Teaching Martha Washington and the Women of the 18th Century
The George Washington Teacher Institute is excited to offer current K-12 educators the opportunity to participate in deep discussions and inquiries into the complexities of Martha Washington and the women of the 18th-century and the difficulties teaching these diverse and inclusive histories.
This digital symposium will bring the best sessions of our popular, application-based residential program Martha Washington and the Women of the 18th Century, which explores the lives of 18th-century women of all backgrounds and the impact of their contributions to the founding of the United States, into your home this fall.
Sessions will range from:
- finding new ways to connect Martha Washington and her contemporaries to the broader subject of women’s history and topics of economic, political, social, and cultural history
- engaging with diverse source materials, such as documents, images, and material culture, that teach about the lives of 18th-century women
- investigating Martha Washington's relationship with slavery and examining the experiences of Mount Vernon's enslaved women
- discussing connections between women's rights during the founding era and legacies of these actions and inactions in the 21st century
- sharing best practices, strategies, and resources to facilitate conversations about women's rights and women's history with students in order to help them become agents of change
Martha Washington
Martha Washington served as the nation's first first lady and spent about half of the Revolutionary War at the front. She helped manage and run her husbands' estates, including her role as slave owner. She raised her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews; and for almost 40 years she was George Washington's "worthy partner."
Contact Info
Alissa Oginsky, Manager of Teacher Learning