Scholarship on American art of the 18th and 19th centuries has proliferated dramatically in the last decade and yet very little has been written on the materials, methods, and settings of painting. This one-day event will delve into some of the workshops, studios, schoolrooms, and parlors where New Englanders of all kinds used a wide variety of materials, such as pencil and pigments on canvas, silk, glass, wood, and tin to create painted images and decorations for themselves, for sale, and for public display. Participants will learn about the daily lives of New England's diverse artists and artisans and the painted objects—from studio art to school girl art and painted decorative arts—that they produced and distributed between 1700 and 1850.

Participants in this workshop will learn about the role of chocolate in colonial America. Topics include cacao and rainforest ecology, world trade, the role of chocolate in the colonial diet, and military uses of chocolate. The day includes a presentation of the new exhibition "Stimulating Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate Wares at Historic Deerfield," an open-hearth cooking demonstration, and a tasting of American Heritage Chocolate® Finely Grated Chocolate Drink, which captures the form and flavor of historic chocolate.

Today a common beverage worldwide, tea was once a precious imported commodity. This presentation will introduce the geographic and botanical origins of tea, the role of trade in bringing tea from China to Western consumers, the social and cultural role of tea in 18th-century New England, and the period equipment and furnishings commonly used to prepare and serve tea in a place such as Deerfield, Massachusetts. The day includes a presentation, a tour of the new exhibition "Stimulating Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate Wares at Historic Deerfield," a house tour, and a serving of tea.

This workshop explores the questions "In 1690, to what extent were the arts and material culture of the British Atlantic colonies 'American?,' "To what extent were they 'American' by 1789?," "What major factors defined the evolution in American arts and material culture in this period?," and "To what extent did this evolution reflect the changing self-image of Americans?"

Teachers can join the incredible Windjammers Education Band for a morning of music they will not soon forget. Through the music of Karl L. King, participants can relive the circus in its heyday, learning how each piece influenced the show and kept things moving along. A full band of circus musicians will break down the pieces into smaller parts, discussing the hows and whys of circus music composition as they go. Material covered can be related to both history and music study, and the workshop will include a lecture, gallery experience, and hands-on activity or lesson plan.

The workshop features Dr. Harvey Klehr of Emory University as the keynote speaker and offers sessions on television, toys, fashion, music, art, and literature of the Cold War era.

This course consists of sessions and lectures by Monticello professional staff members, exploring all aspects of Thomas Jefferson's life, accomplishments, and character. (This is a several-month-long series of lectures, not a live-in intensive course.)

"At Independence National Historical Park educators will learn what paper meant to the founding of our country and 18th century America. See a printing demonstration at the Franklin Court Printing Office. Then explore the Independence Park Institute’s newly opened Benjamin Franklin: Man of Many Talents Learning Lab where teachers will try setting their names in type as well as many of Franklin’s other activities. At each location, teachers will learn about education programs and field trip opportunities."

"Alexis de Tocqueville's 'Democracy in America' is the best study of America to be written by a foreigner. It examines government, religion, the races, private associations, literature, the family, and much else, all the while contrasting democratic America with old aristocratic Europe. This course will examine as much of the book as we can, focusing especially on Tocqueville's account of the love of equality (and its dangers) and his prescriptions for the preservation of liberty."