By Kim Jones, CEO, Curriki
Because one of the most challenging classes a high school student must tackle is AP History, Curriki’s partner Learn Liberty is now offering a new video series called US History: An Economic Perspective.
Learn Liberty created the series with the Bill of Rights Institute specifically for students preparing for AP US History or US History subject tests, or for anyone interested in learning about US history.
The Bill of Rights Institute and Learn Liberty worked together to determine which economic concepts are more difficult for students to grasp. Then they created nine interesting, easy-to-follow videos that cover everything from mercantilism in Colonial America to globalization in today’s economy.
Topics include:
- How Mercantilism Started the American Revolution – In Colonial America, trade was governed by mercantilist policies. But what was mercantilism?
- Interstate Commerce & the Constitution – In the years following the American Revolution, trade disputes and tariffs between states threatened to break apart the newly founded United States.
- The National Bank’s Rise and Fall – Does the United States need a national bank? This question was at the heart of one of the most notable political battles in the early United States.
- Economic Causes of the Civil War – While slavery was the dominant issue that led to the Civil War, economic policies also created tension between the North and the South.
- Economic Growth in the Gilded Age – In the 1870s and 1880s, the US economy grew faster than ever before and quickly became the largest economy in the world.
- Progressivism & the New Deal – Between the 1890s and 1930s, the Progressive and New Deal reformers urged the government to regulate the economy more heavily in order to make it more efficient and equitable.
- The Great Depression: Causes & Repercussions – Between 1929 and 1940, the United States faced the worst economic crisis in its history, the Great Depression.
- Post-WWII Boom: Transition to a Consumer Economy – Unlike the many war ravaged countries around the world in 1945, American cities and industries were intact after WWII, and the United States became the sole powerhouse of the global economy.
- America’s Transition to a Global Economy (1960s-1990s) – Since WWII, the United States has become an increasingly global economy.
How to Use the Videos
Students and teachers can use individual videos to learn about specific time periods and concepts, or watch the whole series for a full survey of US economic history.
The videos feature Professor Brian Domitrovic, associate professor and chairman of the History Department at Sam Houston State University in Texas. Domitrovic, who holds a PhD in history from Harvard University and a BA from Columbia University, is the author of Econoclasts: the Rebels Who Sparked the Supply-Side Revolution and Restored American Prosperity.
About Learn Liberty
Learn Liberty is your resource for exploring the ideas of a free society. It tackles big questions about what makes a society free or prosperous and how we can improve the world we live in. By working with professors from a range of academic disciplines and letting them share their opinions, Learn Liberty helps students explore new ways of looking for solutions to the world’s problems.
About The Bill of Rights Institute
The Bill of Rights Institute is a non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society. The Institute develops educational resources and programs for a network of more than 50,000 educators and 30,000 students nationwide.
Kim Jones is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Curriki. Kim is active in driving policy initiatives and is regularly featured as an honorary speaker on the impact of technology in education at influential meetings around the world. Learn more at Curriki.org.
