| Tuesday, January 14 |
NASA:The Beginning of a New Frontier |
The Eisenhower Foundation
Julie Conley, Education Specialist, Eisenhower Foundation |
Since President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, known as NASA, the United States has been a leader in space exploration. Our everyday lives have been changed in many ways through the innovations created by NASA. In this program, students will learn about the “Space Race”, the history of NASA, and some of those innovations we enjoy so much! |
| Thursday, January 16 |
An Old and Haunting Dream: Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Popular Imperialism |
The Hermitage and Theodore Roosevelt Center
Erin Adams, Director of Education, The Hermitage
William Hansard, Theodore Roosevelt Center |
Often seen as the first imperialist President, Andrew Jackson believed the president to be answerable to the people above all else – including the Constitution and the Supreme Court. Theodore Roosevelt, at times both a populist and a progressive, consciously modeled his presidency on powerful executives before him, referring to his philosophy as “the Jackson-Lincoln theory of the presidency.” How do Jackson and Roosevelt’s theories of executive power affect the presidency today? |
| Tuesday, January 21 |
The First 100 Days: FDR Set the Benchmark |
Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
Jeffrey S. Urbin, Education Specialist & Director of the Pare Lorentz Film Center
|
The first 100 days of the Roosevelt Administration was the most legislatively active period in American history. This session explores the proclamations, executive orders and steady stream of legislation FDR pushed through Congress to bring relief to the crippling effects of the Great Depression. |
| Thursday, January 23 |
Constitution and Presidential Powers |
National Archives and Records Administration
Sara Lyons Davis, Education Specialist |
In this program, students will use the Constitution to discover the powers of the president, including powers that are shared with or checked by the legislative and judicial branches of government. Students will analyze primary sources from the National Archives that illustrate these powers, including legislation, presidential appointments, pardons, treaties, and more! |
| Tuesday, January 28 |
How To Be First: General Washington and Williamsburg’s Presidential Proving Ground |
Colonial Williamsburg’s Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute
Ani Simmons, Director, The Bob & Marion Wilson Teacher Institute at Colonial Williamsburg
Ron Carnegie, Nation Builder Interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg |
Several future U.S. presidents lived and worked in Williamsburg, Virginia during their formative years including the first U.S. president, George Washington. Today, character interpreters at Colonial Williamsburg, portray historical figures associated with eighteenth-century Williamsburg who made significant contributions to the American story. Meet General Washington and the interpreter who portrays him, learn about the place that shaped him as a leader, and discuss with him the opportunities and challenges of becoming the first leader of the United States. |
| Thursday, January 30 |
Camping and Tramping in New York, Maine, and North Dakota: Theodore Roosevelt’s Changing Concept of Wilderness |
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Theodore Roosevelt Center
Rachel Lane, Programming Associate, TRPL; William Hansard, Public Historian, TRC |
Theodore Roosevelt is renowned for this conservation ethos, and developed many of his ideas regarding conservation by spending time in wild spaces across the United States and the world. What did wilderness mean to TR? What does it mean to you? |
| Tuesday, February 4 |
The Unexpected Presidencies |
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum and Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
Sadie Troy and Sheila Mehta, Education Specialist Eisenhower Foundation
Sadie Troy and Sheila Mehta, Education Specialist |
We take for granted the ways in which people become president: serve in the government, run for election, take the oath of office at inauguration. But sometimes, people are thrust into the Presidency unexpectedly and have to lead the nation and the free world with no notice. Presidents Truman and Johnson were in exactly those positions. With few people who have been part of the ‘Presidents Club,’ how do they know what to do? Examine the path that the two took to become President — and even an unlikely friendship that grew out of it. |
| Tuesday, February 11 |
Before and After: Capturing Presidents Through Portraiture |
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
Jocelyn Kho, Student Programs Coordinator, and Erin Koester Tusell, Gallery Educator
|
Much can be learned about presidents and their legacies by analyzing how they are portrayed in their portraits. Take a close look at portraits of presidents before they held the highest office in the land and images of others after they finished their term. Consider what it means to look “presidential” in a portrait, and on how the portrayal of presidents through time impacts how we remember them. |
| Thursday, February 13 |
Talk, Text, and Televise: Communication in the White House |
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
Bridget Nash, Sadie Troy, and Sheila Mehta, Education Specialists (all) |
Students today aren’t the only people obsessed with technology! Join the education teams from three different presidential libraries to talk about how Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Johnson all infused the latest communication technologies into their White Houses. From capturing early video camera recordings, to putting the first TV in Oval Office, to phone calls with astronauts in space, these presidents have shared our love of technology and the expansion of communication! |
| Tuesday, February 18 |
Vote & Be Counted! |
Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
Sheila Mehta & Kameko Jacobs Education Specialist (both)
|
Your vote is your voice in the United States government, but not everyone has had the right to vote. We’ll explore the history and milestones of voting rights from the Constitution to today! |
| Thursday, February 20 |
A Crusade for Peace: Eisenhower and Korea |
Eisenhower National Historic Site
Dan Vermilya, Park Ranger
|
When Dwight Eisenhower ran for president in 1952, the United States was embroiled in the Korean War. Eisenhower pledged, if elected, he would go to Korea and find a way to bring the fighting to an end, calling his mission a “crusade for peace.” This program will utilize primary sources such as speeches, historic photographs, and special artifacts in the Eisenhower NHS museum collection to examine Eisenhower’s dedication to peace in his first year as president. |
