Erin Carlson Mast, curator at Lincoln's Cottage, speaks about the relationship between Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln.

To navigate the Kansas River in the 1820s, you needed the right equipment—a keelboat. Curators and experts at the Kansas Museum of History look at the history behind a steering oar which helped a fur trader's keelboat stay the course on the mighty Kaw.

Three speakers present in this second half of an all-day symposium commemorating the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln. Lucas E. Morel presents "Lincoln on Race, Equality and the Spirit of '76"; Lincoln's lifelong interest in language is the subject of a talk given by Douglas L. Wilson; and Elizabeth D. Leonard delivers the final presentation of the symposium, "Ally on the Team of Rivals: Lincoln and His Point Man for Military Justice," in which she discusses Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, the president's chief of the War Department's Bureau of Military Justice.

The first half of this symposium may be found here.

Three speakers present in this first half of an all-day symposium commemorating the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln. Commemorating the 148th anniversary of Lincoln's first inaugural address, Harold Holzer presents a talk titled "Lincoln Comes to Washington: The Journey of a President-Elect"; James M. McPherson speaks on "Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief"; and William Lee Miller discusses Lincoln's struggle to transform ideals and bring about a better understanding of freedom.

The second half of the symposium may be found here.

Eighth-grade American history educator Eric Langhorst demonstrates how he uses Google Maps in class to show students historic sites.

Eighth-grade American history educator Eric Langhorst discusses his techniques for exploring the fate of the Donner Party in the classroom, using the PBS documentary The Donner Party from PBS and in-class debate over the role of Lansford Hastings in the tragedy.

To listen to the podcast select "Direct link to Podcast #181 - Teaching the Donner Party as a Debate." The video clip shows the in-class debate.

Historian Gary Nash serves as lead advisor for this professional development series that begins with pre-contact Native American history and continues through Reconstruction.

America's History in the Making is designed to enrich middle school and high school teachers' American history knowledge, while introducing teaching methods that will help them develop their own classroom applications. America's History in the Making is composed of 11 units, each containing video and text materials, Web interactives, and hands-on activities built around primary and secondary source materials. The materials can be used as standalone units or as a full four-credit professional development course.

Additional features include:
• Opportunities to develop assessments and assignments for students.
• Web-based interactives that stimulate analytical thinking.
• Videos of expert interviews, reenactments, examples of historical methodology.
• A table that correlates to each state's history/social studies standards.

Free registration is required to stream videos and download all workshop materials, including comprehensive facilitator guides. Certificates of Participation to those working in groups are available and may be used for inservice or recertification credit. Colorado State University offers graduate-level semester credits, for a fee, to those who complete the sequence of sessions and the required assignments.

This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of Sallie Hester, a young girl heading across the U.S. to California with her family, looks at the journey of settlers across the American West.

This presentation, narrated partially from the perspective of historian and explorer Francis Parkman (1823-1893), looks at the lifestyle of the Oglala and Parker's perception of it.

Many Americans think Lewis and Clark were sent west simply to explore the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase. In fact, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was part of an international contest to control North America and exploit its wealth and an important part of Thomas Jefferson's plan for the development of the United States and the future of its Native American population.

Dr. Dan Thorp of Virginia Tech explores the nature of earlier European activities in the North American West and how they shaped the timing and nature of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.