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Contesting Cuba's Past and Future
$20 Teacher Set
Click here for a description of formats available, including Classroom Sets and interactive E-texts.
New from the Choices Program - First Edition
Overview of the Unit
Ninety miles off the coast of Florida, Cuba has fascinated generations of Americans and U.S. political leaders. It has also occupied a unique position in the minds of people around the world, particularly since 1959 when the Cuban revolution, led by Fidel Castro, began making major changes to Cuba's government, economy, and society. While the revolution brought opportunities and advances long denied to many Cubans, others lost property, jobs, and the positions they held in Cuban society. Cubans today have very different opinions about their country and its history, and this affects how they think about the future.
Focusing on the Cuban perspective, Contesting Cuba's Past and Future traces Cuba's history from the country's pre-colonial past to its most recent economic, social, and political changes. Students recreate the discussions Cubans on the island are having about their future.
Readings
Many issues that have been important throughout Cuban history are gaining new significance as Cubans think about a Cuba without Fidel Castro. Foreign involvement, which has long been a controversial issue in Cuban politics, has become even more important in the past few decades as the country opens itself up to tourism and foreign investment. Problems of racism and racial discrimination have also become more pressing in recent years. Additionally, people are increasingly frustrated by the government's constantly changing economic strategies.
Today, life for most people in Cuba is not easy. Wages are low and the economy suffers from periodic shortages of essential goods. The government controls the press and the unions, and frequently censors art and literature. Those who oppose government policies or who push for democratic change are often imprisoned. Thousands of Cubans have left the island over the last five decades. Today, more than one million Cuban immigrants and their descendants live in the United States alone.
At the same time, many Cubans are proud of gains their country has made over the last fifty years. They enjoy free high quality health care and education. Students from around the world come to study in Cuba's medical schools. Many of Cuba's social indicators, such as infant mortality rate and life expectancy, rival those of industrialized countries and are much better than those of other developing countries.
The readings in this unit explore Cuba's contested history and how it will affect the direction Cuba takes in the coming years.
Framework of Policy Options
Working with three divergent options for Cuba's future, students step into the shoes of ordinary Cubans and consider a series of questions. Should Cuba continue along the path started by Fidel Castro? How should Cuba relate to its neighbors and the rest of the world? What values will be most important to Cubans in the coming years? What should Cuba's future be?
Suggested 5-Day Lesson Plan
The Teacher's Resource Book accompanying Contesting Cuba's Past and Future contains a day-by-day lesson plan and student activities.
- Day One explores the history and legacy of Cuban hero Jose Marti
- Day One Alternative asks students to look at economic statistics and the "dance of the millions" in 1920.
- Day Two engages students in an investigation of Cuba's role in Angola and how Cuba's involvement was viewed by other countries.
- Days Three and Four involve students in a simulation in which they act as advocates for the three options or take on the role of Cuban citizens.
- An Optional Lesson introduces students to literature, music, and other artistic expression as a way of understanding the special period.
- Day Five asks students to consider, using evidence, whether Cuba is a democracy.
- Day Five Alternative has students examine Cuban-American memoirs and Cuban-American perspectives on the future of Cuba.