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Register Now for Reconstruction Summer Institute

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Teachers from around the U.S. will take a dynamic deep dive into the history of the Reconstruction Era through a three-week summer institute hosted virtually by University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era (ISRE).

Educators of all ages are invited to apply to participate in “America's Reconstruction: The Untold Story” which will take place July 6-26, 2021 in a 100% virtual, online form. The institute is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and will include virtual reality experiences.

Dr. Brent Morris, director of the ISRE, and other top scholars will lead 25 participants in examining the historical dimensions and significance of Reconstruction in the Lowcountry and United States.

Through seminars, interactive online tours of historical sites and directed archival research, participants will learn more about one of the most neglected and misunderstood periods in US history and how this history began in and was influenced by people and events in the Sea Islands. During the Reconstruction era (c. 1861-1900), the United States grappled with how to integrate millions of newly freed African-Americans into social, political, economic, and legal systems. Beaufort and the surrounding Lowcountry played a crucial role through the “Port Royal Experiment,” a governmental and private collaboration begun during the Civil War to transition formerly enslaved people to freedom and self-sufficiency.

Each participant in “America's Reconstruction: The Untold Story” will receive a stipend of $2,850 intended to cover expenses including books and virtual reality goggles (details and purchase options will be provided by the institute).

Educators can learn more and apply at https://www.uscb.edu/americasreconstruction

Deadline to apply is March 1, 2021.