Teaching American History

The World Wars and the American State
2026-01-09 17:00 - 2026-01-11 13:00 (America/New_York) | San Diego, CA, 910 N. Harbor Dr., San Diego, 92101, United States
Gather with a small group of teachers from around the country for three days immersed in discussion and exploration of a single topic in American history. Multi-Day Seminars are a free opportunity for teachers hosted near an important historical site. Teachers will prepare ahead of time for seminars by reading selected historical documents in the provided course packet. Once the seminar begins, the discussion leader guides a peer-to-peer, text-based conversation among all participants. Meals, materials, single-occupancy rooms, and historical site visits are 100% covered by Teaching American History. At the end of each course, every teacher receives a letter of participation for fifteen contact hours of continuing education and a stipend of $600 to help defray travel costs.
The World Wars unleashed destruction on such a massive scale, and in such a short period of time, that the nation-states involved were all pressured to make extraordinary efforts to marshal the total resources at their disposal to survive and seek victory. The demands of these total wars would fundamentally transform the American State, as the federal government, particularly the executive branch, took unprecedented powers to enlist millions of its citizens into the armed forces and to turn the United States’ immense industrial capacity into what Franklin Roosevelt called “the arsenal of democracy.” This seminar will examine the effects that transformation had on the American state, on the constitutional balance between the branches of government and between the federal and state governments, and on the relationship of citizens to the state.

Détente and Later Cold War
2026-01-06 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Bismarck, ND, Bismarck, ND, United States
This seminar will focus on the later Cold War years during the presidencies of Nixon, Carter, and Reagan. Their approach to Détente, foreign relations with the Soviet Union, China, and the ending of the Vietnam War.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Professor facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

The Causes of the Civil War
2026-01-06 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Bismarck, ND, Bismarck, ND, United States
The decade that preceded Abraham Lincoln’s presidential election, the onset of secession, and eventual civil war saw an America increasingly divided over the future of slavery in the United States. This seminar will explore the events and turmoil that ultimately led to the greatest conflict this nation endured. The readings that follow present a diversity of opinions regarding that division, and how best to resolve what Harry V. Jaffa called “the crisis of the house divided.”
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Professor facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Jefferson: The Statesman
2025-12-13 10:45 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Online
“May [the Declaration] be to the world . . . the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.”
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Roger C. Weightman, 1826
Jefferson lives! Join us on this chilly December morning as we review Jefferson’s legacy and role in American history.
Teaching American History’s online seminars occur monthly on select Saturdays from 10:45am-12pm ET. A reading packet containing excerpts for discussion, a pre-seminar discussion board, a link to the seminar recording and relevant primary sources will be made available to registrants.
For professional development purposes, attendees will receive acknowledgement of their digital presence. So—grab your biggest coffee mug, put your feet up and join us for a stimulating conversation between friends!

Three Views on Liberty & Equality
2025-11-19 08:30 - 14:15 (America/New_York) | Valley Forge, PA, PA, United States
Liberty and equality are powerful words in American political discourse. How have they been interpreted throughout American history? Are liberty and equality in tension with each other, or are they compatible? This seminar explores three different views in American history and thought about the relationship between liberty and equality.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

