In the summer of 2011, Sal shared a “Big Idea” at the Aspen Ideas Festival. The idea was to combine the power of Khan Academy with the network of the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization, to bring the ideas and perspectives of some of the most respected authorities on various subjects to learners anywhere, for free.
Over the past several months, Khan Academy and the Aspen Institute have been working in partnership to develop a new and exciting series on the American Revolution. Just last week, we launched that series which includes tutorials on the founding documents, founding fathers, and founding mothers of the United States of America. This initial offering of videos lives up to the idea of bringing together respected authorities on the subject, and the videos feature conversations between Sir Walter Isaacson and a variety of phenomenal contributors including Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joe Ellis, award-winning journalist Cokie Roberts, and our very own Sal Khan.
Rather than offering simplified answers or shying away from unanswered questions, this first series of videos introduces learners to the complexities of the revolutionary era. They use the stories of the prominent individuals and revolutionary documents of the day to draw learners deeper into the history. Beyond the dates, names, and battles, the story of the founding comes alive and beckons the curious to investigate further.
These tutorials on the American Revolution are a great starting point and we look forward to exploring other areas with the Aspen Institute in the future. More to come soon! Check out this and other partner content available today on Khan Academy.
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