold even the shortest of attention spans.

How We Became America: The Untold History stems from the partnership between the American Battlefield Trust and the Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement (DFI), and this latest Civil War installment received generous financial support from the HTR Foundation.