David McCullough: Historian to Teach Online Classroom about George Washington
During the webcast, David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, will teach a nationwide audience of students about George Washington using documents newly accessible on ConSource.org. Any student who participates in the live webcast will be able to ask questions of Mr. McCullough. The webcast will be permanently available at www.ConSource.org, and will also be available on Verizon's Thinkfinity.org website.
The New York Historical Society will play physical host for the event, to which high school students from the Academy of American Studies and the High School of American Studies in the New York area will attend. The Ustream.TV, live Web-based broadcasting platform will provide streaming technology for the webcast, while the History Channel will produce and sponsor the event as well as link the network mini-site www.history.com/minisites/washington to ConSource.org to provide supplemental George Washington resources for participating teachers. Verizon's Thinkfinity.org will sponsor the event and provide teachers lesson plan materials through its partners.
"We are pleased to partner with these organizations and to host David McCullough in creating another opportunity for students to interact with the Constitution," said Lorianne Updike, President and Executive Director of ConSource.org. "This event represents a significant step in providing the public free access to all of our Founders' documents which created the Constitution."
To watch the webcast with David McCullough on February 13, or to review the documents that David McCullough will teach with, the lesson plan materials provided by Verizon and its partners, or the George Washington video clips provided by the History Channel, go to www.ConSource.org.
About The Constitutional Sources Project
Founded in May of 2005, The Constitutional Sources Project launched the only free fully-indexed online library of Constitution sources for "We the People" at www.ConSource.org® on September 17, 2007. This new medium will give the Founders, Reconstructionists, and original Feminists voices in the classroom and courtroom, providing everyone from the sixth grader to the Supreme Court justice with the best history of the Constitution. Current collections include James Madison's handwritten notes of the Constitutional Convention, the Federalist Papers, the Anti and Pro-Federalist Papers, state ratification debates for seven states, and the Bill of Rights' legislative history.
About David McCullough
David McCullough has been widely acclaimed as a "master of the art of narrative history" and "a matchless writer." He is twice winner of the National Book Award and twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize. In December 2006, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. Mr. McCullough's most recent book, "1776," the number one New York Times national bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, has been called "brilliant...powerful" and "a classic." There are three million copies in print, while Mr. McCullough's previous work, "John Adams," remains one of the most critically-acclaimed and widely-read American biographies of all time. It is presently in its sixty-third printing. Other books by Mr. McCullough include "The Johnstown Flood," "The Great Bridge," "The Path between the Seas," "Mornings on Horseback," "Brave Companions," and "Truman."
The History Channel® is a leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy® Awards, ten News & Documentary Emmy® Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History® campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 95 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com. Press Only: For more information and photography, please visit us on the web at www.historychannelpress.com.
About Ustream.TV
Ustream.TV is a platform for live online interactive video broadcasts that lets people everywhere connect, interact and engage with one another more deeply. Ustream.TV allows anyone with a camera, computer, and Internet connection to broadcast live video to a global audience. Each day, people Ustream talk shows, concerts, sporting events, even weddings and graduations. The company was founded by two U.S. military veterans and a technologist who strived to create a way for people of all ages around the globe to connect with each other through the power of live online video broadcasts. Ustream.TV is headquartered in Los Altos, California, and is privately held. For more information, please visit: www.ustream.tv.
About The New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society, one of the country's preeminent educational and research institutions, is dedicated to presenting exhibitions and public programs fostering research that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, its mission is to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and serve as a national forum for the debate and examination of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.
About Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.