Since April 2020, the Gilder Lehrman History School has served more than 5,600 students through thirty-three classes covering many eras and themes in American history.
Classes held in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 are available to watch on-demand by exploring the course page.
- Black Lives in the Founding Era taught by Jason Butler
Grade Levels: Upper elementary and middle school students (3rd–8th grade)
Learn about Black Lives in the Founding Era through primary source documents. Each week students will examine a different historical figure—some famous and some little known—and their life, legacy, and accomplishments.
- The Cold War taught Joe Welch (2018 National History Teacher of the Year)
Grade Levels: Middle and high school students (8th–12th grade)
Delve into the history of the Cold War and learn about wars that aren’t fought on the battlefield. Using the Gilder Lehrman Collection and videos from RetroReport.org, students will uncover information regarding executive power, spies, international relations, and trade wars.
- Hamilton Cast Read Along taught by Keisha Rembert (2019 Gilder Lehrman Illinois History Teacher of the Year)
Grade Levels: Elementary-age students and families
Hamilton cast members read children’s books on American history topics with a history teacher.
- Hamilton’s World: Founding Era Documents and Hamilton’s World: People from the Founding Era taught by Tim Bailey (2009 National History Teacher of the Year, Gilder Lehrman Director of Curriculum Development and Instructional Design)
Grade Levels: Elementary-age students and families
How did the United States become a country? How do we know that we have the real story? We know because we have evidence written and created by people who lived at that time. Students looked at some of that evidence and explored the birth of our nation through words and pictures that can tell us what really happened.
- History of Voting Rights Struggle taught by Alysha Butler (2019 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)
Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)
This course examined the struggle for voting rights from Reconstruction to the present day. The course focused on the African American–led protests of the 1950s and 1960s through the lens of the film Selma, using the Selma Online curriculum created by Harvard University’s Hutchins Center, which is led by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- The US Constitution: Looking Backward from 2021 to 1787 Kevin Cline (2016 National History Teacher of the Year)
Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)
The US Constitution has been the bedrock of American government since it was first conceived in 1787, but it is far from a rigid document set in a bygone era. This class will focus on key aspects of the Constitution, the government it establishes, the freedoms it gives, and the questions it poses.
- Who Will Tell Your Story: Get Creative with EduHam taught by Gena Oppenheim (teacher at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY, and Hamilton Education Program Senior Education Fellow)
Grade Levels: Middle and High School (grades 6–12)
Students who love Hamilton or want to learn about the dramatic potential of primary sources were inspired by the cast and creative members of Hamilton as they shared their insight into creating art from history. This course was open, but not limited to, students doing the Hamilton Education Program Online in school.
- Women Who Made History taught by CherylAnne Amendola (2017 Gilder Lehrman New Jersey History Teacher of the Year)
Grade Levels: Middle and High School (grades 6–12)
To commemorate the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, this course celebrated women who have made a lasting contribution to American culture, government, and economics.