A century and a quarter after it came to a close, Reconstruction remains a pivotal but much misunderstood era of American history. This one-week seminar will examine the history of Reconstruction, understood both as a specific period of the American past, which began during the Civil War, and as a prolonged and difficult process by which Americans sought to reunite the nation and come to terms with the destruction of slavery. In political terms, Reconstruction ended in 1877, when the federal government abandoned the idea of intervening in the South to protect the rights of black citizens. As a historical process it lasted to the turn of the century, until new systems of labor and race relations and a new political order were entrenched in the South. And in debates about racial equality, the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, affirmative action, and the responsibility of the federal government for defining and protecting the rights of citizens, issues central to Reconstruction remain part of our lives today. Reconstruction also offers an opportunity to consider the "politics of history:" how changing interpretations of the past are shaped by the world in which the historian lives and the assumptions he or she brings to the materials of history. During the course of the week, teachers will also annotate one or two documents from the Reconstruction period, for classroom use.

This seminar focuses on the era of the American Civil War and especially on the revolutionary transformation of social and political life in that critical period of U.S. history. Using an array of historical documents as well as lectures, discussions, and (possibly) visits to historical sites, seminar members will analyze the way a war of unprecedented scope drove a process of state building and slave emancipation that reconfigured the nation and remade the terms of political membership in it. Starting with the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case in 1857 and ending with the constitutional amendments of the postwar period, the seminar will take up the key events and developments in the Union and the Confederacy, including secession, the destruction of slavery (on plantations and in the law), African-American enlistment, and popular politics North and South. By focusing throughout on the racial and gender terms of citizenship, the seminar makes clear what changed—and what did not—in American political life, while conveying a sense of the epic drama by which the United States was remade in the vortex of war.

Using ESSEX History is pleased to welcome back Dr. Cynthia Lyerly (Boston College) to lead a discussion of the culture of Jim Crow. This seminar will provide nuance for discussions of segregation by taking educators out of the courtrooms and voting booths to examine how the Jim Crow system affected everyday life and how depictions of race in popular culture complemented and supported both legal and de facto segregation. Readings for this seminar will focus on the turn of the 20th century and will bring together a diverse amount of scholarship including: Dr. Lyerly's own work on The Clansman author Thomas Dixon, Jr.'s studies on the segregation of consumption and public spaces, and investigations into popular cultural icons such as Shirley Temple and Scarlett O'Hara. This seminar will take place at the NARA facilities in Waltham and will include screenings of portions of several films including Gone With the Wind, The Littlest Rebel, and Within Our Gates, as well as investigations into NARA's archives.The primary sources for the day reveal surprising ways in which the culture of segregation affected life here in New England.

The African Studies Association (ASA) will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first annual meeting in historic Chicago, IL. As part of the larger program, the event will feature scholars, artists, and community activists from the Chicago area who will facilitate panels, workshops, and discussions tailored especially to educators.

A hundred years ago, in communities across the U.S., white residents forced thousands of black families to flee their homes. Even a century later, these towns remain almost entirely white. Banished tells the story of three of these communities and their black descendants, who return to learn their shocking histories. This event presents a screening of the film, followed by a conversation with director Marco Williams. Williams, a member of the faculty at NYU, is a documentary and fiction film director. His films have been broadcast on cable and public television, including Showtime and Frontline, and have been screened at film festivals throughout the world.

This workshop will explore the Facing History and Ourselves resource book, Choices in Little Rock—a collection of teaching suggestions, activities, and primary sources that focus on the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. These efforts led to a crisis that historian Taylor Branch once described as "the most severe test of the Constitution since the Civil War." These resources explore a range of civic choices—the decisions people make as citizens in a democracy. Those decisions, both then and now, reveal that democracy is not a product but a work in progress, a work that is shaped in every generation by the choices that people make about themselves and others. In this workshop, participants will consider ways to engage students in the issues raised by this history and its civic implications for their lives today. Choices in Little Rock can be used not only to teach history but also to deepen and enrich a study of civics, government, and literature. Participants will receive the Choices in Little Rock teaching guide, which contains suggestions for lesson plans, reproducible readings, and copies of documents for students to analyze. Attending this workshop will also make teachers part of the Facing History and Ourselves Educator Network. This entitles them to free borrowing from FH's extensive Lending Library, full access to all of FH's Educator Resources, including lessons, teaching strategies, online modules, discussion forums, and more, as well as ongoing personalized curricular support from a Facing History staff member.

This workshops will explore the Facing History and Ourselves resource, Choices in Little Rock, about the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. This resource can be used to teach civics and enrich a study of history and literature. Scholarships are available for Boston Public School (BPS) eighth-grade social studies teachers, though the workshop is open to all educators. BPS educators must register with Facing History and at mylearningplan.com.

This half-day workshop will be an introduction to Facing History and Ourselves and our Chicago Public Schools, Choices in Little Rock Initiative. Teachers will be given materials and resources to prepare for the later three-day workshop. The workshop will also answer questions about participating in the Initiative. Pilot teachers will be available to share experiences and answer questions.

This two-day workshop will explore how beliefs about race have shaped—and challenged—American's identity as a land of "freedom and opportunity." It will look at significant events and movements in American history—slavery, immigration, the eugenics movement, the Civil Rights Movement—and will consider legacies of each in American society today. Ultimately, this journey will bring participants back to the present. Examining American history through the lens of race and membership empowers teachers and their students to value how their choices shape contemporary America. Participants will receive a resource book and membership in the Facing History and Ourselves Teacher Network.