Having adopted a form of government, the Americans had to make it work. This course examines their efforts to do so, as the Republic took shape amidst foreign dangers, political conflict, westward expansion, and religious revivals.

A study of the sectional conflict beginning with the nullification crisis. The course will not only examine the political, social, and economic developments in the period leading to the Civil War, but will emphasize the political thought of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, and John C. Calhoun.

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The workshop features the presentations of several preeminent Twain and Gilded Age scholars. The combined expertise of this distinguished faculty affords teachers an outstanding opportunity to enhance their understanding of Mark Twain's legacy. The culmination of participants' work with this exceptional slate of scholars will be their creation of Twain-related lesson plans that they can use in their classrooms.

Participants in this institute will interact with scientists studying Maine's unique environment; explore the wide range of National Park Service resources available to teachers; visit an offshore island and learn how early artists, Native Americans, and coastal environments can intersect in your classroom; and develop multidisciplinary activities to take back to their classrooms.

This four-week institute will use Winslow Homer's paintings as the point of departure for a voyage of discovery about maritime history in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The goal is not only to understand the period historically and culturally, but also to explore multiple source materials for discovering the past, including works of art and literature, objects, landscapes, the built environment, descendant communities and a range of historical documents in order to synthesize these various perspectives. Participants will develop cross-disciplinary lessons and teaching materials for classrooms.

During this two-week institute teachers and scholars will reconsider iconic American writer John Steinbeck, author of more than 30 books, winner of the Pulitzer Prize (in 1940, for The Grapes of Wrath), the Nobel Prize for Literature (1962), and the United States Medal of Freedom (1964). Days will be filled with study, exploration of the area, discussion, and reflection. During the two weeks, participants will have ample opportunity to appreciate "Steinbeck Country" through exploration of the land and Steinbeck's literature.

The America's Industrial Revolution workshop at the Henry Ford will draw together K–12 educators with leading humanities scholars and museum staff for unique enrichment exercises centered on the impact of industrialization. The workshop is designed to encourage participant curiosity and deepen knowledge on the subject, engage participants with innovative methods of transmitting enthusiasm and content to students, and empower participants to use cultural resources to enliven the teaching and learning of history. Participants will explore the diverse ways that Americans experienced social change between the 1760s and the 1920s through lecture/discussions and by visiting with museum curators at 12 of the 80 historic sites interpreted in Greenfield Village, including Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory, Hermitage Plantation Slave Quarters, 1760s Daggett Farm, 1880s Firestone Farm, a railroad roundhouse, and a 19th-century grist mill. In addition, time is set aside each day for exploration of archival sources in the Benson Ford Research Center and to work on individual lesson plans for implementation back home. The week's activities will culminate with a visit to a related National Historic Landmark, the Ford Motor Company's Rouge Industrial Complex.