The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and America

Welcome

Dear Colleague:

We are delighted by your interest in “The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and America 1801 – 1861,” an NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture/We the People Teacher Workshop. The topic is fascinating and of central importance for all grade levels of American history, and the site of the program is a landmark rich in beauty and meaning. The Hermitage is an 1120-acre historic site that includes the main Jackson residence, the mansion kitchen and smokehouse dependencies, a one-acre historic garden, Tulip Grove mansion (1836), the Hermitage Church (1823), the First Hermitage complex (1801-1805), Jackson’s tomb and family cemetery, and the Donelson family cemetery. The Hermitage also has sites associated with the enslaved community, including Alfred’s cabin (c1840 duplex) and multiple archaeological sites. Middle Tennessee State University (www.mtsu.edu) and The Hermitage (www.thehermitage.com) are pleased to be collaborators in this important venture, and we are preparing for an intensive – but highly enjoyable – period of learning and sharing with a selection of the nation’s very best K-12 educators during our two, week-long workshops this summer.

Workshop 1: June 27-July 2, 2010
Workshop 2: July 11--16, 2010

This is the fourth time The Hermitage and MTSU have collaborated on this workshop and past participants have evaluated their experiences very highly.

“The learning experience at this NEH workshop was fantastic. Each of the presenters was exceptional in their field and was able to relay the information to me in a way that was understandable and useful to me. I cannot think but that the information gained from this workshop will enhance my overall teaching of History to my students.”

Landmark: “The Hermitage”

The Hermitage: Home of President Andrew Jackson is uniquely positioned to interpret many of the changes in America from the dawning of westward expansion to the eve of the Civil War. Andrew Jackson, as both an agent and a product of change, was one of the most important, and most controversial, individuals during this period of turmoil and transition. As a political and military leader, as a businessman, and as a slave-owning cotton planter, he was at the center of important national issues. To many people in his day, Andrew Jackson was a symbol for American democracy, and he remains so in our own time. During the Jacksonian era, government moved from the republican system envisioned by the founding fathers to a democracy. Jackson also was a contentious president, touched by scandal, who took unpopular stands. His military and political careers are well known, but during his time democratic ideals were translated into religious life, reform movements, architecture, and the decorative arts. Daniel Feller, editor of the Papers of Andrew Jackson at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a visiting scholar for each workshop, points out that, at the time, Americans exuded a great deal of optimism about the future. Our goal is to present multiple perspectives that allow teachers to draw their own conclusions about Jackson’s role in shaping the politics and political ideals of American society. No single historical perspective can adequately or definitively interpret Andrew Jackson, The Hermitage, or an entire period of history. Participants will be encouraged to weigh historical and archaeological evidence, react to multiple interpretations, and draw their own conclusions to deepen and enrich their knowledge of history.

Workshop Topics:

We will dig into the controversies and turbulence of Andrew Jackson, his times, and his reputation. Under the broad theme, “The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and America 1801 – 1861,” each workshop will examine six major topics and issues:

Growing Democracy – Presents multiple perspectives on this time period to allow participants to draw conclusions about Andrew Jackson’s role in shaping the politics and political ideas of American society as well as larger changes taking place in society;
Cotton Economy and Slavery – Focuses on The Hermitage as an illustration of the expansion of slavery in response to increased demand for cotton; examines the distinctive social and cultural milieu of enslaved African Americans, especially through the on-site archaeological evidence at The Hermitage;
Indians and Westward Expansion – Discusses Andrew Jackson as the touch point for modern controversies surrounding Indian removal in this pivotal era and the culture, traditions, and concerns of the native people who were displaced;
Reform and Religion – Examines the movement of religion, especially Protestantism, and reform to a more central position in American life as reflections of growing democratic ideals of the era;
Women’s Lives in a Changing America – Presents women’s changing roles in the context of the plantation mistress and the enslaved woman, both of whom are represented at The Hermitage;
Developing a Distinct American Material Culture – Studies the decorative arts, architecture, cultural landscape and fine arts at The Hermitage and neighboring Tulip Grove mansion that provide insight into the Jackson family’s view of a developing American culture.

