As an adolescent growing up outside of Boston, MA, I can remember watching a film entitled Oxford Blues starring 1980’s actor Rob Lowe. Looking back some twenty years later, I recall one line that always resonated with me: “Oxford, there is no substitute!” This was yelled by the main character, an American exchange student, throughout the film. On the screen, Oxford appeared as this magical place of higher learning with beautiful landscapes, age-old traditions, and a social scene that any American teenagers would want for themselves.

As I planned my summer of 2006, this classic line came alive again when I saw an opportunity to actually attend a program at Oxford University through the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The offerings of history summer programs were impressive, and I looked forward to attending any of my three seminar choices.

Opening the envelope from GLI with great anticipation, I was thrilled to receive an acceptance and looked forward to not only participating in a rewarding educational experience studying Abraham Lincoln but also attaining an adolescent dream of attending Oxford University. Arriving at Saint Catherine’s College on a warm July evening, I was so impressed with the overall quality and diversity of the other seminar participants. In the first five minutes of introductory conversation at the student pub, I soon realized that this was going to be a very special group of people from all parts of the United States as well as from Cuba, Trinidad, and Great Britain.

The selection process of this group of high-quality educators represented the brilliant work of GLI education coordinator Leah Arroyo. She should be praised for not only selecting this group but also making everyone feel welcome and part of this cohesive group. We all also relied on Leah for a wide variety of assistance such as working on our document projects, follow-up information on the various topics from the seminar, and logistical issues such as dinner, laundry, and phone cards.

Another one of these individuals would be Oxford University’s Professor Richard Carwardine, who led the “Age of Lincoln” seminar: lecturing on the antebellum and Civil War periods, providing all of the resources, selecting the guest lecturers, facilitating group discussion, and presenting Abraham Lincoln in a creative and invigorating manner that none of the participants will ever forget. In addition, he was a gracious host who not only welcomed us to Oxford University but also treated each of us as if we were his own university students.

One important part of this seminar was Professor Carwardine’s expertise not only in the life and career of Abraham Lincoln but also in multiple areas of U.S. Civil War history such as religion, reform movements, and social and economic issues. On each day of the seminar, we all learned new information about topics that would be covered in our classrooms every day. This presented the topics in a new and fresh manner that allowed us all to look at Lincoln and the Civil War through a different lens that could later be used to create more valuable learning experiences for all of our students.

After Professor Carwardine presented the material, he moved into the role of facilitator, involving all of the participants in follow-up discussion, as well as generating questions that called for all of us to examine key areas in a meaningful manner. This entire process allowed all of us the opportunity to play the role of student, which made it easier for us to identify with our own students. Professor Carwardine was passionate about his topic, and this resonated with us in a way that only enhanced the learning experience. A common theme during our breaks from seminar involved how we were all going to apply this meaningful information in our classrooms.

Adding to this experience was the inclusion of various guest lecturers who brought in their own expertise to complement all that Professor Carwardine had provided in his daily lectures. The idea of being taught U.S. history by British historians appeared strange at first for some participants, but this skepticism was soon lifted after experiencing these high-quality presentations on unique and interesting aspects of events and issues involved during the U.S. Civil War.

The first of these presentations was from Professor Emily West from the University of Reading, who gave a detailed examination of the institution of slavery. This included such interesting topics such as kinship networks and extended families, the relationships between slave and master, and the impact slavery had on race relations in the United States. Professor West provided a number of primary and secondary resources to examine this controversial aspect of history. Another interesting aspect included a discussion on how to teach slavery to students at multiple grade levels, which once again allowed the participants to apply what they were learning directly in our classrooms.

The next presentation was from Professor Brian Holden Reid from Kings College, on the military features of the Civil War. Professor Reid was clearly an expert in military history but communicated all of his information in a manner that was both interesting and easy for all to understand. The participants all commented on how this topic was fascinating and could be easily translated into the classroom for students. Professor Reid had a charming personality and attempted to challenge the concept of “greatness” discussed in Dr. Carwardine’s Lincoln to his own historical account of another important historical figure, Robert E. Lee.

The high-quality presentation continued on the next day with Professor Martin Crawford from Keele University, on the topic “Why did Britain fail to support slaveholders in 1861?” The lessons learned from Professor Crawford proved highly important especially in breaking a historical myth found in many U.S. history textbooks: that England and France were close to entering the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy in 1864-1865. At this point, it became clear that learning U.S. history outside of the United States could be very valuable in developing fresh perspectives on commonly discussed topics.

The last presentation was from Professor Jay Sexton of Oxford University, a native son of the state of Kansas, on the topic of the Monroe Doctrine and its importance with regard to events like the Mexican War as well as current U.S. foreign policy. A clear theme throughout this discussion was that the Monroe Doctrine should be taught to our students as a relevant document that should be examined thoroughly and applied to modern events such as the war in Iraq.

Each participant shared all of these incredible experiences, and in the process a strong bond was formed. This was evident in the time spent together throughout the week at such events as the presentations of our document projects, walking tours of the city, a punting excursion led by the professor’s assistant Richard Huzzey, and the wonderful meals we shared at the Saint Catherine’s dining room. It was exciting to learn such interesting material with the understanding that it could be applied to our classrooms in a meaningful way that would bring Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Civil War to life for our students. I guess that movie from my youth had it right all along when it stated, “Oxford, there is no substitute!”