Sessions

Friday, October 23, 2020

Evening Sessions

Understanding and Teaching American Slavery

Welcome & Lecture

Join scholars Bethany Jay and Cynthia Lynn Lyerly, editors of Understanding and Teaching American Slavery as they open our symposium by discussing why teachers should be teaching the historical, political, and social dimensions of slavery and their advice for how to get students thinking critically about historical content and utilizing important primary sources that explore the legacy of racism in America.

George Washington and Slavery

Lecture

Join scholar Kathryn Silva Hyde for an introduction and overview to George Washington and his relationship to slavery. This session will explore how Washington's life was made possible through the forced labor of enslaved people and how he benefitted and profited from a system that denied humanity, agency, and personhood to human beings. His inner conflicts and changing views, which led to an emancipation provision within his will, and served as a powerful final public statement on his antislavery views, will also be examined.

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Morning Sessions

Slavery at Mount Vernon

Virtual Tour

Join Mount Vernon's Director of Preservation, Tom Reinhart for a virtual tour of the many structures within Mount Vernon's historic area that tell the story of the enslaved people living on the Estate. Discover how using place can create a broader and more diverse narrative of life on Washington's 18th-century plantation.

8:30 - 9:30 am, ET

(Password: George1732)

Lives Bound Together Exhibit

Curator's Talk & Virtual Tour

Join Associate Curator, Jessie MacLeod for a closer look at how she used Mount Vernon's collection to demonstrate how intertwined the lives of the Washington's were with those of the enslaved living at Mount Vernon in the exhibition Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon.

10:00 - 11:00 am, ET

(Password: George1732)

Mount Vernon's Enslaved Lives

Methodology Session

Join George Washington Teacher Institute Teacher Facilitator and Teacher Fellow, Matt Van Horn, as he models how to lead students into further inquiries of place and time through the use of individual biographies of enslaved people.

11:30 am - 12:30 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

Afternoon Sessions

Understanding Slavery at Mount Vernon Through Archaeology

Archaeologist's Talk

Join Mount Vernon's Curator of Archaeological Collections, Sean Devlin and Historical Archaeologist, Jason Boroughs to discover how their team tells the story of slavery at Mount Vernon using archaeological evidence and various surveys and studies of key spaces on Washington's Estate.




1:30 - 2:30 pm, ET

(Password: 1732)

The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon

Book Conversation

Join scholar Kathryn Silva Hyde as she sits down with the Washington Library's Research Historian, Mary V. Thompson to discuss her book The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon, which examines both Washington's relationship with slavery and the daily life of the people enslaved at Mount Vernon.

3:00 - 4:00 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

George Washington's Changing Views on Slavery

Methodology Session

Join George Washington Teacher Institute Teacher Facilitator, Keith Robinson as he models how to incorporate the use of primary source documents and other useful classroom tools to explore Washington's complicated relationship with slavery.





4:30 - 5:30 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

Evening Session

George Washington, Slavery, and the Constitution

Lecture

Join Washington Library Executive Director, Kevin Butterfield as he speaks to Washington's relationship to both the Constitution and Slavery, including a deep examination of the conundrum of creating a national government at a time when the institution of slavery was becoming a regional and increasingly politically and morally fraught issue.

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Morning Sessions

Interpreting Black Lives

Panel Discussion

Join Consultant Richard Josey, as he hosts a panel discussion aimed at exploring the unique experiences of character interpreters who portray Black lives from the past. Learn how their stories can help your students discover the importance of both 18th-century and 21st-century first-person perspectives within conversations about slavery.

Panelists include:
Brenda Parker - George Washington's Mount VernonStephen Seals - Colonial Williamsburg FoundationElon Cook Lee - National Trust for Historic Preservation

8:30 - 9:30 am, ET

(Password: George1732)

Using Buried Lives: The Enslaved People of George Washington's Mount Vernon in the Classroom

Book Talk & Methodology Session

Join Buried Lives: The Enslaved People of George Washington's Mount Vernon author Carla McClafferty for an illuminating look at the complex relationships between Washington and his enslaved people. McClafferty will suggest ways teachers can use her book to find websites brimming with primary source documents and how to use this material with students to deepen their understanding of slavery in the 18th century.

10:00 - 11:00 am, ET

(Password: George1732)

Making Choices: Enslaved Resistance

Methodology Session

Join Consultant Richard Josey, as he models the use 18th-century primary sources to explore the various ways enslaved people acted out against their bondage and utilized both obvious and passive methods of protest to define their agency.








PRESENTATION SLIDES & SOURCES

11:30 am - 12:30 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

Afternoon Sessions

Descendants' Perspectives

Discussion Panel

Join Mount Vernon's African American Interpretation & Special Projects Coordinator, Brenda Parker as she hosts a panel discussion aimed at exploring the unique experiences and legacies of the descendants of several of Mount Vernon’s enslaved families. Learn how their personal stories can help your students become more conscious of why it’s so important to discuss slavery in today’s world, and to become agents of change themselves.
Panelists include:
Sekila Holmes Argrett - Quander & Carter Family DescendantAnn Chinn - Twine Family DescendantShawn Eric Costly - Jones Family DescendantStephen Hammond - Syphax Family Descendant

1:30 - 2:30 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

Monuments, Memory, and Meaning Making

Discussion

Join Mount Vernon's Vice President for Education, Allison Wickens and consultant Richard Josey to explore ideas surrounding how historic sites, like Mount Vernon, serve as place and experience-based monuments and are capable of making context visible while preserving diverse memories and legacies.








3:00 - 4:00 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

Partner Resources: Facilitating Conversations about Slavery and Race

Methodology Session

Join Educator's Adrienne Whaley, from the Museum of the American Revolution, Marianne De Padua. from the New-York Historical Society, and Shawn Quigley. from the Boston African American National Historic Site to explore incredible resources their teams have developed that will help students build historical empathy for individuals living in both the 18th and 19th centuries.

4:30 - 5:30 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)

Evening Session

Seizing the Moment:

Teaching Race and Racism Today

Lecture

Join scholar Hasan Kwame Jeffries who will place this summer's Black Lives Matter protests - the largest public demonstrations in American history - and the racially charged presidential election this November into historical context. He'll also provide pedagogical do’s and don’ts for how to teach the Hard History of race and racism, as well as slavery and freedom, accurately and effectively.

7:00 - 8:00 pm, ET

(Password: George1732)