How Should We Fight for Our Rights?

Investigating a Key Question in U.S. History

with 10th and 11th Grade ESL Students

Taylor Casarez

March 6, 2011

EDUC 304

Overview
This five day unit is designed to study one of the key questions in U.S.
History: How should oppressed individuals fight for greater political and
economic freedom? Within the freedom struggles of racial minorities and
working-class people there have been two opinions concerning how best to
struggle for rights. One opinion holds that equality will only come through
active agitation for political rights. Groups like the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC) have focused on using the Supreme Court and
other government bodies to actively combat racism in American society. A
competing opinion, supported by groups like the American Indian Movement
and the Nation of Islam, encourages self-improvement and economic success
as a way to combat racism. Starting with the debates between W.E.B. DuBois
and Booker T. Washington, students will follow these two strands of civil
rights thought to decide for themselves how best to fight for the rights for
oppressed people. The unit will culminate with the writing a short persuasive
letter about how African Americans should struggle for equality today.

This set of lessons was designed for ESL students at Huron High School in
Ann Arbor, Michigan. The majority of students are in 10th or 11th grade, but
several freshmen and seniors are taking the class. Roughly half of the
students speak Chinese (most are exchange students) and the other half
largely speak Spanish. Both have shown tremendous interest in learning
about the civil rights struggles of Chinese and Mexican Americans, often
asking what happened to people like them during the Jim Crow years. I have
been mindful of their interest in this area and included several images of
women, Asian Americans and Latinos in both the PowerPoint presentation on
Day 2 and the wall art at the back of the room.

Considering the Content

Enduring Understanding: In the early 1900s, African Americans were

denied the economic and political rights promised to them by the 13th, 14th
and 15th Amendments. Like people today, they campaigned for their rights
using a combination of personal development and legal agitation. Although
often viewed as incompatible, these two methods work together to provide
oppressed people with greater political and economic opportunities.

Unit Question: How should individuals campaign for greater economic

and political freedom?

Key Concepts for the Unit:

Concept 1:

Rights-based Coalition- “a coalition which seeks to achieve fundamental

universal freedom in terms of basic human, constitutional and legal rights;
examples are the abolitionist and civil rights movements (Walton and Smith,
89-90).” This definition was developed by Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert C.
Smith in American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal
Freedom, 4th edition.

Concept 2:

Material-based Coalition- a type of coalition “which seeks access to

economic benefits such as land, education, employment and social security;
examples are the populist movement, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal
Coalition, and Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition (Walton and Smith, 89-90).”
This definition was developed by Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert C. Smith in
American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom as
part of a two-part classification system for rights movements.

Concept 3:

Jim Crow Laws- a set of state and local laws which restricted the political
and economic freedoms of African Americans and other racial minorities in
the period from Reconstruction until their abolition by the Civil Rights Acts of
the mid-1960s. Although they were said to provide “separate but equal
facilities,” in practice these laws deprived minorities of their rights under the
14th and 15th Amendments. Jim Crow laws created the backdrop for the
African American rights struggles of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Concept 4:

The Atlanta Compromise- a famous speech given by Booker T. Washington

on September 18, 1895 as part of the Atlanta Cotton States and International
Exposition which argued that personal and economic growth were more
important in the short term than full political and social equality. The speech
angered W.E.B. DuBois and other members of the NAACP because they
worried that accepting segregation in the short run would allow the system to
grow even stronger. The Atlanta Compromise is a valuable text for discussing
the difference in priorities between rights-based and material-based
coalitions.

Concept 5:

Ujamaa- One of the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, ujamaa (pronounced oo-

JAH-muh) is the right and responsibility of African Americans to “build and
maintain their own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from
them together (Official Kwanzaa Website).” Ujamaa is the Swahili word for
the idea of “relatedness” and it is meant to invoke the idea of collective
responsibility and shared economic growth. The idea of ujamaa is a modern
expression of Booker T. Washington’s economic goals in that it suggests that
there is something noble and ennobling about work and ownership. It also
connects to Washington and DuBois’ belief that successful African Americans
were responsible for uplifting others.

Concept 6:
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP)- The NAACP is the premier civil rights organization for African
Americans. W.E.B. DuBois, one of the central figures in this unit, was one of
its founders and it headed the major rights-based coalition for African
Americans during the period between Reconstruction and the rise of the Civil
Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. The NAACP’s many legal successes
are often used to justify a rights-based approach to achieving freedom.

Concept 7:

Talented Tenth- The Talented Tenth are a hypothetical group of African

American young people who would lead the rights-based coalition envisioned
by W.E.B. DuBois. They would receive a top-notch liberal arts education like
the one DuBois had received at Harvard. The idea of focusing on a “Talented
Tenth” contrasted sharply with the educational philosophy of Booker T.
Washington, who emphasized the training of teachers. The idea of education
was a major flashpoint in the debates between DuBois and Washington over
how to approach civil rights activism.

