Title of Lesson: The symbol of all Americans?
Dave Witzig
Normal Community High School

Objective: The goal of this lesson is for students to understand how African Americans have felt (feel) about the Statue of Liberty and to understand and think how different Americans view different historic and patriotic symbols.

VTN: Values, beliefs, political ideas, and institutions and patterns of social and political interaction.

History's Habits of Mind: "acquire at one and the same time a comprehension of diverse cultures and of shared humanity"

Procedure:

1. First ask students to list 5 historic sites that they feel all Americans can be proud of and use as a patriotic symbol of our nation. List the different places on the board and discuss what these historic sites stand for (examples could be: The Liberty Bell, The Alamo, The Lincoln Memorial).

2. Ask the students to write down their response to this statement and discuss:

"Do you think the Statue of Liberty is a symbol that all Americans see as a patriotic symbol of our nation?"

3. Students will then read this quote and write a 50-word response if they agree or disagree with this statement from page 322 of The Story of American Freedom by Eric Foner on the 100 anniversary of the Statue of Liberty:

"Reagan's version of the past appeared to eliminate from the 'imagined community' African-Americans, whose ancestors came in slave ships and whose labor for centuries supported families other than their own. Indeed, among many black Americans, a certain skepticism prevailed on Liberty Weekend. 'For us, the Statue of Liberty is a bitter joke,' wrote James Baldwin."

Students share their views with a partner and then discuss as a class.

Student assessment:

Write a paragraph answering the following questions: Is James Baldwin night? Are there other historic sites that many see as patriotic that would offend others? Should that matter? What is a symbol that all Americans can agree on?

Background photo taken from informallearning.com