baa lesson 5-classroom powerpoint

7/31/2019 BAA Lesson 5-Classroom Powerpoint

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Educating Young People about the Constitution

www.BillofRightsInstitute.org

Being An American

Lesson 5:American Heroes: Past and Present

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Photo courtesy of Joi Ito

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,and Thomas Jefferson


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American Heroes: Past and Present

Objectives

Understand civic values thathave motivated significantAmericans throughout history.

Analyze the values, attitudes

and actions of those individuals.

Compare your own values andactions with those of Americanheroes.

Assess the ways you can or doact in accordance with thesevalues.

Jackie Robinson

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Background/HomeworkAnswer the question What is ahero? by doing one of thefollowing:

1) Write a short paragraphabout a well-known hero.

2) Draw an illustration of aheroic act.

3) Write a few short paragraphsabout someone in your lifethat youd consider a heroand why. From top left to bottom right: Barack Obama,

John McCain, Susan B. Anthony, Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr.

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Warm-Up

Display your What is a hero?homework.

Review Handout A: What is aHero? and look over everyone

elses displayed homework. Once finished, write down the

common characteristics in eachof these heroes.

Discuss examples and non-examples of the term heroes.

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Activity

Choose one card from Handout B: Character Cards. Complete Handout C: My American Hero. Role Play: pretend to be the person on your card, going around

the room and relating your persons life, personality, and

achievements.

People incostumesportrayinghistoricalfigures

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Andrew Carnegies rags-to-riches story is one ofperseverance, initiative, and resourcefulness. Carnegie was

born in 1835 to a working-class Scottish family. He came tothe United States with his family when he was thirteenyears old. He began working right away: as a messenger, abobbin boy, and steam machine operator. In 1853 he took ajob as telegraph operator at a railroad company. He wascharming and intelligent. He took an active interest in hiswork and quickly advanced at the company.

Carnegie also took the initiative to learn aboutinvesting. He wisely invested his money in equipment andtechnologies that he believed were good for to the railroadindustry. In 1889, he founded the Carnegie Steel Company.This company combined with others to create U.S. Steel.U.S. Steel helped meet the countrys great demand forsteelused in railroads, skyscrapers, and other examplesof great technological achievements. He literally helpedbuild America.

Later in life, Andrew Carnegie became a philanthropist(someone who helps actively others). He used his fortuneto found the Carnegie Corporation of New York, CarnegieEndowment for International Peace, and Carnegie Mellon

University in Pittsburgh.

Andrew Carnegie


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Somebelieve John Quincy Adamss most heroiccontribution to his country came after he was President.

Adams was born in Massachusetts in 1767. He was theson of President John Adams. After serving in variousoffices, including the Presidency, John Quincy Adamswas elected to Congress in 1830.

In 1835, the House of Representatives voted to table(postpone without hearing) any petitions about slavery.Adams, then in his mid-seventies, was still vigilant. He

led a small group of Representatives in the fight againstthe Gag Rule. Adams said that whatever ones positionon slavery, the Gag Rule was a violation of the FirstAmendments protection of freedom of petition. *T+he stake in the question is your right to petition, yourfreedom of thought and of action, and the freedomin Congress of your Representative, he declared. TheGag Rule had to be renewed each session, and Adamscourageously fought against it each time. Over thosenine years, Adams was accused of treason and evenreceived death threats. But he never backed down.

The Gag Rule was repealed in 1844, due in part toJohn Quincy Adamss courageous fight for the First

Amendment right to freedom of petition.

John Quincy Adams


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Henry Clays perseverance and moderation earnedhim his reputation as the Great Compromiser. Clay

was raised with his eight siblings in Hanover County,Virginia. With little formal schooling, he was trainedas a lawyer. He saw opportunities on the expandingfrontier, and moved west to Kentucky in 1797. Hefound great success, and was known as an eloquentand courteous speaker.

