Essentials - Biography

During the Gilded Age, an era of both wealth and want, progressive leaders like Ida B. Wells and Theodore Roosevelt led crucial reforms that changed the lives of working people and minorities.

Grant, Lee, and Jackson are names synonymous with the American Civil war, but how did their strategies and decisions influence the outcome of America's bloodiest conflict?

At a time when more than 3 million African Americans were enslaved in the United States, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a groundbreaking book that galvanized the public to call for their freedom.

Born in Georgia in 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. helped transform lives not just in the United States, but around the world.

Born into slavery around 1818, Frederick Douglass was a writer and activist who compelled the nation to confront the stark contradictions between its founding principles and the realities of the time.

Can you imagine what it's like to be FLOTUS - the First Lady of the United States? In this video, learn about how the role of First Lady has changed over time.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, transformed the U.S. by ending slavery and leading the nation through the Civil War with wisdom and courage.

The U.S. Civil War pitted friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a bitter fight for the future of the nation. It also drove the country’s leaders apart. Their struggles are embodied by six men whose fates reflected the nation's continuing struggle for unity and progress.

Eleanor Roosevelt is often remembered as one of the most inspiring First Ladies in U.S. history. In this video, learn about how she used her role to make a difference.

Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan shaped early 20th-century U.S. politics with his advocacy for the common man and progressive policies.

Indigenous interpreter Sacagawea was one the most important people in the early history of the United States. By drawing on her knowledge of the land, Lewis and Clark were able to explore and chart the Western frontier.

During the 19th century, leading industrialists like Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, and John D. Rockefeller helped transform the U.S. from an agricultural to an industrial powerhouse, but at significant cost to competition and workers’ rights.

George Washington wasn’t just a military general – he was one of his era’s most astute political leaders. From learning his trade in the Virginia House of Burgesses, to establishing the role of President, he embodied the spirit of American democracy.

In 1955, Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat ignited a historic civil rights movement, and led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled racial segregation on buses to be unconstitutional.

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a Founding Father, and the third President of the United States. But he was also an enslaver whose life was marked by contradictions.

At a time when women in the United States did not have the right to vote, Susan B. Anthony played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement.

Discover the remarkable story of Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery in 1849 and went to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad and a leading exponent of abolition and women’s rights.

A writer, an inventor and one of the Founders of the United States, discover Benjamin Franklin's remarkable journey from a printer's apprentice to the face of the $100 bill.

What made George Washington such an inspirational military leader? Explore his remarkable journey, from a childhood on his family's Virginia plantation to his role as the Commander of the Continental Army,

Explore the life and legacy of John Adams, second President of the United States, and learn how he journeyed from the courtrooms of Boston to the highest office in the land.

James Madison is known as the “Father of the Constitution” – but he was so much more than that. As author of the Virginia Plan and the Bill of Rights, his political genius proved vital in the founding of our nation.

Benjamin Franklin may be the most famous American politician who never ran for president. In this film, learn about his life and legacy.

Thomas Paine's visionary writings, advocating freedom and democracy, were instrumental in shaping the United States' fight for independence. Explore his remarkable journey, from campaigning for higher pay as a tax collector in England, to inspiring the US and French revolutions.

Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and third President of the United States, wrote that 'all men are created equal'. But did he live up to his famous words?

The American Revolutionary War pitted determined colonists against an experienced British Army. Meet the military leaders who played pivotal roles on both sides.

James Madison is known as the “Father of the Constitution”. In this video for US students grades 3-5, we learn about Madison’s remarkable life, career and legacy.