Ford’s Theatre
There is a wealth of information online about our 16th president, who was assassinated when John Wilkes Booth shot him at Ford’s Theatre in DC on April 14, 1865 during a performance of Our American Cousin. Explore places in DC that mattered to Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime–and to us today–during this 45 virtual session. Learn about Lincoln’s life in DC, review the events of his assassination and explore his legacy during a free 30-minute virtual tour that ends with a Q&A session. There are also specific online resources about his assassination, death, the investigation that followed, its impact on the nation and the funeral train. And Remembering Lincoln is a digital collection of diaries, letters, ribbons, flags and more drawn from libraries, archives, museums and private collections that show the impact and reaction from real Americans of Lincoln being slain.
Smithsonian Associates
On Dec. 13 at 10 a.m., you can virtually learn how the First Families left their mark on the White House during the virtual session Holidays at the White House ($25/members, $30/non-members), featuring a look at the Johnsons’ home and family theme; dealing with the nation’s loss of President Kennedy; the Reagans’ interest in restoring a childlike sense of holiday wonder; and Laura Bush’s “Red, White and Blue” Christmas, depicting a nation banding together.
Mount Vernon
George Washington’s home and property has a massive amount of educational tools both on-site and on its website. Step into Washington’s shoes and make decisions that he was faced with in several key conflicts in “Be Washington,” offered on-site in the interactive theater and online. For students, there are several different quizzes, videos, games, coloring pages and other educational fact sheets available in the student resources area of their site. You can take a virtual tour and check out an interactive map highlighting all the places Washington visited during his lifetime. On location, you can take several tours with insights into the various aspects of his life including a self-guided audio tour, a Through My Eyes character tour, a Hamilton The Musical guided tour and more. And the Museum & Education Center features 23 galleries and theaters to learn about Washington’s life and Mount Vernon’s enslaved community.
James Monroe’s Highland
On Dec. 3 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., the curators at the home of the 5th president, in partnership with Mount Vernnon, are co-hosting a virtual talk with author Tim McGrath about his new book, James Monroe: A Life. Dr. Sara Bon-Harper, Highland’s executive director, will also discuss how recent archeological work is shedding new light on life at Highland. This event will be streamed live on the Highland Facebook page and participants may also view the live stream through StreamYard by registering on the Mount Vernon website. December in-person tours ($8/person) cover the events set in motion after Monroe was wounded at the Battle of Trenton. And Highland collaborated with Monticello High School awhile back for a web exhibit examining Monroe’s election and presidency.
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
The Charlottesville home of our 3rd president does Tuesday live streams with Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson (picture above). They also have online exhibits on The Election of 1800 and Jefferson’s first year in office as well as a series of podcasts.
For more stories like this, subscribe to our Education newsletter.
