Summary
Revolutionary Crossroads is a poster session that shows how geography shaped key events of the American Revolution. Developed through the Revolutionary Crossroads field experience with the Virginia Geographic Alliance, the presentation focuses on how rivers, terrain, and transportation routes in the Hudson and Mohawk River Valleys influenced movement, settlement, and military strategy. The poster provides simple, classroom-ready ideas that help students understand why history happened where it did while supporting America250 instruction.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | America250 through a Geographic Lens | U.S. History
Conference Room/Area
Commonwealth Hall
Meet The Presenter
Teaching in a rural, former coal-mining and tobacco growing region, Alex Long is both a History/Government/Appalachian History & folklore instructor, as well as an English literature instructor in Virginia and East Tennessee; in high school, and at two local universities. For the past twelve years, he has brought both high school and university students out of their shells to share their stories and understand our local histories and culture; all to better inform those around them and around the world. Additionally, he has been a guest lecturer for Eighteenth Century British Drama and Fiction at Oxford University for three years, as well as a lecturer in Scots-Irish/Appalachian folklore at the University of Edinburgh. All these experiences combined have led him to working with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum-Bristol to help visitors, students, and educators dig deeper into the rich and diverse culture they have in Appalachia. He is furthering his research into his area, along with the rest of Virginia, to continue sharing the importance Virginia still is in the history of our nation; along with the vitality of the Appalachian region in the early history and growth of the state and nation. This is in conjunction with sharing the “true” story of Appalachia as not a region of disparity, but of history which changed the world, rich storytelling, an Indigenous and European melting pot, and the agricultural lifeblood for our early nation through the recent 21st century.
Skyler Verloop teaches social studies and serves as the AVID Coordinator at Lewis High School in Springfield, Virginia. He is an advocate for place-based learning and college access, and has secured grants to provide students with experiential learning opportunities at colleges, museums, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Gettysburg National Military Park, and Shenandoah National Park. Skyler is dedicated to fostering student success, promoting critical thinking, and preparing students to pursue higher education and lifelong learning. He also serves as the Social Media Coordinator and Secretary for the Virginia Geographic Alliance, where he supports educators in advancing geographic literacy, spatial thinking, and community engagement.
