From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website:

"This seminar will proceed from two premises: 1) that the Revolution had many meanings to its diverse participants; and 2) that its causes, dynamics, and outcomes, have been interpreted and reinterpreted, ever since. Therefore, we will read secondary works of various historians who have disagreed sharply on how to interpret the American Revolution; and we will examine a variety of primary documents through which we can better understand how people at the time understood what they were fighting for and what outcomes they hoped to enjoy. 'Who shall write the history of the American Revolution?' wrote John Adams to Thomas Jefferson (in 1815). 'Nobody,' Jefferson replied, 'except merely its external facts . . . The life and soul of its history must be forever unknown.' Almost two centuries later, let's discover the answers to that question for ourselves."

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website:

"Professor Gordon Wood investigates George Washington's contributions to the creation of the American republic. The bicentennial of Washington's death in 1999 sparked a reassessment of this extraordinary man and his times. He was commander in chief of the Revolutionary army, a leader in the formation of the Constitution of 1787, and the first president of the new United States. Despite these great accomplishments, he remains strangely distant and inaccessible to us in the early twenty-first century. This brief but intensive course helps explain the sources and meaning of Washington's greatness."

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website:

"The American Revolution describes two different historical events. One was the War for Independence, 1775-1783, that began with Lexington and Concord and concluded with the Treaty of Paris and the evacuation of the British from New York. The 'other' American Revolution occurred in the hearts and minds of the American people. This revolution began in the pamphlets and protests of the 1760s, continued in the Continental Congress, and helped inspire new institutions that emerged after the War for Independence: the abolition of slavery in the North, expanded public roles for women, and the separation of church and state. Both revolutions had global historical significance. George Washington was the pivotal figure in the War for Independence but he played an important role in the second revolution as well. Washington was a representative Virginia planter at the outset of the Revolutionary War. By the time the war concluded, Washington's ideas about slavery, race, and republican government had been transformed. His leadership after the Revolution helped insure the conservation of both American Revolutions. This course will be taught at Mount Vernon, and will utilize the rich resources available at this historic site."

From the National Humanities Center website:

"Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson offered distinct visions for the nation they were founding—one urban and industrial, the other rural and agrarian. In twenty-first-century America, a nation of cities and commerce, it is easy to think Hamilton won. But did he? How did the two visions clash in eighteenth-century America? What were their origins, and what have they meant for the United States? This seminar is a collaboration between the National Humanities Center and public television's historical documentary film series American Experience. Participants will view the American Experience film Alexander Hamilton and explore how to use it in the classroom."

From the Lincoln and New York website:

"N-YHS invites teachers to preview Lincoln and New York at our Teacher Open Houses. Lincoln and New York uses exciting artifacts, hand-written documents, and iconic images to demonstrate the surprisingly central role New York played in the Lincoln story and the leading player Lincoln became in New York.

Registration is free and includes entry to the exhibition, tours with our trained educators and education staff, curriculum materials and light refreshments. Teachers also will enjoy a 10% discount at the Museum Store."