The Trail of Tears: Context and Perspectives

FAIN: BH-272357-20

Reinhardt University (Waleska, GA 30183-2981)
William Jeff Bishop (Project Director: February 2020 to March 2025)

Two one-week workshops for 72 school teachers about the history and culture of the Cherokee people.

The Funk Heritage Center of Reinhardt University, located in the town of Waleska in northwestern Georgia, proposes a new National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop for K-12 teachers, especially grades 3 through 12, titled The Trail of Tears: Context and Perspectives. The goals of the workshop are to (1) heighten awareness of 19th-century Cherokee removal from the Southeastern U.S.; (2) give K-12 teachers the tools they need to teach this portion of their social studies and/or history curricula effectively; and (3) highlight voices and perspectives from the period – particularly Cherokee voices – to tell the story. Participants will visit several key Cherokee landmarks and engage with a wide range of museum artifacts, Native American art, claims for damages filed by the Cherokees, newspapers from the time period, recorded eyewitness testimony, Cherokee myths and stories, and other resources.