History Standards: United States History, Era 2: Standard 3C United States
History, Era 9: (National Center for History in the Schools) Social Studies Standards: 1. Culture Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity. 3. People, Places, Environments Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments. (National Council for the Social Studies) |
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Black History Month is a time to explore the rich heritage of African-Americans through primary sources such as photographs, sheet music, personal stories, and sound recordings. Most students know the impact of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and President Barack Obama. But do they know the Lindy Hop? Have they heard the sounds of W.C. Handy, read first hand stories of former slaves, or been to an African-American art exhibit? Let the voices of the past speak to our students in a way they that will give them a deeper appreciation for African-American culture. Explore these resources and lessons in your classroom. The African-American Experience in Ohio: Selections from the Ohio Historical Society This selection of manuscript and printed text and images drawn from the collections of the Ohio Historical Society illuminates the history of black Ohio from 1850 to 1920, a story of slavery and freedom, segregation and integration, religion and politics, migrations and restrictions, harmony and discord, and struggles and successes. This Special Presentation of the Library of Congress exhibition, The African-American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship, showcases the Library's incomparable African-American collections. The presentation was not only a highlight of what is on view in this major black history exhibition, but also a glimpse into the Library's vast African-American collections. Both include a wide array of important and rare books, government documents, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, plays, films, and recordings. African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A. P. Murray Collection, 1818-1907 The Daniel A. P. Murray Pamphlet Collection presents a panoramic and eclectic review of African-American history and culture, spanning almost one hundred years from the early nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, with the bulk of the material published between 1875 and 1900. Among the authors represented are Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Benjamin W. Arnett, Alexander Crummel, and Emanuel Love. African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920: Selected from the Collections of Brown University This collection consists of 1,305 pieces of African-American sheet music dating from 1850 through 1920. The collection includes many songs from the heyday of antebellum black face minstrelsy in the 1850s and from the abolitionist movement of the same period. Numerous titles are associated with the novel and the play Uncle Tom's Cabin. Civil War period music includes songs about African-American soldiers and the plight of the newly emancipated slave. Post-Civil War music reflects the problems of Reconstruction and the beginnings of urbanization and the northern migration of African Americans. African-American popular composers include James Bland, Ernest Hogan, Bob Cole, James Reese Europe, and Will Marion Cook. Twentieth century titles feature many photographs of African-American musical performers, often in costume. African-American Women Writers in the 19th Century This collection is a treasure-trove of some 52 published works by African-American women writers. Until the Civil Rights movement, most of these works were unknown, but thanks to the Schomberg Center these poems, essays, and books are available as full text online. Read and enjoy the viewpoints of these women on topics ranging from religion to family life. Selections include Hallie O. Brown's Homespun Heroines and Phyllis Wheatley's Poems. Afro-American Myths and Fables Why Crocodile Has a Rough Back and The Lion and the Hare are two examples from a marvelous collection of myths and fables. Each story begins with a statement on its origin. Elementary children will love the illustrations while reading the stories. The American Missionary Association and the Promise of a Multicultural America: 1839-1954 provides online access to original archival documents preserved at the Amistad Research Center. The digital timeline describes the events of the historical Amistad Event, the subsequent founding of America's largest missionary society and details the development of its visionary committment to solve America's social problems: e.g. slavery; the plight of the ex-slaves; the treatment of Native Americans; equal protection for all; assimilation of the immigrant populations and meeting the needs of peoples in foreign lands. Have you ever wondered where swing began? Or the jitterbug? Look no further. In the 1920s, the Savoy in Harlem was home to the Lindy Hop, a popular dance that was soon emulated around the country. Learn about its history, the dancers, and the movies that made it famous. Aunt Dicy Tales: John Biggars Drawings for the Folktale Critically acclaimed artist John Biggars whose works include the "Upper Room," "Starry Clown," and Family Unity," is the focus of this wonderful online exhibit. Read about John Biggars and the artist and John Mason Brewer, the author of Aunt Dicy. Then, view Biggars' illustrations along with descriptive excerpts. Awale: The Art of African Game Oware (pronounced oh-wah-ruh) is a game that has its origins in Ethiopia. There are a number of variations including Awale and Wari. The game is played with a hollow wood plank and some stones or seeds. Because it is a strategy game, you may want to tie it into problem-solving lessons. Awale, an elegant shareware program, is designed for both Macintosh and Windows. A trial copy can be downloaded for review. Been Here So Long: Selections from the WPA American Slave Narratives This site is a great starting point for teachers to use with students. Seventeen American Slave Narratives have been selected from approximately 2,300 that were compiled by the Federal Writers Project. The Table of contents consists of the name of the narrator, his/her state, and a sample quotation. This format gives students a brief overview of the representative narratives. There is also a topical index for finding information quickly on daily life, conditions, education, family, and work. Three lesson plans will facilitate the examination of the documents and engage students in thinking about the experiences of African Americans under the institution of slavery. Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964 The Carl Van Vechten Photographs Collection at the Library of Congress consists of 1,395 photographs taken by American photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) between 1932 and 1964. The bulk of the collection consists of portrait photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance. A much smaller portion of the collection is an assortment of American landscapes. A Durable Memento: Portraits by Augustus Washington Augustus Washington (1820/21 1875) is one of the few African American daguerreotypists whose work has been identified. He opened a studio in Hartford Connecticut and then, in Liberia where he prospered. Ellis Wilson -- So Much to Paint Ellis Wilson, born in Kentucky, was an artist who was prominant during the 1930s and 1940s. His work reflected the everyday life of black people. On this website, you will find a gallery of his art, his biography, a timeline, and additional resources. The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress presents the papers of the nineteenth-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher. From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909 presents 397 pamphlets from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, published from 1824 through 1909, by African-American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and related topics. A Journey Through Art with W. H. Johnson William Johnson (1901-1970), a major figure in 20th-century American Art, studied at the National Academy of Design in New York. Prior to World War II he spent time learning from European artists in southern France. You are invited to journey through a chronological timeline of Johnson’s works. In this series of colorful paintings, you can observe how his style evolved. The “Fighters for Freedom” collection depicts famous men and women who were leaders in the quest for racial equality. In “Scenes from City Life and Country Life,” universal themes are portrayed that touch the human spirit. Activities for elementary students, such as creating a self-portrait, planning a make-believe trip, or writing a story about one of the paintings, accompany each page. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will open on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, in the summer of 2004. Using the Underground Railroad as a lens through which to explore a range of freedom issues, the Freedom Center offers lessons and reflections on what freedom has meant in the past, means to today and will mean tomorrow. Now What a Time: Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943 "Now What a Time": Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943 consists of approximately one hundred sound recordings, primarily blues and gospel songs, and related documentation from the folk festival at Fort Valley State College (now Fort Valley State University), Fort Valley, Georgia. The documentation was created by John Wesley Work III in 1941 and by Lewis Jones and Willis Laurence James in March, June, and July 1943. Also included are recordings made in Tennessee and Alabama (including six Sacred Harp songs) by John Work between September 1938 and 1941. Beginning in 1940, African Americans were recognized on U.S. postage stamps for their contributions and achievements in a variety of areas. This beautiful collection contains a picture of each stamp and information about the featured individual. There are word searches, puzzles, coloring pages, recipes, writing, and math activities that tie-in to the curriculum. Spark the interest of your reluctant students by visiting this fun site. Take a journey on the underground railroad on this interactive Web site. Learn about the routes, the hardships, and the miles that had to be traveled to reach freedom. Classroom ideas are provided for all grade levels. William P. Gottlieb: Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz During the course of his career, Gottlieb took portraits of prominent jazz musicians and personalities, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Thelonious Monk, Stan Kenton, Ray McKinley, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny Carter. This online collection presents Gottlieb's photographs, annotated contact prints, selected published prints, and related articles from Down Beat magazine. |
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Lessons African American Experiences: Window to the Pat Grades 5-8 Naturally the best way to learn about daily life, culture, and history is to draw upon first-hand accounts by people who lived during that time period. Primary sources are tailor made for studying this topic. Let’s embark on a journey back in time with the aid of eye witness accounts, diaries, newspaper articles, broadsides, engravings, and songs to understand the cultural landscape of the period. It should be noted that much of the material expresses the language, experiences, and viewpoints of the era in which they were written. Harriet Tubman Integrated Unit Grades 2-6 In this lesson, students are introduced to the spiritual, an African American musical form that originated during the time of slavery. After listening to and singing spirituals, students identify characteristics of spirituals such as religious meaning and syncopated rhythm. Patchwork of African-American Life AT&T Knowledge Network created six Websites as models to suggest ways to integrate the World Wide Web and videoconferencing into classroom learning. African-American History was chosen as a topic because of its importance, popularity and the wealth of Internet resources available on the topic. So rather than merely send learners to a Web site, they've arranged separate formats designed to support different kinds of learning. They include WEbQuests and hotlists. Harlem Renaissance: A Living Museum Grades 5-8 As an introduction to African-American History Month (February), students will listen to a reading of the book Harlem by Walter Dean Myers to learn more about the places and people that figured prominently in the Harlem Renaissance. Students will research the lives of famous African-Americans of the Harlem Renaissance era. They will write short monologues in the voice of these individuals, and present them as part of a living museum exhibit. Students will also create backdrops to correspond with the figures they have studied, and to complement the performance of the monologue. Explore the history of African_american music through the activities prepared by the Discovery Channel School. Listen to audio clips of slave songs, gospel, and blues. Then, add today's popular music and make comparisons. This is an excellent introduction for any humanities teacher.
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