The new frontier brought great challenges as well as

opportunities. Clay represented Kentucky in both theHouse and Senate. As a lawmaker, he put the integrityof the Union first. He made a deal in the Senate to lowertariffs slowly when South Carolina threatened to secede(leave the nation) in response to the Tariff Act. As Speakerof the House, he helped lead the young nation throughstruggles over slavery. Clay was able to calm the bitternesson both sides to secure passage of the MissouriCompromise and the Compromise of 1850. He helped passlaws he hoped would allow the nation to survive.

He died in 1852, a year after leaving Congress.Henry Clays commitment to his country as a wholewas made clear on his headstone: I know no North

no Southno Eastno West.

Henry Clay


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Cesar Chavez struggled throughout his life for better workingconditions for union farm workers. He was born in Yuma,Arizona. His parents lost their farm in the Great Depression, andthe family moved from place to place, working the fields. Heattended thirty-seven different schools. These early experiencesleft their mark and gave his life purpose. His father had beeninjured in a car accident, so after eighth grade, young Chavezbecame a farm worker to help support his family.

In 1962, Chavez founded and organized the National Farm

Workers Association, later called the United Farm Workers. Thisunion was the first of its kind, and fought for contracts, safeconditions, higher wages, and job security for union members.He led a nationwide boycott of grapes that increased support forthe United Farm Workers. In a movement called La Cosa, hebrought together churches, unions, and consumers. His mottowas Si, se puede. (Yes, it can be done.)

A humble and deeply religious man, Chavezs hunger strikes,boycotts, and marches got Americas attention, and improved thelives of thousands. Though his critics point out that unionizedfarm labor resulted in great numbers of willing migrant workersbeing turned away from jobs, CesarChavezs perseverance brought the experiencesof migrant workers to national attention.

Cesar Chavez


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Frederick Douglass wrote and spoke about the injusticesof slavery, and helped open the eyes of a nation. He was

born a slave in Maryland, in 1817 or 1818. Although it wasagainst the law to teach enslaved people to read, Douglasslearned to read and also taught other slaves to do so. Heknew that reading and learning would help people see thatslavery was a great injustice. After two failed attempts,Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838.

Douglass settled in Massachusetts where he went to

abolitionist meetings. He began giving speeches on hisexperiences, and soon he began traveled in America andEurope giving lectures. He also published his thoughts in aweekly newspaper. His most important work was hisautobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, anAmerican Slave. It was very popular and, like his speeches,opened many peoples eyes to the horrors of slavery.Douglass advised two Presidents, Abraham Lincoln andAndrew Johnson, about the treatment of African Americans.He spoke and wrote in favor of a constitutional amendmentsecuring voting rights and other liberties for former slaves.Frederick Douglass persevered in his work for equal rightsfor former slaves, and also for women,

until he died.

Frederick Douglass


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Dorothea Dix courageously fought for people who couldnot fight for themselves. Dix traveled to almost every state in

the Union and visited over 9,000 people suffering from mentalillness. She saw them cast out of society and largely ignored.She visited them in poorhouses, jails, dark cellars, and hovels.She saw many of them chained, frozen, starving, or neglected.Appalled by their treatment, she became a crusader.

From 1842 to 1887, Dix led a one-woman campaign forcompassion. She wrote and spoke publicly about what shehad seen. She was convinced that many patients, if treatedwell, could be cured. She alsothought that government had a responsibility to help.Dix was successful in lobbying state legislatures. Shewas well-connected, soft-spoken, and persuasive.

In a time when women could be jailed for voting,

Dix courageously championed her cause. She raisedpublic awareness. Congress debated many of Dixspetitions. Her first petition led to the construction ofa state hospital in Massachusetts. Twelve other statesand the District of Columbia followed suit. DorotheaDix forever changed the way Americans care for thementally ill.

Dorothea Dix


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Thomas Edison saw every obstacle as an opportunity.Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, he

said. He had little schooling, and was deaf from a youngage, but he pursued his interests with resourcefulnessand passion. He loved science and mechanics. He wasdriven to invent.

By 1868, Edison had improved the telegraph andthe typewriter. He made an electric vote recorder anda stock ticker. Two years later, he had enough money

to open his first invention factory. He was onlytwenty-three. He and the talented team of engineersand scientists he hired would change the world.

