Red, white, and you: 10 free MIT courses to spark your July 4th curiosity

As we get ready to light up the sky with fireworks and celebrate the independence of the United States, explore the origins of the American Revolution, the U.S. political process, capitalism, constitutional law, and more with these free online courses and resources from MIT Open Learning.

• The American Revolution: Understand the origins of the American government, from the issues and arguments in the Anglo-American conflict and the Revolutionary War to constitution writing and the effects of the American Revolution.
• American History to 1865: Explore the history of American social, economic, and political development from the colonial period through the Civil War.
• How to Stage a Revolution: Dive into the causes and nature of revolutions, examining how people overthrow their rulers and establish new governments.
• Capitalism in the Age of Revolution: Examine the debates surrounding large-scale financial and trading corporations in the 18th century, as well as the relationship between slavery and the rise of modern or industrial capitalism in the 19th century.
• Introduction to the American Political Process: Get an overview of U.S. politics and an introduction to the discipline of political science.
• American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, and Future: Explore the reasons for America’s past wars and interventions, including the consequences of American policies for the U.S. and the world.
• Energy and Environment in American History: Explore American history from 1705 to 2005 from the perspective of energy and understand how America has become the world’s largest consumer of energy.
• Law and Society in U.S. History: Get an introduction to the main themes and events of American constitutional law since 1787.
• Technology in American History: Discover how technology has contributed to the building of American society from colonial times to the present.
• American Classics: Read basic American historical texts that are often cited, understand their meaning, and assess their continuing significance in American culture.

These courses and materials are available through MIT OpenCourseWare, part of MIT Open Learning. MIT OpenCourseWare offers free, online, open educational resources from more than 2,500 courses that span the MIT undergraduate and graduate curriculum.

Red, white, and you: 10 free MIT courses to spark your July 4th curiosity was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.