About the Project

U.S. History Themes—by project year

Year One

  • Thinking Historically: The project begins with an introduction to historical thinking, which is fundamental to national and Indiana standards for U.S history. The focus on primary sources as the raw material of history will move teachers toward developing the skills of historical thinking and analysis that can allow them to revise, deepen, and broaden their content knowledge in regard to the following themes.
  • A New Nation: Focusing on the founding and early development of the nation, a key content goal is to connect eighteenth-century North Americans to the larger trans-Atlantic world and examine how colonials built, within that larger world, an independent nation and a distinctive people. The Indiana case selected to illuminate this process is the Northwest Ordinance, Thomas Jefferson’s plan to create a representative government west of the Appalachians.
  • Antebellum Government and Economy: Because building on the founding generation’s political and constitutional achievement proved so complex, content in this session centers on political controversies and turning points. Teachers will study several key political documents to understand the challenges of creating democratic government in a nation deeply divided, yet sharing basic ideals. The Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Indiana case of Mary Clark will offer primary sources and contexts for understanding the debate over slavery.
  • Pioneers: Red and White: Pioneer stories are central to history teaching in Indiana schools. The workshop will build on that interest and on the need to introduce teachers to more sophisticated ways of thinking about early settlers beyond the standard log cabin stories. Teachers will learn about black settlers and Native Americans as well as majority white pioneers. Gender will be introduced into the story through the Indiana Constitutional Convention debate of 1850–1851 over granting women the right to vote. Comparisons to “pioneers” in other national regions will offer comparative contexts.
  • Book Discussion: Sam Wineburg’s widely-respected book, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts, will provide theoretical perspectives for a key feature of the project. A second book, Frontier Indiana, will offer insight into leaders and ordinary people.
  • Field Trips: These thematic workshops will integrate with field trips to Historic Harmony, a premier utopian community; Wylie House, an antebellum museum; and the Eiteljorg Museum, a museum of Native Americans, highlighting Miami and Potawatomi peoples.