Within five years, they had perfected the telephoneand created the phonograph. Next, they becamefamous for the incandescent light bulb. Later theyworked on the motion picture camera, talking movies,a car battery, and an x-ray machine. In his lifetime,Edison registered 1,093 patents.

The three essentials to achieve anything worthwhileare, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itive-ness; third,common sense, Edison said. With a booming businessand boundless enthusiasm, Thomas Edison helped

bring America into the modern age.

Thomas Edison


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Benjamin Franklin dedicated his life to improving thelives of his fellow citizens. He did this by creating goods,

services, and a form of government. The most acceptableservice of God is doing good to Man, he said. He lived bythis principleas a citizen, author, inventor, scientist, andstatesman.

Franklins life was filled with firsts. He put his ideas inaction to create the first fire department, the first publiclibrary, and the first public hospital in Philadelphia. He

shared homespun humor and advice in his popular PoorRichards Almanac. He also improved peoples lives with hisinventions. He made the first lightning rod, bifocal glasses,and iron furnace stove.

Yet Franklin made his greatest contributions to Americasfirst governments. He had a strong sense of responsibilityand never refused a public office. To build the new republic,he served faithfully at the Second Continental Congress. Hehelped draft the Declaration of Independence. He helpednegotiate the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.He joined the Constitutional Convention, where he stood upfor a stronger union and worked hard to protect citizensfrom tyranny. Benjamin Franklin was optimistic about

Americas future; and gave much of hislife to help her grow.

Benjamin Franklin


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Joe Foss spent his life living out his duty to his country, andtaking steps to ensure that young people across the country

would understand the courage and sacrifice needed tocontinue our American way of life.

Foss grew up in a South Dakota, taking on responsibilityfor his familys farm after his father died. He gainedinternational fame as Americas top Marine fighter pilot inWorld War II and received the Congressional Medal of Honor.In 1945 he returned to South Dakota, and started a business.

Ever industrious, he organized the South Dakota Air NationalGuard, where he earned his Generals star. After serving twoterms as South Dakotas governor the youngest ever he

became the first Commissioner of the American FootballLeague and spurred the creation of the Super Bowl.

General Foss believed he had a duty to his country thatwent further than his own service. He began speaking to

students about patriotism, freedom, leadership and theopportunities this country offers. He was concerned that thenations educational curriculum was no longer teachingstudents the value of patriotism or the history of our freedoms.To work to improve education, he enlisted fellow veterans to

become involved. In 2001, he founded The JOE FOSS Institute,a non-profit organization, working with veterans in a

nationwide effort to educate students.

Joe Foss


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Fannie Lou Hamer courageously fought for herright to vote. Hamer was born in Mississippi in 1917.

In 1962 she attended a voter registration meeting. It wasthere that she first learned the Fifteenth Amendmentprotected African Americans ability to vote. She leftthat meeting determined to register to vote.

Hamer decided she wanted to help other AfricanAmericans participate in American democracy. She

took the initiative to organize registration drives. Onthese drives, she became famous for singing hymns. Inone 1963 drive, she was thrown in jail. MontgomeryCounty guards beat her and fellow civil rights workers.She lost her job and even received death threats, butshe persevered.

In 1964, Hamer spoke out at the Democratic

presidential convention about people being illegallyprevented from voting. A year later in 1965, PresidentJohnson signed the Voting Rights Act. This lawremoved many barriers to voting, and many see it asa fulfillment of the Fifteenth Amendments promise.Fannie Lou Hamers courage and perseverance hadnever wavered.

Fannie Lou Hamer


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Anne Hutchinson stood up to a religious theocracy(where the church and the government are the same) in

defense of religious liberty. A well-educated ministersdaughter, Hutchinson came to the Massachusetts BayColony in 1634. She became a midwife, and she madefriends. Soon she began to invite women to her homefor Bible study.