Concept 8:

Brown v. Board of Education- This 1954 Supreme Court decision declared

that separate facilities were “inherently unequal” and that segregation
should be eliminated with “all deliberate speed.” Supporters of legal agitation
as a method for achieving equality often point to Brown v. Board of Education
as proof that right-based coalitions are more effective than their material-
based counterparts. In the extremely diverse class for which this unit was
originally designed, the idea that they would not be able to attend a quality
school like their own will likely be very powerful.

Behavioral Objectives

Students will be able to:

Create and defend a position on the best way for oppressed Americans to
achieve greater freedom, using historical examples to support their position
(MI SS K1.8, P3.1, P3.2).

Share their opinion on the best way for oppressed Americans to achieve
greater political and economic freedom using an informal one page letter (MI
SS P3.3, MI USHG 9.3.1).

Describe, orally and in writing, the difference between rights-based and

material-based coalitions using the NAACP and the Tuskegee Institute as
examples (MI USHG 6.3.2, 8.3.1).

Explain, orally and in writing, the concept of ujimaa and the desire of African
Americans to own their own businesses in the period following slavery (MI SS
K1.6, MI USHG F2.1, 6.1.3, 6.3.2).
Express a definition, developed together with classmates, of the civics
concepts of “economic freedom” and “political freedom (MI SS K1.9, P2.5, MI
Civics 5.3.1, 5.3.2, 5.3.3).”

Assessments

Formal Assessments

Obama and the Black Agenda Essay

One of the major assessments in this unit will be a one page, persuasive
letter on the best way for African Americans to achieve greater political,
economic and social rights. The letters will be graded based on the extent to
which they take a position on how best to achieve rights and support their
position using examples from the lives of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B.
DuBois or their modern counterparts. Based on my observations of my
attending teacher, I have decided to give students the option of writing their
letter at home, where they have ample time to translate words and think
about proper sentence structure, or afterschool with the help of myself and
the AT.

Since one of the greatest struggles students will face is crafting a one page
editorial that fits the conventions of Standard English, I provided students
with a rubric and prompt that express my expectations in concrete terms. I
have also given students additional time to complete the assignment (4 days)
and time during lunch and after school to receive additional help.

Achievement Test

Students will take a multiple choice exam that tests their ability to compare
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. Some of the questions will
alternatively ask students to apply their knowledge of the two men to guess
what they would do in modern times. A selection from the achievement test
is included in this unit plan.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

What things What things How have How did How did Who is Linda
should did Booker T. other Jim Crow the NAACP Brown and
every Washington people encourag fight for how did she
person think African used and e young equality? change U.S.
have? Americans expanded people to History?
should get the ideas act? 3-4
Last Time: first? of Booker Students Last time:
Segregatio T. Movie: share their Brown v.
n, lynching Interactive Washingto The Rise summary Board Teaser
and Jim Lecture on n? and Fall with
Crow Booker T. of Jim absent Stations
Washington As a class, Crow students. Activity:
Bellwork- read Vol. 2 Documents on
What 5 Teacher quotes 1896- Intro: Plessy, Brown
things Performance: from 1917 Recall Day and Modern
should The Atlanta Queen 1 posters Inequality
every Compromise Latifah Pausing had social Statistics from
person Speech and Vera video at goals, too. the Bureau of
have? Wang key Labor
Homework: moments Lecture on Statistics.
Poster Write down 5 Due in to DuBois
businesses TWO discuss and Exit Pass:
Discussion where YOU DAYS: NAACP How did Linda
of patterns live that are Exit Brown change
in posters owned by a A half pass: Teaser: U.S. History
minority page on Write a Brown v. with her court
Homework: person. Then the summary Board: case?
In at least write what question: for Graphic
six YOU can do to absent Novel
sentences, support them How will students Page
write WHY and other your of the
every minority- backgroun movie Due in
person owned d help you we FOUR
deserves businesses. to become watched DAYS: One
the five a success? today. page letter
things you Must be about one
chose. at least of the
Due Day 2 five issues
sentence mentioned
Read p. s in Obama
128-129, and the
136 from Black
Still I Agenda
Rise: A (Ebony
Graphic Magazine)
History of by Kevin
African Chappell
Americans
Day 7 Day 8

Review Achievement
Session Assessment

Obama
Essay is
DUE
Day 1: What things should every person have?

Students will review the information they covered last week on segregation
by talking about the economic, political and social rights that each person
should have as part of American society. To start this conversation, students
will list for bell work 5 things that they believe every person should have.
Students will then draw a picture depicting the five things that a person
should have, labeling all of the parts and writing their name on the back. As
they are completed, the pictures will be put on the walls of the classroom.
Students will then write their five things on the whiteboard. After all of the
words are placed on the board, the teacher will prompt students to look for
patterns in the pictures. Students will likely notice that many of the pictures
represent a mixture of political, economic and social rights. For a formal
assessment, students will write one paragraph on why they think everyone
deserves the five things they selected. Students who complete their drawing
quickly should begin working on the formative assessment.

