^{Quoted above is the opening sentence of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified December 15, 1791.}

A unique professional development opportunity

During the summer of 2027, teachers of grades 6 – 12 have an opportunity to explore the early history of the United States through the lens of religious liberty. By traveling between New England and Yorktown, Va., educators will examine the diverse and evolving beliefs, religions, faiths, and ways of being for 17th and 18th-century colonists and Americans — beliefs that influenced the founding of the United States and have shaped the country for over 250 years.

Visiting historic sites and museums, participants can study the voices of those in power as well as those who demonstrated dissent, gaining insight into the minds and influences behind the nation’s founding documents, including the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and the Bill of Rights. Questions about belief, liberty, tolerance, and dissent were not side issues in early America. These topics were central to the American Revolution, the creation of the United States, and they continue to influence the nation today.

Teachers can explore resources and strategies for helping students understand defining principles of American liberty through conversations with "people of the past" and presentations by scholars. Highlights include visits to historic sites and museums:

• Old North Church, Boston, MA
• Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI
• Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, PA
• American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, VA …and many more.

Applications open September 2026

Participants will be selected through a competitive process with applications opening September 1, 2026.

^{Participation (including program travel, meals, and accommodations) is supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., which seeks to expand the discussion of religion throughout exhibition galleries, interpretation, and programming at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.}