With all eyes on Washington, D.C., ahead of America 250, an Indiana University Center on Representative Government workshop introduced Indiana teachers to national treasures found closer to home.
The center held an immersive professional development workshop on the Bloomington campus, where Indiana teachers were inspired by American treasures cared for by the Lilly Library and the Eskenazi Museum of Art. The workshop culminated in teachers creating new lesson materials centered around the 250th anniversary of the United States establishing independence.
“You don’t have to go to New York, Philadelphia or Chicago to see important things,” said Elizabeth Osborn, director of education at the IU Center on Representative Government. “We have great resources right here in our state.”
By partnering with educators, the center develops programs that inspire and educate students to become active citizens who can address the nation’s current challenges. The celebration around America 250, along with the priceless documents and artifacts safeguarded at IU Bloomington, created the perfect opportunity to host “Bringing the Declaration of Independence to Life.”
Resources galore
Osborn said that when helping teachers create new lessons, one things the center tries to emphasize is how to make history relevant and more tangible to students. She said she wanted teachers to show students that history is not just in a textbook.
The center had an overwhelming response to the workshop, which was funded by the IU Bloomington America 250 grants. Teachers who attended saw and learned about iconic treasures related to America 250, including one of the remaining copies of the Dunlap Broadside — the first version of the Declaration of Independence that was printed by John Dunlap on the night of July 4, 1776. Each teacher took home a poster reproduction of the Dunlap Broadside to incorporate into their classrooms.
After a quick walk across the street to the Eskenazi Museum of Art, they also viewed Gilbert Stuart’s presidential portrait of George Washington, painted in 1796.
They discussed notable parts of what they were viewing, including colonial newspapers and print culture. They also discussed the Declaration of Independence exhibition with Erika Dowell, executive associate director and curator of modern manuscripts at the Lilly Library. Dowell curated the exhibition, which is open to the public free of charge through Dec. 18.
“The Lilly Library is really proud to be the stewards of important documents of all kinds,” Dowell said. “We’re part of a network of libraries and museums like this across the world who are trying to help preserve the history of humanity’s past.”
Dowell said that by preserving important objects and making them accessible to the public, people today can connect with the past and ask questions about “how the past helps us understand the present” — a lesson that teachers who participated in the workshop could take back to their classrooms.
Inspiring civic engagement
Julie Carey teaches government classes in Perry Township schools in Indianapolis. Many of her students are immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for one or two years and are still mastering English. Learning about government and American history is an important facet of their education.
Carey said she made a lesson plan designed to meet her students where they are, and the resources she found through the workshop were highly valuable. She was particularly inspired by the Engaging Congress interactive, which is a free game created by the IU Center on Representative Government with funding from a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant. The game provides access to primary source documents so users can explore the basic tenets of representative government.
“I’ve been teaching for a while, and I did not know that there was such a gem in some of the resources at IU, including the Lilly Library and the Center on Representative Government,” Carey said. “One of the highlights of the whole day was going to the Lilly Library and seeing the Dunlap Broadside and the Gutenberg Bible. Who knew there were such treasures at IU?”
Heather Campbell, who teaches history at Franklin Central High School, also attended the workshop. She said her experience viewing materials at the Lilly Library was eye-opening.
“I think this workshop was a great way to explore how the United States tried its best at the time to be a symbol for what could happen; how monarchies at the time weren’t the only option; how people could be in charge of their own future,” Campbell said.
Osborn and Dowell said they hope more teachers across Indiana will take advantage of the resources available at IU.
“That can be a powerful experience to make a connection with a person from the past through a document from so long ago,” Dowell said.