Teacher CPD - Preparing to Teach C19th USA

I am putting together a series of links to CPD for teachers who are new to teaching 19th century US history, or who would like to update their knowlegde. I hope you find these useful. For more CPD suggestions, you might wish to see my blog on preparatory reading and watching HERE.

Framing 19th Century US History
One of the most important decisions to make when teaching 19th century US history is how you want to frame it. Traditional framings tend to ignore or downplay the presence of Native Americans.

You might like to explore a couple of Twitter threads I've written on framing.

• How the American West GCSEs risk perpetuating damaging narratives HERE
• And why we can't just rely on the 'historical method' to save us HERE

If you have a bit more time, then I have a longer CPD session in video form. In this video I explore different ways US history has been framed by historians and textbooks and why we really need to re-think. This was originally done as a series for A Level / GCSE students but is equally applicable for teachers.

Teaching Plains Conflict
In this SHP Understanding session historians tackle the issue of how we teach about conflict between Native Americans and US colonists during the 1860s and 1870s. Lots of useful bits here to bring you up to date with recent historiography. Watch here: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vX49IClrLs&t=10s

Stories which Show Indigenous Continuity
In this video I explore three stories which show how Indigenous peoples resisted and survived US expansion and attempted genocide. These stories cover the period 1868-1940. This is important as many books tend to stop in 1890 with the assumption that Native Americans ceased to exist. Many of these stories would work really well in teaching GCSE American West and continued Native presence. Watch here: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oalxtdf4C8Q

Contemporary Issues for Native Americans and their Historical Roots
This video explores the contemporary issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and traces the historical roots of the issue. This really helps with framing the importance of studying C19th US history. Watch here: https://youtu.be/B2t6ksWuhoM