My daughter was placed in an AP American history class for her sophomore year in High school. Part of her summer assignments involve watching two movies and writing reports on them. Looking for good movies that aren't full of nonsense. Any time period will do as long as it's factual.

A couple of clarification questions....

Are they supposed to be documentaries, or just regular movies dealing with some facet of American history?

If they are regular movies, do they have to be non-fiction, or can they be fiction based in some historical era?

What areas of American history is she interested in?

What he said.



I have hundreds of movies and feature length docs in my collection.
Need a direction to make a proper recommendation.

Upon review I picked a few good historical dramas.

Lincoln - 2012
Tora, Tora, Tora - 1970
Good Night and Good Luck - 2005
Inherit the Wind - 1960
All The President's Men - 1976

Unbelievable.  This truly is the age of low expectations.  What ever happened to reading?  Before you know it, the summer assignment will be to watch a 30 minute TV show.  I better not joke - that might be expecting too much from today's youth.

Patton

Midway

She has college level books to read as well for the summer.



 

She's interested in the early colonies of the northeast and our independence from England. No stipulation regarding fiction vs non fiction or documentaries.



 

HBO's mini-series John Adams would be very good, but lengthy.





The movie "April Morning" with Tommy Lee Jones might not be bad.





Ken Burns' two-part documentary about Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery is outstanding and not too lengthy.





ETA: There are a couple of good programs about the War of 1812 on youtube as well.
 

Battle of Britain.  
Tora!  Tora!  Tora!
Midway.
Gettysburg.

Throw Band of Brothers in with that. Awesome series, lengthy but well..well worth it.

In terms of historical accuracy, Tora!, Tora!, Tora!, Gettysburg, and John Adams are very good.

Silly question does it need to be American history? Or can she watch something like Kingdom of Heaven?

If  it has to be american I would recommend Apollo 13 and Glory.

I went through that course in high school a couple years ago. I don't know why the teacher would want her to watch movies other than documentaries. That's lunacy. But, since it's being required, I suggest you stay away from battle centered movies. The AP test tends to focus very little on battles and more on their cause and effect. I would look at movies that cover cultural or political shifts. Focus on reconstruction, progressive era, emergence of America as a world power as a result of ww1 and 2, and Cold War policies. If I were you I would have her watch something like "Gangs of New York" the movie isn't quite accurate but it covers the draft riots and tensions between immigrants and natural born citizens. The riots are an all but forgotten part of U.S. History and being able to use obscure topics as supporting detail will win her points with the grader.
And for god sake tell her what happened at the Triangle Shirtwaist. I had an essay and a few multiple choice questions where it was relevant. That and the salt treaties. They like to hit you with obscure, but important topics.
Half the test is essay form and to pass you have to be able to write. If her teacher isn't make them write essays then she's being set up for failure. Forget the movies and think, thesis, thesis, thesis. It's absolutely necessary for a good essay.
FWIW I got a 4 so I like to think I know what I'm talking about. And sorry if I came across as critical but between the assignment and the teacher's suggestions, I don't get the vibe that the teacher knows what he's doing.

ETA: The Lost Batallion

Northwest Passage Covers a bit of the French Indian Wars and Roger's Rangers. Typical Hollywood 1940s film but has some basis in fact.

What movies did she end up watching?

As a a cinephile I have a wide array of tastes in movies, but do enjoy very old ones. I will not bother you with my favorites silent and or foreign ones, preferably both! But I do suggest watching a movie that is a little off the beaten path, however here are some that many younger people will find tolerable to watch ;)  They are all currently available.



- Malcolm X, 1992. Malcolm X is a 1992 American biographical drama film about the Afro-American activist Malcolm X. Directed and co-written by Spike Lee, the film stars Denzel Washington in the title role, as well as Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo. Lee has a supporting role as Shorty, a character based partially on real-life acquaintance Malcolm "Shorty" Jarvis, a fellow criminal and jazz saxophonist. Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and future South Africa president Nelson Mandela have cameo appearances.

- The Crucible, 1996. A 1996 drama film written by Arthur Miller and based on his play of the same name. It was directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, Paul Scofield as Judge Thomas Danforth, Bruce Davison as Reverend Parris, and Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor. Much of the filming took place on Choate Island in Essex, Massachusetts, and was inspired by the Salem witchcraft trials.

- 12 Years a Slave, 2013. A 2013 period drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave narrative memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., in 1841 and sold into slavery. Northup worked on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before his release. The first scholarly edition of Northup's memoir, co-edited in 1968 by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsdon, carefully retraced and validated the account and concluded it to be accurate.[4] Other characters in the film were also real people, including Edwin and Mary Epps, and Patsey.