This workshop will "explore the clash of cultures and differing definitions of liberty that played out on the Missouri-Kansas border in the decade before the firing on Fort Sumter and throughout the Civil War. Workshop presenters and participants will consider the forces and events that precipitated “Bleeding Kansas” and led to the abandonment of the understandings reached in the Missouri Compromise, the rejection of popular sovereignty in the Kansas Territory, and the establishment of the shadow “Free State” government. They will also examine the nature and intensity of the struggles between the Kansas Jayhawkers and Missouri Bushwhackers during the Civil War and the general mayhem these vicious disputes and guerrilla activities engendered. Perspectives of gender, race, class and ideology will be examined and analyzed." The workshop will include examination of teaching resources, visits to historic sites, discussions, lectures, readings, and lesson planning; specific topics will include "Contested Visions of Freedom," "Fault Lines of Freedom: Slavery and Freedom on the Border," "Commerce at the Crossroads: The Conflict of Transition," "Conflicting Visions of Freedom: The Failure of Popular Sovereignty," "From Contention to Warfare: The Uncivil Society," and "The Border Wars in History and Memory."

This workshop "will explore Abraham Lincoln’s life in Springfield, Illinois and the political and historical challenges he faced as President. Educators will hear from outstanding Lincoln scholars drawn from universities in the St. Louis area," visit local historical sites important to Lincoln's life, attend pedagogical sessions, complete readings, and create lesson plans. Major themes discussed will be "Lincoln and American Nationalism," "Lincoln and Power," "Lincoln and Freedom," and "Lincoln and Race."

This workshop "will explore Abraham Lincoln’s life in Springfield, Illinois and the political and historical challenges he faced as President. Educators will hear from outstanding Lincoln scholars drawn from universities in the St. Louis area," visit local historical sites important to Lincoln's life, attend pedagogical sessions, complete readings, and create lesson plans. Major themes discussed will be "Lincoln and American Nationalism," "Lincoln and Power," "Lincoln and Freedom," and "Lincoln and Race."

"Leading American scholars Harold Holzer and Robert F. Engs offer two perspectives on the Emancipation Proclamation, considered the most important document of arguably one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history."

"The National Constitution Center welcomes visiting scholar Martha S. Jones and scholar Stephanie McCurry to discuss the political and cultural climate surrounding the issue of slavery in the early decades of the republic."

This workshop will "dig into the controversies and turbulence of Andrew Jackson, his times, and his reputation," focusing on the topics "Growing Democracy," "Cotton Economy and Slavery," "Indians and Westward Expansion," "Reform and Religion," "Women's Lives in a Changing America," and "Developing a Distinct American Material Culture." The workshop will include visits to historical sites, readings, curriculum planning, pedagogical sessions, lectures, and discussion.

This workshop will "dig into the controversies and turbulence of Andrew Jackson, his times, and his reputation," focusing on the topics "Growing Democracy," "Cotton Economy and Slavery," "Indians and Westward Expansion," "Reform and Religion," "Women's Lives in a Changing America," and "Developing a Distinct American Material Culture." The workshop will include visits to historical sites, readings, curriculum planning, pedagogical sessions, lectures, and discussion.

"The 'Other War of 1812' is the topic for Dr. James Cusick, Curator of the P. K. Yonge Library of Florida History, University of Florida. He discusses the personalities and ambitions of two owners of Kingsley Plantation, the volatility of Florida before it became a territory of the United States and how this political and social situation affected planters and slaves throughout northeast Florida."

During this workshop, "site visits integrated with documentary evidence will push participants to broaden their understanding of what did - and did not - constitute an Underground Railroad escape. Participants will discover that fugitives and the northerners who protected them were often as likely to fight as flee when confronted by slave catchers in the 1850s. Study of two nearby historic sites, Christiana, Pennsylvania, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia will provide new insights into the aggressive operations of the Railroad and help frame the story of the coming of the Civil War. By the end of the workshop teachers will draft lesson plans that incorporate both episodes and offer a fresh approach to the study of the Underground Railroad."

During this workshop, "site visits integrated with documentary evidence will push participants to broaden their understanding of what did - and did not - constitute an Underground Railroad escape. Participants will discover that fugitives and the northerners who protected them were often as likely to fight as flee when confronted by slave catchers in the 1850s. Study of two nearby historic sites, Christiana, Pennsylvania, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia will provide new insights into the aggressive operations of the Railroad and help frame the story of the coming of the Civil War. By the end of the workshop teachers will draft lesson plans that incorporate both episodes and offer a fresh approach to the study of the Underground Railroad."