Reflection

Two incredible weeks.  A once in a lifetime opportunity.  One fantastic trip, three states, three professors, 30 students, four guest professors, countless historic sites, interpreters, guides and the opportunity to learn and learn and learn.  

 

It is a wonderful time to teach history in Colorado! Ten days after this trip has ended and now a chance to write as I am processing it all.  This time has allowed me to think about all that we were so fortunate to take in.  What a fantastic journey.  To hear the history, to see the places, to read the books, to contemplate the ideas, the issues, the successes and failures of our ever changing story as a country and now to share the ideas and stories with our students, is quite an incredible opportunity.  To be able to hear scholars speak in their areas of expertise, to visit with our professors and colleagues during a meal, on-site at a battlefield, on the bus,  or even after the day was long over, in a pub, talking, debating, sharing ideas- what a richly layered experience.  We can now bring back new ideas, philosophies, outlooks to share with our students and help them widen their views, understanding, knowledge of our history.

 

The goal for me is to make history for my students, as engaging, exciting, thought provoking, mystifying, frustrating and exhilarating as it truly is!  Carol Berkin showed us that in a lively, humorous way.  Professor Eng showed us that in a quiet and powerful way.  The story of history is such a powerful lesson, a recipe in how to do things right or wrong, and I am excited to share this with my students.  Many of the books we read this semester served as mythbusters, but I believe the real story is even richer than the lore.  Sins of omission can be even more fascinating than the single memorized storyline we learned for so many years.

 

 The men and women who made this nation were not demi-gods and their humanness makes greatness in our own time achievable, unlike the unreachable pedestal we imagined as the story was crafted. It is better that there was no one Molly Pitcher, just like there was no one Rosie the Riveter.  We can all be courageous and strong in our lives too and that makes for more involved citizens.

 

This trip has brought many new stories to light.   I can’t tell if I love being a student of history or a teacher of history more!  This trip fulfilled both passions. 

Gettysburg

 

 

To teach about Gettysburg is a powerful lesson.  To teach about Gettysburg after experiencing the battlefield is to be able to create a story for the students that a textbook could never begin to capture. One weekend in July changed so much in our country’s history.  The idea of maintaining the higher ground, how reality and expectations don’t always match, the human factor that can make or break an event-lateness to a battle, ego, personal crises.  Those don’t often make it into the textbook, but they are all part of this story, and allowing teachers to experience Gettysburg gives us the tools to bring the story to life back home.                                                   

The geography of Gettysburg is so important to understanding what took place here and as we were guided through the battlefield step by step, day by day, we could visualize the two fish hooks and how the battle shifted from day one to day three. Cemetery Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, Big Round Top, the Peach Orchard were now all within sight throughout our two hour journey through the park. Our guide gave us moment by moment description of developments, strategies, adjustments, locations throughout the battle.     

                                                    

 

Gabor Borritt makes a solid argument that the Gettysburg story does not end with the battle, but really it is the starting point of the shift toward the end of the war, toward the healing of our nation, and of course it is the story of how one little town coped with the massive costs of war and death following these first days in July 1863, only 90 miles from Washington DC. Ultimately four months later, it becomes the place where Abraham Lincoln gave a speech to our nation, dedicating Gettysburg as a national cemetery, that after all, would be long remembered and noted by the nation and around the world as the most famous of speeches.

This day at Gettysburg was invaluable for our understanding of the history that shaped the future of the United States.

 

June 12, 2008

Winterthur

The gardens at Winterthur were fabulous.  I could just imagine myself a child playing in the Enchanted Woods or sliding down the bannister or playing a huge game of hide and seek in that nine story home. 

The day began with a lecture on commerce and the consumer revolution by Professor Cathy Matson from the University of Delaware.  As luxuries became more appealing and desirable to colonists, demand began to grow for items such as sugar, tobacco, alcohol.  These non-nutritive stimulants were craved for their flavor and their status.  As Paul noted- keeping up with the Jones’ is nothing new.

As the demand for these items grew, entire markets sprouted up and the triangle trade of mercantilism began to grow and change.  During this time 3/4 of people who came to North America came as bound labor or as slaves.  Society afforded for coffee houses and taverns to spring up.  These places were gatherings for the elite, they served as places to get news, hold auctions, to show the latest styles, to conduct business, to see and be seen.   By the 1700s it’s “not just survival anymore”.  This rapid consumption led to a greater demand for buckets and baskets and barrels and churns; millstones and trunks and locks.  More and more craftsmen were required to meet the needs of colonists and this triggered a shift from finished goods entirely coming from England and abroad, to finished goods being created in the colonies-with exceptions, such as textiles. A  middling (middle) class begins to take shape.

