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 Teachers will prepare ahead of time for seminars by reading selected historical documents in the provided course packet.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, double-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 American republic was founded on a glaring contradiction: the concurrent protection of natural rights and the enslavement of African Americans. In this seminar featuring a site visit to the Oakland Plantation at Cane River Creole National Historical Park, we will read and discuss primary sources to explore many important questions related to American slavery. Why didn’t the founders abolish slavery when the Constitution was drafted? How did enslavers justify, protect, and expand a brutal system of forced labor? How did enslaved people resist captivity and emancipate themselves in the antebellum period? Did the Civil War and Reconstruction fully end enslavement? What are the long-term historical consequences of American slavery? These and other questions will guide our discussions and site visit.

Please note: The Multi Day Application period is April 9-30, 2024