Dr. Leslie Goddard - Rating the First Ladies The role of First Lady comes with no job description, no pay, and no written requirements. Yet America's presidential spouses have wielded great influence and have always been subject to intense public scrutiny. In this interactive illustrated lecture, historian Dr. Leslie Goddard explored which First Ladies have…

Dr. Doug Mishler - War and a Question of Rights This workshop will explore how a variety of wars from the Revolution to the war on terror have affected the rights of individual Americans. From shaping the Bill of Rights in the 18th century, to freedom of speech during WWI, internment in WWII, Cold War…

Wednesday, May 29th -- Rosa Parks (1913-2005) Rosa Parks is often called the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." She was an ordinary person who did extraordinary things and is well know for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She encouraged other ordinary citizens and youth to lift their voices for freedom. Rosa…

Dr. James Armstead - The Civil War Amendments The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution individually marked important milestones in American history and collectively served to satisfy the war aims of the Lincoln administration. These new freedoms changed American Society in so many unanticipated ways and set the stage for a living…

Vanessa Adams-Harris - Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement From the children here in Oklahoma with Clara Luper in Oklahoma City, a young Claudette Colvin who at age 15 refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, to the Citizenship Education Program throughout the south and its rural communities. Just who, what…

Thursday, May 30th -- Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson (1912-2007) Johnson served as First Lady of the United States (1961-1969) as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson and had a front-row seat  to many of the major events of the 1960s. Lady Bird was an unlikely but surprisingly influential civil rights activist. Born and raised…

Rebecca Jimerson - Coretta Scott Kin and the "Freedom Concerts" This workshop will present the storied history of the Freedom Concerts. Combining poetry, narration, and music to tell the story of the Civil Rights movement. Concluding with participants staging a Freedom Concert. Handouts to be circulated to workshop attendees.  

Dr. Leslie Goddard - The Lady Bird Special In October 1964, the Lady Bird Special train pulled away from Washington D.C. Over the next four days, the train carried First Lady Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson on a whistle-stop tour of eight Southern states to garner support for Lyndon B. Johnson's presidential campaign in the face…