Roots of Racism – Thinking Like a Historian about Racism | Asynchronous Studio Lessons

Teachers in this lesson have students evaluate current events surrounding racial discrimination. Teachers lead students through why and how historians use a historical lens to discuss racial issues in the United States. Lastly, in this lesson, the teachers have students critically think about how past events are connected to today’s news.

Standards

• RI.MC Meaning and Context
  • RI.MC.5 Determine meaning and develop logical interpretations by making predictions, inferring, drawing conclusions, analyzing, synthesizing, providing evidence and investigating multiple interpretations.
  • RI.MC.6 Summarize key details and ideas to support analysis of central ideas.
• 8-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the multiple events that led to the Civil War.
  • The outbreak of the Civil War was the culminating event in a decades-long series of regional issues that threatened American unity and South Carolina’s identity as one of the United States. To understand how South Carolina came to be at the cent...
    • 8-4.6 Compare the differing impact of the Civil War on South Carolinians in each of the various social classes, including those groups defined by race, gender, and age.
• 8-5 The student will understand the impact of Reconstruction, industrialization, and Progressivism on society and politics in South Carolina in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
  • During the periods of Reconstruction, industrial expansion, and the Progressive movement, South Carolina searched for ways to revitalize its economy while maintaining its traditional society. To understand South Carolina’s experience as represen...
    • 8-5.4 Summarize the policies and actions of South Carolina’s political leadership in implementing discriminatory laws that established a system of racial segregation, intimidation, and violence.
• USG-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of civil rights and civil liberties, the role of American citizens in the American political system, and distinctive expressions of American political culture.
  • An informed, participatory citizenry is essential to the American political process. To understand what it means to be an American citizen, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indicators:
    • USG-4.5 Evaluate the importance of civil rights and civil liberties for citizens in American political culture and the protective role of the national government through the Bill of Rights, the judicial system, and the Fourteenth Amendment.
• USHC-8 The student will demonstrate an understanding of social, economic and political issues in contemporary America.
  • In the recent past, political views in the United States have embraced both conservative and liberal perspectives. To make informed political decisions about contemporary issues, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the follo...
    • USHC-8.1 Analyze the African American Civil Rights Movement, including initial strategies, landmark court cases and legislation, the roles of key civil rights advocates and the media, and the influence of the Civil Rights Movement on other groups seeki...
    • USHC-8.2 Compare the social and economic policies of presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, including support for civil rights legislation, programs for the elderly and the poor, environmental protection, and the impact of these policies on polit...