The Flow of History
 
 

The American West and the Shaping of American Character

Gathering and Interactions of Peoples, Cultures, and Ideas

Spring 2007


Dates: March 7, 28; April 11, 25

I have once more resumed my pen, though far away among strangers in a strange land, to let you know that I am well and have not forgotten you wrote Sarah Town in a letter from Illinois home to her parents in Vermont. Using a mix of adult non-fiction and children's picture books, these four 2-hour sessions will examine the role of this "strange land"-the frontier in American culture, Vermonters in the westward movement, the gold rush, and cultural conflicts.

These book study groups are open to all teachers in the Connecticut River watershed. Books will be provided and teachers in grades 3-10 are eligible for a $150 stipend. Sessions will take place in Hartford and Dummerston, Vermont and Claremont, New Hampshire. For further details contact Alan Berolzheimer, 802-649-2857, bercress@sover.net.

To register go to: www.learningcollaborative.org/register.htm.

DATES AND READINGS

March 7, 4 - 6 p.m.

The Role of the Mythic West in American culture

Richard White and Patricial Limerick, The Frontier in American Culture
Portions of: Frederick Jackson Turner, "The Significance of the Frontier in American History"
      http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/TURNER/

March 28, 4 - 6 p.m.

The Pioneer Experience

Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith, Women in Waiting in the Westward Movement
Selected Vermont letters

April 11, 4 - 6 p.m.

The Gold Rush

Elliott West, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado
Selected Vermont letters

April 25, 4 - 6 p.m.

Cultural Encounters

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie Louise Erdrich, The Birchbark House
"Little House on the Osage Prairie"
      http://www.oyate.org/books-to-avoid/littlehouse.html


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