Two one-week Landmarks workshops for eighty school teachers to study the national implications of the War of 1812's northwestern frontier.

"The War of 1812 in the Great Lakes and Western Territories" consists of two one-week NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops held during summer 2012 for eighty school teachers on the causes, conduct, and consequences of the War of 1812 in the Midwestern United States. Hosted by the Ohio Historical Society [OHS], the workshop investigates the War of 1812 by considering several major topics: the war's causes; the complicated interactions of Euro-Americans, British, Canadians, and Native Americans during the conflict; and the war's short- and long-term effects. The project utilizes important military sites, including River Raisin Battlefield, Fort Meigs, and Perry's Victory and International Peace Monument. The project staff includes co-directors Brian Schoen (history, Ohio University) and Rebecca Trivison (OHS) and visiting faculty members Alan Taylor (history, University of California, Davis), Andrew Cayton (history, Miami University, Ohio), Gregory Dowd (history, University of Michigan), Susan Sleeper-Smith (history, Michigan State University), Gerard Altoff (National Park Service), Ralph Naveaux (Monroe County Historical Museum), and David Skaggs (history, Bowling Green State University). The program includes lectures, discussions, site visits, primary-source sessions, and work on teaching projects. The participants read secondary works by members of the visiting faculty and other scholars. Primary sources include an Indian captivity narrative, missionary letters, correspondence by William Henry Harrison, President James Madison's war message, and the full text of "The Star-Spangled Banner"; participants also receive a primary-source database from the OHS archives for use in creating lesson plans.