Annual History Conference for Educators 

This annual daylong conference immerses teachers in primary sources, material culture, and pedagogical techniques to help connect students to history. Presentations are by classroom teachers, museum staff, archivists, and academics.

With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, each session of this conference explores one of five themes:

• Power of Place
• Revolutionary Possibilities
• Shaping Nations, Forging Identities
• Subjects, Citizens, Service
• Manufacturing Independence

Schedule

Friday, May 30, 2025

8:30-9:00 Coffee and Registration

9:00-9:15 Welcome and Introduction—Over the next decade, Americans will be commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Rich Strum, Director of Academic Programs at Fort Ticonderoga, introduces five themes Fort Ticonderoga will be using to explore the implications of the Revolution.

9:15-10:00am Power of Place: “Arnold’s Bay Research Project”— Staff from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum will share findings from the recent Arnold’s Bay Research Project conducted since 2021. Exploring both underwater and along the shoreline, this project examined the area where part of Benedict Arnold’s fleet from the Battle of Valcour in October 1776 was abandoned and deliberately burned.

10:15-10:50am Shaping Nations, Forging Identities: “REAL TIME REVOLUTION: An Epic Story Through Revolutionary Documents”—On March 17, 1776, George Washington forced the British evacuation of Boston after an eleven-month siege, thanks to artillery brought from Fort Ticonderoga by Henry Knox. Trace this historic event, from its origins even before Lexington and Concord, to the placement of the cannon that forced the evacuation through manuscripts, documents, and objects in the Fort Ticonderoga collection. Come prepared to design unique 250th American Revolution primary source-based lessons with immediate application to the classroom. Rich Strum (Director of Academic Programs at Fort Ticonderoga) and Tim Potts (Staff at SUNY New Paltz).

11:00-11:25am Weapons of War—Learn about the weapons and drill of the colonists who captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British just three weeks earlier.

11:30am-12:30pm Lunch Break (America’s Fort Café meal included).

12:30-1:15pm Manufacturing Independence: “From Lake to Last: Reproducing Shipwreck Shoes”— Kevin Maher (Artificer Shoemaker at Fort Ticonderoga) provides a behind-the-scenes look at the detective work involved in recreating historic shoes. He shares how the wreck of the British sloop Boscawen preserved shoes at the bottom of Lake Champlain and what these shoes tell us about British soldiers’ footwear.

1:30-2:15pm Revolutionary Possibilities: Many Native American groups sided with the British during the American Revolution because they appeared to be the party more willing to restrict westward movement and preserve the territory of the Native Americans. However, there were some tribes that did side with the Americans. Join us as we explore the complex relationship between the Native American tribes and the Americans and the decisions they made during this period of revolutionary possibilities. Jordan Jace (Assistant Director for Education and Development, New York State Archives Partnership Trust).

2:30-3:15pm Subjects, Citizens, Service: Soldiers in the Continental Army endured harsh conditions during the war and often lacked necessities.  In June of 1775, the Continental Congress established a standing professional army, the American Continental Army, in which soldiers enlisted for terms of service ranging from one year to the duration of the war.  Continental soldiers were, on average, under 20 years of age and many were poor. Soldiers received pay, but it was often delayed. We will explore the experiences of soldiers through a variety of primary sources and personal accounts. Jordan Jace (Assistant Director for Education and Development, New York State Archives Partnership Trust).