We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos

Social Studies Videos


Play All
Social Studies 5: The Plantation System
95 Views

Plantations may have made their owners rich, but it was at the expense of the slaves that worked there. They were treated terribly. Rickety houses,...

Social Studies 5: The Impact of One: Alfred Wegener’s Ideas and Pangaea
66 Views

Get ready to learn about the biggest breakup the planet has ever seen. It all started with a relationship that the tabloids liked to call "Pangaea"...

Social Studies 5: Time Periods are Important
25 Views

Time periods are super important. What if The Lord of the Rings had taken place in the future? Frodo would have just used his rocket boots to...

Social Studies 5: Battle Songs during the Civil War
143 Views

Okay, get this. During the Civil War people actually used to march into battle with bands that blasted heroic music in order to inspire the troops...

Social Studies 5: The History of the Ku Klux Klan
207 Views

We know it isn't fun to hear about, but hate groups were and are unfortunately a part of history. And we hate them. But not in a hate-groupy w...

Social Studies 5: Burr vs. Hamilton, a deadly rivalry
158 Views

With a name like Burr, we're not too surprised he ended up being a stone-cold killer. Today's video is all about the duel between Aaron Burr and Al...

Social Studies 5: The Roots of African Slavery
18 Views

Whether it was the native people or Africans brought over by boat, early European settlers in the U.S. didn't seem to care too much about using peo...

Social Studies 5: Reporting 101
19 Views

Today we'll learn about the five W's and how and how they're important to reporters. Yes, you read that sentence correctly.

Social Studies 5: Tribes of the Plains
28 Views

We know what you're thinking, and no, these aren't tribes of people who fly through the air. Those are planes people. Big difference. 

ELA 5: Learning Styles
131 Views

We've got visual and auditory learning covered by this video, but we're still working on kinesthetic. Hm...how does one do a video? 

Social Studies 5: Hiawatha’s Legend – A Change in Attitude
25 Views

Wow, this Hiawatha guy was like, the nicest person who ever niced. You can bet if we were in his shoes, a Perseus-themed massacre would have ensued.

Social Studies 5: The Cahokia
41 Views

You do the Cahokia Pokia and you build a giant mound. That's what it was all about...back in the year 1000 apparently.

Social Studies 5: The First English Colonies
162 Views

We don't blame the new settlers for abandoning Roanoke. If we sailed up on a creepy ghost town island like that, we'd be rowin' oak as fast as we c...

Social Studies 5: Impeachment
1012 Views

No, this isn't a terrible new mint-peach bubble gum flavor...though it does tend to leave a bad taste in people's mouths.

Social Studies 5: Most Intolerable: British Acts and Taxes
123 Views

Today we're learning about the "Intolerable Acts." Things like housing British soldiers in colonial homes, closing harbors, and putting caps on "un...

Social Studies 5: Pilgrims and Puritans
230 Views

You know 'em, you love 'em, they're the good ol' buckle-hats that settled in the new world. Today we'll learn all about that and the first ever off...

Social Studies 5: Religious Conflict among the Puritans
36 Views

If there's one thing we've seen throughout history, where there's mandatory religion, there tends to be conflict. Just like in the spaghetti wars o...

Social Studies 5: Tell Me More About These Colonies
55 Views

Today we'll learn all about the colonies in North America. Protip: The middle colonies were totally the best. Moderate weather, more diversity, and...

Social Studies 5: How to Analyze a Political Cartoon
637 Views

Not every cartoon is meant to entertain small children while their mother gets some "Mommy time." There are also political cartoons, which are mean...

Social Studies 5: How to Analyze a Political Cartoon
71 Views

Not every cartoon is meant to entertain small children while their mother gets some "Mommy time." There are also political cartoons, which are mean...

Social Studies 5: The Federalist Papers
201 Views

You know when you really want something from your parents so you write like 80 essays about why they should get it for you? No? Just us and the founding fathers? Huh, weird. Well, this video will certainly teach you how if you'd like to pick up that skill.

Social Studies 5: Look What Leif Eriksson and the Vikings Found
146 Views

Today we're learning about how the vikings found North America, got really happy about it, made (and drank) a bunch of wine, and then promptly forgot to keep any records of their discovery. So Columbus ended up getting all the credit...500 years later. Yeesh. Maybe they should have held off on the partying.

