As a part of a bicentennial series celebrating Boston Athenaeum writers, Marshall Moriarty presents orator and statesman Daniel Webster (17821852); Representative Martha M. Walz presents activist Lydia Maria Child (18021880); and Daniel R. Coquillette presents sixth President of the U.S. John Quincy Adams (17671848).
Author Zoe Trodd follows the history of protest literature in the United States, looking at its use in movements ranging from pre-Revolutionary War to the present day. The presentation also includes Adoyo Owuor reading the Emancipation Proclamation, Timothy Patrick McCarthy reading Eugene v. Debs Statement to the Court, John Stauffer displaying a collection of 20th-century protest photography, and Doric Wilson presenting excerpts from his play Street Theater.
An mp3 of the presentation may be downloaded.
NAACP chairman Julian Bond reviews his experiences as an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement, including helping found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Poverty Law Center. He also talks about the continuing need for social action today, both combating racism and other social issues.
An mp3 version of the lecture audio can be downloaded.
Director of the Center for Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University, Gary Okihiro, delivers the keynote speech for the opening ceremonies of Boston College's Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. He discusses the difficulty of establishing an identity as an Asian-Pacific American and the history of Asian-Pacific Americans and Asian immigration to the U.S.
Author and professor Howard Zinn and professor James Green look at the Chicago Haymarket Riot of May 1886, in which a bomb killed several policeman at a Chicago labor rally, and the resulting trial and executions. They also discuss the history of the working class in the U.S. generally.
Father-and-son writers Steven and Paul Kendrick discuss the legal establishment of segregation (the concept of "separate but equal"), tracing it back to 1847. In that year, an African-American man sued the city of Boston, wanting his daughter to be able to attend a school closer to her home than the nearest all-black school. He was eventually defeated.
From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website:
"In 1807, Aaron Burr was tried and acquitted on charges of treason for his 'adventures' in the American West, but he had fallen out of favor in American life long before, after he had run for president against Thomas Jefferson, served a single term as vice president, and shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in an 1804 duel. A free spender, a womanizer, and the only Founding Father who was actually descended from the English aristocracy, Burr was famously secretive and conspiratorial, leaving little archival record of his dealings. In this lecture, historian Gordon Wood argues that Burr's true treason was not his actions in the West but his naked ambition, his lack of principals and character that made him a threat to the young republic."
NAACP Chairman of the Board Julian Bond talks about the views of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his emphasis on improving conditions for the working class as a whole. Bond criticizes current abuses and denials of civil rights and quality-of-life issues, and considers the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court cases on affirmative action.
Unpublished because Lesson Plan no longer exists at the Bill of Rights Institute Students apply rulings from Burr's Supreme Court trial to a contemporary case using historical documents.
Examining a historical Supreme Court case is a great opportunity to teach students about the past as well as about the precedents that shape the American legal landscape.
In this lesson, students examine the 1807 trial of Aaron Burr in which the former Vice President was indicted for treason. After examining Chief Justice John Marshall’s decision, students are asked to apply his interpretation of the Constitution to the more recent case of John Walker Lindh, American Taleb.
The lesson centers on three primary documents: Article III, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, an excerpt from Burr’s indictment, and an excerpt from Marshall’s ruling. These documents allow students to explore the legal definition of treason, the claims made against Burr, and Marshall’s reasons for finding Burr innocent. Examination of Lindh's case teaches students to apply Constitutional definitions and past interpretations thereof, in the form of legal precedent, to recent events.
While the primary documents are a bit challenging, they are accompanied by specific questions that help students identify key points in the texts. Teacher answer keys with multiple possible answers are included with all activities.
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This link provides useful background information for both teachers and students.
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Students are required to read two primary sources, excerpts from the Constitution, and secondary sources on a related contemporary case. Students are asked to write a 1-2 page response where they apply Marshall’s decision to this contemporary case.
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Student handout specifically asks students to consider source information.
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The text is a bit challenging, but the excerpts are brief and several guiding questions are included to help students identify key points.
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To help students interpret the documents, they are presented with questions that help them consider the source information of the document.
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While the main assessment asks students to consider a contemporary court case, the guiding questions and answer key for the historical documents focus on historical understanding.
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Colonial Williamsburg's Bob Doares looks at the variety of religious views held by North American colonists, including pilgrims, Puritans, and others. He discusses the state of religion and its connections with politics in England at the time, the tensions between religious groups in the colonies, and the gradual development of the idea of religious freedom.