Farah Despeignes

A Web Quest for a Course on African American Contributions to the attainment of the ideals of the American Constitution ( 9^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders)

Farah Despeignes Samuel Gompers High School

fdespeignes@surfree.com

fdespeignes@hotmail.com

amourenmer@yahoo.com

A STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ENDEAVORS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO A MORE EQUITABLE UNITED STATES: FROM THEIR ARRIVAL ON THE SHORES OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE PRESENT.

Would America have been America without her Negro People?

--W.E.B. Du Bois, African-American Philosopher

In all our deeds, the proper value and respect for time determines success or failure.

--Malcolm X, African-American Activist

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.

--Langston Hughes, African-American Poet

Success doesn’t come to you . . . you go to it.

--Marva Collins, African American Educator

Not everything that is faced can be changed until it is faced.

--James Baldwin, African American Author

INTRODUCTION

On the eve of the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson wrote these famous words in America’s Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Soon after independence, these famous words were written in the preamble of our constitution.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Thus the ideals and the principles that America was built on and that Americans hold dear are unequivocally clear. The problem is that these ideals and principles have not always and still do not hold true for every ethnic or racial group in America. In honor or in protest ( depending on how you want to look at it ) of Black history month, it has become imperative that we take a closer look at the black experience and examine the causes for the black exclusion in the American paradise, and re-examine the contributions of Black America to a more equitable America. Beware to stay away from such simplistic explanations- such as racism, ignorance, and indifference. Those are a given, what we are endeavoring here for is a more in-depth study of this problem.

TASK

The common myth has been that blacks have contributed little to the expansion of American greatness and democracy. In honor or protest of Black History Month, you have been selected to take a trip back in time and re-live the African-American experience. Your task is to explain to us the traumas and triumphs of blacks, beginning with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade; slavery itself, the Emancipation and the Reconstruction periods, the Great Migration of 1917, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and the post-Civil Rights era. From the slave trade to the civil war, the problem is obviously slavery and finding means of abolishing this social and economic system. From the emancipation to the turn of the 20^th century, the problem is obviously the black inability to rehabilitate itself from the shameful legacy of slavery and finding means of becoming self-sufficient and reliant. From the migration to the North to the Harlem Renaissance, the problem is obviously the black inability to break the racial barrier and give credence and valor to black culture and gain the acceptance of the white dominant culture. During the Civil Rights Movement, the problem is obviously the violation of black civil rights. And during the post-Civil Rights era the problem is obviously that of full integration- such as police brutality for instance.

The presumption is that during all these periods the United States could not live up to the ideals and principles of its own constitution. In fact, it has taken the struggles of blacks at every instance of our history to force us to become more true to our ideals of freedom and justice. It is with the active participation of blacks, whether it be through their labor and servitude, their artistic accomplishments, and their intellectual advancements that America can claim to have become one of the truer democracies in the world. As investigative “journalists” of the past, your duty is demystify the role blacks played in making America the great country and democracy that it is.

You may choose any political figure, artist, educator, scientist, activist, writer, or in short, any African-American who has contributed to a more equitable America from the time periods mentioned above, or a combination of any of these figures and time periods, to paint a truer picture of the African-American influence and contribution to America. We are only interested in that figure in the context of the social problem of the time period you have chosen. For example- if you choose to write about Harriet Tubman- you would not write about her personal life- but you would write about her only the context of slaves trying to gain their freedom and her contribution to solving this problem. You must create a 7-slide Power Point Presentation and write a 10 page report to show your subjects’ accomplishments, the context in which your subject achieved his/her accomplishments, the impact of the accomplishment(s), and the problems faced and transcended by your subject. You must use the 6-step public policy approach. Your first six slides must follow the approach below, and the seventh slide must list the names of your participants and your sources. Follow these steps for your analysis.

1. Define and describe the problem as it existed in your chosen time period (social conditions, players, public policies, and political atmosphere)

2. Gather evidence for this problem and how has it changed today.

3. Identify the causes for this problem, besides just the legacy of slavery.

4. Describe and evaluate the past public policies and the policies of today for this problem.

5. Develop alternative policies and solutions that would potentially eradicate this problem.

6. Select the best public policy solution for this problem then and today.

PROCESS

Follow the following guidelines for your 7-slide Power Point Presentation and your report.

