Lesson 5: Analogous Case Study/Disciplined Discussion
Purposes:
1. Encourage consideration of analogous historical evidence.
2. Encourage use of historical evidence and persuasive reasoning to construct and defend an argument about a historical issue.
3. Provide closure for the major unit concepts.
4. Develop abilities to make persuasive and dialectical arguments in written form.
Lesson Summary
After students have a clear understanding of the controversies during George Washington’s presidency the instructor introduces the controversies that involved the forced integration of Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas during the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Following this introduction the class will participate in a discussion about the connections between Washington’s presidency and the issues involved in the Little Rock case. At the conclusion of the discussion, students are assigned to write an essay in which they take a position on the Unit’s Central Question and use specific examples to illustrate the position they choose.
Lesson Narrative
Introduction: The instructor reviews the central unit question and discusses the ways students applied it during the press conference activity in Lesson 4. For this lesson the class will apply the central question to a similar but more recent situation in Little Rock, Arkansas. The instructor presents the historical background necessary for students to understand the context for the conflict over the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas (for example, Jim Crow laws, Plessy v. Ferguson, effects of WWII on African-American expectations, Brown v. Board of Education).
Discussing Little Rock and Washington’s Presidency: Following the introduction students complete a viewing guide that asks them to summarize the key events and issues in Little Rock and judge actions by local citizens, Governor Faubus, and Eisenhower. After the viewing guide is complete, students view a video clip from “Eyes on the Prize, Fighting Back” (efforts to integrate Central High School, resistance by the governor and local citizens, President Eisenhower’s decision to send in troops enforce the court order). After the film, the class works in small groups with a scaffold that helps them to compare Little Rock and the Whiskey Rebellion. Following the small group work, the instructor opens the discussion of the Little Rock case. This discussion should focus on the following:
- Faubus’s claim that “each school district is … selected by the people, and if we’re to have any democracy in this country, then the people must have some say in their own affairs.”
- When does local authority end and individual liberty begin?
- What should be the role of the federal government in such matters?
- How would Jefferson and Hamilton respond to Faubus?
The class is then asked to compare similarities and differences in the dilemmas of Presidents Washington and Eisenhower (i.e., Similarities: Defiance of federal authority; violence against citizens and property; claims of unconstitutional actions & discriminatory treatment; Differences: Degree of encouragement by local/state officials; economic vs. social issue). During this part of the discussion students should:
- Speculate about how Washington’s decision might have influenced that of Eisenhower
- Dissect the actions leading to both presidents’ decisions
- Evaluate whether one president was more justified than the other in using the power of the federal government to enforce laws that were unpopular with sizable groups of citizens.
Following the discussion students are asked to create a list of actions that they believe would justify such use of federal force (Factors to be considered should include: violations of civil liberties or other rights, violence by protesters, threats to national security or community welfare, alternatives to force have failed to produce results). Students will use this list to help write the essay in the lesson conclusion.
Lesson Conclusion: Writing the Essay: Students are assigned an essay in which they will consider the Unit Central Question as it applies to the controversies during Washington’s presidency. Students are given an essay scaffold to guide the organization of their writing and to ensure that students adequately address the issues in the unit. In the essay students are to:
- Summarize the events of Washington’s administration that should be considered as they answer the central question
- Make the strongest argument they can for Washington’s actions being justified
- Make the strongest argument they can against Washington’s actions being justified
- Take a position on whether or not they personally believe Washington’s actions were justified and back their position with specific examples.