This material introduced in this discussion is an excellent resource and a way to introduce several colonial issues: trade, taxes, slavery, mercantilism, triangle trade, atlantic world.

 

 

June 11, 2008

Philadelphia.  Our last full day in the city.  This painting was done of early 19th century Philadelphia and hangs in the 2nd Bank of the United States.

We were given a lot to think about as we heard from two professors from Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania address various aspects of slavery.  Both lectures were rich with content I can use in teaching AP US History.

 Professor Waldstreicher of Temple University spoke about the complexities surrounding Ben Franklin and slavery.  Franklin, a leader,politician, Renaissance man, pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps kind of man, was faced with the question of slavery. Franklin, who had been bound to serve his brother, broke away from servitude and became a self-made man.  Could Franklin allow emancipation for his own slaves? The short answer is no.  He never freed a slave.  His slaves either died or ran away and ultimately Franklin did not replace them.  Franklin did make strides throughout his life, particularly near the end of his life, in raising the abolitionist movement into the limelight.   Many questions remain.

Questions for students:

  Why didn’t Franklin discuss slavery in his autobiography?  Was he, as Professor Waldstreicher suggests, reluctant to discuss the matter because slavery in the colonies had become embarrassing to him by 1771?  Did Franklin’s travel abroad to Paris allow him to think, as Europeans thought, that slavery was a backwoods concept that was outmoded in places like sophisticated France and England? When Franklin begins to speak out against slavery- what about Peter and Jemimah, his own slaves until ?  Franklin’s own newspaper profited off advertisement regarding slave sales.  How did Franklin view the slave trade in this light? Was Franklin an original spin doctor, carefully criticizing slavery in some company while doing nothing to challenge the institution personally until very late? Did he want the Parisians to believe Franklin to be antislavery while at the same time demurring on pubically criticizing the institution for fear of criticizing America?  What about the argument put forth that the slave trade is the fault of British policy?  Is this idea a copout or is it valid?  Did Franklin dress in a brown suit with plain hair to present more Quaker-like, and by that connection anti-slavery?

 

 

Professor Robert Engs spoke about the “Great American Slave Rebellion”  known to most as the Civil War, or in the South as the War of Northern Agression.

 

He made a strong case for the 200,000 former slaves and free African Americans who helped the Union win the war, serving as a 5^th column of resistance and providing aid, intelligence, and military service to the cause.  All this at a time when, in New York City, draft riots were taking place and it was difficult to fill positions following such massive  carnage like the Battle at Antietam. Nothing in our history prepared us for the carnage, and some men were hesitant to enlist after hearing the death counts.

Professor Engs also noted that Northerners did not mean equal when they said free, and often former slaves faced worse conditions than while enslaved.  Be that as it may, this quote sums up the passion behind the abolition of slavery: 

          “In slavery I has no worriment.  In freedom I’s got a family and a little farm and all that causes me                  worriment- but I takes the freedom.”-anon.

 

Professor Engs’ thesis: Don’t let the glory of the Great American Slave Rebellion be eclipsed by the tragedy of the Great White American Reaction.

 

What rich material to bring back to my students.  Finally, perhaps, we can allow history be written by those 200,000 voices that have long been ignored.

 

June 10, 2008

 

As we explored the American Philosphical Society Library I was astounded to find such a rich collection of original documents, books and journals.  To read Lewis and Clark’s original journals and see their detailed pen drawings created by mixing their own powdered ink was inspiring. To see the only document with the four first Presidents signatures on it was fascinating.

 

Ten years before Lewis and Clark set out there had been a failed expedition to explore the frontier.  On the document to raise funds for the original expedition were the names of Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison as well as other famous people of the time.  It was fun just searching for famous names and signatures and looking to see what they donated to a fund an expedition, the idea of which, would lay the groundwork of the Lewis and Clark expedition 10 years later.  It was incredible to ponder that Jefferson, who was president of the Philosophical Society and President of the United States at the time would link the two positions to support Lewis and Clark’s expedition.  Their journals were labeled with the Philosophical Society’s insignia.  Next we looked at a draft of the Declaration.  I think it is important for students to understand that even the best writers, even the great Thomas Jefferson, had to make revision after revision and that they too resented their editors’ corrections at times.  It was terrific to see the letter written to Franklin for his input, and to learn how wincingly Jefferson took critiques from  Lee. Lee made numerous unsolicited edits in the margins.  I absolutely loved this and how it once again showed the human side of this amazing process. 