FDR,WWII, and the Holocaust
2025-11-14 09:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Jasper, IN, Jasper, IN, United States
The Holocaust was the greatest horror of World War II, and the Allies obtained evidence of Nazi Germany’s genocide of Europe’s Jewish population during the war. How did Allied leaders, especially President Franklin Roosevelt, respond to the Holocaust? Did the Allies attempt to disrupt the death camps’ operations in order to halt the mass murder? Could the Allies have done more? How much coverage did the genocide receive in the United States and how did the public respond? Using a selection of primary and secondary readings, we will address these questions during our seminar.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Black Wall Street: Men and Women Entrepreneurship
2025-11-14 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Enid, OK, Enid, OK, United States
Following the Civil War, African American businessmen and women began to invest, build, and thrive despite white-controlled financial and commercial networks. But what happened in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma? Why will it become a target of a racial massacre in 1921? Using primary documents, we will read and listen to the stories of these entrepreneurs.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Professor facilitating the conversation. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Jefferson: The Atheist?
2025-11-08 10:45 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Online
“The moral certainty therefore is that there will be an Anti-federal Majority in the Ensuing Legislature, and this very high probability is that this will bring Jefferson into the Chief Magistracy . . . the scruples of delicacy and propriety . . . ought not to hinder the taking of a legal and constitutional step, to prevent an Atheist in Religion and a Fanatic in politics from getting possession of the helm of the State . . . ”
-Alexander Hamilton, letter to John Jay, May 1800
Join us as we take a deep dive into the mudslinging politics of the 1790s and Jefferson’s role in the contentious election of 1800.
Teaching American History’s online seminars occur monthly on select Saturdays from 10:45am-12pm ET. A reading packet containing excerpts for discussion, a pre-seminar discussion board, a link to the seminar recording and relevant primary sources will be made available to registrants. Download the readings here!
For professional development purposes, attendees will receive acknowledgement of their digital presence. So—grab your biggest coffee mug, put your feet up and join us for a stimulating conversation between friends!
Our Special Guest Panelist for this event is Christine McDonald.

LBJ and Vietnam
2025-11-04 08:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Ravenna, OH, Ravenna, OH, United States
Study the origins of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War and focus on Lyndon Johnson’s understanding of and approach to the war during his presidency. This seminar is based on primary documents and will help to shed light on the rationale for LBJ’s efforts in Vietnam, as well as the challenges and issues he faced there.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary documents as the only readings with the professor facilitating the conversation instead of lecturing. Registrants are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Participants will receive a Letter of Attendance at the end of the day.

First Amendment: Free Speech
2025-11-01 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Baton Rouge, LA, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
Where does one draw the line between protected and punishable speech? Is “hate speech” entitled to First Amendment protection? Are there boundaries of free expression? Join us as we explore the crucial role of free speech in a democratic republic and the Supreme Court’s evolving standards of jurisprudence since the first opinion was handed down in 1919.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with Professor Stoner facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Black Wall Street
2025-11-01 08:30 - 14:15 (America/New_York) | Kokomo, IN, 2501 S. Berkely Rd, Kokomo, IN, 46902, United States
Following the Civil War, African American businessmen and women began to invest, build, and thrive despite white-controlled financial and commercial networks. But what happened in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma? Why will it become a target of a racial massacre in 1921? Using primary documents, we will read and listen to the stories of these entrepreneurs.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Lincoln and Reconstruction
2025-10-29 08:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | Vandalia, IL, Vandalia, IL, 62471, United States
In this seminar, Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction, we will consider the issues of slavery, secession, and reconstruction. As seceded states came under the control of Union armies, Lincoln grappled with the problem of their eventual readmission or reconstruction. What should the status of disloyal whites be once they had been forced to resubmit to the authority of the United States? What about the status of blacks, almost all of whom had been liberated from slavery? When could these states be safely given full civil and political rights under the Constitution, including representation in Congress and the right to participate in presidential elections? How did Lincoln understand the matter of political and civil equality both before the Civil War and in the wake of rebellion and emancipation? To answer these questions is to understand Lincoln’s antislavery constitutionalism, his purpose for waging the war for Union, his policy of emancipation, and the meaning of “a new birth of freedom” embedded in the Gettysburg Address.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings in our conversation. All attendees of this free seminar will receive lunch, a letter of attendance, as well as paper and digital copies of the reader.

Westward Expansion
2025-10-28 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Vandalia, IL, Vandalia, IL, 62471, United States
This seminar will focus on America’s westward expansion and its “Manifest Destiny” to expand from sea to shining sea. This seminar will consider the purposes for westward expansion, Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy and westward expansion’s impact on slavery.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

The American Founding
2025-10-27 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Ft. Scott, KS, Ft. Scott, KS, United States
This seminar offers an overview of the principles of the American Founding and the documents that embody them, especially the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. These principles will be illuminated through a close study of the events of the American Revolution and the debates on the ratification of the Constitution.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Professor facilitating the conversation. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Jacksonian America
2025-10-25 08:30 - 14:15 (America/New_York) | Frankfort, KY, Frankfort, KY, 40601, United States
This seminar will consider Jackson’s ascendancy to President, its historical context as well as many of his controversial policies such as the Bank War, Nullification Crisis and the Indian Removal Act.
This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

