Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Description

Using stories from her prize-winning book, Doris Kearns Goodwin examines the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Goodwin argues that Lincoln's voracious intellect, his kind and generous demeanor, his empathy, and his appreciation for the talents of others led him to assemble what she calls "the most unusual cabinet in history." Goodwin also provides an insider's look into her research methods, as she recounts combing through thousands of pages of letters and diaries.

This feature is no longer available.

Governor John Sevier Home [TN]

Description

John Sevier (1745-1815), early pioneer, Indian fighter, governor of the failed State of Franklin, and first governor of Tennessee, built a plantation home, which he called Marble Springs, when he came to the state capital, Knoxville, in 1796. The site had been a way station for travelers along the road to Knoxville. He and his wife, Bonny Kate, lived at Marble Springs until his death. The only original building, the two-story main cabin, has been restored and furnished with Sevier family items and other frontier pieces. Additions include a kitchen, a loom house, a smokehouse, a spring house, and a barn. The Walker Cabin, circa 1830, has been moved to the site and features artifacts and a video presentation.

A second website for the site can be found here.

The site offers a short film, tours, workshops, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Washington, DC We the People Summer Seminar

Description

The Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier will host the Washington, DC We the People Summer Seminar for middle and high school teachers. The seminar will begin with lectures, discussions, and group activities and conclude with a simulated congressional hearing. Teachers will receive a full classroom set of We the People textbooks.

Contact name
Rydstrom, Justin
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
Center for Civic Education
Phone number
202-861-8800
Target Audience
Upper elementary, middle, and high school
Start Date
Cost
Free
Course Credit
Participants will receive documentation of the Seminar's contact hours to qualify them for professional development from their local school system, according to their own school policies.
Contact Title
Program Manager, Center for Civic Education
Duration
Four days
End Date

Maryland We the People Summer Seminar

Description

The Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier will host the Maryland We the People Summer Seminar for middle and high school teachers. The seminar will begin with lectures, discussions, and group activities and conclude with a simulated congressional hearing. Teachers will receive a full classroom set of We the People textbooks.

Contact name
Taylor-Thoma, Marcie
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
Center for Civic Education
Phone number
410-767-0519
Target Audience
Upper elementary, middle, and high school
Start Date
Cost
Free
Course Credit
Two MSDE professional development credits will be offered at the successful completion of the seminar.
Contact Title
Social Studies and We the People Programs, Maryland State Department of Education
Duration
Four days
End Date

Michigan We the People Summer Seminar

Description

The Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier will host the Michigan We the People Summer Seminar for middle and high school teachers. The seminar will begin with lectures, discussions, and group activities and conclude with a simulated congressional hearing. Teachers will receive a full classroom set of We the People textbooks.

Contact name
Troost, Jim
Sponsoring Organization
Center for Civic Education
Target Audience
Middle and high school
Start Date
Contact Title
Director of Programs, Michigan Center for Civic Education
Duration
Four days
End Date

Virginia We the People Summer Seminar

Description

The Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier will host the Virginia We the People Summer Seminar for middle and high school teachers. The seminar will begin with lectures, discussions, and group activities and conclude with a simulated congressional hearing. Teachers will receive a full classroom set of We the People textbooks.

Contact name
Carmichael, Kelly
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
Center for Civic Education
Phone number
540-672-2728
Target Audience
Upper elementary, middle, and high school
Start Date
Cost
Free
Course Credit
Participants will receive documentation of the Seminar's contact hours to qualify them for professional development from their local school system, according to their own school policies.
Contact Title
Education Outreach Manager and Virginia We the People State Coordinator
Duration
Four days
End Date

We the People . . . Mini Institute

Description

The institute is an intensive, professional development program on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Participants take part in lectures and discussions on constitutional themes pertinent to the curriculum content, classroom strategies, and performance assessment. An essential component of the institute is teacher preparation and participation in a simulated congressional hearing as a culminating activity. The hearing is a model for student hearings to be held during the school year. Experienced teacher mentors assist participants in discussing the challenges of teaching civic education and preparing for the culminating hearing.

Contact email
Sponsoring Organization
Law Focused Education, Inc.
Phone number
800-204-2222
Target Audience
K-12
Start Date
Cost
$25
Duration
Three days
End Date

We the People . . . Mini Institute

Description

The institute is an intensive, professional development program on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Participants take part in lectures and discussions on constitutional themes pertinent to the curriculum content, classroom strategies, and performance assessment. An essential component of the institute is teacher preparation and participation in a simulated congressional hearing as a culminating activity. The hearing is a model for student hearings to be held during the school year. Experienced teacher mentors assist participants in discussing the challenges of teaching civic education and preparing for the culminating hearing.

Contact email
Sponsoring Organization
Law Focused Education, Inc.
Phone number
800-204-2222
Target Audience
K-12
Start Date
Cost
$25
Duration
Three days
End Date

We the People . . . Mini Institute

Description

The institute is an intensive, professional development program on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Participants take part in lectures and discussions on constitutional themes pertinent to the curriculum content, classroom strategies, and performance assessment. An essential component of the institute is teacher preparation and participation in a simulated congressional hearing as a culminating activity. The hearing is a model for student hearings to be held during the school year. Experienced teacher mentors assist participants in discussing the challenges of teaching civic education and preparing for the culminating hearing.

Contact email
Sponsoring Organization
Law Focused Education, Inc.
Phone number
800-204-2222
Target Audience
K-12
Start Date
Cost
$25
Duration
Three days
End Date

The President and Congress: Constitutional Principles and Practices That Have Shaped Our Understanding of the War Powers

Description

The seminar will explore the separation of powers as it applies to the allocation of responsibility between Congress and the president concerning national security and foreign policy powers. Presidents and legislators have been warring over the question since the earliest days of the republic. The nation's political experience suggests that there are sound arguments to be made on both sides. It also suggests that the issues are unlikely to be finally resolved anytime soon. As participants in this seminar shall see, the debate between President Bush and Congress concerning the war in Iraq is but a modern re-setting of an argument that prompted a spirited exchange on the war powers between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in 1793. Indeed, it may be argued that there is very little to this debate that was not more or less fully anticipated by those two worthies four years after the Constitution was ratified. Through a series of focused historical readings, the seminar will begin by examining the foundations of the Framers' thought and some of the controversies that exhibit the founding principles at work during the early days of the Republic. Participants will go on from there to examine selected executive-congressional debates as they arose during later military conflicts, especially the Civil War, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the current conflict in the Mideast. The seminar will meet formally for three 90-minute sessions on four days of each week. Each of these sessions will be devoted to a particular set of readings and each of the participants will have a one-on-one session with Professor Uhlmann to discuss the best ways in which the lessons of the seminar might be converted to his or her particular classroom environment. Because the seminar takes place in Washington and devotes a great deal of time to the Founders' thoughts, it would be remiss if it did not take advantage of the knowledge of Pamela Scott, a noted Washington architectural historian, who will share ways in which the art and architecture of Washington reflects the principles of the American regime. The greater part of one day during each week, she will lead specially arranged tours, including Mount Vernon.

Contact name
Patton, Susannah
Contact email
Registration Deadline
Sponsoring Organization
Claremont Graduate University
Phone number
202-965-3335
Target Audience
K-12
Start Date
Cost
Free; $2,000 stipend
Duration
Eleven days
End Date