Baseball season is upon us, and so is an opportunity to bring it into your classroom. Since the 19th century, the history that has unfolded on and about the baseball field has paralleled that which has taken took place in the homes, businesses, and streets surrounding the American ball park. Join other educators, students, historians and scholars at HSP this Thursday, April 3rd for a lecture and  discussion of Philadelphia's very own Pythian Baseball club. This event offers Act 48/CEU credits and a topical unit plan is available for you too!

The Pythians was the first all black baseball club, playing their first full season in 1867. The team was founded and lead by Octavius Catto and Jacob C. White Jr., leaders in a society stricken and bound by racial contexts and tensions. The African American community of the Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. areas had an opportunity to play in a baseball league, comprised of both white and black teams.

The formation and legacy of the Pythians demonstrated the livelihood of the black civil rights movement early on. Register for the Thursday evening event today to become a part of that lesson we can take from history. And take a look at the unit plan, Baseball and Race in Post-bellum Pennsylvania, to bring a lesson about baseball, black history, and social movement into your classroom!