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Dr. Chrisitina Snyder sits down with Eric and Rob to discuss ways to teach about the Age of Jackson.   Dr. Snyder is the McCabe Greer Professor of History at Penn State University.  She is an historian of colonialism, race, and slavery, with a focus on North America from the pre-contact era through the late nineteenth century.  Christina shares ideas from her award winning book, Great Crossings: Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Age of Jackson, which uses a diverse community in Kentucky as a microcosm to demonstrate the profound changes of the era.  She notes that while it is important to discuss the violent nature of Indian removal, teachers should also stress the survival and perseverance of Native people, particularly through their embrace of education.  Similarly, while US history is often marked by violent events, teachers can also explore the efforts of people to work out solutions for peaceful coexistence which was central to why many of the Native students attended Choctaw Academy at Great Crossings.  Finally, this community, which was populated by white settlers, free and enslaved African Americans, and Native Americans who spoke many indigenous as well as European languages, serves as an example of the diversity of antebellum America.

Lesson Plans and resources:

The Remembering Julia Chinn lesson can be found at https://bit.ly/4uygBfu

The Congressional Debate on the Removal of Indians lesson can be found at https://bit.ly/4vEPCzO

Credits

Opening theme music, “Bossa Bossa,” created by Clare Howard www.clarehoward.com  Music supported by the National Council for History Education www.ncheteach.org

Transition theme music, “The Clock is Ticking,” created by Emily Hahn.

Logo artwork created by Jessica Goldman.

Shit I Have to Teach in 20 Minutes is produced by Eric Hahn and Rob Good.  Audio and video editing by Sebastian Rosales.

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