2003 Distance Learning Broadcast from Gettysburg National Military Park- Overview

Broadcast Overview

"A New Birth of Freedom: The Story of Four Americans at Gettysburg"
A Broadcast For Students and Teachers from Gettysburg National Military Park

Thank you for your interest in Gettysburg National Military Park’s Distance Education Program and for our 2003 satellite broadcast to schools, "A New Birth of Freedom: The Story of Four Americans at Gettysburg".

This year's story focuses on four men who came to Gettysburg in 1863 . . . four men came, but only one returned home. In the end, they all gave their lives for their country. Three of these men were soldiers, and one of them was the President of the United States.

"A New Birth of Freedom: The Story of Four Americans at Gettysburg" moves its viewers out to the fields of battle, following the decisions of three men (two Union and one Confederate) to join an army, fight the enemy, and eventually die at a place called Gettysburg. The process of initial burials, identification of bodies, and the re-interment of thousands of Americans transitions our story to the fourth man, President Abraham Lincoln. He decides to visit Gettysburg to dedicate a national cemetery with his 272-word Gettysburg Address, both honoring the dead and challenging the living. Illustrating the power of that speech to our nation, students who have been studying the battle and the speech will interpret Lincoln’s words and apply it to their own lives and our own world.

Did these four men, three who died on these fields and one who died just after the war, die in vain? The answer to that question is up to each new generation of Americans. It is up to us now to determine the fate of this country, and whether or not our government will survive threats to its ideals. It’s up to each of you watching today to determine whether or not these men died for nothing, whether or not these men died in vain.

You can prepare the students for their virtual field trip via the lessons and information on this website from Gettysburg National Military Park. We suggest that you follow the Pre-broadcast activities that will give you ideas on how to prepare your class. You should have your students visit the four battlefield scenes under Student's Broadcast Pages. Each scene will feature the individuals and events experienced by that person. Teachers can also download and copy the pages as handouts prior to the broadcast.

This year’s show is targeted toward 8th graders, but younger and older students can enjoy and learn from it as well. We know this broadcast can help you to meet your social studies and American history curriculum standards, as well as to incite an interest in American history and the Civil War beyond the pages of a textbook. Our specific learning objectives for the show are as follows-

After viewing the broadcast ""A New Birth of Freedom: The Story of Four Americans at Gettysburg", students will be able to:

· explain some of the causes and consequences of the American Civil War;

· identify key leaders and landscape features of the Battle of Gettysburg;

· understand the meaning of the Gettysburg Address and why it was so important to the people at that time;

· reiterate at least one story from the battle of Gettysburg and apply it to their lives.

This program may be shown by stations, schools and individuals courtesy of the National Park Service as an educational teaching tool. It may not be packaged for sale by any individual or company without the express written consent of the National Park Service. The National Park Service is deeply indebted to the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg for their financial support, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Emmitsburg, Maryland for their technical support, in helping to make this broadcast available to schools nation-wide.

"A New Birth of Freedom: The Story of Four Americans at Gettysburg"

National Park Service
Gettysburg National Military Park
97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325

Distance Learning Broadcast 2003
Gettysburg National Military Park
Broadcast Overview