1. Research the sources listed below in order to respond to the following questions.

2. Use the 6-step public policy before writing your report and before creating your slide boards for your 7-slide Power Point Presentation.

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/welcome.html

3. After you your 6 worksheets begin writing the first draft of your report and of your 7-slide boards on the paper provided.

4. Make sure your Power Point Presentation reflect your position as expressed in your written report.

5. Submit your written report and present your Power Point Presentation on your scheduled date.

RESOURCES

Texts: Any biography or autobiography on any African American who has contributed to America’s greatness, such as the following figures:

Muhammad Ali ● Martin Luther King, Jr. ● Louis Armstrong ● Thurgood Marshall ● Josephine Baker ● Toni Morrison ● Chuck Berry ● Jesse Owens ● Ralph Bunche ● Rosa Parks ● George Washington Carver ● Sidney Poitier ● Nat King Cole ● Colin Powell ● Frederick Douglass ● Jackie Robinson ● W.E.B Du Bois Harriet Tubman ● Duke Ellington ● Sojourner Truth ● Alex Haley ● Booker T. Washington ● Billie Holiday ● Ida B. Wells ● Langston Hughes ● Oprah Winfrey ● Jesse Jackson ● Malcolm X ● Zora Neale Hurston

Film:

The Eyes on the Prize series (done by PBS, which should be available in the library—school or public)

Web Sites:

1. Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: http://blackhistory.eb.com/

2. Black History Hotlist: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/bh_hotlist.html

3. InfoPlease Almanac: Black History Month: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhm1.html

4. Black History Page: http://members.aol.com/klove01/blackhis.htm

5. Black History Month 1999: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/blackhistory/

6. Stamp on Black History: http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=10320&url=10320/

7. February is Black History Month: http://www.dal.ca/~acswww/grfibhm.html

8. African American History: Black Nationalism: http://afgen.com/nationalism.html

9. Black History in Guelph and Wellington County: http://www.museum.guelph.on.ca/bhintro.htm

10. Atlantic Monthly: Black History, American History: http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/black/blahisin.htm

11. Black History.com: http://www.blackhistory.com/

12. Idaho Black History Museum: http://www.ibhm.org/

13. Black History of New Hampshire: http://www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/

14. Ancestry.com: Black History Month: http://www.ancestry.com/home/celebrate/blackhistory.htm

15. JSC Celebrates Black History Month: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/black_history/

16. History Channel Exhibits: Black History Month: http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/blackhist/

17. Why We Need Black History: http://www.dal.ca/~acswww/grwwnbhm.html

18. Dox Trash: http://www.slam.org/images/spex/BLKHIST/thrash.html

19. Black History Profiles: http://csmonitor.com/atcsmonitor/specials/bhmonth/

20. Black History Pages: http://blackhistorypages.com/Riots/

21. African American Perspectives: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/aap/aaphome.html

22. African American Odyssey: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aohome.html

23. The African American Mosaic: http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html

24. Church in the Southern Black Community: http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/

25. The African American Great Migration: http://www.northbysouth.org/

26. African American Women: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/collections/african-american-women.html

27. Afro-America Almanac: http://www.toptags.com/aama/

28. Black Facts: http://www.blackfacts.com/

29. Spartacus . . .: The Slave Trade: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/slavery.htm

30. Reconstruction and its Aftermath: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart5.html

31. Changing the Laws: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/changing_the_laws.htm

32. Harlem Renaissance: http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/harlem.html

PRESENTATION

www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/welcome.html

Sample “slide boards”

Slide 1

Picture + Explanation: Define and describe the problem as it existed in your chosen time period (social conditions, players, public policies, and political atmosphere).

Picture + Explanation: Gather evidence for this problem and how has it changed today.

Slide 2

Slide 3

Picture + Explanation: Identify the causes for this problem, besides just the legacy of slavery.

Picture + Explanation: Describe and evaluate the past public policies and the policies of today for this problem.

