When I was growing up, I thought history to be the most boring of subjects and then when I began homeschooling began to really love it when I realized that history is simply a record of people and their lives. More importantly, it is the record of God working through those same people. Once I looked at it from that perspective, I loved it and now it is easily my favorite subject.

I have been teaching through the Notgrass Exploring America the past couple of years and plan to use it for a 3rd year this fall as my core curriculum, as I like to teach through history at a much slower pace. I have also discovered all the terrific DVD’s that are available to really make history come alive.

I usually begin preparing for history for the upcoming year by sitting down with the textbooks and other resources on my shelves and then look at what is offered on Netflix. (We do not have cable TV but have opted to enroll in Netflix so we can pick and choose from lots of options.) Since I have had so many people ask me for a list of recommendations, I thought I would post my most recent list here.

For those who are teaching through American History after the Civil War, I want to recommend several documentaries we have watched during the past school year that I am sure your family might enjoy. We are currently finishing The War series by Ken Burns and it is absolutely awesome. Note that some of these begin in early America but I chose to place them in this period of study.

Slavery and the Making of America (4 discs)

Africans in America: Americas Journey Through Slavery (highly recommended by Cal Thomas)

PBS The Great Transatlantic Cable

Reconstruction: The Second Civil War

Ken Burns’ The West (5 discs)

Teddy Roosevelt: An American Lion (2 discs)

A & E’s Milton Hershey: The Chocolate King

History Channel’s Modern Marvels: Candy (these last two are good for understanding the 2nd industrial revolution)

The First World War (the complete series) 4 discs

The Hindenburg Disaster

PBS New York 8 discs (I have to own this one day….the study of New York is really a study of the whole country)

PBS The Rockefellers

PBS Building the Alaskan Highway

Ken Burns’ America: Empire of the Air ~ History of Radio

Ken Burn’s America: The Statue of Liberty

Ken Burns’ The War 6 discs on World War 2 (we are watching this with my mom who lived through it and has lots to add)

BBC’s Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State

PBS The Canteen Spirit (most awesome story ever!)