Six Great Ways to Learn with the Gilder Lehrman Institute This Summer
Twenty-three programs | Online and In-Person | Topics across American history
Teacher Seminars (Online)
Twelve seminars available and you can sign up for as many as you like.
The Making of America
K–8 teachers: explore American origins at this two-week NEH Summer Institute.
The Gilder Lehrman Teacher Symposium
Choose from seven exciting courses.
Statesmanship in American History
Hosted and funded by the generosity of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, this seminar will allow up to 20 high school teachers to participate in a weeklong professional development on the study of statecraft.
Reframing Lincoln Seminar: Myth, Memory, and Changing Narratives
Funded by the generosity of an anonymous donor, this seminar will allow up to 25 K–12 teachers to focus on how to study Lincoln as a myth, a man, and a president at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL. The scholar’s lectures will also be live-streamed to any interested K–12 teachers.
United States Foreign Policy, 1898 to Present
Funded by the generosity of the Richard Nixon Foundation, this seminar will allow up to 40 K–12 teachers to participate in a weeklong professional development focused on United States foreign policy from 1898 to the present. The event will be held on-site at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. The scholar’s lectures will also be live-streamed to any interested K–12 teachers.
The Gilder Lehrman Teacher Symposium at Gettysburg College
Sunday, July 16 through Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania




Symposium participants will enjoy:
- Opening remarks by Gary Gallagher
- Program-wide book talks with participating scholars
- Networking opportunities with teachers from across the country
- Access to the GLI Exhibition Hall, where teachers can learn about Gilder Lehrman programs
- Special events including and a field trip to the Gettysburg Battlefield and trivia night
Courses feature:
- Lectures by prominent scholars
- Up to 22 hours of PD credit and a certificate confirming completed hours/CEUs for the Symposium
- Pedagogy sessions led by a Gilder Lehrman Master Teacher
- Recommended readings and resources from scholars
- Gilder Lehrman classroom resources
Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminars Online
June 26–August 3



Seminar participants will enjoy:
- 3 live scholar Q&A sessions
- 2 live pedagogy sessions led by Gilder Lehrman Master Teachers
- 1 live session for open discussion and networking with peers
- Between 9 and 15 hours of video lectures by leading historians
- Selected primary sources, lesson plans, spotlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, and other classroom-ready resources
- A certificate confirming completed hours/CEUs for the seminar (upon successful completion of seminar requirements)
New seminars for 2023 include:
- American Indian History since 1900, with Donald L. Fixico (Arizona State University)
- The History of Latina and Latino People in the US, with Geraldo L. Cadava (Northwestern University)
- Making Modern America: Business & Politics in the Twentieth Century, with Margaret O'Mara (University of Washington)
- Presidential Leadership at Historic Crossroads with Barbara A. Perry (University of Virginia)
The Making of America: Colonial Era to Reconstruction
The George Washington University, July 9–22
Application closed on March 3, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PT
The Making of America: Colonial Era to Reconstruction will offer 36 educators the opportunity to explore the people, ideas, and events that made America into a cultural, social, and political reality. Directed by Denver Brunsman (The George Washington University), featuring an array of esteemed scholars as guest instructors, this Institute is designed as purposefully broad to address the needs of K–8 educators through lectures, discussions, and visits to historic sites across the Washington, DC area.
The Making of America: Colonial Era to Reconstruction has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Summer Institutes for K–12 Educators. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this webpage and program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The National Endowment for the Humanities and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History together: Democracy demands wisdom.
Gilder Lehrman Summer Professional Development is made possible with the support of our partners:













