This seminar explores what several incidents of mob violence can teach us about American history. Our focus will be on incidents that have occurred in the last 150 years, with particular attention paid to incidents of anti-Black violence. We will consider primary and some secondary sources in sessions on the Colfax Massacre, the New Orleans […]
This elementary teacher focused seminar will explore documents on the expansion of the United States after the founding, including the impact of the Northwest Ordinance. Teachers will be asked to look at how westward expansion furthered tensions with Native Americans and the issue on slavery as the nation moved toward the Civil War. This program […]
The Declaration of Independence in Crisis: Origins of the Civil War is a live, interactive webinar series for secondary social studies teachers that centers the Declaration of Independence in the antebellum era. Through discussion of primary sources, participants will explore how its ideals fueled the debates and divisions that led to civil war and stood […]
The rise of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union is a story that has often been told. This seminar will focus on Truman and Eisenhower’s policies on postwar anti-communism, containment, nuclear buildup, The Korean War, issues in Vietnam, and the Soviet Union. Join us at the table for an intriguing conversation. This […]
While many Supreme Court cases have shaped American policies and history, this seminar explores cases that focus on the Constitution and Federalism, the Constitution and the Commerce Clause and Civil Rights Cases. This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the […]
There have been thousands of books and articles written about the Declaration of Independence, and its ringing words make an appearance in every American History textbook. Given all this commentary and interpretation, is it still possible to understand the Declaration as its authors understood it? In this seminar, we will discuss the primary sources that […]
Japanese internment is often considered the darkest aspect of America’s involvement in World War II. The study of what happened to the Japanese people living in the United States allows us to explore the most fundamental parts of the American experience. Law, pluralism, immigration, citizenship, war, racism, and the history of the western United States […]
The Federalists dominated American politics and government from 1789 to 1801. This critical period saw these three statesmen breathe life into the Constitution and set the new republic on the path to becoming an economic and military power. Perhaps most importantly, these statesmen created a sense of American identity that forged the citizens of thirteen […]
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 racial massacre in 1921? Using primary documents we will read the stories of these entrepreneurs. This […]
There have been thousands of books and articles written about the Declaration of Independence, and its ringing words make an appearance in every American History textbook. Given all of this commentary and interpretation, is it still possible to understand the Declaration as its authors understood it? In this seminar, we will discuss the primary sources […]
