History/Politics trip to New York & Washington by air: 7 days, 5 nights

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: A guided walking tour in the Financial District, the financial capital of the world. A relative theme is the Wall Street stock market crash in October 1929 when the world economy was plunged into the Great Depression.
Select says: You will pass by the Federal Hall National Memorial – George Washington was inaugurated on the balcony of the original Federal Hall.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Created as a living memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust, the Museum honours those who died by celebrating their lives. The core Exhibition and award-winning special exhibitions present the 20th and 21st century experience from the perspective of those who lived it. New generations are taught how to recognize and fight contemporary instances of injustice and oppression.
Select says: Aspects of the collection which contribute to areas of the curriculum include: Holocaust ghettos and camps, Nazi and collaborationist materials, non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and Jewish participation in the Civil Rights Movement.

Subject range: Art, History

What you’ll experience: It’s hard to imagine the city without picturing this iconic building of the New York skyline. The views from the observation decks are particularly beautiful at sunset. The visit also includes the newly restored lobby with its beautiful art deco ceiling murals, the historical Dare To Dream Exhibit, the new Sustainability Exhibit, and an interactive audio device. Find out more here.
Select says: The view of the building is also amazing. The Empire State Building’s tower lights have maintained a tradition of changing colour to recognize various occasions throughout the year. In 2012, a new computer driven LED light system was installed capable of displaying 16 million colours.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: A guided tour of Harlem is a fantastic opportunity for students to walk in the footsteps of history with possibilities including passing the club where Billie Holiday once sang and seeing where Malcolm X delivered his speech in 1963.
Select says: A wonderful tour for bringing aspects of the curriculum to life for your students, and aid their understanding of the contributions that 1960’s Harlem made to the American Civil Rights Movement.

Subject range: Science, Cultural, History

What you’ll experience: One of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world. Located in park-like grounds across the street from Central Park, the museum complex has 27 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibition halls. The museum collections contain over 32 million specimens of plants, humans, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts, of which only a small fraction can be displayed at any given time.
Select says: We recommend a shorter visit that focuses on areas of the museum that best meet the students’ learning requirements especially the ‘Human Origins and Cultural Halls’ where you will find the ‘Hall of Plains Indians’. The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall may also be of interest. Further information and an interactive floorplan is available and can be printed prior to your visit.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: A group visit to the New-York Historical Society gives students the opportunity to experience a taster from over 1.6 million works of art and 40,000 objects that tell compelling stories about New York and the nation’s history. Look out for new additions to the museum – in December 2016, the fourth floor will be transformed into a new destination for historical education.
Select says: The museum offers a variety of educational options suitable for different themes covered by the various exam board specifications. Please see their website and contact us for further details and to view current and upcoming exhibitions relating to learning requirements.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: An optional opportunity to travel via Philadelphia and Gettysburg on your coach journey between cities. In Philadelphia you can visit the symbolic Liberty Bell at Independence Hall, the birthplace of America where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed. At Gettysburg students can visit the famous battlefield of the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. There is also a museum and visitor Centre at the Gettysburg National Military Park sight.
Select says: Find out more about the Liberty Bell here.
Resources relating to Gettysburg are from the Gettysburg Foundation website.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The Lincoln Memorial is a monument built to honour the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, across from the Washington Monument. The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. There are inscriptions of two of Lincoln’s famous speeches – The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address.
Select says: This was also the site where Martin Luther King made his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Honouring the men and women who served in the controversial Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial chronologically lists the names of more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service during the Vietnam Conflict. The memorial also includes ‘The Three Servicemen’ statue and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.
Select says: On the National Park Service website, Park Ranger Jeff Jones briefly describes the significance of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – useful for pre and post tour classwork.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The Washington Monument is an obelisk that dominates the United States Capital, built to commemorate George Washington the first American president. It is constructed from marble, granite and gneiss.
Select says: The monument is the world’s tallest freestanding stone structure at more than 555 feet.

Subject range: Art, Cultural, History

What you’ll experience: Covering an amazing 843 acres in the heart of Manhattan, there’s no one way to get to Central Park. The park covers the land from 59th Street to 110th Street between Fifth Avenue and Central Park West (Eighth Avenue). There is much to see including statues, fountains and the famous Wollman ice rink in the winter months.
Select says: A visit to the central park website gives detailed information so that you can narrow down what to see and do.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. You may also choose to visit the ‘White House Visitors Center’ which features many aspects of the White House, including its architecture, furnishings, first families, social events, and relations with the press and world leaders.
Select says: Interactive tours are available on the White House website for pre tour work and post tour follow up.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: This building is majestic and richly ornamented – it serves as both home to the Court and the symbol of its importance as a co-equal, independent branch of government. 30-minute tour programs are designed to introduce visitors of all ages to the judicial functions of the Supreme Court, the history of the building, and the architecture of the courtroom. The Supreme Court Building was designed by Cass Gilbert and built from 1931 to 1935. The Court first sat in the building on Monday, October 7, 1935.
Select says: Architectural information describing many of the building’s sculptural elements may be obtained from the Visitor Desk on the ground floor.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The Senate and the House of Representatives have met within the Capitol building for more than two centuries and it is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. The Capitol Visitor Center is the newest addition to this historic complex. The entire facility is located underground on the east side of the Capitol so as not to detract from the appearance of the Capitol and the grounds.
Select says: Look out for the numerous huge canvases with scenes of American history on the walls. The dome is painted with the huge fresco ‘The Apotheses of Washington’.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Union Station is a major train station, transportation hub, and leisure destination. Visited by 32 million people a year, Union Station is one of the busiest train stations in the country. The station opened in 1907 and at its height during World War II some 200,000 people passed through it every day. In 1988 a new headhouse wing was constructed to the north and the original station renovated for use as a shopping mall.
Select says: For pre-tour there is a detailed history of Union Station available on their website.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The National Museum of American History preserves and displays an enduring record of American past in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. The Museum collects artifacts of all kinds from gowns to locomotives. Tours are self-guided.
Select says: Among the items on display is the original Star-Spangled Banner.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Students can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience and how it helped to shape the nation. Check their website for current exhibitions.
Select says: Workshops are possible and there are some free resources available via their website.