All Men Are Created Equal Except...
Lesson Plan on Race in America
Although this lesson plan was created to accompany the Choices unit, A More Perfect Union: Shaping American Government, and uses many resources from the unit, teachers may find that they can use this lesson independently. It is meant to help answer that age-old question that students always pose when studying the Revolutionary period—how could the founding fathers write that all men were created equal when slavery existed?
Objectives: Students will:
Required Reading:• Understand how the concepts of equality and liberty changed over time
• Examine the effects of race on those values
Students should have read the optional reading titled "The War for Independence—1776-1783" (pp. 27-34) in A More Perfect Union: Shaping American Government. (The teacher should be sure to point out the box on page 28 containing the "Introduction to the Declaration of Independence" and the letter from Abigail Adams on page 31.) At this point the students should also have read up to "Part V: The Constitution of 1787" in the Choices unit.
Handouts: Students will need the following:
• Travelers at the Inn 1788 (pp. TRB 58-59 of A More Perfect Union: Shaping American Governmen)
In the Classroom:
• Hook—Write the following question on the board: "What do the words 'all men are created equal' mean to you?" Give students 45 seconds to jot down a response. Then elicit student responses for about 5 minutes. End the discussion by asking students if they think those words had the same meaning for people throughout American history.
• Role-Play—Assign or reassign profiles to students. The "Additional Travelers" are descriptions of real people from the New England area. Note that they would not all have been traveling to the mid-Atlantic in 1788. Set the stage for a community debate on Thomas Jefferson's quote. Travelers and residents will be deciding whether to adopt the proposed town charter. At this point New England relied on government organized by town. Other regions used either the town charter or the county form of government. Allow students a few minutes for review of their profile and to develop their positions. Have each student compose one question for the discussion. You may choose to be the tavern keeper to begin the debate. You might use his/her role to moderate and include all travelers in this discussion.
• Voting—Following debate, conduct a vote in the class, allowing only those eligible to vote at the time to participate. The question is does "all men are created equal" include all men of all colors and races? Remember, the only voters are those who are male property owners. (For the purposes of this lesson, eligible travelers will be allowed to vote in this election.) Students should vote in character.
• Large-Group Discussion—Gather students into the large group and discuss the outcome of the vote. Encourage students who were not eligible to vote to discuss how they felt about being excluded. Remind students of the central question: What do the words 'all men are created equal' mean to you? And what did it mean to founding fathers? Following this lesson, students could finish the Choices unit.
This
lesson was developed by:
Mary
Gardiner—North Kingstown High School, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Kristin
Hayes—Narragansett High School, Narragansett, Rhode Island