Keynote, Breakout & Power Sessions
The 2026 Virtual Teacher Institute
Check out the descriptions for the virtual sessions at for the American Battlefield Trust's 2026 Virtual Teacher Institute!
Quick Event Links
Keynote Sessions:
That First Guy: George Washington
Styled “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen,” George Washington has been talked about and written about for...well, more than 250 years. But do we really know about him as a person?
Did you know...? Washington was raised by a struggling single mother, demanded military promotions, caused an international incident, and never backed down--even when his dysentery got so bad he had to ride with a cushion on his saddle. But after he married Martha, everything changed. Washington became the kind of man who named his dog Sweetlips and hated to leave home. He took up arms against the British only when there was no other way, though he lost more battles than he won. After an unlikely victory in the Revolutionary War cast him as the nation's hero, he desperately wanted to retire, but the founders pressured him into the presidency--twice. He left the highest office heartbroken over the partisan nightmare his backstabbing cabinet had created. Back on his plantation, the man who fought for liberty confronted his greatest hypocrisy--what to do with the men, women, and children he owned--before he succumbed to death.
Join presidential historian Alexis Coe for a lively, fresh, biographical discussion of George Washington as a real human. And find out what he really thought about the Declaration of Independence as he fought in New York during the summer of 1776!
Session Type: Keynote (Monday)
Presenter: Alexis Coe, Presidential Historian and Senior Fellow at New America
Subject Areas: Presidential History, Biography, American Revolution
Time Periods: American Revolution, Early Republic
Grade Levels: All
Generals Who Became President: Washington, Grant, Eisenhower
After each of its three greatest wars, America made a president of the commanding general. George Washington became the nation's first president after the Revolutionary War and under the newly ratified U.S. Constitution. Ulysses S. Grant held office following the Civil War and during the difficult years of the Reconstruction Era. Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president after World War II and helped to navigate the country through an economic boom and the beginnings of the Cold War.
All three of these examples reveal men with military leadership and victories taking part in constitutional government during tense political moments. How did this happen? Did it work out well? What does it say about America? Come explore this history and these themes with Dr. H.W. Brands as he traces fascinating conclusions through different eras of America's past.
Session Type: Keynote (Tuesday)
Presenter: Dr. H.W. Brands, University of Texas at Austin
Subject Areas: U.S. History: 250 Years, Military History, Presidential History
Time Periods: American Revolution, American Civil War, World War II
Grade Levels: All
The American Revolution: A Conversation with Filmmaker Sarah Botstein
Twelve hours of history backed by thousands of hours of research. One big opportunity to refocus and learn. The American Revolution television documentary series has inspired and sparked discussion among millions of viewers since its release in November 2025. An expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.
In this exclusive keynote program, film director and producer Sarah Botstein will take us behind the scenes of the study, preparation, and creativity to make this epic documentary. Come take a closer look at the art of the 18th Century and the visual stories it tells. Rediscover favorite historic sites and what they teach through the power of place. Find lesser-known stories about remarkable individuals who shaped the American story through years of conflict and different types of courage. Explore the unique lesson plans and resources created to accompany The American Revolution. You'll be inspired by the Revolution as a movement for people around the world to imagine new and better futures for themselves, for their nations, and for humanity.
Session Type: Keynote (Wednesday)
Presenter: Sarah Botstein, Florentine Films
Subject Areas: Storytelling, Lesser-Known Stories, American Revolution, U.S. History: 250 Years
Time Periods: American Revolution
Grade Levels: All
Coffee Sessions!
Start the day with a Coffee Session — a quick-paced conversation, focusing on YOUR questions and sharing some of American Battlefield Trust's staff favorite educational stories and resources. A link will be shared with registered attendees in the weeks before Virtual Teacher Institute to add your questions to conversation.
Coffee & 250 Years of History
Kick off Virtual Teacher Institute on Monday morning with Dr. Chris Mackowski and Sarah Kay Bierle comparing research notes about 250 years of U.S. History. We'll muse about the institute's theme "250 Years: Liberty’s Triumphs and Challenges" and highlight some of our favorite lesser-known stories. Add your questions to the conversation (link will be shared to registered attendees ahead of time!) and come join the chat and collect classroom-ready resources.
Session Type: Coffee Session (Monday)
Presenter: Dr. Chris Mackowski and Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: U.S. History: 250 Years
Time Periods: American Revolution, War of 1812, American Civil War, World War I, World War II
Grade Levels: All
Coffee & Teaching with Tech
Wake up on Day 2 of Virtual Teacher Institute with iced coffee (or whatever morning beverage you prefer) and join the conversation with Larry Swaider and Kate Egner from the Digital Department and Sarah Kay Bierle from the Education Department at American Battlefield Trust. We'll roundtable about some of our favorite teaching tech resources, mention AI, share some free resources and find fresh ways for old stories of history to meet new technology. Add your questions to the conversation (link will be shared to registered attendees ahead of time!) and come join the live chat during the session.
