Submission Deadline is September 26, 2022
One mile north of the Utah State Capitol Building, Ensign Peak rises approximately one thousand feet over Salt Lake City. Dwarfed by neighboring hills, the significance of the peak comes not from its height but rather its importance in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Fleeing persecution and reeling from the death of John Smith at the hands of a mob, the community sought a refuge to practice their faith. Having traveled across the continent and being unfamiliar with the region, Brigham Young and the pioneers sought divine inspiration to help them determine when they had reached their appropriate destination. Upon entering the valley and gazing upon Ensign Peak, Young was said to have remarked, “I want to go there” for the peak was “a proper place to raise an ensign to the nations.” Historians and believers alike debate whether an actual flag had been placed atop the peak, but the determination on the part of the members of the Latter-Day Saints to live free from oppression cannot be questioned.
In his seminal 1958 address, Two Concepts of Liberty, the philosopher Isaiah Berlin distinguished between the concepts of negative and positive freedom. Negative freedom indicates the freedom from something- freedom from the tyranny of the majority or the coercion of the state. Brigham Young and his followers would certainly have recognized this brand of freedom. In contrast, positive freedom represents something far more self-directive, the freedom to act on one’s own will and to pursue opportunities. Positive freedom seeks to place authority in the hands of an empowered individual or collective. American history has often involved individuals and groups attempting to gain freedoms that were originally denied to them. The struggle to have access to equal education, to ensure voting rights, and to marry the person of one’s choice are all examples of positive freedoms. Many argue that the creation of the welfare state is an example of positive freedoms at work. Going a step further, supporters of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) argue that the program will provide citizens with the financial means necessary to make personal choices that empower their lives. In not placing any restrictions on how funds are to be used, UBI advocates note that participants can live life with a measure of dignity otherwise unavailable to them.
Yet, Isaiah Berlin, watching the Cold War unfold, grew increasingly concerned that the noble goals of the socialist revolution in the former U.S.S.R. had succumb to the machinations of totalitarian rulers. The freedom and self-actualization of the individual became increasingly equated with the needs of the larger community. “Once I take this view,” Berlin says, “I am in a position to ignore the actual wishes of men or societies, to bully, oppress, torture in the name, and on behalf, of their ‘real’ selves, in the secure knowledge that whatever is the true goal of man ... must be identical with his freedom.” Berlin argued that positive freedom could have an authoritarian streak that may lead some to believe that people should be, in the words of Rousseau, “forced to be free.” Ultimately, positive and negative concepts of freedom rest upon two, at times, competing visions of the world. Although it is not always possible to reconcile these views, we also must acknowledge that they arise from deeply human convictions and therefore merit our deepest consideration and deliberation.
The National Council for History Education invites proposals on the theme “Freedom From, Freedom To” for the 2023 National Conference. All proposals will be evaluated on the basis of their intellectual content, their ability to engage the audience, and their overall contribution to the teaching of history. We encourage sessions that address world history and those that consider how history teachers make specific contributions to diverse learners and to civic life.
Breakout Session: These teacher workshops are typically interactive “how to” sessions designed for the K-12 educator and are 50 minutes in length.
Mini Session: Mini Session topics range from teaching ideas to research reports. Presenters have 15 minutes to present information and answer questions. Each mini session typically includes three separate 15-minute presentations in the same room within a 50-minute time period.
Poster Session: Poster Session topics range from teaching ideas to research reports. Poster presenters display their information visually (ex. poster/display board) and interact with interested attendees during the 50-minute session. Presenters remain with their posters. The poster session period may include 8-15 simultaneous presenters.
Opening Night Reception
Thursday, March 23
5:00 - 7:00 PM
Join fellow attendees, keynote speakers, and the NCHE Board of Directors for light refreshments in the NCHE Exhibit Hall. Visit with the exhibitors, catch-up with old friends, and
make new friends during this relaxing start to the conference. Only those registered for the Conference may attend. There is no charge for the Opening Reception.
Friday Night at the Natural History Museum
Friday, March 24
6:15 - 9:00 PM
Join NCHE for an evening at the Natural History Museum of Utah. The museum moved to its current location, the Rio Tinto Center, in the foothills above Salt Lake City in
2011. It features exhibits of
natural history subjects, with an emphasis on Utah and the Intermountain West. The
mission of the museum is to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within
it. Attendees will be able to experience the entire museum, the Museum Store, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres with a host bar.
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Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek
75 South West Temple Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 531-0800
Room Rate - $197 per night, plus applicable taxes
**Room Block will be open soon.
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is located 8 miles from the Conference Hotel.
Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and United Airlines
Station is located at:
300 600 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 355-9579
Greyhound Website
Station is located at:
340 S 600 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Amtrak Website
A list of rental agencies, taxi companies and shuttles at SLC can be found by clicking here.
The National Council for History Education provides professional and intellectual leadership to foster an engaged community committed to the teaching, learning, and appreciation of diverse histories.
National Council for History Education
13940 Cedar Road, #393
University Heights, OH 44118
www.ncheteach.org
nche@nche.net
Phone: 240-888-4105
Website by Morweb.org
