The dark history of Mount Rushmore - Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means episode artwork

EPISODE · May 29, 2026 · 6 MIN

The dark history of Mount Rushmore - Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Uncover the hidden history of the building of Mount Rushmore, and how its creation destroyed sacred Native American land.--Between 1927 and 1941, workers blasted 450,000 tons of rock from a mountainside using chisels, jackhammers, and dynamite. Gradually, they carved out Mount Rushmore. Today, the monument draws nearly 3 million people to South Dakota’s Black Hills every year. But its façade belies a dark history. Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means explore the destruction of the sacred Six Grandfathers Mountain.Lesson by Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means, directed by Anton Bogaty.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-mount-rushmore-ned-blackhawk-and-jeffrey-d-meansDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-mount-rushmore-ned-blackhawk-and-jeffrey-d-means#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.instagram.com/anton_bogaty----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, TAO7CADENCE, Olympia Buckingham, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, JasonD, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Adriano Fontes, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, SpartacusDMR, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Leonardo Monrroy, Maryam, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rare Media, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, NinjaBoffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd and paul g mohney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uncover the hidden history of the building of Mount Rushmore, and how its creation destroyed sacred Native American land.--Between 1927 and 1941, workers blasted 450,000 tons of rock from a mountainside using chisels, jackhammers, and dynamite. Gradually, they carved out Mount Rushmore. Today, the monument draws nearly 3 million people to South Dakota’s Black Hills every year. But its façade belies a dark history. Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means explore the destruction of the sacred Six Grandfathers Mountain.Lesson by Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means, directed by Anton Bogaty.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-mount-rushmore-ned-blackhawk-and-jeffrey-d-meansDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-dark-history-of-mount-rushmore-ned-blackhawk-and-jeffrey-d-means#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.instagram.com/anton_bogaty----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, TAO7CADENCE, Olympia Buckingham, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, JasonD, Terran Gimpel, Talia Sari, Katie McDowell, Allen, Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Mahina Knuckles, Charmaine Hanson, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Adriano Fontes, Xiao Yu, Melissa Suarez, SpartacusDMR, Brian A. Dunn, Francisco Amaya, Daisuke Goto, Matt Switzler, Leonardo Monrroy, Maryam, Bethany Connor, Jeremy Shimanek, Mark Byers, Avinash Amarnath, Xuebicoco, Rare Media, Rayo, Po Foon Kwong, NinjaBoffin, Jesse Jurman, Scott Markley, Elija Peterson, Ovidiu Mrd and paul g mohney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The dark history of Mount Rushmore - Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means

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This episode was published on May 29, 2026.

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Uncover the hidden history of the building of Mount Rushmore, and how its creation destroyed sacred Native American land.--Between 1927 and 1941, workers blasted 450,000 tons of rock from a mountainside using chisels, jackhammers, and dynamite....

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