Abstract
Pre-service teachers often view the Civil War as a distant, regionally isolated event with little relevance to their own lives, particularly in northern states. This perception presents a challenge in social studies methods courses, where engagement with complex historical issues is essential. This paper explores how local historical markers can reposition the Civil War as a lived and local history rather than a remote national narrative. Drawing on instructional practice in a Methods of Teaching Social Studies course aligned with InTASC and Indiana REPA standards, the article examines the integration of a Frederick Douglass-related historical marker in Indiana to foster place-based learning and historical inquiry. The paper argues that historical markers are effective pedagogical tools for increasing relevance, historical empathy, and critical engagement in social studies instruction, while providing strategies to incorporate strategies in history courses.
Recommended Citation
Dutcher, Dr. Abigail
(2026)
"Historical Markers: Making History Relevant,"
The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal: Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/glssj.06.01.09
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/glssj/vol6/iss1/9
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25035/glssj.06.01.09