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A National Endowment for the Humanities |
  General InformationThe American South is so closely associated with the Civil War that people often forget that the Revolutionary War was won in the Southern backcountry. These two week-long workshops will help K-12 teachers--and by extension, their students—come to a better understanding of the complexities of the American Revolution by exploring the conflict in the South. Too often, students enter our classrooms believing that the American Revolution was a simple struggle between American colonists and the British. They find it inconceivable that sensible American settlers might have sympathized with the British cause. As a result, they rarely understand the extent of Loyalist sentiment in the colonies or the fact that much of the fighting in the Revolutionary War consisted of Americans fighting Americans—that is, Loyalist troops and militias fighting Continental troops and Patriot militias. Visits to three battlefields and two backcountry farms combined with insights from scholars in history and art history will provide teachers with new insights into the complex dynamics of the war in the South. At the end of the workshop, workshop teachers will draft lesson plans that will offer a fresh approach to the teaching of the American Revolution. Stipend:Participants will receive a stipend of $750 to help cover food, lodging, books, materials and travel. All participants should anticipate on arriving on Sunday before the start of each workshop and attending all workshop sessions (through Friday afternoon at 4:30 pm) if they expect to receive their full stipends. We will present stipend checks to participants upon their departure if we receive W-9 forms and reservations for on-campus housing and the weekly meal plans by Friday, July 3, 2009. We will deduct on-campus housing and meal plan costs from your stipend check in advance. Additional travel funds will be made available on a case-by-case basis. Please see the travel section for more details.Upstate South CarolinaOur home base for the week will be Converse College, a master's university with undergraduate programs for women and a co-ed graduate program. Converse is located on a compact 70-acre campus at the heart of attractive downtown Spartanburg, a town of 45,000 in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Several restaurants are found within walking distance of the Converse campus. Historic sites, outdoor activities, and excellent shopping are all nearby. Check out the links provided here for gateways to the upstate South Carolina region:
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