Visiting Scholars:

Daniel Feller—Professor of History and Editor/Director of The Papers of Andrew Jackson at the University of Tennessee; in addition to numerous articles and book chapters on Andrew Jackson and Jacksonian America, Professor Feller is the author of The Jacksonian Promise: America, 1815-1840, published in 1995 by Johns Hopkins University Press. Participants will be reading this book and will have the opportunity to discuss it with Professor Feller.
Harry Watson—Professor of History at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and Director of the UNC Center for the Study of the American South; Professor Watson is the author of Liberty and Power: The Politics of Jacksonian America, first published in 1990 and revised in 2006, as well as several other publications on the American South. Participants will also read Professor Watson’s book on Jacksonian politics and will have the opportunity to discuss it with him during the workshop.

Core Faculty Members:

Richard Blackett, the Andrew Jackson Professor of History at Vanderbilt University and author of Divided Hearts: Britain and the American Civil War;
Rebecca Conard, Professor of Public History at Middle Tennessee State University, specialist in public and environmental history and whose most recent monograph is Benjamin Shambough and the Intellectual Foundations of Public History;
Connie Lester of the University of Central Florida, agricultural, economic, and southern historian; her book, Up From the Mudsills of Hell: The Farmers’ Alliance, Populism, and Progressive Agriculture in Tennessee was published in 2006;
Susan Myers-Shirk, Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University, specialist in American cultural and religious history and author of Helping the Good Shepherd;
David Rowe of Middle Tennessee State University, historian of religion and nineteenth-century American history, published in 2008 God’s Strange Work: William Miller and the End of the World;
Ann Toplovich, Executive Director of the Tennessee Historical Society, whose forthcoming book focuses on the life of Rachel Donelson Jackson;
Daniel Usner of Vanderbilt University, historian of the South during the colonial and early national periods and Indian–U.S. relations through the nineteenth century and author of American Indians in the Lower Mississippi Valley (1998);
The Hermitage professional staff includes Tony Guzzi, Director of Preservation and Collections; and James Yasko, Director of Education.

Project Directors:

Jan Leone, Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University and specialist in American Women’s History; she has participated in three previous Landmarks workshops at The Hermitage as a presenter and co-director;
Marsha Mullin, Vice-President of Museum Services/Chief Curator at The Hermitage has over 20 years experience at The Hermitage interpreting Andrew Jackson; she has also served as co-director for three previous Landmarks workshops at The Hermitage.

Master Teachers:

Chad McGee has taught U.S. history, AP U.S. history and journalism at Warren County High School, Tennessee, since 2000. He served as project director for the Cumberland River Valley Consortium Teaching American History Grant from 2002 to 2006 and was an active participant as a master teacher in three previous Landmarks workshops at The Hermitage.
Teresa Prater teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade history and geography at Morrison Elementary in Warren County, Tennessee. She has participated in Teaching American History workshops as well as served as a master teacher in previous Landmarks workshops at The Hermitage. Teresa directs her school’s History Club, and her students have competed at National History Day in Virginia.
Janice Tant teaches elementary school in the Metropolitan Davidson County Schools in Nashville, Tennessee. She has served as a master teacher for the Nashville Teaching American History grant, previous Landmarks workshops at The Hermitage, and the Nashville Teacher Training Institute.

Workshops:

Each workshop will combine classroom and field studies at The Hermitage. Participants will use as primary source evidence a variety of documents from the time period, the objects in The Hermitage’s collections, the books the Jackson family owned, the archaeological remains left behind by the enslaved black families, the architecture, and even the cultural landscape to examine these six interpretive themes. The advance reading list includes three books: Daniel Feller’s Jacksonian Promise: America 1815-1840, Harry Watson’s Liberty and Power: The Politics of Jacksonian America, and Jack Larkin’s The Reshaping of Everyday Life, 1790-1840. In addition, we will ask participants to be familiar with a selection of primary documents principally drawn from the 100 Milestone Documents on the Our Documents.gov website.

