Dear Colleague:

We invite you to sail back in time with us as we investigate “Empires of the Wind: Exploration of the United States Pacific West Coast” in a five day teacher workshop supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks of American History. If you ever dreamed about sailing into the past, this is your opportunity to join a crew made up of distinguished university professors and noted historians as we navigate through 400 years of west coast history while exploring one of the world’s greatest collections of historic vessels, rare museum gallery exhibits, and historic sites in San Diego.

The week will be spent investigating new ways of thinking about the Pacific and its role in the American story. Sixty-five years before the settlement at Jamestown and seventy-eight years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, European sailing ships were busy exploring and charting the west coast. Long before the wagon trains moved across the plains, Americans were establishing themselves in their own seaborne empires stretching from Alta California and the Oregon territory to China. Where are these stories? Who were the players? What were their motivations? And what legacy did they leave behind that shapes our county today?

This unique workshop is offered June 24-29 or July 15-20, 2012. Every day leading academics will conduct lectures aboard the fleet of historic landmark ships of the Maritime Museum of San Diego and culminates with at-sea sailing adventure aboard the 145 ft. State official Tallship, Californian.

To find out more information about the NEH Landmarks teacher workshop, please contact the Program Coordinator, Susan Sirota, Education Director of the Maritime Museum of San Diego (619) 234-9153x126.

Information about the Maritime Museum of San Diego can be found at our website:  www.sdmaritime.org

The website will outline a program overview including the faculty, the venue, field trips, and information about stipends, housing, and transportation. Most important, the website will provide a link to the 2012 NEH Applicant Guidelines. Completed applications are submitted to the Project Director at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, not the NEH, and must be postmarked no later then March 1, 2012. Successful applicants will be notified of their selection by April 2, 2012.

We look forward to sailing with you!
Raymond Ashley, Project Director, Empires of the Wind: Exploration of the United States Pacific West Coast Teacher Workshop
President, Maritime Museum of San Diego

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