This episode of Chicano! chronicles the efforts of farm workers to form a national labor union under the nonviolent leadership of César Chávez.
This episode of Chicano! paints a picture of the struggle to reform an education system that failed to properly education Mexican American students.
This episode of Chicano! focuses on the emergence of Mexican Americans political activism and the creation of a third political party, La Raza Unida.
When the United States Government’s land grabs put his people in harm’s way, this Menominee leader pushed back and proposed a new plan to protect their homeland and way of life.
Resources available for exploring this story include:
- A short animated video with captions and transcripts in English and Spanish
- A short biography book accessible as a slide deck, with per-page audio for listening along, and maps of key locations in the story
- Questions that can be used for conversation, reflection, and connection with the story
- A historical image gallery full of primary and secondary sources to explore
- A guide for activating the media with learners that includes story stats, extension activity ideas, and standards supported
This story is part of Wisconsin Biographies, a collection of educational media resources for grades 3-6. Explore the full collection at pbswisconsineducation.org/biographies.
Goin' Someplace Special is a 2001 children's book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is about a young African American girl, Tricia Ann, who goes to the public library by herself during the time of the Jim Crow Laws in America. Along the way, Tricia Ann encounters multiple forms of segregation. The book is quasi-autobiographical in nature in that author Patricia McKissack has indicated that as a young girl growing up during that era of American history, she had encountered various forms of segregation; the library, where her love of writing began, was often times her place of refuge. It is my personal opinion that this book be delivered as a classroom read aloud, with the teacher having spent time prior to delivery both sharpening one's own background knowledge in the civil rights era of American history as well as preparing criticasl thinking questions to use throughout the read aloud.
This lecture course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the international relations of the People's Republic of China. China's foreign relations during the Cold War as well as contemporary diplomatic, security and economic issues will be examined to identify and explain China's foreign policy goals and their implementation since 1949. Throughout, this course will investigate the sources of conflict and cooperation in China's behavior, assessing competing explanations for key events and policies. Readings will be drawn from political science, history, and international relations theory.
" China's rise as a great power raises important questions about how that power might be used in its relations with other states. Nowhere are such questions more salient than in the future trajectory of China's conflict behavior, including its approach to deterrence, crisis management and the use of force. To explore these important questions in China's international relations, this seminar examines the evolution of Chinese strategic thought, in primary sources as well as its reflection in the interactions among Chinese states and between China and other states."
In this autobiographical sketch published in 1903 in the Independent magazine (which ran a series of about eighty short autobiographical "lifelets" of "undistinguished Americans" between 1902 and 1906), Chinese immigrant Lee Chew looked back on his passage to America, and his years as a launderer and merchant on both the East and West coasts.
In this lesson, students will learn about the Los Angeles Chinese Massacre of 1871, and identify the causes by examining the attitudes and policies of the time. They will learn about and analyze other massacres that have occurred in the United States in order to gain a better and more nuanced understanding of how and why these acts of violence occur. Lastly, students will research the process for reparations and consider how to address and rectify the harm of such injustices.
Content Warning:
This lesson includes discussion of and materials discussing or depicting xenophobia, Sinophobia, and racial violence, including lynchings. Please let students know that this lesson will cover these topics and approach discussions with care.
Teaching these topics and having these discussions can be difficult. Here are two resources that may be helpful for planning and facilitating lessons and activities on difficult topics: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations About Race and Racism in the Classroom [run time: 00:04:59] and Let’s Talk! | Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics with Students [24 pages].
From the Asian American Education Project
Who should be responsible for determining the content and materials that are included in school curricula? The House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held hearings to discuss this issue. In this lesson, students will hear testimony from elected officials, people in the education community as well as a trailblazer in the Civil Rights Movement as they offer their perspectives on issues that should be addressed in educational settings as well as student access to materials such as books. The extension activity provides additional viewpoints from parents and students who testified during the hearing as well. Students will engage in activities to deliberate responses to this question.
The U.S. Constitution established the two bodies that comprise the U.S. Congress: The House of Representatives and the Senate. With candidates competing for seats in each chamber every election cycle, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to explore their members in the House of Representatives and how they represent their constituents as a fundamental part of civic literacy.
Throughout history, U.S. presidents have carved out their relationships with the press. In this lesson, students will hear from author and historian Harold Holzer as he discusses how several presidents, from George Washington to Donald Trump, navigated their interactions with the media and implemented strategies to communicate with the press, some of which are still used today.
