Harriet Tubman peformance at Plains High School Museum on Feb. 3, 2012

Women in History Program

at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site ~Plains High School Museum

February 3, 2012

Limited seating~Book early to reserve your seats!

Please complete the Field Trip Request Form and fax it to Annette Wise at 229-824-5556 or e-mail  plainsed@jimmycarter.info . You will receive a confirmation notice once your request is processed.

This is a free performance.

     

          Journey To Freedom

 

             Harriet Tubman A Journey to Freedom

This program is a dramatic presentation of the life story of Harriet Tubman, an American hero. It is a one-woman show that is appropriate for students studying this time frame in U.S. history. Harriet describes her childhood and her life as a slave on the Brodas plantation. When Harriet was a little girl she knew that freedom was her God given right and she often dreamed of being free. At the age of 29 Harriet made her daring escape and the audience travels with her on the road to freedom via the “Underground Railroad.” Artist wears period costume and sings songs that Harriet sang to alert the slaves she had come to lead them to freedom. This program is 45 minutes including a question and answer session.

 

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            Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross around 1820 on a plantation in Maryland. She worked as a house servant for a short period of time before becoming a field hand. Harriet escaped from the bonds of slavery in the summer of 1849. She traveled by night through Maryland, Delaware and finally to Philadelphia. She made 19 trips back down south to lead other slaves, including her parents to freedom. She soon became known as the “Moses,” of her people. Her trips were carefully planned and brilliantly executed by the use of the “Underground Railroad,” an ever-changing series of secret hiding places. During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union Army as a spy, scout, and hospital nurse. After the war she made her home in Auburn, NY where she lived until her death on March 10, 1913.

Women in History Program

at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site ~Plains High School Museum

February 3, 2012

Limited seating~Book early to reserve your seats!

Please complete the Field Trip Request Form and fax it to Annette Wise at 229-824-5556 or e-mail  plainsed@jimmycarter.info . You will receive a confirmation notice once your request is processed.

This is a free performance.

 

 

Teacher/Parent_____________________________________________

 

Phone number __________________________ Fax________________

 

e-mail ____________________________________________________

 

 

Total number of seats needed for your group_____________________

 

Performances will be at 9:30 and 10:45

First choice ______________

 

We ________________________ visit the 1930s Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm after the performance.

                 (will or will not)

January 20, 1977 – From Plains to The White House

Picture from the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum

 January 20, 1977

President Jimmy Carter holds hands with Amy(daughter) and Rosalynn Carter as they strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue on this very cold day 35 years ago! Jimmy Carter had won the 1976 Presidential election and this day thirty-five years ago is when he took the Oath of Office and gave his first speech as President of the United States. The speech began with a quote from his high school English teacher, Julia Coleman. ”We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”  

Hear excerpt from President Carter’s speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgD179mgMow

CBS coverage and the Oath of Office  at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxXB4GDlks0&feature=related

Additional classroom activities and speeches are located at www.jimmycarter.info

Free field trips to Jimmy Carter’s Hometown are available through the Jimmy Carter NHS Education Program. You can visit the 1976 Campaign Headquarters, the 1930s Boyhood Farm or Plains High School Museum. All field trip experiences are based on the Georgia Performance Standards. For more information go to www.jimmycarter.info

Would you like for your students to walk into the Oval Office? You can visit the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta. The museum has many interactive exhibits and students can actually walk into a replica of the Oval Office. For addtional information go to www.jimmycarterlibrary.org

Tags: Field trips, Inaugual address of Jimmy Carter, Plains Georgia, President Jimmy Carter

The Depot

The 1976 Presidential Campaign Headquarters for Jimmy Carter was in Plains, Georgia. The Depot was vacant and was rented by the Carters to use as a base for their campaign. Volunteers ran the headquarters and visited people as they ventured to Plains in hopes of meeting Jimmy Carter and talking with him. Thousands came  and the town really went through a transformation from a sleepy, little agricultural based town to a spot that was thrust into the world-wide spotlight. The businesses began to cater to the needs of reporters and tourist.

