The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s History U offers free, self-paced courses in American history to high school students.
Each History U course includes
Cost and Eligibility: Free for high school students
30 Courses
Free for high school students
These courses, led by the nation’s top historians, are drawn from our MA in American History program and allow you to study history at your own pace. Taking a History U course can enhance college applications, supplement classroom learning, and allow you to explore your own love of history.
All History U courses are available to students at no cost. Courses do have recommended reading materials that students can purchase, but they are not required.
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]
Students must be 13 or older to register for a course. History U is intended for highly motivated high school students.
Teachers cannot enroll as students. Teachers who want to review History U courses can email [email protected] to audit for one month. Professional development credit is not available for these courses. Teachers and other adults can explore our Self-Paced Courses.
Students can log in or create an account by clicking Log In. To create an account, click the Sign Up link on the login screen. Choose the K-12 Student role during account creation.
Browse the available courses using the topic menu below. Clicking on a card will redirect you to a page with a full course description. When you have made your selection, click the Register Now button on the course page to go to the order form. All courses are FREE for high school students.
New courses are added during the year and are highlighted in the New Courses section.
This course covers the long struggle for Vietnam waged between 1940 and 1975, with particular attention to the period of direct American involvement.
This course introduces the history of human interactions with the environment in the United States.
This course traces the history of LGBTQ+ identities, relationships, communities, and politics in the US from the late eighteenth century to the present.
This course explores the movement for racial equality in free states from the nation’s founding to the Civil War and Reconstruction.
This course focuses on Black women’s history in the US including their activism and leadership within the African Diaspora.
This course probes the nature of the life, work, and thought of the abolitionist, orator, and author Frederick Douglass.
This course centers on the experiences of enslaved men, women, and children rather than viewing them as objects in other people’s narratives.
This course explores the political philosophies of Black Americans as they sought to secure their rights as citizens.
This course examines the lives and legacies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
This course provides an overview of American immigration history from the colonial period to the twenty-first century.
This course examines the history of Chinese in America, emphasizing Chinese American identity and community formations.
This course examines the origins, strategy, and consequences of the Cold War from a global perspective.
This course explores the history of Latinas and Latinos in the US from the sixteenth century through the present.
This course covers the long struggle for Vietnam waged between 1940 and 1975, with particular attention to the period of direct American involvement.
This course explores American involvement in World War I both in Europe and at home.
This History U course aims to add more context and nuance to the traditional American views of the Second World War.
This course reviews the content featured in the nine periods included in the College Board’s AP United States History curriculum.
This course examines the “why” and the “how” of American government through in-depth discussion of its history and workings.
This course examines the United States during a period of great social change and conflict.
This course investigates the origins, meanings, and contested legacies of one of the most consequential political documents in world history.
This course examines the “why” and the “how” of American government through in-depth discussion of its history and workings.
This course considers the causes and consequences of the economic slump of 1929–1933 and the economic recovery of 1933–1941 under the New Deal.
This course explores protest literature in American history from the American Revolution to contemporary music.
This course examines the trajectory of capitalism from its emergence in British North America to the end of the twentieth century.
This course considers the causes and consequences of the economic slump of 1929–1933 and the economic recovery of 1933–1941 under the New Deal.
This course explores key moments and people in the history of the United States from the end of World War I to the present.
This course focuses on Black women’s history in the US including their activism and leadership within the African Diaspora.
This course investigates the origins, meanings, and contested legacies of one of the most consequential political documents in world history.
This course traces the history of LGBTQ+ identities, relationships, communities, and politics in the US from the late eighteenth century to the present.
This course examines the struggles and successes of the women who fought for equality in American politics, life, and culture.
This course will introduce and explore the complexities of American Indian history from the Columbian Exchange through twentieth-century activism.
This course examines the experiences of Native peoples in modern America since the turn of the twentieth century.
This course explores the movement for racial equality in free states from the nation’s founding to the Civil War and Reconstruction.
This course examines the history of the United States during a period of great social change and conflict.
This course probes the nature of the life, work, and thought of the abolitionist, orator, and author Frederick Douglass.
This course examines the 1850s, the crucial decade that ended in the secession of eleven slave states from the US.
This course explores the movement for racial equality in free states from the nation’s founding to the Civil War and Reconstruction.
This course provides an overview of American immigration history from the colonial period to the twenty-first century.
This course will introduce and explore the complexities of American Indian history from the Columbian Exchange through twentieth-century activism.
This course examines the experiences of Native peoples in modern America since the turn of the twentieth century.
This course focuses on Black women’s history in the US including their activism and leadership within the African Diaspora.
This course examines the history of Chinese in America, emphasizing Chinese American identity and community formations.
This course investigates the origins, meanings, and contested legacies of one of the most consequential political documents in world history.
This course explores the history of Latinas and Latinos in the US from the sixteenth century through the present.
This course probes the nature of the life, work, and thought of the abolitionist, orator, and author Frederick Douglass.
This course centers on the experiences of enslaved men, women, and children rather than viewing them as objects in other people’s narratives.
This course explores the political philosophies of Black Americans as they sought to secure their rights as citizens.
This course examines the lives and legacies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
The course examines the expansion of the US to the Pacific, the dispossession of Native peoples, and environmental transformations.
This course examines the 1850s, the crucial decade that ended in the secession of eleven slave states from the US.
This course introduces the history of human interactions with the environment in the United States.
This course examines the experiences of Native peoples in modern America since the turn of the twentieth century.
This course examines the history of the United States during a period of great social change and conflict.
This course examines the origins, strategy, and consequences of the Cold War from a global perspective.
This course considers the causes and consequences of the economic slump of 1929–1933 and the economic recovery of 1933–1941 under the New Deal.
This course explores key moments and people in the history of the United States from the end of World War I to the present.
This course explores the myths and memories that constitute our perceptions of the 1960s.
This course examines the lives and legacies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
This course covers the long struggle for Vietnam waged between 1940 and 1975, with particular attention to the period of direct American involvement.
This course examines the struggles and successes of the women who fought for equality in American politics, life, and culture.
This course explores American involvement in World War I both in Europe and at home.
This course aims to add more context and nuance to the traditional American views of World War II.
This course focuses on the story of the birth and initial growth of the United States of America.
This course examines the origins, strategy, and consequences of the Cold War from a global perspective.
This course examines the 1850s, the crucial decade that ended in the secession of eleven slave states from the US.
This course covers the long struggle for Vietnam waged between 1940 and 1975, with particular attention to the period of direct American involvement.
This course explores American involvement in World War I both in Europe and at home.
This course aims to add more context and nuance to the traditional American views of World War II.