New England History Teachers Association

Welcome to the online home of the New England History Teachers Association (NEHTA). Founded in 1897, the NEHTA is the nation's oldest association of history and social studies teachers. Explore our website for more information on our organization and various resources for teaching social studies. Visit us often to stay informed on the latest in both history and education.

NEHTA supports the OAH and the AHA as they criticized the incorrect application of historical knowledge on abortion in the determination of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. As purveyors of history education, we must support the use of historical information in an accurate manner and engage in activities that hold accountable organizations who choose to sidestep facts even in the highest offices of our government.

On June 24, 2022, in the case of Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not confer the right to abortion, overturning nearly 50 years of precedent established by both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992).

On Thursday, July 7th, OAH held a webinar examining the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in historical perspective. Erika Lee, OAH President and University of Minnesota, hosted guests Gillian Frank, cohost of Sexing History, Felicia Kornbluh, University of Vermont, and Stacie Taranto, Ramapo College of New Jersey, in a conversation about the history leading to Dobbs and how the ruling could potentially impact other past SCOTUS decisions. The video is available here and the full joint statement from the OAH and AHA can be read here.

• January 30, 2023 - Avon Old Farms is hosting a conference titled "Teaching in the 21st Century" that "aims to make sense of the twenty-first century, contribute to scholarship about it, affect how it’s taught, and historicize events over its first two decades. Attendance is open to teachers, academics, school administrators, and policy makers" (para. 1). Learn more and register here.

• July 12, 2022 - Information on the first annual Vera Laska Book Award was added to the Awards page. Please navigate to the Awards page to find out more about this new award opportunity.

• April 10, 2022 - On Saturday, April 23 ASCH (The Association for the Study of Connecticut History) will host a full-day virtual conference on the topic of "Teaching History with Courage." Secondary school teachers, university instructors, pre-service teachers, and others interested in the teaching of history and controversies related to this topic are all invited to attend. High school and college students are also invited to attend.

  • Keynote sessions will be presented by Professor David Blight from Yale University, who will speak on the main theme of the conference and by Professor Manisha Sinha from the University of Connecticut, who will speak on the controversies surrounding the teaching of slavery.

  • A panel discussion by educators on the topic of "Teaching History with Courage" will follow Dr. Blight's presentation. This will be followed by a panel on "Accessing Digital Resources in History." An early afternoon panel will focus on "Fostering Inclusivity in History and Social Studies Education," with separate sessions on "African History in Global and Local Contexts," "Hispanic and Latino Voices in the Curriculum and Archives," and "LGBTQ History from Connecticut's Past and Present." A special part of the "Hispanic and Latino Voices" panel will be a presentation by Dr. Paul Ortiz from the University of Florida.

  • The final panel of the afternoon will be on "Disrupting White Supremacy in American History." Nataliya Braginsky, the 2021 Gilder Lehrman National American History Teacher of the Year, will be part of this panel.

  • To register for this conference, please click https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asch-2022-spring-conference-teaching-history-with-courage-tickets-294219146387

    • The cost to attend the conference is $15 for non members, $10 for members, and free for students and presenters.

  • To see the full schedule for the conference please visit https://asch-cthistory.org/

2021 UPDATES

• March 19, 2021 - The NEHTA is proud to announce the recipients of its annual awards for 2020...

  • • Dr. Annette Gordon-Reed (Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard) - Kidger University Award

    • Mr. William G. Jordan (Teacher, Philips Exeter Academy) - Kidger Secondary Award

    • Ms. Rena Klein (Board Member, NEHTA) - Hicks-Kennedy Award

      • For more information on the criteria for these awards, and how to nominate future candidates, be sure to visit the "Awards" section of our website.

      • Please click here to read a brief bio on the 2020 Kidger Award winners.