 

Upstairs at the Philosophical Society I began looking at some of the books behind the glass cases-Poor Richard’s Almanacs, and all sorts of Franklin’s original writings.  I would love to leaf through those original documents- and of course see the original copy of Franklin’s Autobiography.  I was fascinated to read Thomas Paine’s writings to Washington and to ponder the reasons Washington did not respond to Paine’s requests.  I also enjoyed the letter Franklin’s son William wrote to his son as he airmailed the letter across the English Channel.

 

When we crossed the street to the Original American Philosophical Society building, we were treated to a terrific presentation by Ursula.  Her stories about Franklin were wonderful and persuaded me that I should pick up a copy of Walter Isaacson’s biography on Franklin.

 

Classroom Application:

Lewis and Clark Journals

Why are these journals so critical to our history?  Why are they housed at the Philosophical Society?  Who was the president of the Philosophical Society when Lewis and Clark made their journey? How were funds raised for explorations? In the failed exploration 10 years prior to Lewis and Clark, how were  funds raised for early exploration of our country, who contributed what, who was most generous and why?  What did the Lewis and Clark journals contain? 

Discussion about how the journals were created, what they contained and how they were kept as they traveled 8,000 miles.  What was the significance of the trip?  How did they prepare?  How did they design the journal entries? 

 

I would take my students to the PBS website to read additional questions and see answers through the eyes of six different historians/writers/Lewis and Clark scholars. http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/living/index.html

 

Declaration of Independence drafts and final copies

Discussion comparing the various drafts of the Declaration, what changes were made and why.  Link the discussion to a lesson from the Library of Congress.

http://myloc.gov/Education/Pages/lessonplans/education/lessonplans/declaration/index.aspx

 

Thomas Paine’s letter to Washington

Questions:

What is the context of the letter Paine is writing to Washington?  What are Americans in fear of during this time?  Why is Washington’s failure to respond the source of great disappointment and frustration for Paine?  Why did Washington fail to respond?

Comparing the letter to Washington to the writings in Common Sense, what components in Common Sense were also found in Paine’s correspondence to Washington?  How are Paine’s passionate writings received? How had things changed from the writing of Common Sense to this writing to Washington?  Why was Paine so bitter? How did  Paine, whose writings swayed public opinion about declaring independence, and whose leadership in the French Revolution briefly made him a hero, lose most of his friends?  Were Paine’s accusations about Washington legitimate or radical? How could Thomas Paine be both pro Independence and Anti-Federalist?

 

For transcriptions of over 80 of Paine’s writings:

http://www.thomaspaine.org/contents.html

 

 

June 9th 2008-Bruederschaft

Today was delightful!  

As we travelled into Amish country and learned about the lives of the Amish and Mennonites, I felt like I could link  what I was learning into early American history this fall.   So much of our history is linked to the Protestant Reformation.  As Luther and Swingli rebelled against the Catholic Church and began the Reformation,  another group formed the Radical Revolution.  These Anabaptists-so named by their enemies- believed that it made more sense to be baptized as consenting adults.  The Anabaptists or Bruederschaft- as these reformers preferred to be called-split from the Catholic church and became known as Mennonites.  A second split within the Mennonites led to the formation of the more conservative Amish, who felt the Mennonites had strayed from God’s prescribed way of life. As the first German settlers in the colonies, the faith of the Mennonites can be further examined. 

The very idea of separation of church and state is suggested by the Anabaptists, who themselves suffered purges as the church wished to extinguish this new line of thinking regarding baptism into faith.  What a great way to link our foundation  with the rationale that not only should this new country not have a state religion, but that none should  be persecuted because of their religion.  

I think we could discuss this by comparing early religions-Puritan, Mennonite, Amish, Episcopalian, Quaker and clarify their similarities and differences and how their origins lie with protesting against the established religion-Catholicism, and what brought these different Protestors to the American colonies. We could extend this by looking at the deists and the role that the philosophy of Diesm played with the establishment of this pluralistic country as well. 

 

The dinner this evening was a highlight of the trip. It was insightful to see this family living their beliefs simply, modestly and with great satisfaction with life.  They preach by example and it is effective.  The children were charming, and I felt privledged to get to eat in their friendly home . What a moving and meaningful evening.

