Common Ground: Americans & Their Land During the Gilded Age & Progressive Era
2022 Dates: July 11- 23, 2022
New York City and the Adirondack State Park, New York
Common Ground is a two-week NEH Summer Institute for twenty-five K-12 teachers focused on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (GAPE), from roughly the end of the Civil War to World War I. Led by State University of New York (SUNY-Cortland) historians Kevin Sheets and Randi Storch, Common Ground offers a comparative residential experience where participants pursue parallel thematic tracks in New York City and the Adirondacks. By spending a week in each landscape, studying its history, geography, and sources, summer scholars are prepared to consider the vital linkages connecting these regions. Framed by a sustained discussion of land's centrality to American identity, Common Ground invites participants to deepen their understanding of the GAPE from the comparative perspective of two contrasting landscapes.
"This program got me to think deeply! It was the best professional development experience of my career and I am so thankful I could go.” 2018 Common Ground Participant.
Note Regarding COVID-19: Depending on public health guidelines related to COVID-19, plans for a residential
offering are subject to change.
Common Ground has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
