An honest comparison
Ted vs. Hillsdale’s free courses
Hillsdale College’s free 1776 Curriculum and online video courses are serious, source-respecting American history material. What they don’t come with is a teacher for your student.
Credit where due
What Hillsdale’s Free Courses does well
Hillsdale’s free offerings are substantial: the 1776 Curriculum provides K–12 American history and civics lesson plans free of charge, and the college’s free online video courses feature real professors lecturing on the founding, the Constitution, and more. If you admire an education rooted in the founding documents, as Ted does, it’s admirable material.
Side by side
At a glance
| History Moments with Ted | Hillsdale’s Free Courses | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Live, teacher-led class sessions on a set schedule | Free downloadable K–12 lesson plans plus free self-paced video lecture courses |
| Class size | Kept small by design, so every student is known and heard | No class; parent-taught from plans, or student watches lectures alone |
| Who teaches | Ted Lamb, a dedicated historian-educator, for the entire course | Lesson plans written for classroom teachers; lectures by college professors |
| Materials | Primary and secondary sources: the original documents, read firsthand | Founding-documents-centered plans and college-level lectures |
| Grade fit | Grades 5–12, with content and pace built around your individual student | K–12 plans require parent adaptation; video courses pitched at adults |
| Interaction | Every session is a live conversation: discussion, debate, questions both ways | None built in; one-directional lectures and printed plans |
| Feedback | Assignments reviewed personally; feedback tailored to your student’s thinking | Parent-graded; video courses use self-check quizzes |
| Cost model | Premium live instruction; inquire for current rates | Free |
Details about Hillsdale’s Free Courses are drawn from publicly available information as of August 2026 and may change; please verify current offerings and pricing with the provider. All third-party names are trademarks of their respective owners. History Moments with Ted, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hillsdale’s Free Courses.
The difference
Free lectures vs. a teacher who knows your student’s name
Written for classrooms vs. built for your student
The 1776 Curriculum is written for a school setting; a parent has to adapt, deliver, and grade it. Ted’s courses arrive already fitted to your student’s grade, interests, and pace, with the teaching done by the teacher.
Lectures vs. dialogue
Hillsdale’s video courses are college-style lectures pitched at adults: excellent to watch, but one-directional and often above a middle schooler’s head. Ted’s sessions are two-way conversations calibrated to grades 5–12, where the student does as much talking as listening.
American history only vs. the full picture
Hillsdale’s free K–12 material centers on American history and civics. Ted teaches American history the same source-first way, along with world history, American government, and economics & personal finance, so one trusted teacher can carry your student across subjects and years.
“I can only credit this to his understanding of students as individuals, as well as the subjectivity of the process of learning.”Delphinia G., student
The honest verdict
Which is right for your student?
Choose Hillsdale’s Free Courses if…
- Free, founding-documents-centered material matters most
- A parent is ready to adapt, teach, and grade classroom lesson plans
- You want supplemental lectures for a strong high schooler or yourself
Choose History Moments with Ted if…
- You want a real teacher, not a platform: one historian-educator who knows your student by name
- Your student learns best through conversation, questions, and debate
- You believe history should be read from the sources, not summarized
- You want a course that adapts to your student’s grade, interests, and pace, every single week
See the difference for yourself.
Tell us your student’s grade level and interests, and Ted will reach out personally. No commitment, just a conversation.
Enroll Your Student