Past Institutes

Teaching the U.S. Constitution

In October 2019, Humanities Texas held two one-day teacher workshops in Fort Worth and Dallas focusing on teaching the U.S. Constitution.

Curriculum

Topics addressed included the Articles of Confederation, compromises made in adopting the Constitution, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates on the Constitution's ratification, and the Bill of Rights.

The workshops emphasized close interaction with scholars, the examination of primary sources, and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities. Content was aligned with the secondary social studies TEKS. Teachers received books and other instructional materials and were trained in the examination and interpretation of primary sources.

Faculty

Workshop faculty included Denver Brunsman (George Washington University), Charles Flanagan (National Archives), Woody Holton (University of South Carolina), and Joseph Kobylka (Southern Methodist University).

Locations and Schedules

Sponsors

The workshops were made possible with major funding from the State of Texas with ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.