In 2015, the producers of Hamilton and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History partnered to create The Hamilton Education Program, an initiative meant to engage students in Title 1 high schools with a curriculum that combines both history education and the performing arts. Throughout the course, kids learn how to create their own raps, performances and stories based on Founding Era history, in the spirit of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway hit. In March of 2020, schools across the country shut down and Broadway went dark in an effort to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. In response, the organization created EduHam at Home: an online version of the curriculum designed to make the program even more accessible and interactive for individuals and families. The EduHam at Home experience relies on educational video and written guides to allow students to watch Lin-Manuel’s creative process. Reading the primary source documents and listening to the lyrics from that text allows kids to learn through powerful visuals, and ultimately create and share their own retellings of American history. We caught up with members of the Gilder Lehrman Institute to learn more about the program and the role that video plays in helping students find new ways to get excited about history.

Tell us about GLI and EduHam at Home. What’s your mission?

Now celebrating its 25th year, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History was founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The Institute is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. EduHam at Home was created in 2020 as an extension of the Hamilton Education Program, which was created in 2015 by Jeffrey Seller and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Rockefeller Foundation, the NYC Department of Education, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute.

Why do you think this program resonates with kids in a different way than the traditional curriculum?

This program resonates because it is inclusive of many stories and allows history to be more than just a series of dates and facts. Key primary source documents offer a window into the Founding Era through the stories of the people who lived it.

How does the craft of storytelling come into play with this program, perhaps more so than in traditional classrooms?

The craft of storytelling comes into play with this program through the use of key documents. The Gilder Lehrman Institute has extensive resources to introduce students to the people, events, and documents of the Founding Era, and students can examine firsthand how Lin-Manuel Miranda incorporated such primary sources into the songs he wrote for the show Hamilton.

How important has video been for GLI and the EduHam at Home program?

Video is a central component, as it allows students at home to watch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creative technique and create their own Hamilton inspired pieces.

How do you use Vimeo and what are the main features you use?

Vimeo is a great resource for sharing our videos with other members of our organization, our partners, and the students and teachers we serve. We have over 1,600 student performance videos from over 100 Hamilton student matinees. Vimeo’s Showcases feature allows us to organize and easily share these videos with the performers, their classmates, and their families. We’re able to quickly and easily share an HD-quality video memento of what is probably one of the most impactful moments in these students’ lives to the most important people in their lives.

What is the biggest challenge you face in creating this interactive curriculum?

One of the biggest challenges right now is the overall uncertainty of what the rest of this academic year will be like for students. (For many, it has already prematurely ended.) We therefore want to stay attuned to the needs of students in this rapidly changing landscape.

What is the biggest takeaway of EduHam at Home for kids, parents, and teachers?

Often the use of primary source documents can be overwhelming to students. But in EduHam at Home, we have provided selected passages from more than 150 documents, provided background information so they understand the context of the documents, and shown them new and exciting ways to interpret those documents by using them as the basis for creative pieces.

What are your goals for EduHam at Home?

Our goal is for students and their families to learn and create together. We also hope that a diverse pool of stories that have been previously unknown to a wider audience emerges, as students are given the tools to decide what to explore.

How have GLI and EduHam at Home adapted to social distancing policies?

One of the biggest takeaways of this experience is how with tools such as Vimeo, enriching collaborations can still happen while practicing social distancing. People across the country will be inspired to share their creations and form a community through the program, making a giant, virtual “room where it happens” where all are welcome. Parents and families of K-12 children can now register for free to receive full access to our essays, primary source documents, tips and ideas for teaching history at home, and more. They can learn more and sign up here.

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