NEH Native Americans of New England: A Historical Overview 2013

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July 7-26, 2013 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA

Native Americans of New England: A Historical Overview was a three-week NEH Summer Institute for twenty-five participants under the auspices of Five Colleges, Incorporated.

The 2013 Institute examined the history of Native American peoples in New England through a rigorous, interdisciplinary humanities program that includes primary source analysis, museum visits, and conversations with Native and non-Native guest presenters. Concepts such as culture, identity, citizenship, and sovereignty take on new meanings when we examine the struggles and achievements of indigenous peoples.

This subject is timely because a wealth of exciting scholarship has emerged in recent years but these new understandings have not been widely incorporated into K-12 or even post-secondary teaching. This 2013 Institute was particularly suited for History and Social Studies teachers because questions about sources and interpretation were integrated throughout and approached from several directions.

Our focus on New England communities offered teachers an opportunity to examine historical processes in one region over time, while also looking at those processes more broadly in North America.