Introduction: The Elements of Historical Thinking in The Soul of America

Explain to students that over the course of this unit they will:

*Expand their knowledge of U.S. history

*Learn about the work of historian Jon Meacham 

*Strengthen critical media literacy skills by watching documentary film and interview clips from The Soul of America 

*Explore different aspects of historical thinking skills, such as:
     -Examining the construction of a historical argument and a historical narrative
     -Exploring the same historical event through multiple historians’ points of view 
     -Analyzing different source materials to evaluate if they provide applicable historical evidence

1. Invite students to interview one another in several rapid rounds of questioning. Students should take notes and be prepared to share their answers with each other.

*What is history? 

*What is historical evidence?

*What is a historical argument? 

*What is a historical narrative? 

2. Transition to posting these true/false statements. 

(Project, post in a shared online classroom, or if possible, create an online poll using a Google form.)

*History is an account of the past. T/F

*Accounts of history differ depending on one’s perspective. T/F

*We rely on evidence to construct accounts of the past. T/F

*We must question the reliability of each piece of evidence. T/F

*All evidence is equal when constructing accounts of the past. T/F

*Any single piece of evidence is insufficient to build a plausible account of a historical event, individual, movement, or era. T/F

Summarize for students these foundational ideas for the study of history: 

*Historians look at the past, use evidence to argue how ideas or events unfolded, and help us understand why they occurred.

*Hard evidence is necessary to present an argument.

*We understand that history is constructed. It’s a narrative built by historians.

*Creating an argument based on reliable evidence is one way to ensure more objective understandings of the past.

3. Transition from this overview to introducing Jon Meacham, a contemporary historian of American politics, presidents, and other topics in American studies, by sharing portions of a keynote speech he delivered. What do students learn about Jon Meacham from the Handout: Jon Meacham Speech, Four Seasons Hotel?

Teacher Note: For students interested in learning more about Jon Meacham, see the biographical snapshot in the Screening Guide for The Soul of America.

Next, dig a bit deeper into Jon Meacham’s perspective by sharing a short film clip from the beginning of the documentary The Soul of America. Explain to students that after watching the film you will be distributing a written transcript of the excerpt for a pair/share exercise. 

1. Watch Film Clip 1: "The Soul of America" - Introduction, (4:15) 

Begins: “It is not unexpected that in these politically tumultuous times …”  

Ends: “It was true in the (decades), and it’s true today.”

2. Distribute Handout Two: Film Clip Transcript. Have students work through their ideas in pairs.

*Identify (underline/highlight) what they understand as Jon Meacham’s argument about the soul of America.

*In their own words, describe their understanding of the soul of America.

*Discuss the dueling forces of struggle and aspiration or hope within the idea of the soul of America.

*Choose a spokesperson to summarize your idea of the soul of America and the role of struggle and hope for the class.

Class Discussion. Have students return to a full class. Ask spokespeople to share a summary of their understanding of what comprises the soul of America and where the role of struggle and feeling of hope fits into their idea.

Ask students to brainstorm examples of useful historical evidence making sure that personal testimony, journals, newspapers, photographs, are included in their list. 

Share that in these lessons they will be practicing analysis skills to evaluate the value, credibility, and use of different pieces of historical evidence. Likely, photographs will be mentioned as one example. Explain that with technological advances such as Photoshop so accessible, altering images has become easier and more widespread making it important for students to examine their veracity when choosing one as historical evidence to support an argument.

While not included within the scope of these lessons, this evaluative exercise can tie to previous or future examinations on the subjectivity of history and historical evidence. 

Analyzing Historical Evidence: Photographs

1.  Ask students, “When you think about iconic photographs from American history, what comes to mind?” 

For example, Jon Meacham claims in the opening film clip, “There was white anxiety about cultural identity, about economic opportunity, that inspired the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. It was a terrorist organization that was devoted to white supremacy. In 1925 and ’26, 50,000 Klansmen marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in what was a remarkable but not stunning public display.” 

Ask: How would he know this? 

2. Discuss the types of evidence and a historian would need to analyze in order to claim this march occurred in 1925 and 1926. If necessary, refer to the list of brainstormed examples of useful historical evidence.

Historical Evidence Questions

3. Ask students: “What questions does a historian, and do you, need to ask in order for a photograph to be evaluated as a reliable piece of evidence?” Brainstorm together while guiding students to articulate questions in the direction of evidence evaluation. If necessary, fill in with these questions: 

*Where and when was the photograph taken?

*Why was the photograph taken?

*Do we know who took the photograph? 

*Do we know anything about the context in which the photograph was taken?

*Was the photograph published? Where?

*How may the photograph have been altered? Why is this important to know?

4. Project this image: https://www.loc.gov/item/2001706338/ and lead students through the process of evaluation.

Ask: Is this one photograph enough evidence to support the claim by Meacham about the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s? What other evidence could support this claim? How is this photograph useful? 

Image Roundtable 

Distribute Handout Three: Analyzing Historical Photographs

5. Once questions are collected and agreed upon, explain that students will now be evaluating a small selection of images from the case studies highlighted in The Soul of America. 

Organize students into small groups. Each group will need to:

*Access the images via a shared classroom folder.

*Evaluate each photograph using their questions and the Analyzing Historical Photographs handout.

*Reach consensus on if the photograph is a useful as a piece of historical evidence.

*Have a group spokesperson defend the group’s decision.

Image One: Model the process of image analysis by applying these questions to this photograph without sharing the caption. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017660612/. Go through the historical evidence questions the class compiled.

Note: This photograph is a good example,  as it may appear to be  from the Civil War, given the uniforms, but it is not. Share caption: Company B, Confederate Veterans of Nashville, Tennessee, at reunion in Memphis, 1924.

Return to Handout Three: Analyzing Historical Images

Image Two: Women’s Suffrage

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ggbain.13711/ - 

[Caption] Suffragettes on way to Boston between 1910 and 1915

Image Three: FDR and Japanese Incarceration

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004665381/ - Oakland, Calif., Mar. 1942 

Caption: A large sign reading “I am an American” placed in the window of a store, at [401 - 403 Eighth] and Franklin streets, on December 8, the day after Pearl Harbor. The store was closed following orders to persons of Japanese descent to evacuate from certain West Coast areas. The owner, a University of California graduate, will be housed with hundreds of evacuees in War Relocation Authority centers for the duration of the war.

Image Four: McCarthy and the Press 

If possible: https://www.loc.gov/item/2010646093/

Or https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/hollywood-ten-men-who-refused-839762

Image Five: LBJ & MLK

http://www.lbjlibrary.net/collections/photo-archive/photolab-detail.html?id=1563

LBJ meeting with MLK, Whitney Young, and James Farmer in the Oval Office

End class with a reflective writing assignment.  

Distribute Handout Four: Reflective Writing and clarify any questions about the assignment.