Day 2: Booker T. Washington

Students will learn about Booker T. Washington’s biography and beliefs

concerning civil rights activism through a lecture. Throughout the lecture,
students will be asked to analyze aloud photographs of Booker T. Washington
and two public monuments that evoke Washington’s ideas. The teacher will
perform the Atlanta Compromise Speech, making sure to emphasize
Washington’s belief in cooperative economics and his claim that African
Americans and their White neighbors could be socially separate, but
economically supportive of one another. To extend the lesson, students will
go home and create a list of five businesses where they live that are owned
by minorities. Then, they will write about how they could support minority
business ownership.

Day 3: Booker T. Washington Today

Students will come in and discuss the lists they created the previous night.
Teachers should emphasize the point of the homework assignment: to see
that business ownership is not exclusive to one race and that their race or
gender is not a reason why they can’t become the person they are meant to
be. Students will then read and discuss quotes from Queen Latifah and Vera
Wang in which they discussed the ways in which their background helped
them to become a success. Teachers will ask quiet students to read the
selections for the class, helping them to participate in the discussion.
Students will go home and write at least half a page on the ways in which
their background will help them be a success like Booker T. Washington and
Queen Latifah.

Day 4: Segregation and DuBois Rising

Students will complete state-mandated Michigan Merit Exam bubbling while

the rest of the class watches The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow Vol. 2, which
covers the period 1896-1917 through the lives of W.E.B. DuBois and Walter
White. This video will act as a review of segregation and will foreshadow the
upcoming discussion of DuBois. Students will take notes on the video that will
be helpful for the final exam and letter. To encourage students to feel
connected to a larger classroom community, they will be asked to write a
summary of the video for students who missed it. This will also allow the
teacher to check for understanding of the video’s main points.

Day 5: DuBois, the NAACP and Rights-based Coalitions

This lesson is the first in a two-part lesson on the question, “How did the
NAACP fight for equality?” In this first day, students will be introduced to
W.E.B. DuBois and will discuss his contributions to the African American
rights struggle through an interactive lecture. The format of the lecture
appears in graphic form below.
W.E.B. DuBois
Who is he?

Significance of W.E.B. DuBois

National Association for the Advancement of

Talented Tenth
Colored People

Legal Challenges to Segregation

Brown v. Board of Education

Students should be given this graphic at the beginning of the lesson. After
discussing DuBois’ biography, students will discuss the Talented Tenth and
his part in founding the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP). The NAACP will provide the thread students follow into the
next lesson on Brown v. Board of Education, which is the greatest success
wrought by W.E.B. DuBois’ approach to civil rights. Connections will be made
throughout the lesson to our earlier discussions of Booker T. Washington and
fundamental human rights. At the end of the lesson, students will be given a
“teaser” in the form of a graphic novel page on Linda Brown.

Day 6: Brown v. Board of Education

Students will participate in a stations activity in which they will investigate

documents on Plessy, Brown and the tremendous successes of African
Americans in the period since the Civil Rights Movement. At the end of the
period, students will complete an exit pass in which they answer the
question, “How did Linda Brown change U.S. History with her court case?”
Teachers should be sure to frame this day’s lesson as an opportunity to tell
them a historical story. Students will likely enjoy this reversal of the usual
classroom roles.

Day 7: Review Day

Students will hand in their essay on Obama at the beginning of the hour.
Students will then be given class time to review material and ask questions of
the teacher and other students. The room should be supplied with materials
for study including textbooks, library books on Black History, and foreign
language dictionaries.

Day 8: Achievement Test (Attached Below)

Students will take an achievement test over the content covered in the unit.

Attachments:
“Obama and the Black Agenda”
Civil Rights Essay Prompt
Civil Rights Essay Rubric
“Modern Booker T. PowerPoint”
“Booker T.” PowerPoint”
“DuBois PowerPoint”
Linda Brown Teaser Comic

Achievement Test

1. The NAACP fought racism by

a. Organizing Street Protests

b. Starting Black Colleges
c. Filing Court Cases
d. Starting Black Businesses

Correct Answer: C

2. The Atlanta Compromise Speech was a compromise because it

sacrificed

a. Social Rights for Economic Rights

b. Economic Rights for Social Rights
c. Social Rights for Political Rights
d. Political Rights for Social Rights

Correct Answer: A

3. The Tuskegee Institute was created to train African American

 a. Doctors
b. Teachers
c. Lawyers
d. Sharecroppers

Correct Answer: B

4. If he were alive today, he would NOT buy his clothes at Walmart.

a. W.E.B. DuBois
b. Booker T. Washington

Correct Answer: B

5. If he were alive today, he would support the United Negro

College Fund, which provides money for African Americans to attend
college.

a. W.E.B. DuBois
b. Booker T. Washington

Correct Answer: A

6. W.E.B. DuBois would AGREE the most with the

a. Radical Republicans
b. Southern Democrats
c. Klu Klux Klan
d. Tuskegee Institute

Correct Answer: A

Free Response Questions

1. How were the ideas of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois

different? Write about the DIFFERENCES in the type of EDUCATION and
JOBS that they wanted for African Americans.

2. Who do you think was the bigger threat to racist people in the
South, Booker T. Washington or W.E.B. DuBois?