The American Story
Explore the ideas, conflicts, and people that shaped the United States from its revolutionary beginnings to its role as a modern global power.
Like Duolingo, but for The American Story. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A deep dive: 53 levels across 5 sections, about 106 minutes end to end, roughly 21 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Living Legacy, Forging a New Nation, The Great Fracture, The Rise of Modern America, and The Global Power. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The American Story
- The purpose and radical core of the Declaration of Independence
- The symbolic meaning of the U.S. flag's components
- The American Dream emphasizes meritocracy over inherited titles or royalty
- National holidays create a shared 'story' that connects people from different states and backgrounds
- It suggests that hard work can lead to a better life regardless of background
- The shift in social mobility defined by the American Dream
- The role of national holidays in creating a shared identity
- The Bill of Rights limits government power
- The Bill of Rights as a shield
- Protection against the majority
- The function of the Bill of Rights as a limit on government power
- Concentrating power in one place leads to tyranny
- Congress is the law-making body
- Dividing functions makes it harder for one group to control everything
- The purpose of the separation of powers in the U.S. government
- Members of Congress are elected to represent the specific needs of their home states and districts
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The American Story the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Imagine you are stitching the very first flag. Why would you choose to include exactly thirteen stripes in your design?
Get it right to open this lesson and 52 more in the app.
How to learn The American Story, step by step
Go in order. 53 short levels across 5 sections, about 1 hour 46 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
The Living Legacy
- The Symbols and Stories We Live By
- The Three Branches in Action
- 2
Forging a New Nation
- Breaking Away: The Logic of Revolution
- The Constitution: A Living Compromise
- Expanding the Map
- 3
The Great Fracture
- The Economics and Ethics of Slavery
- The Civil War: A Test of Democracy
- Reconstruction: The Unfinished Revolution
- 4
The Rise of Modern America
- The Gilded Age and Big Business
- The Great Migrations
- The Great Depression and the New Deal
- 5
The Global Power
- World Wars and the End of Isolation
- The Cold War and the Space Race
- The Civil Rights Movement
5 sections · 14 units · 53 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The American Story
How do I learn The American Story?
Go in order: start with The Living Legacy, then Forging a New Nation, then The Great Fracture, then The Rise of Modern America, and 1 more section after that. On Tomo that's 53 short levels, about 1 hour 46 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The American Story?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The American Story is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The American Story free?
Yes. The American Story is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The American Story?
53 levels across 5 sections, about 1 hour 46 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The American Story?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The American Story is taught in the Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The American Story today.
Download Tomo, search The American Story, and play your first lesson in under a minute.