Princeton (Day 3- 6/4/08)

The third day of this trip had us venturing into the Garden State to make another stop at an Ivy League institution (I’m beginning to wonder if there is a conspiracy by the professors with all the Ivy Leagueness- maybe hoping the knowledge/prestige of the schools will soak into us?!) Even though the day started out a little wet, I think that added to the mystique of the places we visited- at least the first stop. Something about seeing a battlefield in the midst of mist and rain makes it seem so much more real. I like that we got to see where the Battle of Princeton took place. Sometimes, because teachers can be so pressed for time, I think we only focus on some of the major events, especially with the Revolutionary War. There is so much to cover that sometimes only the main battles are emphasized- Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Yorktown- and we have a tendency to forget about some of the others. What I liked about today was it showed that all the battles were important and should be recognized. The bravery that Washington showed here to me is extraordinary. “Parade with me my brave fellows, we will have them soon.” This was said by Washington as he rode straight into British fire, leading the attack as he charged toward British lines. To me, that shows what type of man Washington really was. How can anyone dispute the importance of him during the war. Also, the fact that after this battle Cornwallis abandoned many of his posts in New Jersey and had his army retreat showed how important it was, especially for the morale of the Continental troops. Because of that, I think it is very important to share with the students many of these battles. Even if not a lot of time is spent on them, I still think it is very important to discuss them with the students and talk about what they would have done if they were in Washington’s shoes, and the main general was wounded and the colonel who took over for him was killed. It is hard to imagine the split-second decisions that would have had to take place.

Enough about the battle! I really enjoyed walking around the campus of Princeton. Our tour guide shared so much history about the campus that I never knew about. I was also surprised that there are only 4,000 students- that is a much smaller number than I expected. I really did think the whole campus was beautiful, but the one place that just took my breath away was the church. What an absolutely beautiful building. I don’t think the pictures could possibly do it justice.

I am so excited for tomorrow. I have wanted to go to the Constitution Center since I first heard it was being built, and I absolutely love Carol Berkin- I could listen to her talk all day long and never be bored!!

Valley Forge (Day 2- 6/3/08)

Today reminded me a lot of last year when we went to Lexington and Concord- it was like you were literally walking in the footsteps of the British and Continentals. Walking through the park you could practically picture what it was like in the winter of 1777/1778 as the soldiers wintered there. Everything was so peaceful there today, but you know that wasn’t what it was like. I couldn’t even imagine making it through a day during that time, let alone a whole winter! I also really enjoyed being able to see George Washington’s headquarters- can you believe all the planning and organizing that must have occurred there; if only those walls could talk! I can picture Washington peering out his window and contemplating what he was going to do next. Wow!!

One thing that also amazes me are the ages of the men (or boys) that were at the camp and just fighting in the Revolutionary War in general. Some of them would have been the age of the students that I teach, and to me they still seem like kids- how could they have possibly gone through such a life-altering event at such a young age.

The day couldn’t have ended any better- taking history teachers into a “vault” filled with actual artifacts from Valley Forge- and the best thing was they actually let us take pictures!

Can the trip to Princeton top this?? Probably, because I must admit I am pretty excited to see another Ivy League school.

Historical Philadelphia (Day 1- 6/2/08)

I have been very fortunate to have visited Philadelphia quite a few times, but every time I go to the historic sites I am always amazed at how much more there is for me to learn/find out about.

The day started out at one of my favorite places- Independence Hall. I truly feel like when you walk through the doors you are walking back in time, how amazing! When I teach about the Constitutional Convention one of the things I have my students do is reenact the convention as the delegates- even turning my classroom into the inside of Independence Hall (as much as possible!) I love to show my students pictures of the room so they can actually picture themselves sitting in the same chairs and debating from the same tables. One thing I don’t share as much with my students is how much else went on at Independence Hall in addition to the writing of the Declaration and Constitution (I suppose those are pretty important!)

I loved our tour guide today- what a refreshing take on everything!! Having the right person show you their love of history makes such a difference- I wish I could package Pat up and take her back to my classroom!

