Last week local teachers explored Washington D.C. from the lens of the Civil War. Teachers discovered historic sites including President Lincoln’s Cottage, Ford’s Theatre, Tudor Place, and Frederick Douglass National Historic Site to learn new strategies and resources to use in their classrooms.
One teacher reflected that:
“Today I changed my mind about Lincoln and his time at Lincoln’s cottage. I felt like today was a great day to reflect on Lincoln the human and analyzing the decisions he made. What I think I took away from today was that Lincoln himself was a human like us and that he had so much to consider as president and I admire his ability to consider the opinions of those around him, no matter their race, gender, or economic status.”
Another teacher said:
“The visit to Lincoln’s Cottage changed my thinking about the way that important decisions were made by our 16th president. The competing viewpoints and stances within the Union regarding slavery had to have made Lincoln’s consciousness and deliberative process confusing, if not maddening. I walked away with a new appreciation for Lincoln’s wherewithal, and insights into how contemporary societal and cultural problems might be approached.”
