Spotlight on the 3-Day Regional Teacher Seminars in 2020

In its 25th year of offering dynamic, content-rich Teacher Seminars led by the top scholars in the country, the Gilder Lehrman Institute announces that, in addition to 6-Day Teacher Seminars and the inaugural Teacher Seminar Summit, 3-Day Teacher Seminars will be offered. These four regional seminars are rigorous workshops designed to help teachers receive exceptional professional development without traveling far from home.

Particularly convenient for teachers unable to commit to a 6-Day Seminar, these 3-Day Seminars offer the same high-quality professional development. The format of the seminar is based on the 3-day workshop model piloted in Hingham, Massachusetts, last summer with lead scholar David McCullough.

Echoing the sentiments of other teachers surveyed after the pilot workshop, one teacher said: "I was blown away by the quality of speakers we had, their willingness to engage with us, and the amazing staff. The master teacher was incredibly knowledgeable and willing to share practices with us. I can't believe how much I learned in just three days." 

The four 2020 3-Day Teacher Seminars are:

9/11 and American Memory with Edward T. Linenthal, Professor of History, Indiana University Bloomington

This joint Gilder Lehrman Institute / National September 11 Memorial & Museum seminar for teachers will investigate the historical causes and background, the immediate impact, and the ongoing legacies of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Early American Republic, 1787–1808 with Andrew W. Robertson, Associate Professor, Graduate Center / Lehman College, CUNY

In partnership with the Hingham Historical Society, this seminar will explore the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; consider the controversy over Hamiltonian economic policy and over foreign policy in an era fraught with the perils of foreign entanglements; examine the increasing democratization and polarization of the United States in advance of the 1800 election; pay special attention to the important changes in women’s role in public and private life; and focus on the Founders’ greatest worry: how Americans could maintain a republic that was rapidly becoming half slave and half free.

The American Civil War: Origins and Consequences with Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War, Emeritus, and Director, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History, University of Virginia

This seminar examines the tumultuous era of the American Civil War, emphasizing the conflict’s origins, scope, and consequences, and examining the central role of slavery and the ways in which the Civil War era continues to resonate today. 

American Protest Literature: Thomas Paine to the Present with John Stauffer, Sumner R. and Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University

This interdisciplinary seminar examines the rich tradition of protest literature in the United States from the American Revolution to the present, focusing on “literature,” broadly construed, that critiques society, suggests a solution to its ills, and functions as a catalyst, guide, or mirror of social change.

Learn more about all of the Teacher Seminars and see Frequently Asked Questions here.