 

 

 

Sunday June 8th

Today was a chance for some rest and reflection.  As we sat in Christ Church, I kept imagining what Washington, Franklin, Morris etc.  were thinking when they sat in these pews.  I am also fascinated to think of their faith in the context of Independence being declared and fought for and the Constitution being written.  The minister spoke about a faith continiuum today with two extreme schools of thought on either end of the spectrum- from the idea on one end of the faith spectrum that God micromanages every step we take vs the other end of the spectrum where  God  sets things in motion and steps back and allows us freedom to create our own path.  I do wonder what these leaders believed at different stages throughout their lives. Deism, Christianity, Enlightenment, seperation of church and state.  How did the founders evolve in their own faith or lack there of and how did it guide writings such as the Constitution?  

I enjoyed the afternoon at the art gallery and was surprised to see some of my favorite works of art housed right here in Philadelphia!  Winslow Homer had such a passion for painting women, children, school settings-he is a favorite of mine.  I enjoyed learning about several of the pieces in the American collection.

The evening was most enjoyable!  Great conversations!

Saturday June 7th

Today it was off to Washington Crossing-where Washington famously went across the Delaware from Pennsylvania back into New Jersey to battle those Brits in a Noreaster no less!  The turning point in the war. Then we headed to Monmoth battlefield.  The heat index was somewhere around 101- just like the actual battle day- and a group of us decided it would be fun to traipse around the battlefield at Monmouth- The turning point in the war.  I have a lot of respect for those soldiers who were having to endure the heat, the battle, while lugging around themselves and their supplies.

Stopping along the way back to the visitor center

-Monmouth, New Jersey.

I am reading a book I picked up at the Franklin Institute yesterday-Franklin’s autobiography. I highly recommend it!  It is very readable and fun hearing his Huckleberry Finn type adventures as he has just run away from home and caught a boat south out of Boston and arrived in Philadelphia on Market Street with a Dutch dollar and a schilling in copper to his name.  Franklin is fascinating!  He describes how he educated himself, what authors he read-Socrates and Locke, and how he practiced the art of writing.  He writes about how he saved money by eating vegetarian so that he could buy books!  I love it!

Fresh flowers inside the Taylor home-Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania

 

 

I was excited to see information today about the Lenni Lenape tribe when we were at Monmouth Battlefield.  I am a descendant of the tribe-1/32nd or something like that!!  My great grandfather could not attend school in New Jersey because he was 1/4 Lenni Lenape.  Ironically, my other great… grand father x however many greats back, was a Hessian who stayed in this country.

I loved seeing the replica Durham boats that crossed the river secretly in the night, through the icy Delaware.  It does make for great storytelling.

 

 

 

Friday June 6, 2008-Franklin Institute

Today was our day at the Franklin Institute. I enjoyed seeing some of Benjamin Franklin’s belongings including a tea set, lightning rod, sterling silver mug, and a five pound note. 

The Franklin Institute was beautiful.

 

June 5, 2008 A Favorite Day

This was a day I have been looking forward to ever since January when I found out that Carol Berkin would be traveling here to Philly too!  To be in the presence of such a scholar, a strong woman, a master story teller was inspiring.  Carol’s funny, irreverent repartee was delightful.  I believe that using humor and storytelling can awaken a class to the joy of studying history.  To watch a master teacher in action is a wonderful learning experience-content, presentation, synthesis of ideas and new perspectives.

Our Founders were human, and that is what makes what they did all the more significant.   All were wealthy and well-educated, some were brilliant, but the feats they accomplished were the recognition that power corrupts and that they must safeguard the liberties declared and protect them from the tyranny of the one, the few and the many. They worked together, with this in mind and balanced old ideas into a new configuration in the spirit of compromise and with the knowledge that if they didn’t get this right, the existence of the new nation would be at risk. They protected the constitution from Spain, France, Holland and even the 55 delegates themselves-what insight!  They compromised on the states rights vs representative power, and many other compromises as well as addressing taxation, defense, three branches of government and how to check and balance the powers within the branches.  Finally, they realized that the Constitution would change and grow over the years and they put in place a process to make the necessary changes as they would come up over time.

The issue of states rights would not be resolved here, it would take a civil war to dig deeper into those issues and they still are evolving today.

 

City Tavern 

We visited City Tavern tonight- a reconstruction of the original tavern the likes of which Jefferson, Washington and Franklin visited while they were here.  It was a fun evening!

City Tavern. A familiar guest.

Two signs on Franklin’s fire insurance company building.