The Hermitage Among 17 Sites Selected For Intensive Study of American History and Culture

NASHVILLE, TN - National Endowment for the Humanities' Chairman Bruce Cole and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) visited the home of President Andrew Jackson today to observe one of 17 "Landmarks of American History Workshops" for teachers that are occurring this summer throughout the country. The workshop, sponsored by The Hermitage and Middle Tennessee State University, brought nearly one hundred history teachers from all over America to Nashville for week-long, intensive seminars on "The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and America, 1801-1861."

Chairman Cole praised Senator Alexander for his long-standing commitment to increasing teachers' knowledge of American history. "Senator Alexander knows that America's future is only as strong as our memory of America's past," said NEH Chairman Cole. "All across America, thousands of teachers are coming to places where our nation's history was made, joining scholars and experts to learn about our history and culture and to prepare to take that new knowledge back to their classrooms."

As part of NEH's We the People initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture, NEH is sponsoring week-long teacher workshops at 17 sites throughout the country. Other sites include Spanish St. Augustine in Florida; Fort Robinson in Nebraska; Mount Vernon in Virginia; and Memphis, Tennessee, where teachers will learn about the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike.

"The Landmarks program adds a distinctive and timely emphasis to the importance of American places," said Cole. "It is an expression of the best and original sense of the word patriotism-an informed love for the place one calls home-mindful of its imperfections, but hopeful for its promise."

Landmarks of American History Workshops provide the opportunity this summer for more than 2,000 K-12 educators to engage in intensive study and discussion of important topics in American history. These academies give participants direct experiences in the interpretation of significant historical sites and the use of archival and other primary historical evidence. Landmarks Workshops present the best scholarship on a specific landmark or related cluster of landmarks, enabling participants to gain a sense of the importance of historical places, to make connections between what they learn in the workshop and what they teach, and to develop enhanced teaching materials for their classrooms.

The Endowment's We the People initiative was announced by President Bush in a Rose Garden Ceremony in September 2002. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.NEH.gov.