In the 17th century, the escalating growth of sugar plantations in the Caribbean led to a sharp rise in the demand for slaves. Over the next four centuries, more than 10 million enslaved Africans would be transported to the Americas to help produce sugar and other plantation-raised crops, reshaping economies and societies throughout the region. This one-day symposium for educators that explores the complex landscape of the Transatlantic Slave Trade through archival investigations. Featuring source documents and artifacts from the National Archives of the United Kingdom, participants will learn hands-on strategies for unpacking the layers of this global system. Geography will be used as the organizing theme for each investigation, making the workshop accessible and transferable to any grade level or classroom setting.Learn More

With the generous support of the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, the National Humanities Center’s Education Programs are undertaking a project to develop a deeper portfolio of curricular materials and help set standards for humanities education that highlight differences among humanities disciplines. Humanities in Class is a compilation of guides in ten different humanities disciplines that identify the key qualities and practices of those disciplines, considering: What questions are asked? What tools and resources are invaluable? What processes occur? Created to be accessible and flexible and to meet the needs of educators and classrooms at all levels, the final guide will feature media and digital content that helps clarify and establish fluency for each discipline.Learn More

The National Humanities Center is partnering with Vietnam National University in developing digital instructional resources that allow for a deeper understanding of the American-Vietnamese War. This initiative brings together a team of Vietnamese and American educators, scholars, and technology experts to create a curriculum and digital tools that examine the complexities surrounding the conflict. Focusing on the Black River region and Dien Bien Phu, the team will seek to tell the region’s layered story using visualization technologies by considering questions such as: Why did the U.S. support the side it did in the Vietnam conflict? How can we provide a better understanding of the causes of the Vietnam War by looking at the post-World War II events in and around Dien Bien Phu? And how can students use the humanities to explore places like Dien Bien Phu to better understand complex layers of culture, history, and memory?Learn More