Social Studies 5: Freedom, but Not For All
29 Views

You know how they say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is? Well, that was the case with the Declaration of Independence. Our forefathers really shouldn't have promised everyone two scoops of ice cream every night before bedtime. Ah, well. Hindsight is 20/20.

Social Studies 5: Jamestown
336 Views

Those settlers in Jamestown really should have settled down with all that land-stealing. Tobacco's bad for you anyway.

Social Studies 5: The French and Indian Wars
124 Views

Believe it or not, the oldest feud in the history of humanity is not cats versus dogs. Though, yeah, that one does go back a long way. But there’s a much older feud... one that goes all the way back to the 1600s between England and France. Now that was a cat-fight. Meow.

Social Studies 5: The Middle Colonies
198 Views

Today we'll learn about how the Quakers became movers and shakers. You know, when they moved to North America...and it got cold. 

Social Studies 5: Let's Make a Change!
3 Views

We've been wearing the same clothes for a week now and we really need—oh, erm...never mind. Today's lesson is about changes to the constitution. Take a look at the video and don't step too close to us.

Social Studies 5: Rights and Responsibilities: The Articles of Confederation
83 Views

It may just be us, but whenever we hear "confederation," things don't seem to turn out too well. Today we'll tell you all about the Articles of Confederation and why they were done away with.

Social Studies 5: Why Colonize?
29 Views

Um, there's like tons of treasure to be had. Duh. Colonies are full of the stuff. Not that it's okay to take it all and enslave the people but...yeah you know what never mind. Don't colonize places that already have people living there. We'll tell you what happens when people do that in this video.

Social Studies 5: Filling in the Gaps: From the Time of the Vikings to Columbus
44 Views

Time to take a closer look at the Middle Ages. And no, you can't go to your parents for help on this one. They may be middle-aged, but they're not that old.

Social Studies 5: The Birth of Canada
200 Views

Being born out of multiple wars doesn't quite seem to fit the peaceful, polite Canadians we know and love today...oh wait, they were called The Beaver Wars? Never mind, that makes sense.

Social Studies 5: The Stars and Stripes: Making the American Flag
11 Views

You know that big cloth with all the stars and stripes? News flash: It didn't just poof into existence when the United States did. Someone made it. We're not quite sure who that someone is, but we know someone did it. Flags aren't self-replicating. Or self-aware. We checked.

Social Studies 5: Fan Girls: Revolutionary War Wives (and Kids!) Who Traveled With the Armies
38 Views

Yep, We're not kidding. This totally used to happen. Wives and children of soldiers would just march along with them and help out behind the scenes. Sounds pretty dangerous, but what do we know? We're afraid of going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Social Studies 5: That Scoundrel: Benedict Arnold
17 Views

Let's just say it's a good thing Benedict Cumberbatch is here to start redeeming the name. Today we're learning about one of the traitorest traitors that ever traited through the U.S., Benedict Arnold.

Social Studies 5: Cough it Up: How America (Didn't Really) Pay Its Revolutionary War Soldiers
19 Views

Turns out that if you fought to liberate the United States back in the day you may have been paid $96 a year for your troubles. And that's just if you were lucky. Yikes. But yay liberty?

Social Studies 5: Nature’s Controlling Forces: Six Climates
29 Views

Polar, tropical, dry, mild, continental, high elevation...no, they aren't types of bears. These are the six sorts of climates you can experience on our planet. We'll talk about them in today's video.

Social Studies 5: The Anasazi Mystery – Part I
32 Views

About 700 years ago the Anasazi just disappeared. For real. This isn't just some ancient folk tale. Check out the video to learn more about it.

Social Studies 5: The Anasazi, Part II
11 Views

Were the Anasazi cannibals? The question is just...eating us up inside.

Social Studies 5: Kind of Sort of Independent: Commonwealth Countries
8 Views

Over time, the British Empire has certainly gotten around. Hope it's got a license to colonize.

Social Studies 5: Natural Hazards: Patterns in Locations
21 Views

Most things that are natural are good for you. Might not want to put "natural hazards" in that category, though.

Load More Videos