Daily Workshop Schedule:

Sunday

The week will begin at The Hermitage with an informal dinner hosted on the grounds of the plantation from 5pm-7pm. This gathering will also serve as an orientation session for the coming week and will give participants the opportunity to meet the project directors, faculty members, master teachers as well as other participants. Howard Kittell, President & CEO of The Hermitage, will also be at the dinner to meet and greet participants.

Monday

On Monday morning, participants will be oriented to the site, Project Co-director Marsha Mullin will talk about “Museums as Learning Institutions,” and then participants will tour The Hermitage mansion, garden, and adjacent interpretive spaces. Following lunch, the afternoon will be devoted to an overview session led by Professor David Rowe and designed to give participants a thorough introduction to the historical period.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning will include two workshop sessions, “Andrew Jackson: Politician, President, and American Icon” led by visiting scholar Professor Daniel Feller, and “Growth of Democracy” led by visiting scholar Professor Harry Watson.

Following lunch, participants will have time to explore The Hermitage on their own or participate in one of two optional tours: 1) Behind The Scenes Tour of the Mansion during which Marsha Mullin will allow participants into mansion rooms usually off-limits to visitors; or 2) The Hermitage Garden Tour that winds through Andrew and Rachel Jackson’s garden to the family cemetery that includes President Jackson’s tomb.

Afternoon sessions include “Indians and Westward Expansion” led by Professor Daniel Usner of Vanderbilt University; and field study sessions examining some of the thousands of archaeology specimens found on the grounds of The Hermitage.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning begins with a plenary session in The Hermitage theatre. Jacksonian scholars Daniel Feller and Harry Watson will preside over this session entitled “Jacksonian America: Two Views.” They will present their differing interpretations on various aspects of Andrew Jackson’s life and career and the era in which he lived.

Following this session, participants will divide into two groups with one group attending a presentation entitled “The Cotton Economy” and led by Professor Connie Lester. The other group will attend a session on slavery led by Professor Richard Blackett. Following lunch, participants will have the opportunity to take the “Beyond the Mansion Tour—First Hermitage and the Field Quarters.”

In the afternoon, each of the morning sessions on the cotton economy and slavery will be repeated so participants will have the opportunity to attend each session.

A final afternoon session will be a plenary session again in The Hermitage Theatre focusing on the archaeology of The Hermitage.

Thursday

Thursday morning begins with a plenary session focused on the life of Rachel Jackson. Ann Toplovich, Director of the Tennessee Historical Society, will present a biographical sketch of Rachel and describe her life with Andrew Jackson.

This session will be followed by a pedagogy workshop led by master teachers Chad McGee, Teresa Prater, and Janice Tant. They will share lesson plans and teaching methods with participants who will be divided into groups according to the grade level they teach – elementary, middle school, or high school.

Following lunch, participants will once again have time to explore The Hermitage on their own and revisit areas of interest for more detailed examination and to consult with core faculty and staff, master teachers, and visiting scholars. They may also participate in one of two optional tours: 1)Behind The Scenes Tour of the Mansion during which Marsha Mullin will allow participants into mansion rooms usually off-limits to visitors; or 2) The Hermitage Garden Tour that winds through Andrew and Rachel Jackson’s garden to the family cemetery that includes President Jackson’s tomb.

In the first of two afternoon sessions, participants will work with The Hermitage staff, study church architecture at The Hermitage Church and funerary art and symbolism at the Donelson Family cemetery and study Greek Revival architecture at Tulip Grove, home of Andrew Jackson Donelson, Rachel’s nephew and Andrew’s political protégé.

The last afternoon plenary session will focus on American material culture and will be led by Professor Rebecca Conard, a member of the public history faculty at Middle Tennessee State University.

Friday

On Friday morning, participants will attend two sessions, one, “Reform and Religion” led by Professor Susan Myers-Shirk, a cultural historian on the faculty at Middle Tennessee State University; and a second session entitled “Changing Roles of Women During the Jacksonian Era” led by Professor Jan Leone, also a member of the MTSU History Department faculty and program Co-Director.

