Last November, we published a post addressing the controversies associated with Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A recent comment pointed out that Huck's views on slavery are those of the dominant society of the time. Because the post featured a letter from Frederick Douglass as a supplement to the novel, the commenter wondered "why not present the experiences and views of the oppressed rather than the oppressor?" That struck me as an intriguing question, so here are a few places to start exploring those views and experiences with your students.
On Tuesday, October 7, at 7 PM ET, staff from the Library will host a webinar that will engage participants in a model primary source analysis, facilitate a discussion about the power of primary sources for teaching about civil rights issues, and demonstrate how to find resources from Library of Congress.
History is most fascinating when we feel connected to the people who lived in the past. One way to pique student interest is by using primary sources from the Library of Congress -- letters, photographs, and oral histories -- that document real people's lives. The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress recently launched the Civil Rights History Project, a digitized collection of interviews with active participants in the Civil Rights movement and essays about the movement.
Lately, a few of my colleagues and I have been thinking about teaching with fine arts-related primary sources, as we prepare a TPS Journal issue focused on this topic.
Most people don’t think of dance as a way to bring history to life. Looking at dancers in photographs, films and other images and reading about dancing and its role in celebrations, commemorations and other events can help students learn about what issues and events were considered important in a community, how people celebrated, what mores and values were important and how people dressed when going to certain events.
Exploring employment-related primary sources from the decades leading up to 1964 can help students understand the significance of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Unlike some of the other areas addressed in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, schools are something familiar to all students, so even the very young can deepen their understanding of the conditions that led to the legislation.
We’re publishing a series of blog posts that look at different facets of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and bring forward primary source items that help students engage with different issues addressed by the Act. Today we focus on Titles II - Injunctive Relief Against Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation and III – Desegregation of Public Facilities.
The Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute matched my experience with the Writing Project, and refined and drew focus to everything I have learned as a teacher.
