In this two-part webinar, historian Michael Hattem will offer teachers an introduction to the Declaration of Independence's important role in American history. The webinar will focus on the long history of how the document has been used by social movements throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to help effect change and how this can help make teaching the Declaration useful and relevant in today's classroom. The first session features a talk on the legacy of the Declaration throughout American history followed by Q&A, and, in this second session, Hattem will share a few primary sources that can be used in the classroom to foster a more open discussion about goals and strategies for teaching the documents.  (You need not attend session 1 in order to attend session 2.)

BIO: Michael Hattem is a historian of the American Revolution and historical memory. He is the author of The Memory of '76: The Revolution in American History (2024) and Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution (2020). He received his PhD from Yale University and has taught at Knox College and The New School. His work has been mentioned in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, the Washington Post, and other media outlets, and he has extensive experience working with K-12 teachers and in public history. He is currently Associate Director of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.