Grove City College History Professor Jason R. Edwards’ lessons on a pair of presidents are part of PragerU’s presidential video series.
Edwards first video, “Rutherford B. Hayes: The Most Disputed President,” premiered last week and a second video on William McKinley is set to be released next year. The Hayes video has already racked up over 350,000 views on YouTube alone, making Edwards a kind of internet sensation.
“I am sure many of my students familiar with my Luddite ways and thoughts on ‘edutainment’ will find this all hilariously ironic. Nevertheless, I am honored to now be a member of the PragerU ‘faculty,’” said Edwards.
PragerU is a nonprofit that creates educational content promoting conservative American viewpoints on economic, political, and social topics. Its videos are popular with homeschoolers and have recently been approved for use in public schools in some states.
Presidential series videos are just five minutes long. Edwards said that presented a challenge, but drilling down on the scripts was a unique and enjoyable project and experience. He was flown to Los Angeles, Calif., to film the videos.
“I came away really impressed with their determination to have every fact and nuance correct as well as their skill in working with the demands and limitations of the medium we were preparing to use to convey the information,” he said.
PragerU’s current project on United States presidents is available on YouTube and other video platforms. Watch Edwards’ Hayes video here.