Turning Points in American History

Overview Course No. 8580

The Homestead Act, the New Deal, and 9/11 are just a few turning points that irrevocably altered the United States. Through 48 lectures, relive groundbreaking moments in American history with Professor Edward O’Donnell, who provides a new way to appreciate these pivotal events.

Video Lectures

01: 1617 The Great Epidemic

Discover how the epidemic of 1617 devastated Native American populations, facilitating British colonization.

• Duration: 31 min

02: 1619 Land of the Free? Slavery Begins

Explore the paradox of America as a democratic society built on slavery, starting in 1619.

• Duration: 30 min

03: 1636 Freedom of Worship—Roger Williams

Learn about Roger Williams’s influential efforts to establish religious freedom in early colonial America.

• Duration: 32 min

04: 1654 Yearning to Breathe Free—Immigration

Examine the significance of Jewish settlement in New Amsterdam as a turning point in American immigration.

• Duration: 30 min

05: 1676 Near Disaster—King Philip’s War

Understand how King Philip’s War reshaped colonial and Native American relations and identity.

• Duration: 30 min

06: 1735 Freedom of the Press—The Zenger Trial

Explore how the Zenger trial solidified freedom of the press as a core American value.

• Duration: 31 min

07: 1773 Liberty! The Boston Tea Party

See why the Boston Tea Party was a pivotal spark for the American Revolution.

• Duration: 29 min

08: 1776 We’re Outta Here—Declaring Independence

Delve into the creation and importance of the Declaration of Independence.

• Duration: 33 min

09: 1777 Game Changer—The Battle of Saratoga

Relive the 1777 Battle of Saratoga, a turning point that secured French support for the colonists.

• Duration: 33 min

10: 1786 Toward a Constitution—Shays’s Rebellion

Discover how Shays’s Rebellion highlighted the need for a stronger federal government.

• Duration: 32 min

11: 1789 Samuel Slater—The Industrial Revolution

Examine Samuel Slater’s role in launching the American Industrial Revolution.

• Duration: 32 min

12: 1800 Peaceful Transfer—The Election of 1800

Study the election of 1800 and the peaceful transition of power in political history.

• Duration: 29 min

13: 1803 Supreme Authority—Marbury v. Madison

Explore the landmark case establishing judicial review in America.

• Duration: 28 min

14: 1807 On the Move—Transportation Revolution

Investigate key transportation innovations that boosted American economic development.

• Duration: 33 min

15: 1816 One Man, One Vote—Expanding Suffrage

See how expanded suffrage changed politics and democracy in the 19th century.

• Duration: 29 min

16: 1821 Reborn—The Second Great Awakening

Learn about the rise of social reform movements during the Second Great Awakening.

• Duration: 30 min

17: 1831 The Righteous Crusade—Abolition

Examine key events in 1831 that escalated the national debate over slavery.

• Duration: 30 min

18: 1844 What’s New? The Communication Revolution

Explore how advancements in communication transformed American society.

• Duration: 32 min

19: 1845 The Ultimate American Game—Baseball

Investigate the origins and cultural significance of baseball in America.

• Duration: 32 min

20: 1846 Land and Gold—The Mexican War

Analyze the Mexican-American War’s effects on American territorial expansion.

• Duration: 31 min

21: 1862 Go West, Young Man! The Homestead Act

Uncover how the Homestead Act spurred migration and shaped the American West.

• Duration: 30 min

22: 1862 Terrible Reality—The Battle of Antietam

Delve into the consequences of the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War.

• Duration: 29 min

23: 1868 Equal Protection—The 14th Amendment

Trace the origins and impact of the 14th Amendment on American history.

• Duration: 30 min

24: 1872 Open Spaces—The National Parks

Explore the creation of national parks and their significance in conservation history.

• Duration: 30 min

25: 1873 Bloody Sunday—Ending Reconstruction

Understand the Colfax Massacre’s role in shifting the course of Reconstruction.

• Duration: 29 min

26: 1876 How the West Was Won and Lost—Custer

Learn about the Battle of Little Big Horn and its impact on Native American life.

• Duration: 30 min

27: 1886 The First Red Scare—Haymarket

Study the Haymarket Affair and its influence on American labor movements.

• Duration: 31 min

28: 1898 The End of Isolation—War with Spain

See how the Spanish-American War ended American isolationism and began imperial expansion.

• Duration: 28 min

29: 1900 The Promised Land—The Great Migration

Examine the Great Migration’s effects on African American culture and civil rights.

• Duration: 31 min

30: 1901 That Damned Cowboy! Theodore Roosevelt

Explore Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency and its Progressive influence.

• Duration: 31 min

31: 1903 The Second Transportation Revolution

Discover the revolution brought by automobiles and airplanes in 1903.

• Duration: 31 min

32: 1909 The Scourge of the South—Hookworm

Learn how public health efforts against hookworm transformed the American South.

• Duration: 32 min

33: 1917 Votes for Women! The 19th Amendment

Understand the struggle and success of the women’s suffrage movement.

• Duration: 31 min

34: 1919 Strikes and Bombs—The Year of Upheaval

Investigate the Red Scare events that shook America in 1919.

• Duration: 31 min

35: 1933 Bold Experimentation—The New Deal

Examine Roosevelt’s New Deal and its impact on American government and society.

• Duration: 29 min

36: 1939 Einstein’s Letter—The Manhattan Project

Explore the beginnings of the atomic age with the Manhattan Project.

• Duration: 30 min

37: 1942 Surprise—The Battle of Midway

See why the Battle of Midway was crucial in turning the tide of WWII.

• Duration: 29 min

38: 1945 The Land of Lawns—Suburbanization

Look at the rise of suburbanization and its transformative effects post-WWII.

• Duration: 31 min

39: 1948 The Berlin Airlift and the Cold War

Discover the Berlin Airlift’s significance in escalating the Cold War.

• Duration: 34 min

40: 1950 Tuning In—The Birth of Television

Learn about television’s cultural impact on America in the 1950s.

• Duration: 31 min

41: 1960 The Power to Choose—The Pill

Explore the societal impact of the birth control pill’s introduction.

• Duration: 30 min

42: 1963 Showdown in Birmingham—Civil Rights

Examine key events in the 1963 civil rights movement leading to the Civil Rights Act.

• Duration: 27 min

43: 1968 Losing Vietnam—The Tet Offensive

Understand the Tet Offensive’s role as a turning point in the Vietnam War.

• Duration: 30 min

44: 1969 Disaster—The Birth of Environmentalism

Investigate events that ignited the modern environmental movement in 1969.

• Duration: 32 min

45: 1974 An Age of Crisis—Watergate

Experience the Watergate scandal’s impact on American political trust.

• Duration: 31 min

46: 1975 The Digital Age—The Personal Computer

Trace the evolution of personal computers and their 21st-century importance.

• Duration: 31 min

47: 1989 Collapse—The End of the Cold War

Reflect on the Cold War’s end with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

• Duration: 30 min

48: 2001 The Age of Terror—The 9/11 Attacks

Consider the implications of the 9/11 attacks on contemporary America.

• Duration: 30 min