TAH

I. EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION: THREE WORLDS COLLIDE
Exploring the Early Americas
Each year, the Freedom Project will study four eras of American History by focusing on five specific threads: women, Hispanics, and African-Americans; important historical events and key figures; places in the news; the economic impact; and, the Rockford Connection. Each era to be studied will be introduced by means of a symposium featuring outstanding historians and an author whose book will be distributed to participants prior to the event for preparation. Teachers enrolled in the Freedom Project will then create lesson plans based on the content material and will have the opportunity to work with the historian-in-residence, Dr. JD Bowers, to help with primary sources and to fine-tune their lessons for classroom delivery.

The first era to be studied will be "Exploraion and Colonization: Three Worlds Collide," with the kick-off symposium to be conducted at the Newberry Library on Sat., September 13th. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Scott M Stevens from the University of Buffalo, himself a Native-American and someone very familiar with the Newberry Library where he will be in residence beginning January, 2009. Participants in the Freedom Project received copies of Karen Kupperman's "Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America."

II. THE COLONIAL ERA AND THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION
America's Library on the Colonial Era
The 2nd Era for 2008-2009 will pertain to the events leading up to the American Revolution, entitled "The Colonial Era and the Road to Revolution." The keynote speaker for the second symposium will be Dr. Jon Butler of Yale University and author of the book "Becoming America: the Revolution Before 1776." Each participant will receive a copy of the book in advance to prepare for the day's sessions. Other speakers will be Philip Morgan of Johns Hopkins University who will discuss the slave issue prior to the revolution and Linda Sturtz of Beloit College who will provide content on property rights and women in the colonial era. The symposium will be held on Sat., November 22nd at NIU Rockford.

III. RECONSTRUCTION AND REFORM
An Intro to Reconstruction
The 3rd Era to be studied will be "Reconstruction and Reform." The symposium introducing the era will be held at the NIU Rockford Center on Sat., January 31st and will hopefully feature keynote speaker Ed Ayres, historian and president of the University of Richmond. Also presenting content will be Eric Arnesen of UIC and Steven Hahn of the University of Pennsylvania. The book chosen for recommended reading prior to the symposium will be Eric Foner's "Nothing But Freedom."

IV. THE COLD WAR
Cold War Museum
The fourth and final symposium for the 2008-2009 school year will be The Cold War," with keynote speaker Francis Gary Powers, Jr., son of pilot Gary Powers whose U-2 was shot down by the Russians in May of 1960. Also speaking will be Werner Juretzko, Stasi prisoner of seven years (from 1957-1964) who now lives in Chicago and will speak to students as well as teachers the morning of Sat., April 4th. Joining them will be Dr. Rick Fried of UIC who will discuss the US-Soviet Relations during the Cold War, and Sarah Blue of NIU who will provide content on the Cuban element during the Cold War, as well as discussing Cuban-American relations today.

2009-2010: I. THE LIVING CONSTITUTION
The opening symposium for the 2009-2010 school year will be a two day event featuring a workshop on Friday, September 11th conducted by the Bill of Rights Institute on "Reading the Documents of the Founding Fathers," followed by "The Living Constitution" on Saturday, September 12th with constitutional law experts Lou Fisher of the Library of Congress Law Library and Paul Finkelman of Albany Law College.

II. AMERICAN REVOLUTION: CONTEXT AND CULTURE
The Adams Papers
The Freedom Project's second symposium for the year will be conducted on Saturday, November 7th at NIU Rockford on "The American Revolution: Context and Culture." Keynote speaker for this event will be Carol Berkin, professor of history at Baruch University in New York City and author of "Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence." Also speaking will be Margaret Hogan, director of the Adams Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society who will present content on "The Letters of Abigail and John: a Revolutionary Correspondence." The final presenter will be Karen Quinones of New York City Patriot Tour's who will provide a "Virtual Tour of Revolutionary Era Manhattan" through her power point presentation.

III. IMMIGRATION: THEN AND NOW
Freedom Project's third symposium will be held on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at NIU Rockford and is entitled "Immigration: Then and Now." Presenters will include keynote speaker Roger Daniels, Professor Emeritus from the University of Cincinnati and author of the book (provided registrants for suggested reading)--"Coming to America: a History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life." Also speaking will be David Reimers of Columbia University ("America: Still the Golden Door?") and Neil Foley of the University of Texas who will provide content on "Hispanic Immigrants in the US and the Work Ethic." Also speaking on the Immigrants in Rockford will be Midway Village Museum Director David Byrnes.

GOOD TIMES AND BAD: ROARING '20'S TO GREAT DEPRESSION
Join other RPS #205 teachers for the 4th Freedom Project Symposium which will focus on "Good Times and Bad: the Roaring '20's to the Great Depression" which will be held on Saturday, March 20th, 2010 at NIU Rockford. Guest speakers will be Robert Korstad of Duke University who will talk about "African Americans in the Depresssion," Susan Ware, historian from Cambridge, who will speak on "Women in the Great Depression," and Taylor Atkins of NIU who will discuss the importance of "Oral Histories in Learning about Historic Eras." If you are one of the first 40 teachers to register, you will receive a complimentary copy of "Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twentiess and the Great Depression" by David Kyvig of NIU.

INDUSTRIALIZATION AND THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT
The 5th and final symposium of 2009-2010 for the Freedom Project will focus on "Industrialization and the Women's Movement" on Saturday, April 24th at NIU Rockford. Featured speakers will be M. Roe Smith of MIT who will discuss "The History of Technology through the 1870's," Sylvia Cook, professor of English at St. Louis University, who will present content for "Working Women, Literary Ladies"--titled after her book which discusses the mill girls of Lowell and their diverse literary productions, and JD Bowers, Historian-in-Residence for the Freedom Project, who will speak to the Women's Movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. The first 40 teachers to register for the symposium will receive a copy of "Working Women..." by Cook and "The Industrial Revolution in World History" by Stearns.


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