Fort Stanwix National Monument [NY]

Description

The Fort Stanwix National Monument presents the fort's Revolutionary War history and its impact on the history of New York settlement. Collections consist of more than 476,000 artifacts. Three trails circle the fort. One follows the Oneida Carrying Place, while the other two interpret the siege of 1777. During the seige, Colonel Peter Gansevoort maintained control of Stanwix despite the concentrated British, Loyalist, German, Canadian, and Native American troops which surrounded the structure, earning it the nickname of "the fort that never surrendered." This victory is one of several which eventually led to political alliances with The Netherlands and France. The fort is located on traditional Oneida lands. The Oneida Carrying Place is an over land route between Wood Creek and the Mohawk River.

The monument offers an orientation talk, three trails, exhibits, guided curriculum-based educational programs, self-guided fort tours, audio-visual displays, weapons demonstrations, guided tours, living history programs, an activity for three through six year olds, Junior Ranger activities, and an area for building model forts. Reservations are required for all guided programs. The website offers lesson plans, a 1777 campaign Revolutionary War map, a word match, a crossword puzzle, a word search, and suggested reading lists for students and teachers.

Boston National Historical Park [MA]

Description

The Boston National Historical Park interprets the pre- and early Revolutionary War history of the Boston area, as well as U.S. Navy history. Many of the sites at which rangers conduct programs are located along the Freedom Trail, which possesses a separate entry in this directory. Collections include more than 70,000 photographs and negatives, 13,000 architectural drawings, and shipyard records.

Between mid-April and November, the park offers 90-minute tours of the downtown portion of Boston's Freedom Trail. Lectures are offered at Faneuil Hall and the Bunker Hill Monument. Tours are offered of the World War II and Cold War destroyer, the USS Cassin Young. The park also offers a Freedom Trail slide show, exhibits, a 10 minute Naval Yard introductory video, Junior Ranger activities, 13 educational programs for students with pre-visit materials, and teacher workshops. The website offers a virtual tour of the USS Cassin Young, videos of Navy Yard structures which are not publicly accessible, suggested reading lists for students and teachers, and Web Ranger activities. The USS Cassin Young is not wheelchair accessible.

Boston's Made Land

Description

Scholar Nancy Seasholes looks at the history of land creation in Boston over its 375-year history. She focuses on the Central Waterfront area. Her presentation includes slides.

An mp3 of the lecture audio can be downloaded.

Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham: African American Lives

Description

Professor and author Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham discusses the creation of the book African American Lives, coedited with Henry Louis Gaters, Jr. The book covers the lives of over 600 notable African Americans, from earliest colonial times to the present day. Higginbotham examines the impact of these individuals on history, the challenges presented in choosing individuals for coverage, and the research required to compile the book.

Audio and video options are available.

Presidents at War

Description

Former JFK advisor and historian Arthur Schlesinger, journalist Tom Wicker, and veteran political analyst and former Nixon staffer Kevin Phillips explore the varying legacies of the United State's wartime presidents.