FDR, WWII, and the Holocaust
2025-10-24 08:30 - 14:15 (America/New_York) | Canton, OH, Canton, OH, United States
The Holocaust was the greatest horror of World War II, and the Allies obtained evidence of Nazi Germany’s genocide of Europe’s Jewish population during the war. How did Allied leaders, especially President Franklin Roosevelt, respond to the Holocaust? Did the Allies attempt to disrupt the death camps’ operations in order to halt the mass murder? Could the Allies have done more? How much coverage did the genocide receive in the United States and how did the public respond? Using a selection of primary and secondary readings, we will address these questions during our seminar.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. All attendees will receive a Letter of Attendance at the end of the seminar.

Eugenics in the Progressive Era
2025-10-24 08:00 - 13:55 (America/Chicago) | Ada, OK, Ada, OK, United States
From 1900 to late 1920s America had an active eugenics movement. States and supporters argued for the public good; requiring the removal from the population genes thought to cause low intelligence, or immoral, criminal or anti-social behavior; which in turn allowed for compulsory sterilization laws. Some Governors, state and federal courts regularly found these unconstitutional. Join us as we explore why this movement was so popular and why it was challenged.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings with Professor Green facilitating the conversation. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

American Women Fight for Equality
2025-10-23 08:30 - 14:15 (America/New_York) | Charlotte, MI, 1790 Packard Highway, Charlotte, MI, United States
This intensive day-long seminar examines the complex and ongoing struggle for women’s equality in the United States. We will explore how women have challenged legal, social, and economic barriers across nearly four centuries, from the constraints of coverture laws in colonial America to more contemporary debates over reproductive rights and workplace equality.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. All attendees will receive a Letter of Attendance at the end of the seminar.

Collisions between State and Federal Authority in the American Federal System
2025-10-21 08:30 - 14:15 (America/New_York) | Bloomington, IN, 201 N. Indiana Ave, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
In creating what James Madison referred to as a “compound republic,” the framers of the U.S. Constitution established a political system that was bound to generate collisions between state and federal governments. This seminar will analyze disputes about the extent of federal and state authority throughout American history, beginning with debates between Federalists and anti-Federalists during ratification of the Constitution, and then exploring leading episodes when state officials challenged federal authority in the early American Republic, and then analyzing various conflicts regarding the balance of state and federal power in the contemporary era.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Slavery and The Constitution
2025-10-09 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | Kenosha, WI, Kenosha, WI, United States
The most serious criticism of the United States Constitution is that it originated as a pro-slavery document. So what position on slavery is taken in the Constitution itself? Does the 3/5s Compromise, the Fugitive Slave clause, the delay on abolishing slave importation, and other provisions, evidence of pro-slavery exposure? Or are they necessary compromises designed to preserve the new Union until such a time as slavery could be abolished? We will examine the provision in the Constitution that focus on slavery, considering those who argue it is a pro-slavery document and those who do not.
This program will be conducted as a conversation among peers, discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

Missouri, Dred Scott, and the Coming of the Civil War
2025-10-08 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Chicago) | White Settlement, TX, 1451 South Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX, 76108, United States
The Civil War was the result of decades of issues, ideas, and actions by individuals and groups, across a less than 100-year-old America. In this seminar, teachers will explore the connection between emerging ideas about slavery and race, and a Supreme Court decision that contributed to the causes of the Civil War.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with Professor Monroe facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.

The American Founding
2025-10-06 08:30 - 14:15 (America/Phoenix) | Parker, CO, Parker, CO, 80134, United States
The seminar offers an overview of the principles of the American Founding by exploring three historical stages of the American Revolution: colonial resistance in the 1760s and early 1770s, declaring independence, and the creation of new governments. Documents will include the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but also Letter from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, Common Sense, and the Articles of Confederation.
This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with Professor Otto facilitating the conversation. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready with questions. Teachers will receive a Letter of Attendance at the conclusion of the seminar.