In this 90-minute lesson, students will be able to:
-Analyze potential careers based on salary, stability, growth, training, and responsibilities
-Explore different career options based on your interests
-Understand how to use an informational interview to gather details on a target career
In the late 19th century, Irish-Catholic immigrants and their children were a bulwark of the New York Democratic Party and especially the machine politicians of Tammany Hall. In the mayoral election of 1886, Tammany fought hard to retain the support of these Irish-Catholic voters in the race between Democrat Abram Hewitt and United Labor Party candidate Henry George. While Catholic Church leaders opposed George and actively worked to prevent his election, Father Edward McGlynn enthusiastically backed his candidacy and praised him in this 1886 interview. Several years earlier McGlynn had read George's Progress and Poverty and had become a committed supporter of his single-tax economic theories. McGlynn's persistent labor activism led to his excommunication in 1887. Although pressure from liberal Catholics brought about his reinstatement in 1892, his superior soon transferred him to upstate New York--thereby removing his voice from the local labor scene.
From the task itself on the Webquest: "Now that our class has completed reading A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, you are going to embark on a journey to ensure that Scrooge does not revert back to his miserly ways. In order to ensure this, you will work both individually and together as a team. Many of the tasks will be completed online, but some involve other skills. Follow these steps and you will help keep Scrooge from ever becoming a misanthrope again!"
These activities include: A Scavenger Hunt that provides links to various sites that enable to students to develop a deeper understanding of Victorian England as the setting of the text; a Holiday Menu (exploring cultural aspects of the holiday); Apology Letters written as Scrooge to various characters); Symbolic Tokens (to enable Scrooge to remember his lessons); all compiled as a group 'gift', which I thought was a wonderful symbol of just exactly what learning is :)
This Wide Angle video reports on the sale of The Sacred Heart Church in central Limerick, Ireland which has been holding services for almost 150 years.
In this study of the letters of John Adams and John Quincy Adams from 1774 to 1793, two central themes are highlighted — how Adams unfolded his “curriculum” for citizen leadership, and how his point of view changed from parent-teacher to mentor-guide as John Quincy entered the realm of American political life. To Adams, a citizen leader of the United States needed to exhibit upstanding moral character and self-discipline, acquire a solid foundation in classical learning, develop keen insight into the political dynamics of a democracy, and accept the challenges and sacrifices of public life. As his son grew from a child into a young man, John Adams fostered these qualities through the long-distance medium of letters.
Citizen participation is everywhere. Invoking it has become de rigueur when discussing cities and regions in the developing world. From the World Bank to the World Social Forum, the virtues of participation are extolled: from its capacity to ŰĎdeepen democracyŰ to its ability to improve governance, there is no shortage to the benefits it can bring. While it is clear that participation cannot possibly ŰĎdoŰ all that is claimed, it is also clear that citizen participation cannot be dismissed, and that there must be something to it. Figuring out what that something is -- whether it is identifying the types of participation or the contexts in which it happens that bring about desirable outcomes is the goal of the class.
This podcast explains one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions in modern history; the case that defined campaign donations as speech and therefore protected under the First Amendment, regardless of who made them. This episode explains the history of the case, PACs, Super PACs, the ruling, the effect of the decision on our campaign system, as well as some common misconceptions.
Our guides through the case are Professor Jeff Bone from Saint Joseph's University, Maggie Severns from Grid, and Professor Hye Young You from New York University.
Chinese immigrants began arriving to the United States in the early 1800s to fill the need for cheap labor. Soon, white workers began to see them as a source of competition. Amidst a climate of anti-Chinese sentiment, the U.S. passed several pieces of legislation to exclude Chinese immigrants from entering the country beginning in the 1870s. In 1882, the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first in a series of laws explicitly used to limit immigration based on race. Other immigration laws followed to exclude additional Asian groups. In this lesson, students will examine the causes and effects of exclusion laws targeting early Asian immigrants. They will research related events and legislation to explore the historical and political contexts of the anti-Chinese exclusion acts.
Content Warning:
This lesson will include discussions and depictions of xenophobia, Sinophobia, race-based hate, and racial violence. If needed, provide a content or a trigger warning so that students are aware of potentially traumatic material. Also, allow students time to process and provide them an opportunity to journal their thoughts and feelings. If available, work with your school’s mental health professionals to provide counseling as needed.
From the Asian American Education Project