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Teacher workshop 2007 "Mark Twain" addresses class Workshop 2007

Landmarks of American History

Workshop for Teachers

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for your interest in Huckleberry Finn in Post-Reconstruction America: Mark Twain's Hartford Years, 1871-1891 at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. We are pleased to offer you one of two, week-long sessions, either July 13-17, or July 27-31, 2009. Participants are also invited to arrive early in Hartford on either Sunday, July 12th or July 26th to attend an optional reception and tour at the historic Old State House.

Overview for Teachers:

Our workshop provides numerous and varied opportunities for educators with interests in American literature and history to enrich their classroom instruction by exploring the life and times of Mark Twain, America's greatest author. Twain was a renowned novelist, humorist, and social commentator whose insights into the national character still have strong resonance for Americans today. His writings have been translated into more than 75 languages and are read by millions of students around the world. In the United States, his works are studied more in schools than any other author of American fiction. Given the historical, literary, and cultural importance of Mark Twain, it is essential that his works continue to be included in the curriculums of our schools, and most importantly the seminal critique of racial injustice infused in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn needs to be preserved as a cornerstone of secondary school studies. This maxim is especially relevant today when Twain's frequent, yet satirical use of offensive racial epithets has led some people to misconstrue what is really a subtle and cunning assault on bigotry. Despite the book's widespread use as a vehicle for stimulating constructive classroom discussion of race relations in the United States, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is regularly ranked in the top 10 of the American Library Association's list of the most frequently challenged books in the United States.

The Mark Twain House & Museum is a National Historic Landmark where Mark Twain lived with his family from 1874-1891 during the most prolific and successful years of his stellar literary career. He lived in Hartford when he wrote his greatest works, including The Gilded Age, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Prince and the Pauper, and Life on the Mississippi. During the late 19th century, Hartford was the wealthiest city per capita in the nation due to its manufacturing, insurance, and publishing industries. The latter industry served a local enclave of internationally known literati living in the "Nook Farm" neighborhood, which, in addition to Mark Twain's home, included the residences of Lydia Hunt Sigourney, Charles Dudley Warner, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Hartford's cultural leadership was in the national vanguard of progressive social advocacy that arose during these turbulent years. Having grown up in the slave-holding state of Missouri, the environment that a mature Mark Twain encountered in Hartford had a transcendent impact on his views regarding race and social justice.

Founded by Puritan émigrés from Massachusetts Bay in 1636, the history of Hartford stretches back nearly 400 years. Much of the city's architecture still reflects this rich history, and on Monday afternoon during the workshop it will be the focus of a city-wide bus tour conducted by me, Craig Hotchkiss, a veteran high school history teacher and now Education Program Manager at the Mark Twain House. On Tuesday teachers will also tour the home of author Harriet Beecher Stowe next door, and those of you who can arrive early on Sunday afternoon will begin your introduction to our historic city by taking an audio-tour at the Old State House, built in 1792, and by visiting the new museum of Hartford heritage on its lower floor.

Hartford, like other cities in the Northeast, fully felt the impact of immigration, and although Hartford was known for its liberal tendencies, it nevertheless reflected the growing stratification of American society during industrialization. Mark Twain's family developed life-long bonds with their Irish, German, and African American servants who remained in their employ for decades. These close relationships are well-documented, affording teachers an excellent resource for teaching students the ethnic, racial, and class dynamics of the Gilded Age. The Twain home itself is a stellar example of 19th century "picturesque" architecture offering great insight into the tastes, personal relationships, and interests of Mark Twain that are reflected in his works. We are particularly proud of the recently restored servants' wing- a five-room annex to the main mansion that in its heyday was a beehive of activity for as many as nine servants, most being Irish or African American. When toured together with the main house, teachers can appreciate the full range of relationships among the family and servants that enhances their understanding of Mark Twain and his times.

Additionally, our new, state-of-the-art visitor's center has a collection of over 16,000 artifacts of historic significance. Many of these items are on display in one of our two museum galleries, or can be made accessible to teachers in the museum's research library. The visitor's center is a 34,000 square feet exhibition, theater, and lecture facility with a multi-use classroom, collection storage, and research room. During the workshop you will have access to computers and internet service, although you are certainly encouraged to bring a personal laptop if you prefer.

If you have questions, please call me at 860-280-3146, or craig.hotchkiss@marktwainhouse.org. Thank you for your interest in the Mark Twain House & Museum. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Craig Hotchkiss
Education Program Manager
The Mark Twain House & Museum