More than 200 rising 11th and 12th grade students in our National Academy of American History and Civics submitted essays. These entries were reviewed by a panel of our master teachers, with twenty-two finalists then reviewed by a jury of historians. The twelve prize winners, including links to their entries, are as follows: First Prize and $10,000: Valerie Gottridge, Birch Wathen Lenox School, New York, NY, for “‘No Jews Are to be Permitted’: Understanding the Context of General Orders No. 11” Second Prize and $5,000: August Neumann, Marquette University High School, Milwaukee, WI, for “U.S…

More than seventy rising 11th and 12th grade students in our National Academy of American History and Civics submitted essays. These entries were reviewed by a panel of our master teachers, with twenty-three finalists then reviewed by a jury of historians. The twelve prize winners, including links to their entries, are as follows: First Prize and $10,000: Liliana Hug, Salamander Meadows Homeschool (Ohiopyle, PA), for the essay “The Silent Spring That Sparked a Thunderous Uproar: How Rachel Carson’s Scientific Communication Ignited the American Environmental Movement” Second Prize and $5,000…

More than seventy 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students in our National Academy of American History and Civics submitted essays. These entries were reviewed by a panel of our master teachers, with twenty finalists then reviewed by a jury of historians. The eleven prize winners, including links to their entries, are as follows: First Prize and $10,000: Kelsey Carlos-Keli’ikipi, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus (Honolulu, HI) for “Senator Daniel K. Inouye: How Senator Inouye’s Advocacy Helped Native Hawaiians Reclaim Kahoʻolawe” Second Prize and $5,000: Liliana Feyk, Sage Creek High School…

The Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize is a $50,000 prize sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The award recognizes the best book on American military history in English distinguished by its scholarship, its contribution to the literature, and its appeal to the broadest possible general reading public. Books that touch upon historic military events of other countries may be considered as long as their primary focus is on American military history. The 2021 prizewinner is Kevin J. Weddle for The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution (Oxford…

To apply for the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History, click the “To Apply” menu option. The Summer 2023 term begins June 1, 2023 and ends August 24, 2023. Registration for summer courses begins March 18, 2023 and ends June 7, 2023. Applications for the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA program are open and considered on a rolling basis. Six-Week Compressed Courses AMHI 612: Capitalism in American History (Summer Term I) with David Sicilia, Associate Professor of History and Henry Kaufman Chair of Financial History, University of Maryland Capitalism has morphed over time…

General What is the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History? The Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History is a fully online, fully accredited, thirty-credit degree program. Following the completion of ten three-credit courses, including Historiography and Historical Methods and the Capstone in American History courses, students are awarded a master’s degree in American history from Gettysburg College. Who is eligible for the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History? K–12 educators (including teachers, district supervisors, librarians, museum…

The Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History is for K–12 educators (including district supervisors, librarians, museum professionals, and National Park Service employees) who are affiliated with the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Visit the MA Program FAQs for more information on eligibility. Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman applications for the 2022–2023 academic year are now open. The Summer 2023 courses will begin June 1, 2023, and will remain open for registration until June 7, 2023. The deadline to apply for Summer 2023 Term I is May 18, 2023. The deadline to apply for Summer…

Inside the Vault: Lynching and Anti-Lynching Materials Join us on April 6, 2023, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT), when our curators will be joined by Dr. Terry Anne Scott. Dr. Scott is an expert on the history of anti-lynching activism and the dreadful events that gave rise to it. As she uses primary sources to explore this narrative, she will also share her advice for parents and teachers about how to broach topics that are historically and emotionally challenging. Please note: This program will briefly show historical images of lynchings. To aid parents and…

Inside the Vault: Lynching and Anti-Lynching Materials Join us on April 6, 2023, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT), when our curators will be joined by Dr. Terry Anne Scott. Dr. Scott is an expert on the history of anti-lynching activism and the dreadful events that gave rise to it. As she uses primary sources to explore this narrative, she will also share her advice for parents and teachers about how to broach topics that are historically and emotionally challenging. Please note: This program will briefly show historical images of lynchings. To aid parents and…

All twelve of the seminars listed here are taking place online. Other Summer 2023 professional development programs include in-person and hybrid opportunities. Click here to see the seminars listed by date. Register Here America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction (week of July 24) with Kate Masur, Professor of History and Board of Visitors Professor, Northwestern University NEW for 2023 Live Sessions Scholar Q&A and Pedagogy Session: July 24, 6:00–8:00 p.m. ET Scholar Q&A and The American Civil War Museum Session: July 25, 6:00–8:00 p.m. ET Scholar Q&A and…