Session Type: Coffee Session (Tuesday)
Presenter: Larry Swaider, Kate Egner and Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: Teaching wih Technology
Time Periods: American Revolution, War of 1812, American Civil War
Grade Levels: All
Coffee with President David Duncan
He's known as a champion of historic battlefield preservation...and around the office, he's also a coffee aficionado! Join American Battlefield Trust's President David Duncan for a mid-week morning conversation about how battlefields are preserved, favorite historic heroes and well-loved history books. Add your questions to the conversation (link will be shared to registered attendees ahead of time!) and come join the live chat during the session.
Session Type: Coffee Session (Wednesday)
Presenter: David Duncan and Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: Historic Biography, Books, Education, Historic Preservation
Time Periods: American Revolution, War of 1812, American Civil War
Grade Levels: All
Power Sessions!
A Power Session is a quick-paced session, focusing on FREE RESOURCES created by the American Battlefield Trust and how you can use them immediately to inspire your students.
Power Session! Where Did It REALLY Happen?
Let's be dectectives around Revolutionary War battlefields, War of 1812 fortifications and Civil War sites! Come rediscover some fascinating history and how to "read the landscape" in photos or virtual resources. Dig through the massive American Battlefield Trust website to discover more free resources to make teaching days easier and quickly engage your students. (Don't worry, we'll give you pages of resources and links to find what we're sharing.) Then, take notes on the details for the American Battlefield Trust's History Field Trip Grant Program which offers up to $3000 to help you plan a trip to a history museum or historic place!
Session Type: Power Session (Monday)
Presenter: Sarah Canfield and Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: Pedagogy, Hands-on, Lesson Plans, Field Trips, Resources
Time Periods: American Revolution, War of 1812, American Civil War
Grade Levels: All
Power Session! Timeline to the American Civil War
By popular request, let's take a look at the decades of the Antebellum Era and the lead-up to the American Civil War. We'll delve into the history of westward expansion, the Mexican-American War, the abolition movement, political moments and more. Then, take a scroll through American Battlefield Trust's new resources for classroom teaching about this era of U.S. History!
Session Type: Power Session (Tuesday)
Presenter: Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: Pedagogy, Hands-on, Lesson Plans, Resources
Time Periods: Antebellum Period, American Civil War
Grade Levels: All
Power Session! Art, Literature & American Battlefields
Learning history with art and literature? Yes! Let's do this. We'll explore what art and stories can tell us about human experiences in tense moments of history and with the hindsight of memory. Read some excerpts for how some literary classics can open a window to the past. Come check out some brand-new resources and lesson plans created by the American Battlefield Trust for exploring the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras.
Session Type: Power Session (Wednesday)
Presenter: Palmer Hittesdorf and Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: Pedagogy, Hands-on, Virtual Reality, Digital Learning, Resources
Time Periods: American Civil War, Reconstruction Era
Grade Levels: All
Breakout Sessions:
Monday:
Cato in the Revolution: Spies, Slavery, Church and Chocolate
Join historian and author Claire Bellerjeau as she shares her exciting new discoveries about Cato, an enslaved Black man who aided the Patriot spy and tailor Hercules Mulligan during the Revolutionary War. Cato’s story, once mere legend, comes to life with details of an assassination plot against Washington, enslavement in the powerful Schuyler family, Cato’s religious life at St. Paul’s Chapel, and the intersection of colonial chocolate making and slavery. Showing great bravery, agency, skill, and faith, Cato represents other unknown and often “invisible” people of color who helped shape the course of the Revolution—and the history of the United States.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Claire Bellerjeau, Remember Liss
Subject Areas: 250th Anniversary, African American History, Social History
Time Periods: American Revolution
Grade Levels: All
The Meteor of War: John Brown's Raid
John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry is widely acknowledged as a cataclysmic event that catapulted the nation towards civil war. This talk offers an overview of Brown's life, the planning and events of the raid, the resulting fallout, and considers whether John Brown was in fact the meteor of the Civil War.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Jon-Erik Gilot, Emerging Civil War
Subject Areas:
Time Periods: American Civil War
Grade Levels: All
Abraham Lincoln & Childhood
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a terrible speller for his entire life? Or that kids teased him on his first day of school because he wore a sunbonnet? Or that he almost died several times when he was a child? Most people don’t know these things about our nation’s greatest president. Historian and author Dr. Jonathan White shares about Lincoln's early life and how his youthful experiences point forward toward Lincoln's leadership as the 16th president of the Untied States. Learn how these stories from Lincoln's childhood can be a teaching lens for younger students, as exemplied in Dr. White's book My Day with Abe Lincoln.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Dr. Jonathan White, Historian and Author
Subject Areas: American Civil War, Presidential History, Lesser-Known Stories
Time Periods: American Civil War
Grade Levels: Elementary School, Middle School
Tuesday:
Native Americans in the Age of Revolution
How did Native Americans react to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution? As colonists laid a framework for a new nation and fought for independence against a global empire, Native American nations took action to secure and defend their ancestral lands and ways of life. Join an educator from the Museum of the American Revolution as they examine some of the stories they utilize in the Museum's galleries and classroom resources to help illustrate the range of experiences of Native Americans during this time period, as well as examples of how Revolutionary ideals impacted sovereignty movements that continue into the present day.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Michael Hensinger, Museum of the American Revolution
Subject Areas: Native American History, American Revolution, Resources, Lesser-Known Stories
Time Periods: American Revolution
Grade Levels: All
Serving their Country Again: Veterans who Worked in the White House
There is a long history of veterans serving on the domestic staff at the White House, filling such important (but often overlooked) jobs as butlers, gardeners, cooks, and bodyguards. Though they filled a variety of roles, they shared a common trait: they saw their work at the White House as continuing their service to the nation. This talk shares some of the stories of these veterans, from soldiers who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War all the way through those who served in the various 20th-century conflicts. The talk provides insight into what jobs these veterans performed at the White House, why they worked there, and how they shaped history through their service.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Dr. Matthew Goetz, White House Historical Association
Subject Areas: Civics, Lesser-Known Stories
Time Periods: U.S. History
Grade Levels: All
1776: Fact vs. Fiction
1776 was a historic year—so historic that there's a Broadway musical with the year as its title. So what's real facts about the debates and signing of the Declaration of Independence? And in historical memory, what did the musical get right and wrong? Play the showtunes, then lift the curtain and reconsider how 1776 has been documented, remembered, and portrayed!
