England didn't start its first successful colony in North America until 1607, more than 100 years after Columbus arrived in the New World. In this video, Kim discusses the problems that prevented England from following in Spain's footsteps, including struggles for the throne, war in Ireland, and economic depression.

A strong thesis statement should focus on a specific issue and should reveal some original thinking on the topic. Why, when, or how an event began are important. In accepting how something started, a writer can begin to think about what can happen, what should happen, who or what should be involved, who or what should be excluded, and how the argument is likely to evolve.

When building an argument, you should try to find what best supports the thesis by exploring a variety of evidence, then evaluate and choose evidence to support your specific claims. This video shows you why evidence is critical and explains how to use it in your essay.

Essays of argument are built around a thesis or central claim that conveys the position the writer intends to develop and support throughout the essay. A thesis statement goes beyond personal response as it invites other positions to engage with it critically. Obvious facts, questions, and opinions don’t make effective thesis statements. No matter what the topic, an effective thesis statement must make a claim that readers can challenge.

This video briefly examines the personal, social, and political effects of newspapers and printed works in the early nineteenth century. When watching the video, consider how did writings published at Lowell reflect the progress in printing during this era? How did the press affect literacy? In general, how did the press, public life, and popular amusements affect culture?

Towns built around large textile mills began to appear in the northeastern United States as a result of the cotton boom in the early nineteenth century. The Working Women of Lowell focuses on one such town, Lowell, Massachusetts, the female laborers who worked there, and the economic and social changes that resulted. When watching the video, consider why did women enter the factory labor force at this time? What was life like for women working in the textile mills?

The search for independence led many white Americans to move further and further west in the mid-nineteenth century. This video examines the agricultural boom on the old northwestern frontier and towns such as Jacksonville, Illinois, that grew rapidly during this era. When watching the video, consider how and why did the federal government promote agriculture?

This video briefly describes the effect John Deere had on the expansion of farming in the Midwest and on the farm implement business. When watching the video, consider what factors contributed to increased agricultural production in the mid-nineteenth century?

The Erie Canal was built to connect the Hudson River to Lake Erie, thus connecting New York to the trade of the Midwest. This video describes the process of building the canal and the way it revolutionized the movement of goods and people. When watching the video, consider why was the Erie Canal built? How was it built? How did it affect the movement of goods? What effect did it have on New York City?

During Reconstruction, three new amendments to the Constitution redefined freedom, citizenship, and democracy in the United States. But how much really changed? In this video, Kim examines continuity and change over time in the lives of African Americans in the South before and after Reconstruction.

This course concentrates on close analysis and criticism of a wide range of films, including works from the early silent period, documentary and avant-garde films, European art cinema, and contemporary Hollywood fare. Through comparative reading of films from different eras and countries, students develop the skills to turn their in-depth analyses into interpretations and explore theoretical issues related to spectatorship. Syllabus varies from term to term, but usually includes such directors as Coppola, Eisentein, Fellini, Godard, Griffith, Hawks, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Kurosawa, Tarantino, Welles, Wiseman, and Zhang.

On April 9, 1865, General Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox. Just five days later, President Lincoln was assassinated. When watching the video, consider how did the developments on the battlefields affect the elections of 1864? How did the Republicans broaden their appeal? What was significant about the results? Why did the Confederacy collapse in the late winter and early spring of 1865?

 When Ulysses S. Grant became the general-in-chief of the Union forces in 1864, he quickly put into place his plan for a coordinated offensive on all fronts. The success of Grant's strategy of "relentless" war, including Sherman's march to the sea, secured the reelection of President Lincoln and broke the back of the Confederate armies. When watching the video, consider what happened during Grant's military engagements with Lee in Virginia in 1864–1865?

The California Coast was well populated by Native American tribes prior to European contact. Focusing on the largest of these tribes, the Chumash, this video highlights their unique culture known for planked canoes, astronomical knowledge, and a dependency on trade. When watching the video, consider what were the characteristics of the Chumash culture along the California coast?

Cahokia was the largest urban community in the United States prior to the nineteenth century and was characterized by large man-made mounds. This fascinating and complex Native American society had disappeared by the time Europeans arrived. When watching the video, consider what characterized the culture that developed at Cahokia? How is this culture similar to that found at Adena and Hopewell? What purposes did mounds serve?

The Native American tribes in the Northeast were well-known for both their long houses and the formation of the Iroquois League, an early form of democracy that would make a deep impression on European settlers. When watching the video, consider why did indigenous peoples of the Northeast often inhabit villages that were seasonal sites? What else characterized these people?

Salmon fishing, artwork, and clans played an important role in the Native American societies that developed in the Pacific Northwest before European contact. When watching the video, consider what roles did the salmon, totems, and kin groups play in the pre-Columbian Indian cultures of the Pacific Northwest?

Native Americans living in the Southwest before European contact, known as "Anasazi," were farming people. Their complex society and mastery of village life is epitomized by Pueblo Bonito. Today, this impressive architectural accomplishment, along with other multi-storied structures can be seen in Chaco Canyon National Historical Park near the Four Corners area. When watching the video, consider how did the ancestral pueblo peoples of the Southwest adapt to their environment? What characterized their social organization and village life?

The generation that inherited the American Revolution came of age during the first half of the nineteenth century. When watching the video, consider what were the possibilities, opportunities, and challenges that influenced this generation's role in shaping American history?

In the midst of all these changes, a free-labor economy emerged in the North and West. Based on hard work and the belief in landed independence, this society forged a link between economic and political freedom. While certainly not encompassing everybody, more and more people came to believe that they deserved the opportunity to try to shape their own destiny.