The platform in the picture is located on the side of the depot and was often the spot where candidate Jimmy Carter gave speeches. All the streets would be closed with as many as ten thousand crowded into Plains to see and hear Jimmy Carter.

For more information about the Depot, go to www.jimmycarter.info and look at the multimedia section.

Today, visitors can tour the Depot which is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Teachers can request special lessons and activities for school groups. To book a field trip go to www.jimmycarter.info and click on Field Trips.

From Plains to The White House – 35 years ago!

Bernstine (Wright) Hollis from Plains was just one of the thousands of Georgians that worked during the Presidential campaign days. Many people from Plains, like Bern, spent countless hours greeting visitors at the Depot and traveling around the country campaigning for their neighbor and friend from Plains. After the election in 1976, the Carters began to prepare for their move to Washington, DC.  Several people from Plains accepted positions in Washington. Bern Hollis was one of those asked to move. She accepted the offer and thus began her journey to Washington.

On January 20, 1977 following the swearing in as the 39th President of the United States of America, President Jimmy Carter thanked his predecssor, President Gerald Ford  ”for all he had done to heal our land.” Then, President Carter quoted his English teacher, Miss Julia Coleman…   “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”

In front of President Carter was the Bible used in the inauguration of our first President, in 1789. President Carter took the Oath of Office on the Bible his mother, Lillian Carter, had given him several years earlier. A passage from this Bible was incoporataed into his inauguration speech. To hear the 1977 speech, go to www.jimmycarter.info or www.jimmycarterlibrary.org

Plains High School ~ The Official State School of Georgia

Plains High School was built in 1921. Although it was named Plains High School it was a school for 1st graders – 11th graders. The 12th grade was not added until the 1950s. The most famous graduates of the school are Jimmy and Rosalynn Smith Carter.  Jimmy Carter graduated in 1941 and Rosalynn Smith Carter graduated in 1944.

One of the teachers, Miss Julia Coleman, who later served as Principal and then Superintendent of the school often told the students to “Study hard, one of you may be President one day.”  Little did anyone know that one day one of the students would become President of the United States of America and another would become First Lady.

Miss Julia had a tremendous impact on many students, Jimmy Carter, being one of them.  In 1977, President Carter quoted Miss Julia in his inauguration speech and in 2002 he once again paid tribute to his former English teacher and quoted her in his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech.

Plains High School closed in 1976 due to schools in Sumter County being consolidated. The school reopened in 1996 as the main visitors center for the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. In 1997, Governor Zell Miller, signed a bill designating it the Official State School of Georgia – one of our state symbols. For more information about Plains High School go to www.jimmycarter.info.

2012 Race for the White House

Plains, Georgia became the campaign headquarters for Jimmy Carter in 1976. The Carter’s rented the old Plains Depot to use as their headquarters and volunteers greeted visitors to the town during the campaign days. Many of Jimmy Carter’s speeches were given from the old depot platform. Now the depot is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site and is open from 9:00AM-5:00PM each day. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about the 1976 campaign and the history of the hometown of the 39th President of the United States of America.

Plains went through many changes during the campaign years and presidential years. Many of the stores changed through the years to accommodate the needs of the tourist. Before the campaign days, Plains was a sleepy, little agricultural community. Now, thousands of visitors come to Plains each year to visit the Depot, Plains High School Museum and the 1930s Boyhood Farm.

In 1996 an Education Program was established and continues to offer curriculum based field trips for K-12 grade students. To learn more about these free field trips go to www.jimmycarter.info

Flat Stanley’s Thursday Adventure

June 15, 2011

Flat Stanley was glad to see the lighting last night. He thinks it is pretty neat to watch it in such an open place. The big city lights don’t interfere with the big flashes from the storm. This was the first rain Plains had since Flat Stanley arrived here for his summer vacation.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

 

Summer Days in Plains

Georgia is experiencing some really hot weather this summer but there are many opportunities to stay cool! We hope you will make plans to visit Plains High School Museum. There’s a great video in the auditorium that focuses on the history of Plains and former President Carter’s political career. If you have kids, you make want to visit the Flat Stanley Summer Reading Program exhibit and let them write about their trip to Plains!