History is often not that fun to read about, at least not to the majority of the people. Though, when we are interested in a subject, we do give it more attention, even if that means reading through a wall of text.
There are other ways of learning and also having fun along the way. Documentaries tend to give us a more interesting perspective on history.
The United States has had quite a turbulent and interesting history as a country. There are tons of US documentaries about many different topics. Here are the most interesting ones that you should definitely see.
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation – 2019
Netflix has plenty of amazing documentaries, and plenty more in the making. Woodstock was a music festival held in 1969. It was a three day long festival that featured some of the most popular artists at the time. It was a concert that is regarded as one of the best concerts in the history of music.
This documentary is worth watching for various reasons, most of them being the amazing music, not to mention getting to relive Woodstock, in a sense.
Baseball – 2010 and 1994
Ken Burns is a known name in the world of documentaries and this is his take on America’s pastime. Explore the history and world of baseball, through different eyes. It will show you why the game is great, what the fans think about it, as well as why some players are still considered the best or amazing, even though a lot of time has passed since they were active, not to mention alive.
The documentary was first released in 1994, but it was so successful that more parts were added to it in 2010. These parts covered the 1990s and 2000s, adding to an already great documentary.
Mercury 13
Women’s rights is a big topic today, for a multitude of reasons. Back in 1961, however, it wasn’t a topic worth discussing. Even though several women went through the same training as their men counterparts, often exceeding their results, the men were chosen to be the test pilots for the first vessels to go to outer space. They were chosen simply because they were men, excluding the women, without considering their results, which were as good and better in some cases.
This is a great documentary, showing us a side of history and culture which we do not like thinking about.
Jackie Robinson – 2016
It would be criminal not to have a documentary about the star that was Jackie Robinson. He is known as the first African American baseball player to reach stardom, but also one to pave the way for every other African American baseball player.
The legend of Jackie Robinson is demystified and we see a wonderful human being fighting for the rights of people in and outside of the world of baseball. An activist and athlete, Jackie Robinson is always worth our attention.
Prohibition – 2011
This is a film about Prohibition, the 1920-1933 ban of production, transport and usage of alcohol in the United States. Made by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, this movie shows how a constitutional ban can make regular citizens into criminals and teaches us valuable lessons through an interesting period in American history.
US history is full of amazing and shocking moments. These are some of the best documentaries on the different parts of US history.