Sixteen AOTWS Teacher Scholars traveled to Boston Massachusetts during the week of June 28th through July 3, 2010 to participate in the 2010 Backpack Historian Field experience, First Contact to Freedom.

Each day teachers explored significant spaces and places in early American History from the traditional and international perspectives. The themes, scholars, and sites that the teachers worked with included:

• Day 1 - The Revolution in a Global Context, Dr. Pauline Maier (M.I.T), Lexington & Concord

• Day 2 - The Freedom Trail and Transatlantic Relations, Dr. William Fowler (Northeastern), The Freedom Trail and the USS Constitution Museum.

• Day 3 -What did John Adams Know? Early American Diplomacy & Constitutional Law, Dr. Dennis Hale (Boston College), Massachusetts Historical Society

• Day 4 - Colonial New England: An Everyday Perspective, Dr. John Demos (Yale University), Plimoth Plantation

• Day 5 - History through Architecture, Boston by Foot, Beacon Hill

This experience marked the culmination of a year of immersive professional development in which each Teacher Scholars participated in interactive lectures, hands-on workshops, and research and curriculum design.