2024 Annual Conference

Exploring the Past and Navigating the Present:
New Directions in History Education

September 25-26, 2024
Memphis Museum of Science and History,Memphis, TN

Evening Keynote & Reception

September 25, 2024
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Evening Dinner Reception
6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Keynote speaker

Knott

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Stephen Knott

Thomas & Mabel Guy Professor of American History & Government at Ashland University; Emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College

Institute Of American Civics Centeredlogo (cmyk)

Evening Event Sponsor

The Institute of American Civics aims to improve civic engagement and reduce political polarization through comprehensive education in politics, economics, and American history. Learn more at https://civics.utk.edu/

Evening Keynote

The Lost Soul of the American Presidency

The American presidency as James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton conceived it would be a source of national pride and unity, a check on the tyranny of the majority, and a neutral guarantor of the nation’s laws. This talk will focus on how Thomas Jefferson’s “Revolution of 1800” remade the presidency, paving the way for Andrew Jackson to elevate “majority rule” into an unofficial constitutional principle—and contributing to the disenfranchisement, and worse, of African Americans and Native Americans. In Woodrow Wilson, Knott finds a worthy successor to Jefferson and Jackson. More than any of his predecessors, Wilson altered the nation’s expectations of what a president could be expected to achieve, building the foundation for what became known as “presidential government.” As difficult as it might be to recover the lost soul of the American presidency, this talk will highlight those presidents who remained true to the founders vision, including John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and William Howard Taft. These presidencies suggest an alternative and offer hope for the future of the nation’s highest office.

Evans

Keynote Speaker:
Annie Evans

Director of Education and Outreach for New American History at the University of Richmond

Keynote

The Democratization of History Education Through the Digital Humanities

With increased access to information comes great opportunities and even greater responsibilities. How do we continue to present history on screens of all sizes with empathy, accuracy, and positive intent?

Agenda

September 25th

Reception & Keynote: Dr. Stephen Knott

September 26th

7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Registration opens/ Exhibit Hall open
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:45 – 9:45 a.m. Breakout Session 1
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Breakout Session 2
11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Poster Session/Exhibit Hall
11:45 – 12:30 p.m. Lunch
12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Breakout Session 3
2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Presentation of Gilder Lehrman Teacher of the Year Award
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. Keynote: Annie Evans
3:15 – 3:30 p.m. Give-aways!