The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize is awarded annually for the finest scholarly work in English on Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War soldier, or the American Civil War era. The $50,000 prize was established in 1990 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, in partnership with Dr. Gabor Boritt, Director Emeritus of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. The 2023 laureates are Jon Meacham for his book And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (Random House), and Jonathan W. White for his book A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White…

The application for this program closed at 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, March 3, 2023. This date is the same across all NEH Institutes. Application Information Before applying for the NEH Institute, please ensure that you have read all of the information about the program. The Gilder Lehrman Institute will accept only thirty-six participants. Those who are accepted will be notified on April 3, 2023. Those who are waitlisted or declined will also be notified on April 3, 2023. Applicants who are accepted will have until April 14, 2023, to accept or decline their spot. Once an applicant has accepted…

The American West has played an enduring role in the popular culture of the nation and the world. The images are familiar: cowboys and cattle drives, Indian wars, wagon trains, rowdy mining towns and homesteaders. All in fact were part of the story, but behind the color and drama of films, novels, and art were developments critical to the creation of the modern American nation and its rise as a global economic, political, and military power. The West was as well a showplace of the industrial, social, technological, and scientific forces remaking the world beyond America. This course, led by…

By 1900, the United States was the world’s leading economy. Through a clear definition of capitalism and a set of core questions, this course examines the trajectory of capitalism from its emergence in British North America to the erosion of US global competitiveness in the 1970s and the rise of neoliberalism and financialization since the 1980s. Students will also learn about the role of slavery, the state, and corporations in nineteenth-century capitalist expansion; the rise of big business and its impact on US politics, society, and industrial work; the Second Industrial Revolution; causes…

This course, led by Dr. Lucas Morel of Washington and Lee University, explores the diverse political philosophies of influential Black Americans as they sought to secure their dignity as human beings and rights as citizens. Students will examine the fundamental tension between human equality and government by consent, a tension present at the birth of the American Union in 1776. Read the course outline here and listen to a history teacher introduce the course below. STUDENTS- REGISTER HERE Please create a free K–12 student account. Note: Only K–12 logged-in students will be able to access the…

This course examines the struggles and successes of American women fighting for equality in American politics, life, and culture, from the movement for suffrage through campaigns for fair wages. Led by historian Linda Gordon, participants will explore grassroots political activism, landmark court decisions, significant achievements in the arts, and the intersection of work on behalf of women’s rights in the United States with other galvanizing movements for equality at home and abroad. The course also considers the evolving role of gender in mediating political discourse and social relations…

This course, led by Michael Neiberg of the US Army War College, aims to add more context and nuance into the traditional American views of the Second World War. Although keeping the American experience at the center, it examines that experience through a global lens. The content covered will challenge some of the myths and half-truths that Hollywood has bequeathed to Americans about the war while introducing some arguments that have emerged from the latest scholarship on themes like the home front, the actual fighting of the war, and the processes of peacemaking. The intention of this course…

Since April 2020, the Gilder Lehrman History School has served more than 5,600 students through thirty-two 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…

Learn about Black Lives in the Founding Era through primary source documents. Each class students will examine a different historial figure—some famous and some little known—and their life, legacy, and accomplishments. Each class featured a Hamilton cast member. The goal of this course was to give students an educational experience once a week that included members of the theater community. Intended Audience This course was for upper elementary school and middle school students (grades 3–8). CLasses Class 1 CLASS RECORDING from Tuesday, March 9, 7:00-7:45 p.m. ET Olaudah Equiano Olaudah…

Two “superpowers”—the United States and the Soviet Union—emerged from the devastation of World War II. Mistrust, fear, and deep ideological differences between the two nations led to a Cold War that lasted more than forty years. The geopolitical struggle, and the underlying threat of nuclear confrontation, drew in much of the world, directly and indirectly, and had wide-ranging consequences at home and abroad. This course provided an overview of the origins and consequences of the Cold War both globally and domestically, spanning from the end of World War II through the collapse of the Soviet…

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. For four classes we are going to look at some of that evidence and explore the birth of our nation through words and pictures that can tell us what really happened. This course had an estimated weekly commitment of 45 minutes. Intended Audience This course was for upper elementary school and middle school students (grades 3–8). Classes Each class was a stand-alone 45-minute lesson. Class 1 CLASS RECORDING from Tuesday…