Overview

This 2-week residential workshop for middle and high school teachers will focus on the November 10, 1898, Wilmington coup and massacre, the only successful coup d’etat in our nation’s history. Reconstructing the historical memory of this event, in which scores of Black Wilmingtonians were murdered or exiled, has always been a contested endeavor. The white supremacist regime that replaced the duly elected biracial government characterized November 10 as a race riot and used it as a pretext to exclude Black citizens from political participation.

Institute participants will meet leading scholars, filmmakers, descendants, and authors to learn not only about the 1898 Wilmington massacre and coup, but also its centrality within the broader national discourse on democratic values.  In addition, they will tour a variety of relevant locations throughout the Port City and design curricula to implement in their own classrooms.

How to Apply

Please note: In any given year an individual may apply to a maximum of two NEH summer programs but may attend only one NEH program per summer. Once you have accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (Landmarks or Institutes), you may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer.

NEH Participant Eligibility Criteria

• This project is designed principally for full-time or part-time teachers and librarians in public, charter, independent, and religiously affiliated schools, as well as home schooling parents. Museum educators and other K-12 school system personnel—such as administrators, substitute teachers, and curriculum developers—are also eligible to participate.

• Participants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. Foreign nationals teaching abroad at non-U.S. chartered institutions are not eligible to participate.

• Participants may not be delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (e.g., taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees). Individuals may not apply to an NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture program whose director is a family member, is affiliated with the prospective applicant’s institution, or is someone with whom the prospective applicant has previously studied.

• At least three spaces per week (up to six spaces total for a program) may be reserved for teachers who are new to the profession (five years or less of teaching experience). To be considered eligible, applicants must submit a complete application as indicated on the individual Landmark program’s website

Applying

The application will provide us with information about the following:

• Your teaching and school backgrounds.

• Your interest in this workshop.

• How you would use this information and learning with your students.