Courtesy of Library of Congress
Students have explored, researched, and analyzed Jon Meacham's historical argument. They have viewed clips from the film, analyzed primary source documents and photographs, and reflected upon our better angels and worst instincts. In this final lesson, students will conceive of their own argument on the soul of America.
Materials
*Previous Exit Tickets of students
*Optional: Transcript of Jon Meacham Speech: St. Sebastian (edited for brevity)
Length: One 55-minute class period to explain assignment and have students begin in class. The time needed to complete their demonstration of their argument will vary.
After exploring, researching, and analyzing Jon Meacham’s historical argument, explain to students that they will now be drafting their own historical argument on the soul of America.
As an introduction to this assignment, share this quote from Meacham and take a moment to discuss students’ reactions and reflections.
“There have been three great inflection points in terms of the broad identity politics in the American context—abolition, emancipation, suffrage, and then the end of Jim Crow. A common lesson there is that the leadership classes lagged behind the activist classes. The activists were right longer than the leadership was. And what I would hope is that in telling that story, we would prompt people to say, what are the activists telling us that we’re not either listening closely enough to or not reacting to? Because if the voices of abolition were right early, and they were, and the voices for suffrage were right early, and they were, and the voices against Jim Crow were right early, and they were, what are the voices now that are right and early and we’re not paying attention to?”
—Jon Meacham
Share this writing prompt: Based upon the historical case studies examined in The Soul of America, what do you believe constitutes the soul of America today?
Optional: Assign students to read the abridged transcript that Jon Meacham gave at St. Sebastian School in Needham, Massachusetts on September 11, 2019.
Have students return to their Exit Ticket summaries and select one they believe will support their argument about what constitutes the “soul of America.” Their historical argument can take a creative form, but needs to have a well written component and be concise.
Here are several options to consider:
Podcast (script included)
Short film (script included)
Photo essay (artist statement)
Op-Ed
Speech for an event or local rally
As they build their argument, make sure they include:
*A description of the event or era from the past they are drawing from
*The context in which the event unfolds
*Evidence from the past and the present to support the argument
*How the historical event connects to a contemporary issue
D2.Civ.8.9-12. Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles
D2.Civ.10.9-12. Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights and human rights
D2.His.1.9-12. Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
D2.His.3.9-12. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context
D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
D2.His.5.9-12. Analyze how historical contexts shaped and continue to shape people’s perspectives.
D2.His.6.9-12. Analyze the ways in which the perspectives of those writing history shaped the history that they produced.
D2.His.7.9-12. Explain how the perspectives of people in the present shape interpretations of the past.
D2.His.8.9-12. Analyze how current interpretations of the past are limited by the extent to which available historical sources represent perspectives of people at the time.
D2.His.12.9-12. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.
D2.His.14.9-12. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.
D2.His.15.9-12. Distinguish between long-term causes and triggering events in developing a historical argument.
D2.His.16.9-12. Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.
D2.His.17.9-12. Critique the central arguments in secondary works of history on related topics in multiple media in terms of their historical accuracy.
D3.1.9-12. Gather relevant information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.
D3.3.9-12. Identify evidence that draws information directly and substantively from multiple sources to detect inconsistencies in evidence in order to revise or strengthen claims.
D3.4.9-12. Refine claims and counterclaims attending to precision, significance, and knowledge conveyed through the claim while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both
D4.1.9-12. Construct arguments using precise and knowledgeable claims, with evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging counterclaims and evidentiary weaknesses.
D4.2.6-8. Construct explanations using reasoning, correct sequence, examples, and details with relevant information and data, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the explanations.
D4.2.9-12. Construct explanations using sound reasoning, correct sequence (linear or non-linear), examples, and details with significant and pertinent information and data, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the explanation given its purpose (e.g., cause and effect, chronological, procedural, technical).
D4.3.9-12. Present adaptations of arguments and explanations that feature evocative ideas and perspectives on issues and topics to reach a range of audiences and venues outside the classroom using print and oral technologies (e.g., posters, essays, letters, debates, speeches, reports, and maps) and digital technologies (e.g., Internet, social media, and digital documentary).
D4.4.9-12. Critique the use of claims and evidence in arguments for credibility.