Gilder Lehrman Summer Series: The Era of George Washington

Each summer the Gilder Lehrman Institute holds seminars for public, parochial and independent school teachers "designed to strengthen educators' commitment to high quality history teaching." More than 6,000 teachers have participated in the program through the years. In the summer of 2006 600 participants from 49 states and 6 foreign countries took part. HNN asked participants to write up their reflections, which we will be publishing over the coming months.

“American history is a fantastic saga!” This enthusiastic assertion by Professor Gordon S. Wood captures the essence of the Gilder Lehrman seminar at Brown University in July of 2006. As one of the twenty-five participants at the seminar, I was privileged to spend a week under a leading scholar in the field and in discussion with outstanding educators from around the United States. This was my second Gilder Lehrman seminar and further affirmed my belief that history educators in the United States owe a huge debt of gratitude to Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman. Since 1994, the Institute has been an energetic force for improving history education throughout the United States. The myriad of Institute-sponsored activities are well documented on an excellent website with the summer seminars only one aspect of its work. What follows is a brief review of my recent seminar experience.
           
The format and structure of the seminars is simple and straightforward. Hopeful candidates apply several months in advance indicating three choices from among the possible selections. If selected, participants receive preliminary readings about a month in advance of the study experience. As indicated by the title, the purpose of this seminar was to explore the life of George Washington in relation to the creation of the American republic. Prior to arriving at Brown, we read Joseph Ellis’s His Excellency:  George Washington and Wood’s The Radicalism of the American Revolution. The daily schedule involved lectures and discussion with Professor Wood each morning, project work or applicable movies in the afternoon, and further project work and informal discussions in the evening. We also had supplemental lectures on two of the afternoons, one by Robert and Lee Dalzell of Williams College that focused on Mount Vernon and the other by Pauline Maier of MIT on the ratification of the Constitution. Toward the end of the week, we enjoyed a walking tour of Providence, enabling us to get some sense of the history of the area. Though intense, the schedule allowed for appropriate breaks and more relaxed down time. Clearly, however, the seminar was devoid of “fluff” and fostered an in-depth analysis of Washington and the revolutionary period. As any observer of current trends in elementary, middle, and secondary education in the US would assert, it is no easy task to authentically improve history education. Indeed, debates abound as to the best approach, but certainly all would agree that improving the content knowledge of those on the front lines is the place to start. It seems to me that this is clearly the message that Gilder and Lehrman are promoting. What, then, are the advantages for those that participate?
           
First and foremost, the seminars offer teachers from around the country the chance to study under a leading scholar for one week. What a thrill for those of us who truly love history to “rub elbows” with someone of the reputation of Gordon Wood! For those of us teaching at the secondary level, it is often sad but true that we simply do not get many opportunities to get back to that sense of joy that we experienced in our high school or undergraduate days while exploring history with an enthusiastic scholar. Unless we pursue master’s work in our field, we leave that part of our life “back there” somewhere. I believe I speak for my fellow travelers when I say that it was inspiring to hear Dr. Wood explain the founding period of our history, to sense his continuing fascination and interaction with new research. Having read some of his work prior to attending, we were aware of the depth and breadth of his vast reservoir of knowledge. But to actually “see him in action” was a treat. I might add that he was more than willing to take time with us individually as well.
           
Secondly, we all benefited tremendously from the exchange that we had with each other throughout the week. It’s somehow comforting to learn, for example, that we all struggle with many of the same issues regardless of where we are teaching. Our group did include elementary, middle, and secondary teachers as well as two historical interpreters from the National Park Service. We learned about how the American past, as complex and rich as it is, is approached in various regions of the country and in many different types of schools. We exchanged ideas about how to teach, what to teach – what works and what doesn’t work. We were a diverse group, as I’m sure all the seminars are, with a host of different ages and experience levels in the mix. Most of our exchanges were informal and conversational but we also shared one lesson with the group prior to leaving on Saturday. We left realizing that education continues to attract excellent people.
           
Third, central to the experience was the intense exploration of documents relevant to the time period. In our case, for example, we were utilizing the papers of Washington, many of which are accessible online. The Gilder Lehrman Institute has made document-based work an essential part of its overall program and this is reflected in the focus and methodology of the seminars. In fact, the only “methodology” we really discussed throughout the week had to do with the use of documents – how to select them and promote an authentic understanding of primary sources among our students.
           
Finally, absorbing the atmosphere of Brown University for one week, as well as the city of Providence, was an added benefit of participating. Being introduced to the campus libraries, for example, including the John Carter Brown library that houses an incredible collection of archival sources related to the Americas, was a great experience. Touring John Carter Brown’s home, Brown University’s namesake, as well as other Providence landmarks, appealed to the historian in all of us. I’m speaking as a Midwesterner here, but it seems to me that it is essential to get into the northeast region of the country in order to truly imagine that early period of our history.
           
Who should apply for the Gilder Lehrman seminars? If you are an early career teacher, by all means take advantage of this opportunity! If you are a mid to late career teacher, take this chance to recharge your batteries and share you expertise with others! Teaching history at the pre-collegiate level is complex and challenging and we all need experiences that enrich our breadth and depth of knowledge. The Gilder Lehrman seminars offer such an opportunity.