HILLSDALE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – As America approaches its 250th birthday, coming up on July 4, 2026, a new educational video series is aiming to reignite national pride – not by preaching, but by storytelling. Hillsdale College, in partnership with the White House Salute to America 250 Task Force and the U.S. Department of Education, has launched “The Story of America” – an educational video series that celebrates the nation’s founding with clarity, depth, and heart.
Hillsdale College is a private Christian liberal arts school in southern Michigan, founded in 1844. Known for its classical core curriculum, the College refuses all federal and state funding.
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Each episode in the video series offers Americans, young and old, a vivid retelling of the dramatic moments that birthed our republic. From Lexington and Concord to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, these aren’t just dusty textbook entries; they’re the living legacy of courage, self- governance, and moral conviction.
History with a heartbeat.
In the inaugural video titled “The Shot Heard Round the World,” is about the battles of Lexington and Concord. It is narrated by Dr. Wilfred McClay, professor of history at Hillsdale and holder of the Victor Davis Hanson Chair in Classical History and Western Civilization. McClay doesn’t just recount the timeline – he breathes meaning into it. He reminds us that the American Revolution wasn’t led by fringe radicals or rebels looking to overthrow everything – it was led by people defending the way of life they had built through 150 years of self-government.
Michigan News Source reached out to McClay about the video series and he described the confrontations as a way for the colonists to maintain the way of life to which they were accustomed. He said, “The amazing part of the Minutemen, the people that Paul Revere and his compadres roused to action, (is that) they were already organized… they had an organized society. They had governments, they had means of levying taxes and erecting public structures and all those kinds of things.”
McClay went on to say that the struggle was that the colonists were being “deprived of something that they thought was formerly their rights, formerly a part of their way of life.”
McClay explained, “What was done before can be done again. The deeds of Lexington and Concord exemplify enduring qualities of the character of the American people that will continue to manifest themselves, if we have the willingness to call on those memories, the capacity to respond to darkness with light, to peril with energy and determination, buoyed by the knowledge that others have done these things before us, and in a sense, for us.”
Teaching the next generation.
McClay, who has taught at both public and private universities, sees firsthand how American students are increasingly skeptical of their nation’s history – often without fully understanding it. He describes today’s students as easygoing cynics, holding shallow assumptions about America’s founding while lacking basic historical knowledge, especially about how our government is structured and why it exists that way.
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McClay’s goal isn’t to sugarcoat history or wrap it in flag-waving – it’s to tell the story with honesty and depth. He believes patriotism can’t be force-fed, but it’s clear he sees storytelling – not sermonizing – as the key to inspiring it, especially when those stories are grounded in courage, sacrifice, and the hard-fought birth of a nation.
From the Continental Army to the Declaration of Independence.
The video series also includes commentary from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the formation of the Continental Army and upcoming lectures from historians and leaders. These videos don’t just cover names and dates – they unpack the moral and philosophical foundations of America, including the role of faith, statesmanship, and liberty.
Dr. Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College, calls the Declaration of Independence “the finest political statement of hope and liberty in history.” But the statement isn’t just a slogan, it’s the backbone of this project and the reason it exists.
He introduced the series in April and said, “Next year it and our country will become 250 years old. President Trump and Secretary McMahon are determined to help all Americans remember, understand, and celebrate this unprecedented milestone. They have asked us to help mark the anniversary with fitting explanations of the history and meaning of the document in text, audio, and video…We are proud of the President and the Secretary for their respect for the Declaration and their determination to honor it, and proud to give every assistance in our power.”
Reclaiming the American story.
In a time when national unity is fragile and the past is often politicized, The Story of America invites Americans to do something radical: reflect on what unites us and consider an era that can help us understand our past, present and future. As McClay puts it, ‘The American Revolution is something we go back to…to restore ourselves.’”
