National History Day (NHD) seeks a Director of Programs

We've received news that National History Day has posted an available position for Director of Programs.

This position creates, directs and facilitates "all aspects of programming for teachers and students. This position reports to the executive director and is available as of September 1, 2013."

Please go to this link for a job description and how to apply. 

History Now Spring 2013 Issue: America's First Ladies

The Constitution does not spell out the duties or define the powers of a president's spouse, yet America's "first ladies" have, from the beginning of our nation, played key roles as public figures. They have set precedents, established social protocols, embraced reforms, advocated policies, and served as role models for many American girls and young women... 

--Carol Berkin, Editor  

This morning the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced the release of the Spring 2013 edition of History Now:

"Issue 35 of our quarterly online journal features five leading scholars who consider how the role of the First Lady has developed: Betty Boyd Caroli begins the issue with a look at the First Ladies' Contributions to Political Issues and the National Welfare; Patricia Brady looks at how it all began with Martha Washington Creates the Role of First Lady; Catherine Allgor explains the way in which Dolley Madison: First Lady and Queen shaped the role of First Lady; Maurine Beasley describes the very politically active Eleanor Roosevelt as First Lady; and Gil Troy recounts the many unique actions of Betty Ford: A New Kind of First Lady. 

"Also included: lesson plans on this subject that align with Common Core Standards; an interactive map of the First Ladies and their birth places, featuring portraits courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division and the National First Ladies' Library."

Announcement: US Civil War and Hawaii Historical Blog Site

For those interested in Hawaii's historical ties to the U.S. Civil War a unique online-based resource has been created at uscivilwarhawaii.blogspot.com. 

U.S. Civil War and Hawaii is listed with the Hawaii History Blog Project, a project-in-progress associated with the Hawaii Lyceum of History, a program started by History Education Hawaii, Inc. (HEH), the recognized state "council" of the National Council for History Education. 

"Our newest historical blog site, timed with the sesquicentennial observances of the U.S. Civil War around the country will, we hope, provide history teachers, students, historians and anyone with an interest in U.S. Civil War studies around the world a beneficial, all-purpose and convenient learning destination. Most all of the materials posted here now and in the future are centered around 19th century Hawaii-based perspectives on the war," said Jeffrey Bingham Mead, president of History Education Hawaii. 

At the time of the Civil War Hawaii was an independent kingdom with a substantial American community residing throughout the islands, with some -including Native Hawaiians- participating in battle. The kingdom was officially neutral in the conflict between North and South. 

Features of the blog site include word-search capability, language translation and the ability of users to post comments and questions under individual postings. The texts are being directly transcribed by volunteers from various 19th century Hawaii-based news sources. The blog site will be continuously updated.

"Our hope," Mead continued, "is that this historical blog site like the others featured in the Hawaii History Blog Project will generate interest and discussion inside and outside of the classroom, promoting scholarship and capitalizing on the increased popularity of online access via portable handheld devices anywhere in the world. Our outreach is intended to be local and global." 

History Education Hawaii, Inc., is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation serving the history learning community of the state of Hawaii. It is the official allied "council" of the National Council for History Education (NCHE), headquartered in College Park, Maryland.

C-SPAN: First Lady Dolley Madison

“And now, dear sister, I must leave this house or the retreating army will make me a prisoner in it by filling up the road I am directed to take. When I shall again write you, or where I shall be tomorrow, I cannot tell!” " Mrs. Madison wrote her sister Lucy, as retreating American troops passed by a few hours before the British burned the White House in 1814.

Last night C-SPAN broadcast a special program on the life and legacy of First Lady Dolley Madison. Did you miss it? 

No need to fret! Click this link to watch the full one hour and 30 minute presentation and panel discussion. 

New Interim Edition of Common-place Released

From a Greek word to the Atlantic World, the new interim issue of Common-place (Vol. 13, no. 2.5) spans the globe. 

Joyce Goodfriend reviews Evan Haefeli’s new book on the improvisational nature of Dutch religious tolerance in New Netherland, and Glenda Goodman reviews Dorothy Potter on the changing fortunes of “cultivated” music in early Philadelphia. Kristen Doyle Highland visits the Grolier Club in New York to view the American Antiquarian Society’s bicentennial exhibition. And TR Hummer’s “Poetic Research” column features poems from a new book that grows entirely from the root of one word: the Greek skandalon, which gives us our “scandal.” 

For all this and more, please visit the new interim issue of Common-place.

Summer Teachers Institute: The 1960s: Upheaval at Home and Abroad

The 1960s: Upheaval at Home and Abroad: A Summer Leadership Institute for Teachers 

July 8-12, 2013

Apply by Friday, March 15, 2013

No cost to participants, except travel to/from Providence, RI.

The Choices 2013 Summer Leadership Institute will take place at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. Teachers will hear from leading historians, work with the Choices curriculum units, Freedom Now: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi and The Limits of Power: The United States in Vietnam, explore effective strategies for engaging students in the study of the 1960s, and plan for outreach to other educators.

Institute Themes

• Multiple views on the impact of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement in U.S. history
• The civil rights movement’s place in the larger history of African-Americans’ struggle for equality
• Lessons and legacies of the Vietnam War
• Using Critical Oral Histories to teach about the 1960s
• Immersion in the Choices approach to teaching historical turning points

Benefits

• Professional growth through content-rich presentations and discussions
• Opportunity to interact with outstanding educators from across the country and share strategies for incorporating the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War into the classroom
• Ideas for using Choices materials to address Common Core Standards and Historical Thinking Skills
• Expansion of leadership skills through the completion of outreach activities in a self-designed Action Plan
• Ongoing support from the Choices Program to conduct professional development activities in your district or region
• Designation and recognition as a Choices Teaching Fellow
• 32-hour certificate of completion
• Meals, housing and reading materials throughout the Institute