On Friday afternoon, workshop participants will tour Nashville with Jim Hoobler, Curator of Art and Architecture at the Tennessee State Museum focusing on the pre-Civil War era. After returning to The Hermitage, the Co-Directors and Master Teachers will then work with participants in small groups to help them develop plans for writing a reflective essay on their workshop experience.

The workshop activities sound like a lot to cover, but we have a well-organized program and a dedicated workshop faculty who will make this an unforgettable moment in your career as a teacher and student of America’s history. You will have the opportunity to work directly with historians who have written major books on Andrew Jackson and his times and to engage in study and discussion with teachers from around the nation who share your interests.

Nashville:

The Hermitage is located in Nashville, Tennessee, vibrant growing city of over 600,000 well known for the country music industry. We have not scheduled sessions or meetings for the evenings to give participants a chance to get out and experience the city. Minor league baseball, art museums, and Civil War history are all part of the Nashville mix in addition to the great music scene which includes all genres. If you would like to experience more of Nashville than can be taken in during the workshop evenings, we suggest that you plan to spend some extra time before or after the workshop. Visit www.visitmusiccity.com for more information on the city and surrounding attractions.

Housing and Travel:

Nashville is served by Nashville International Airport and has three interstates I-24, I-40, and I-65 -- in and out of the city. We will be providing shuttle service between the airport and the motels. This needs to be arranged in advance. Please note – public transportation is not especially convenient in Nashville, so you might want to build car rental for part or all of the week into your budget if you are flying. Blocks of rooms have been reserved at motels with easy access to The Hermitage and near a variety of restaurants. The motel rates are approximately $70.00 per night and include free breakfast and wireless internet access for teachers bringing their own computers. Once participants have been selected, we will provide information that will allow those interested to contact possible roommates to share in the cost of lodging. MTSU vans will be used to shuttle participants to The Hermitage each morning and return them at the end of the day. The Hermitage Visitor Center complex includes a café that serves lunch adjacent to a fine museum gift shop. Applicants who wish to bring family members with them may do so but will be responsible for their own accommodations. Family members will not be permitted to participate in the workshop activities because of limited space and NEH guidelines.

Stipends:

Teachers selected to participate will receive a stipend of $1200 at the end of the residential Workshop session. Stipends are intended to help cover ordinary living expenses, books, and travel expenses to and from the Workshop location. Stipends are taxable. Please note that workshop participants are required to attend all scheduled meetings and to engage fully in all project activities. Participants who do not complete the full tenure of the project will receive a reduced stipend.

Continuing Education/Graduate Credit:

Participants will receive a formal certificate of completion to present for continuing education units or in-service credit from their school district or state. Signed certificates will be mailed to each participant after the final project has been submitted and evaluated. Participants also may enroll for three semester hours of credit from MTSU. To receive credit, participants must enroll in MTSU and pay tuition and fees (fees for in-state graduate credit are approximately $1,000, fees for out-of-state graduate credit are approximately $2,300). Non-MTSU students must enroll as non-degree status. Admission information and MTSU graduate application forms are available on the MTSU website at http://www.mtsu.edu/graduate.

Application:

The online application can be found at https://securegrants.neh.gov/education/participants. Please note that the application process is in two parts: the cover sheet and the written application. The cover sheet is filled out online and submitted to NEH electronically. The written application (outlined on the application website above) is mailed to the individual workshops. Your completed application should be postmarked no later than March 2, 2010, and should be addressed as follows:

            Jan Leone, Project Co-director
            Department of History, Box 23
            Middle Tennessee State University
            Murfreesboro, TN 37132

Perhaps the most important part of the completed application is an essay of up to one double-spaced page. This essay should include information about your professional background and interest in the subject of our workshop; your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the workshop and how the experience would enhance your teaching or school service. Additionally, please ask your principal or department head to submit a letter of recommendation in support of your application. Home schoolers should request the head of a home schooling association to write a letter of recommendation. Please ask your referee to sign his/her name across the seal on the back of the envelope containing the letter, and enclose the letter with your application

If you have additional questions, please email them to us at the following address: lahmtsu@mtsu.edu.

Sincerely,

Jan Leone Marsha Mullin
Project Co-director Project Co-director