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The HistoryMakers 2010 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on African American Political History

The HistoryMakers is hosting a four-week NEH Summer Institute from July 4 to July 31, 2010, for twenty-three high school teachers and two full-time graduate students on interpreting and teaching African American political history. The Institute will examine the entire breadth of African American political history from the period of the early American republic through the election of President Barack Obama. The Institute will cover a variety of topics, including: abolitionist and Afro-American politics during slavery, the temporary emergence and eventual suppression of a black political class after the Civil War, black political factions in the early 20^th century, the role of trade unions in early civil rights activism, post-World War II urban politics, the Civil Rights movement, 1970s urban black politics, and the “New Generation” of black politicians epitomized by such figures as President Barack Obama, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

The general increase in interest in African American political culture following the election of President Obama represents a valuable teaching moment for all Americans regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. However, for American youth in particular, the 2008 presidential campaign and the election of President Obama has excited their imaginations and rekindled their sense of hope and optimism. Therefore, it is imperative that educators across the nation learn to provide a high quality curriculum on African American political history. The goal of The HistoryMakers' Summer Institute will be to prepare teachers to meet the interests of their pupils in the history of black American politics. If our teachers are properly prepared to explore the long and deep history of black political life in the U.S., their students will be more inspired to build careers in politics and public service.

An important parallel to this is the promotion of African American political history as American political history. Too often the form of African American history taught in our nation’s schools follows the "Black History Month" model that highlights the individual contributions of black Americans but fails to incorporate that story into the larger history of the United States. In this respect, one purpose of The HistoryMakers' Summer Institute will be to better integrate the lessons of African American political history into general American history. The perspective provided in The HistoryMakers' Summer Institute will be that black political history is integral to understanding American politics and history, and indeed, that American history cannot be fully understood without an extensive knowledge of African American history.

The HistoryMakers' Summer Institute will improve the quality of high school American History and Civics curriculum by exposing teachers to academic and scholarly specialists in various aspects of African American political history.