Past Institutes

Secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction

In the spring of 2011, more than three hundred teachers attended a series of one-day teacher workshops held by Humanities Texas throughout the state focusing on secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

Curriculum

Faculty lectures addressed topics such as sectionalism and secession, Lincoln and the Civil War, Hispanics in Texas during the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Content was aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), with particular emphasis on newly added or revised standards.

The workshop featured close interaction with scholars, the examination of primary sources, and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities. The program was designed ultimately to enhance teachers’ mastery of the subjects they teach and to improve students’ performance on state assessments. Teachers received books and other instructional materials.

Faculty

Workshop faculty included Armando Alonzo (Texas A&M University), Michael Les Benedict (The Ohio State University), Jacqueline Jones (The University of Texas at Austin), Patrick Kelly (The University of Texas at San Antonio), Andrew J. Torget (University of North Texas), Eric Walther (University of Houston), Jennifer L. Weber (University of Kansas), and John Barr (Lone Star College–Kingwood).

Program Resources

Our February/March 2011 newsletter included a slideshow of images from the Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Waco workshops, as well as an article about the Historic Waco Foundation’s exhibition, Time of Turmoil: Texas and the Civil War, which the Waco participants visited. Our April 2011 newsletter included a slideshow of images from the Fort Worth and Dallas workshops.

Locations and Schedules

The workshop overviews detail each program's schedule and participants.

Sponsors

These workshops were made possible with major funding from the state of Texas and a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.