Rather than taking the usual approach of learning history from only the perspective of the elite political leaders, students consider the opportunities, hardships, aspirations, and questions facing people across society in the United States in its earliest years—from 1783 to 1830.
Objectives:
Students will:
- Analyze multiple primary and secondary sources.
- Evaluate different perspectives on the significance of the Haitian Revolution to the United States.
- Synthesize information from multiple sources to answer a central question.
- Recognize the values and limitations of using different types of sources to draw conclusions.
- Integrate sources and knowledge into coherent written responses.
Required Reading:
Students should have read the Student Text of A New Nation or The Haitian Revolution.
Handouts:
The Haitian Revolution: Assessment Using Documents
Video:
“How did the Haitian Revolution affect the world?” (Anthony Bogues)
Note: This documents-based exercise can be used to assess students’ comprehension, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of relevant sources. The assessment is modeled on one used by the IB Program. You may want to review with students the concepts surrounding the “value and limitations” and “origin and purpose” of sources.
In the Classroom:
1. Documents Assessment—Distribute “The Haitian Revolution: Assessment Using Documents” and “Documents” to students. Have them analyze the documents and complete the four questions.