Something that surprised me today was when we went to the Quaker Meetinghouse. First, I was not expecting an actual Quaker to talk to us. Also, I was surprised at how many practicing Quakers there still are. I know 300,000 is not many, but it is 300,000 more than I thought there were. I had really not ever thought about it, but just assumed that Quakers were from the colonial time period so it was very interesting for me to listen to Neil, I was pretty fascinated with the history he shared with us today. Just think if everyone in the world followed their motto of “SPICE”- we sure would live in a different place.

Can’t wait for another great day tomorrow!

*Just a note, I changed my header to the boat houses on the Schuylkill River. Coming back into Phily tonight we went on the expressway that went past the houses and they were all lit up, it was a beautiful site! Seeing the crew boats on the river in front of the houses is one of my favorite sites in Philadelphia. It always reminds me of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (remember Fresh Prince of Bel Aire!!) singing in the video Summertime. For those of you who don’t know, that is Will Smith before he became cool!

Philly- Here We Come!

Just playing around with my blog.

After this weekend, and hearing about all the great places we get to visit, I can’t wait for another great trip!

Lowell Textile Mills

Our last day in Boston!

Today we went up to Lowell to learn about the textile mills.  I can say I really don’t know much about the Industrial Revolution, so I knew today would really be a learning experience.  Seeing the actual machines, and then seeing them operate, was pretty fascinating.  I took some video of it because I want my students to be able to hear how loud it would have been in a factory- and that was without all of the machines running.  After we saw that we went up to the musuem on the top floor- what an incredible job they have done.  I thought the best part were the video clips that were around the room.  How meaningful to hear the stories of the mills told by the people who were actually there.  They didn’t sugarcoat anything, they just told it exactly as they experienced it.  To me that had the most impact, and I was drawn into watching all of them.  I would love to have a video like that to show the students, that way it doesn’t just explain about the factories and what life was like, it actually makes it more real and like you can actually feel (as much as we can) what they went through.  Because I had seen those and was fascinated by their stories, I was a little disappointed with the slide show we saw in the other musuem.  I understand they need to give background information, and a general view of the industrial revolution/life in factories, but I thought it was too positive.  What about all the terrible working conditions?  What about what the girls went through living in the towns and working in the factories?  What about the wages (or lack of) they were paid?  These are just as important and I think they should have also been addressed, but I guess in a 15-20 min. clip you can’t cover everything.

I also really enjoyed the boat tour, what a beautiful way to see the canals and to get an explanation of how they work- very interesting!

It was a great way to end a great trip!  This has been an experience I won’t forget, and I really appreciate everything I have learned and been able to see.  I feel very fortunate that I was able to partake in such a great adventure with a great group of people!

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Independence is Declared!

Wow, what a day! We heard an incredible lecture this morning by  Dr. Pauline Maier.  I was intrigued before the lecture even began since we read her book, and it only got better as she began to speak!!  Everything she said just made what I read in her book more meaningful.  I loved the last thing she said, Thomas Jefferson wasn’t the creator of the Declaration, it was the creation of the American people.  How true that is!  She also said that students need to actually read the Constitution and study the content-if they don’t learn it in the classroom they won’t learn it.  That just put it into perspective that it is my job to teach the students about how our country started and really read these documents and talk about them- not just read over them.  If it isn’t taught to them, how will they every think critically and be able to analyze some of the most important documents in the history of our country.

In the afternoon the Historical Society went over some documents with us and then showed us the most meaningful website I have seen.  I can’t believe we will have access to all of the documents that are on there.  Not only will my students hear about these documents, but they will also have the opportunity to see them too.  This is one source I am very excited to use, and I know my students will benefit greatly from it.  I very much appreciate all the hard work they did that we will be able to use!

One if by land, two if by sea…

Today we got to continue our adventures through historic Boston along the Freedom Trail.  Our first stop was at Paul Revere’s House.  I really enjoyed the book we read- Paul Revere’s Ride by David Fischer- so I was really excited to spend the morning focussed on him.  Even though he is famous for his Midnight Ride, there is so much more to him (I never knew he was a dentist!).  The activity we did where we focussed on primary documents/artifacts was a great way to really see who Paul Revere was.  This is a great activity to do with students to really allow them to get a feel of who these revolutionaries were.  Every day I think of new ways/ideas to help teach history to my students.  Even though I am in Boston and getting to see all of these places firsthand, I am constantly thinking of ways that I can bring all of this back to Colorado so my students can get as excited about the Revolutionary War as I do- I can’t wait to share all of this with them!

