The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are national treasures located in our backyard here in Southeast Michigan. Ever since my first field trip when I was youngster playing at the old arcades and riding the carousel, I have been fascinated with visiting The Henry Ford on a regular basis. However, as I have learned over the years, The Henry Ford is not just a place for kids to run around, but a place that has serious historical value that may leave a lasting impression among students and visitors alike. Little did I know, that many years later, I would be using it as a key resource to lean on for my own classroom. Even though this is my AP American Government website, I have been able to use the Henry Ford Museum with my class. This page is dedicated to highlight the many opportunities I have had to work with The Henry Ford and continue to do so today with my students.

My first involvement with The Henry Ford was while I was attending the University of Michigan- Dearborn where my History thesis class was at the Henry Ford Benson Research Center back in 1996. It was my first experience with the vast array of resources that The Henry Ford offered and was the first time I realized that there was more to the Museum and Village than just a place to look at old things and people dressed up. My research paper was focused on the infamous election of 1896 where I was able to find numerous artifacts related to a campaign where William McKinley conducted his "front porch" campaign against William Jennings Bryan's ferocious cross-country campaign.

It would take a decade before I had an opportunity to work with the Henry Ford when Dorothy Ebersole, Curator of Education at The Henry Ford at the time, contacted me about getting involved developing a lesson devoted to the coining of a commemorative coin celebrating the Model T's 100th anniversary in 2007. It was a great experience as I had my AP Government kids participate in the project. The final document can be found here: High School Commemorative Coin Unit Plan

My next involvement came in 2009 when I was chosen to participate in the inaugural Teacher Fellowship Program at The Henry Ford. I was one of 13 teachers chosen with the intent to make The Henry Ford an indispensable extended classroom that would empower teachers with a unique in-depth experience. We spent over 90 hours learning about the inner workings of The Henry Ford and used the new knowledge and resources at our disposal to make itineraries and many other products. It was a tremendous experience as I made several friends that I still work closely with from the workshop. One of those colleagues, Kelly Eddy from Livonia Churchill High School, worked with me to create the following itinerary about women: Industrial Revolution Womens Sphere

The next experience came the following summer where I was part of the NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) workshop held at the Henry Ford in July 2010. NEH workshops are very selective as only 80 educators out of hundreds if not thousands (depending on the seminar) are selected from all over the United States. I had the opportunity to learn from top scholars about the industrialization period that fueled the development of the auto industry and further enhanced my knowledge of the buildings and artifacts at Greenfield Village. One of my favorite moments was when I and Dr. Paul Israel from the Edison Institute had our lively discussions about the Thomas Edison v. Nikola Tesla rivalry. I was also able to present our experience with the Teacher Fellowship Program with the teachers attending. It was such a great experience that it has inspired me to continue to attend other NEH programs every year.

I then worked with Kelly Eddy on putting together an AP US History unit based on Abraham Lincoln and utilizing the resources of the Henry Ford in co-creating the Lincoln's Legacy of Leadership Project. It was created in connection to celebrating Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday and utilizing the Henry Ford resources for AP teachers. One of the key components of the project was also incorporating a town hall video recorded at The Henry Ford featuring several prominent individuals such as Ambassador Andrew Young, Historian/authors Douglas Brinkley and John Stauffer, and Northwestern University Professor Darlene Clark Hine served as panelists. The final product can be found here on Pages 57-102: Lincoln's Legacy of Leadership

I have continued my partnership with The Henry Ford by brining my AP students to the Henry Ford Museum every year. Of all the exhibits at the Henry Ford, the Liberty and Justice for All exhibit stands out the most for US History and US Government teachers like myself. It is such a stunning venue that I have incorporated it into my teaching by taking students to actually see and touch history. Sitting in the Rosa Parks Bus, seeing the original colors in the engraving of Paul Revere's Boston Massacre and all the artifacts with Abraham Lincoln (including the chair he was assassinated in...yes, the real chair) has had a profound impact on the students and their learning by making it real and relevant.

I have also taken my AP Government classes to the Henry Ford to attend symposiums for Martin Luther King Day which have been fantastic opportunities for my students. The first one we attended was on January 18th, 2010. I took 40 students to the event where the guest speaker was Dr. Clayborne Carson, a professor at Stanford University and a Civil Rights Scholar. He talked about King's impact on the United States and what he would have thought about President Obama getting elected. After his lecture, a student panel discussion was held where two of my students participated- Juniors Gordon Galarneau and Tommy Slankard along with two students from Saline High School. The panel discussion was conducted by Dr. Carson and dealt with non-violent protests and how they work today compared to the 1960's. After the symposium, the students went through exploring the Museum as admission was free due to Target sponsoring the event.

The next MLK day symposium at the Henry Ford Museum took place on January 16th, 2012. The guest speaker was Dr. Thomas J. Sugrue, a Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania who then served as the moderator of a student panel. Two juniors from my AP Government classes were selected to be on the panel- JP Couling and Timothy Harbaugh, who were with 3 other students (one from the Henry Ford Academy, one from Livonia Churchill and one from U of M-Dearborn). The discussion centered around forms of discrimination that still take place and how much has changed since Dr. King brought these issues to a national audience.

My partnership and involvement with The Henry Ford still continues to this day and will do so in the near future. These highlights I felt were worth mentioning to show that a place where I loved to come as a kid has become a tremendous resource for my teaching career. Hope you enjoyed the journey.