Submission due date was October 25, 2021.
In June of 1827, the famed German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a letter to a friend that included a poem entitled United States. The poem opens with the lines
“America, you are better off/ Than our ancient continent.” Goethe suggested that in America history could begin anew, unencumbered by the past and its
“ruined castles” and “useless memories.” Released from historical burdens, America contained the promise of freedom and democracy.
Not long after Goethe proclaimed America a beacon of hope, Frederick Douglass declared it a land of unfulfilled desires for millions of enslaved people. The country remained firmly within the
grips of history. In his autobiography, Douglass asked, “Why am I a slave? Why are some people slaves and others masters? Was there ever a time when this was not so? How did this
relation commence?” For Douglass, realizing the aspirations of the country demanded a political practice of agitation. Writing in 1857, he argued, “The whole history
of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of struggle.” The American community was, in fact, several communities
each operating within its own historical context.
How communities define themselves, interact with one another, and change over time has been a subject of examination for thousands of years. In ancient Athens, women and foreigners were
inextricably woven into the fabric of daily life but barred from participating in the practice of political life. This tension was exposed in the plays of Aristophanes and Aeschylus as the
people of Athens attempted to struggle with their own limitations and glimpse an alternative vision of community. In the 1960s, the struggles of Mexican laborers in the fields of California
produced a worker’s rights movement and helped to forge a broader ethnic identity. Today, Hispanics make up nearly 1/5 of the U.S. population but this label fails to capture the complex
political, cultural, and ethnic identities it purports to represent. Distinct communities exist within larger ones and form around a variety of factors: political, racial, ethnic, sexual,
economic. These communities offer a sense of identity, recognition, and purpose but are never static or easy to define making this subject ripe for study.
The National Council for History Education invites proposals on the theme “Historical Communities of Promise and Practice” for the 2022 National Conference. All
proposals will be evaluated by their intellectual content, their ability to engage the audience, and their overall contribution to the teaching of history.
Criteria for Program Selection:
Breakout Session topics are typically interactive “how to” sessions designed for the K-12 educator and are 60-minutes in length.
Poster Session topics range from teaching ideas to research reports. Poster presenters display their information online for the duration of the conference. Presenters can chat with attendees live or answer questions left at the poster.
Thursday, March 17 (3:00-4:00 PM Eastern)
-Museum of the American Revolution
-Tsongas Industrial History Center - Lowell Mills
-United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Friday, March 18 (3:00-4:00 PM Eastern)
-National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
More Information Coming Soon!
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Alexis Coe
Political Historian & Author |
Peniel Joseph
University of Texas |
Peter Kastor
Washington University in St. Louis |
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LaGarret King
University of Missouri |
Merry Wiesner-Hanks
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch
315 Chestnut Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
(314) 655-1234
Room Rate - $169 per night, plus applicable taxes
To book your guest room by phone, call (314) 655-1234.
Reference Group Code (G-NCHE)
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) is located 14 miles from the Conference Hotel.
Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch
Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier Airlines, Soutwest, Spirit, and United
Station is located at:
430 S. 15th Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 231-4485
Greyhound Website
Station is located at:
430 S. 15th Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
(800) 872-7245
Amtrak Website
A list of rental agencies, taxi companies and shuttles at STL 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 Rd. #393
University Heights, OH 44118
www.ncheteach.org
nche@nche.net
Phone: 240-696-6600
Website by Morweb.org