After we toured Paul Revere’s house (hard to believe we were actually in his house where he lived!) we walked through the streets of the North End to Old North Church.  I loved the old cobblestone streets, it was just like you were in colonial times.  It was also pretty fascinating to see the Old North Church.  I have read about the church and the lanterns a million times, but now I actually got to look up to the steeple and see where the lanterns were hung- hard to believe!

After a great lunch at an Italian restaurant in the North End we made the trek across the bridge to the Battle of Bunker Hill Monument.  How fitting that the first organized battle in the war for Independence gets such a great monument overlooking the city on a hill.  Even though the museum across the street wasn’t finished yet, it sure was fun to get to see it before anyone else (I even saw an article about it in the paper when we returned).  They have done a wonderful job there.  I even walked up all of the steps to the top of the Monument- more exercise then my tired body wanted, but it was a great view from the top and I get to say I have been to the top of this huge monument! 

We ended our day by making a quick stop at Old Ironsides, what a beautiful ship!

It was another great and funfilled day in Boston!!!

The Revolution Has Begun!

Our adventures in Boston have started on the road to the revolution.  Our day today began at the Old State House- what a beautiful building!  I loved listening to Dr. Allison as he discussed the Boston Massacre, and included many details I hadn’t heard before- it was very interesting.  How fitting that this discussion took place just steps away from where the actual Massacre happened.  I also really enjoyed the activity that Sue Goganian facilitated on the Massacre.  I have had my students act out the picture of the engraving, taking on different people in the picture and then answering questions as if they were that person; this is another great activity I think I can add to that.  The more hands on I can make what I teach them the more it sticks in my students’ minds.  I also like having them portray both sides.  In addition to seeing it through the eyes of the colonists, it is also important to understand what the redcoats were going through.

It was nice to get out to Faneuil Hall for lunch and do a little exploring around the city!  Later, when we got to go inside Faneuil Hall, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, it was hard to take it all in.

After lunch we went to the Old South Meeting House.  This was another beautiful building!  I love being able to be inside these buildings, it helps me to picture in my mind what it looked like as the colonists were making the decision to revolt against England.  I really enjoyed the role playing activity, I think this will be great to do with my students.  It’s hard to believe all the great ideas, pictures, handouts, and books we are getting to take back with us to use in the classroom.

Finally, we got to venture out on the Freedom Trail.  Even though we were winding our way through a modern city, you could still get the feeling of a city on the brink of a revolution.  The old buildings, churches, and gravesites intermixed within the city were aweinspiring!  We got to see the gravesites of some of the most famous people in our early history.  I can’t wait to continue this tomorrow!

To end the day today we rode the ferry back to Salem from Boston Harbor-what a beautiful and breathtaking site!  I recommend this to everyone!  Seeing the outline of the city as you sail away is quite a view you won’t forget.

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Massachusetts Historical Society

What an incredible place to spend the day.  When you first walk into the building it seems like just another historical building, but then when you really think about everything that is inside of this building it is hard to believe!  What a wonderful resource for historians, I couldn’t imagine being able to spend an afternoon just browsing through all of the old documents that are there.  Since we were not able to do this, I felt very fortunate to be able to see some of the documents.  My favorite was the engraving of the Boston Massacre done by Paul Revere.  I spend quite a bit of time on this document when I am beginning the Revolutionary War, discussing and analyzing it with my students, and to see the actual engraving done by Paul Revere was amazing.  How cool it will be to show my students the picture I took the next time I teach this!  I also thought the letters from the printing press were pretty interesting- I had never really seen those before, and some of them belonged to Benjamin Franklin!!  I look forward to returning on Thursday.

Lexington and Concord

We are finally getting to the Revolutionary War!  I love this part of our history, and to be at the actual place today where the whole war for independence took place was pretty surreal.  When we were walking down the road to the Bloody Angle I could picture what it would have been like when the redcoats were walking down that same road more than 200 years ago.  It’s hard to imagine what both sides were feeling at that time- fear, anxiety, reluctance- but they were the ones who put their lives on the line for a cause they believed in, something I think our students today don’t always see.  I wish I could take all of them to this site today so they could get the feeling of the place rather than just reading about it. 

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