The Papers of Martin Van Buren (PMVB), in partnership with the University of Virginia’s Center for Digital Editing, recently received a $25,000 grant from the Teaching with Primary Sources Mid-Atlantic and US Territories Region, funded by the Library of Congress and managed by the American Historical Association.
The grant will fund an initiative in which a cohort of twelve high school social studies teachers will co-develop lesson plans centered on themes from the mid-19th century that retain their importance today. Participating teachers will take a deep dive into the Library of Congress’ collections on Martin Van Buren, the eighth U.S. president, concentrating on topics such as the two-party political system, presidential campaigning, territorial expansion, and democracy. Lesson plans developed as part of the grant will be made freely available on the Center for Digital Editing and the Papers of Martin Van Buren websites. The culmination of the grant will be a workshop introducing 100 teachers from across the United States to PMVB and the resources created by the teaching cohort. Applications can be made by completing this form, which will be open until August 31, 2025.
“We have wanted to develop lesson plans that high school teachers could use in the classroom for a long time, but we never had the resources to give us the opportunity. This grant makes it possible for us to finally realize that goal,” said Mark Cheathem, project director for the Papers of Martin Van Buren. “The Library of Congress is the single largest contributor of documents to our project, but it is also exciting that we are going to be able to include the Library’s other excellent resources on Van Buren, such as political cartoons and campaign paraphernalia, in the lesson plans in ways that will allow teachers to engage their students visually.”
By transcribing Van Buren’s papers, including his letters, speeches, notes, and miscellaneous material, the Papers of Martin Van Buren project is providing fresh insight into the founding of the Democratic party, the evolution of formal politics between the War of 1812 and the Civil War, and the changes in political culture that occurred during Van Buren’s lifetime. Additionally, it is helping scholars, students, and the public understand the maturation of United States politics during its early development.
The Papers of Martin Van Buren project is sponsored by Cumberland University, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is produced in partnership with the Center for Digital Editing at the University of Virginia.
For more information about the Papers of Martin Van Buren Project, visit http://vanburenpapers.org.