| Tuesday, February 25 |
Two Days in Texas |
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Genevieve Kaplan, Director of Education
|
In November 1963, President Kennedy traveled to Texas for a 5-city, 2-day tour of the state focused on interacting with local citizens and helping to mend rifts in the Democratic Party. Learn about the trip through the voices of the people who saw him and the impact of the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas on the trip. Using oral history interviews, historic photos, and objects, participants will learn about this moment in history and the changes it brought to the nation. |
| Thursday, February 27 |
The Tuskegee Airman |
Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
Jeffrey S. Urbin, Education Specialist & Director of the Pare Lorentz Film Center,
Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
|
A highly bigoted 1925 Army War College report stated that African American men were of little value in times of war. This session tells the story of how a group of Black men proved they could take down enemy aircraft abroad and racial barriers at home. |
| Tuesday, March 4 |
Lou Henry Hoover: Challenging Conventions Since 1898 |
Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
Bridget Nash, Education Specialist |
Lou Henry Hoover has been referred to as the “Activist First Lady.” In this program students will use historic photos, objects, and documents to explore the life and times of Lou Henry Hoover, her roles in the Boxer Rebellion and the Commission for Belgium Relief, and her connections to women’s suffrage. |
| Thursday, March 6 |
The Saxton House Tour |
The Saxton House Tour
Lisa Meade, Park Ranger |
Who was Ida Saxton McKinley? What did she do as first lady and why? You can think about these questions and more as a knowledgable park ranger virtually guides you through the former home of Ida and William McKinley. Through learning the story of this former first lady, you’ll be able to understand the difficult and public position of first ladies. |
| Tuesday, March 11 |
Frontier Adventures |
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHS and Lincoln Boyhood NM
Paula Alexander, Park Ranger, Erin Hilligoss-Volkmann, Noelle Legrand
|
From the accounts remembered and told by Abraham Lincoln, his family, and neighbors, we know some things about the life and adventures of young Abraham. Explore how these adventures helped shape the character and life of our 16th president. |
| Thursday, March 13 |
202 Years of Presidential Connections |
Governors Island National Monument
Joe Korber, Park Ranger
|
Governors Island was a military base in New York Harbor for 202 years, 1974-1996. In that span of time multiple U.S. Presidents spent time or had an impact on the island and its residence. We will take a look at those presidents and their connections to Governors Island, before, during or after their presidencies. |
| Tuesday, March 18 |
The Cold War and the Carter Administration |
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
Josh Montanari, Education Specialist
|
Carter assumed the presidency during a time of détente with the Soviet Union, but other Cold War fronts presented critical challenges to his administration, with every decision incurring a certain amount of risk! Could President Carter maintain détente with the Soviets while improving relations with their communist nemesis China? What role did President Carter’s commitment to human rights play in all of this? Through analysis of primary sources and facilitated dialogue, students will answer these questions, and better understand the civic aspects of the American presidency. |
| Thursday, March 20 |
A Monumental Legacy: The Story of Grant’s Tomb |
General Grant National Memorial
Miranda Allen, Park Ranger
|
How do you design a memorial or monument to honor a president? Step into the mind of the architect and learn the history of the largest mausoleum in North America and how it highlights and preserves President Grant’s life accomplishments and legacy. |
| Thursday, March 25 |
Lincoln’s Lasting Words |
Ford’s Theatre and National Mall and Memorial Parks
Alex Wood, Ford’s Theatre and Jen Epstein, National Mall and Memorial Parks
|
Two of President Lincoln’s Speeches are carved onto the walls of the Lincoln Memorial: the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. Why were these two speeches selected for that place? Why do they still matter to us today? Ford’s Theatre and the National Park Service explore the historical context and lasting legacies of these speeches and how we remember President Lincoln. This program will include live interaction, a short introduction to Ford’s Approach to Oratory, and a close reading of historical texts and primary source images. |
| Thursday, March 27 |
From General to Citizen: Washington’s Resignation as Commander in Chief |
George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Sachika Ghosh, Lead Specialist for Student Learning
|
George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in 1775. After leading the Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, he promptly resigned his military commission in December of 1783. In this program, students will learn about Washington’s leadership, the significance of his decision to relinquish power, and how this precedent continues to inform peaceful transitions of power to this day. |
| Tuesday, April 1 |
Leadership in a Time of Crisis: The Oklahoma City Bombing |
Clinton Presidential Library and Museum
Kathleen Pate, Education Specialist
|
At 9:02 a.m. on April 19,1995, a powerful bomb exploded in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The blast killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured 500. Students will learn about how President Clinton responded to the nation’s worst single act of domestic terrorism. |
| Thursday, April 3 |
President Grant and Civil Rights |
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Nick Sacco, Historian and Curator
|
When the Civil War ended, Americans had to work together to restore the nation. This period
was called “Reconstruction”. During Reconstruction, President Ulysses S. Grant tried to
reconcile the North and South while protecting the rights of the country’s formerly enslaved
African Americans. Students will learn about President Grant’s efforts to promote peace,
prosperity, and equal rights during the Reconstruction era. |