Some say we live in a second “Gilded Age" full of "populist" politicians and "progressive" activists. Why does this history—the issues, events, and personalities of more than a century ago—still matter so much?

We invite K-12 teachers to come to Chicago to attend an NEH Summer Institute for school teachers. Participants engage in intimate seminar-style sessions with leading historians as well as take guided excursions around Chicago each week during the institute. There are also "Applications to Teaching" sessions where Scholars work with master teachers to develop classroom materials. Participants earn a $3300 stipend to help defray costs.

Teachers to explore on new ways to look at the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. We will explore a wide variety of historical—and historiographical—matters. Our focus will be on three important themes of American history--race, capitalism, and democracy—because, arguably, the most important economic and political institutions of modern America originated and took shape during the period from 1877 to 1920. New imaginings and definitions of race and its role in society played out in profound ways on the local and national stage. Our institute is rich in the humanities generally, with significant exploration of art, architecture, music, film, and literature.

Organized by Loyola University Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago, K-12 teachers can apply for “Rethinking the Gilded Age and Progressivisms: Race, Capitalism, and Democracy, and 1877 to 1920.” Our NEH Summer Scholars will spend four weeks in Chicago, a center of Progressive Era reform, engaging in vigorous discussions about this critical time period in American history and creating materials to use in their classrooms. We are committed to building an diverse team of participants, reflecting a range of disciplines, grade levels, and regions of the country.

Award-winning historian Robert Johnston (University of Illinois at Chicago) will guide the institute’s academic content, with the help of renowned experts in history, art, and architecture. Charles Tocci (Loyola University Chicago) will direct the institute. Mike Biondo (Maine South High School) and Johanna Heppeler(East Leyden High School) will serve as the director of teacher supports and the master teacher, respectively, to help Scholars craft classroom materials out of their institute experiences.