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Doug Ullman, Jr., Educator and 1776 Cast Member
Subject Areas: Declaration of Independence, Lesser-Known Stories, Historical Memory, Theater
Time Periods: American Revolution
Grade Levels: Middle School, High School, College
Pedagogy & The American Civil War
Are you looking for pedagogy and resources for young learners to explore the American Civil War? This program offers teaching strategies and ideas that can be easily used in your classroom! Drawing from her new book A Civil War Journey at Cool Spring: A History for Young Learners, Brandy Noyalas shares an interactive approach, incorporating best education and literacy practices for study the past. Gain a deeper understanding of the Civil War and how to explain battlefield events that shaped America and impacted soldiers and their families.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenters: Brandy Noyalas, Author & 6th Grade History Teacher
Subject Areas: Classroom Resources, Pedagogy, Hard History, Civil War
Time Period: American Civil War
Grade Levels: Elementary School, Middle School
Q & A: What's On Your Mind?
Grab an afternoon beverage and join us for a virtual chat - only on Tuesday! By popular request, let's have a session specifically to discussion those eras or topics of U.S. history that sometimes seem "overlooked" and you're wishing for more details. We'll chat with historians and an experienced middle school teacher about the past and share resources from across the web in this fast-paced conversation. Add your questions or topic to the conversation (link will be shared to registered attendees ahead of time!) and come join the lively chat.
Session Type: Special Q&A
Presenters: Daniel T. Davis, Bob Rinehart, Sarah Kay Bierle, American Battlefield Trust
Subject Areas: Your Choice!
Time Period: U.S. History
Grade Levels: All
Wednesday:
The Declaration's Journey: Global Perspectives
The Declaration of Independence has influenced more than 100 nations’ own independence movements, which used its language and ideals to support their causes. In a unique combination of U.S. and World History, this workshop will examine several eras of independence movements inspired by the United States' and explores the global impact of the Declaration of Independence through translations of declarations of independence from around the world, including those from Haiti, Mexico, India, and more. Participants will discover new connections and primary sources suitable for introducing in the classroom and walk away with examples of activities that can help students gain a greater understanding of the Declaration and its influence throughout history and into the present day.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenter: Kaitlyn Grundy, Museum of the American Revolution
Subject Areas: Civics, World History, Classroom Resources
Time Periods: American Revolution
Grade Levels: All
Museum Behind The Scenes: Material Culture of the Civil War
Take a virutal peek behind the scenes at museum artifacts in The National Civil War Museum's collection! The National Civil War Museum is one of the largest museums in the country dedicated solely to the American Civil War. If you love teaching with objects or are looking for fresh ways to bring material culture into your classroom, this program is for you. Come explore how objects help us see the whole story of this troubled chapter in American history from the causes of the war to the battles that took place during the conflict and the legacy of the war that remains with us to this day.
Session Type: Breakout
Presenters: Wayne Motts, The National Civil War Museum
Subject Areas: Civil War, Gettysburg, Material Culture, Museums, Field Trips
Time Period: American Civil War
Grade Levels: All
10 Things About Teaching History
"We travel to cool places, show cool artifacts and talk about history" — it's the brand description for The History Underground. JD Huitt has built this widely popular YouTube channel (770,000 subscribers and counting!) and has traveled the world exploring the sites and stories of the past. He also teaches in the classroom, bringing different perspectives and new experiences for his students. Come enjoy a quick-paced program as JD shares a list of favorite accounts, places and teaching moments!
Session Type: Breakout
Presenters: JD Huitt, The History Underground
Subject Areas: Pedadogy, Field Trips, American Revolution, American Civil War, World War II
Time Period: U.S. History
Grade Levels: Middle School, High School, College