Slide 4

Slide 5

Picture + Explanation: Develop alternative policies and solutions that would potentially eradicate this problem.

Slide 6

Picture + Explanation: Select the best public policy solution for this problem then and today.

Slide 7

Cite all your sources

RUBRIC

BEGINNING

DEVELOPING

ACCOMPLISHED

EXEMPLARY

Score

Power

Point

Presentation

-exhibits no knowledge of the uses of P.P.

-presents a minimum amount of data to support the proposed policy

-exhibits little knowledge of the uses of P.P.

-presents audience with several sources of data in a logical format to support the proposed policy

-exhibits an acceptable amount of knowledge

of the uses of P.P.

-presents the audience with enough data in a logical, creative, and organized format to support the proposed policy

-exhibits a superior knowledge of the uses of P.P.

-presents the audience with an exceptional amount of data to support the proposed policy

Web Sites

Research

-too few links relevant to the proposed policy

-enough links but few support the proposed policy

-many links that support the proposed policy

-excellent use of a variety of links in which all support the proposed policy

Written Report

10-pages with

MLA style references

-incomplete but follows the 6 step PPA format

-does not use the conventions of standard written English

-complete with too few analyses of the PPA format for this topic

-exhibits a weak usage of the conventions of standard written English

-complete with sufficient analyses of the PPA format for this topic

-exhibits an acceptable usage of he conventions of standard written English

-complete with a superior understanding of the PPA format for this topic

-exhibits a strong use of the conventions of standard written English

Use of other

Sources, including biographies an autobiographies read

-does not use any other sources besides the web sites

-use few of the other sources besides the web sites

-use some of the other sources besides the web sites

-uses many of the other sources besides the web sites

Worksheet 1: What is the social problem?

Name: _________________________ Date: ___________

The social problem is the gender discrimination that existed in the acting profession during the English Renaissance period.

2. Identify all the players involved in this social problem.

____________________________________________________________

List at least three undesirable social conditions that result from this problem:

____________________________________________________________

Write a short description that summarizes the social problem and its effects on both male and potential female actors.

____________________________________________________________

Worksheet 2: Gathering evidence for this problem

Name: _______________________ Date: ________________

List the evidence of this problem:

__________________________________________________________

Worksheet 3: Identifying causes for this problem

Name: ________________________ Date: ___________

List several factors that contribute to the problem that has been identified. Support these factors with accurate evidence.

Worksheet 4: Evaluating the existing public policy

Name: _________________________ Date: ___________

The Problem: ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

State one of the major existing policies that attempts to deal with this social problem:

What are the advantages of this policy? (effectiveness, public acceptance, enforcement):

_______________________________________________________________

What are the disadvantages of this policy? (effectiveness, public acceptance, enforcement):

_______________________________________________________________

Based on your evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages, should

the current policy be totally replaced, or improved?

_______________________________________________________________

Worksheet 5: Developing public policy solutions

Name: _________________________ Date: ___________

The problem: ______________________________________________________

Propose at least 3 original public policy alternatives. Make sure that all of your public policy alternatives are at the same historical, geopolitical, and social level as the problem. Each alternative must specify the actual social, religious, or governmental agency that will carry out the proposed action. Rate the proposal that you consider the most promising first.

Discuss why you prefer the first alternative over the other two alternatives.

Worksheet 6: Selecting the best public policy solution

Name: ________________________ Date: ___________

The problem: ______________________________________________________

List 3 public policy alternatives from worksheet 5. Create a short title that summarizes each policy.

1. ______________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________

B. Use the format in the example to complete the matrix below:

FEASIBILITY

EFFECTIVENESS	HIGH	MEDIUM	LOW
HIGH
MEDIUM
LOW

C. Explain the reasons for your decisions in the matrix.

This web quest focuses on the following English Language Arts Performance Standards:

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a report of information.

E2e: Produce a persuasive essay.

E3a: Participate in one-to-one conference with the teacher.

E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

E3d: Make informed judgments about TV, radio, film.

E4b: Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

This web quest focuses on the following New York State Standards:

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Social Studies Learning Standards:

Standard 2: World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.