Over the years, Hutchinson attracted a following.Almost sixty people, both men and women, joined her

group. The discussions at her home soon became morelike sermons. She criticized the teachings of the colonysministers. For anyoneand especially a womanto goagainst the official religion of the colony was a crime.Colony ministers charged Hutchinson with eighty-twoerroneous opinions. But she did not keep silent. Shecourageously defended her beliefs. In the end, Hutchinsonwas convicted andbanished. Hutchinsons struggle helpedspread the values of respect and religious liberty. In 1789,the Constitution banned religious tests for public office;the First Amendment, adopted in 1791, stopped the federalgovernment from establishing a religion; finally, allthe states ended their official churches by the early 19th

century. Anne Hutchinsons strugglehelped religious liberty take root.

Anne Hutchinson


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Andrew Jackson served his country with courage:as an Army General and as President. Jackson was bornin 1767 near the North and South Carolina border. Ayoung boy during the Revolutionary War, he foughtas an irregular. He was captured by the British, andlater released. These early experiences strengthenedJacksons integrity and resolve.

Jackson continued serving his country in themilitary. He led victories against the Creek Indians,

and most famously against the British at New Orleansin 1814. As an Army General, he became known asOld Hickory. After the war, Jackson became governorof the new Florida territory, which he had helpedacquire from the Spanish.

As President, Jackson often clashed with otherbranches of government. He vetoed Congresss recharterof the National Bank, which he believed wasa government-sponsored monopoly. He defied theSupreme Court. He even locked horns with his VicePresident. But his refusal to compromise won himmany admirers. Andrew Jackson was beloved by thepeople, winning 56% of the popular vote and five times

as many electoral votes as his opponentin the election of 1832.

Andrew Jackson


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Martin Luther King, Jr. persevered for civil rightsthroughout his life. King was born in Georgia in1929. He fought for desegregation and equal rightsfor African Americans by speaking out and leadingmarches. He always preached non-violence as a meansfor change.

The most important march of Kings career was theMarch on Washington in 1963. A quarter of a millionpeople packed the National Mall. King stood on the

steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In his speech, Kingreferred to the architects of our republic and theircommitment to freedom. He electrified the crowd withhis speech, saying, I have a dream that one day thisnation will rise up and live out the true meaning of itscreed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that allmen are created equal.

In the years that followed, King led civil rightsmarches in Selma, Alabama. He always urgedmoderation in non-violence protest. King was awardedthe Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King was assassinatedin 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr.s funeral was attendedby 300,000 people, and his courageous life continues

to inspire people today.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


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Abraham Lincoln rose from obscurity to celebrity,from boyhood on the Kentucky frontier to Presidentof the United States. Despite election defeats, hepersevered in his pursuit of public office. In 1858, hebecame famous in debates over the western expansionof slavery. The nation could not survive half-slave,half-free, he said.

Elected on the eve of Civil War, Lincoln courageouslyled the nation through four bloody, tumultuous years.

At Gettysburg in 1863, he inspired all Americans torecover the integrity of their country and its ideals. TheUnited States was conceived in liberty, and dedicatedto the proposition that all men are created equal. Forhis second inaugural speech, Lincoln stood on theEast Portico of the Capitol, March 4, 1865. The end ofthe Civil War was in sight. Thousands had gathered tohear him. They expected a victory speech.

Lincoln surprised them. He called for forgivenessand unity. He knew the challenges the nation wouldface. Abraham Lincolns words echo through the ages:With malice toward none; with charity for all


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To the British during the Revolutionary War, JamesArmistead was a runaway slave spying on the ContinentalArmy. In fact, Armistead was loyal to George Washington, and

the British were the ones being spied on.Armistead was born into slavery in 1748 in Virginia. His

wanted to fight for independence from England, and mastergave him permission to serve in the Continental Army in 1781.He courageously became a spy for the Marquis de Lafayette.Posing as a runaway slave, Armistead was allowed into theBritish camps. He listened closely as British officers, including

Benedict Arnold and General Cornwallis, detailed theirstrategies. He then sent crucial information about their plansto the Lafayette and General George Washington. He wouldalso pass the British inaccurate information about Americanmovements. It was dangerous work. If he had beendiscovered, he would surely have been hanged.

Because he was a spy and not a soldier, Armistead was not

eligible for freedom under a 1783 Virginia act freeing slaveswho served in the Continental Army. He and his ownerpetitioned the Virginia legislature for his freedom; his petitionincluded a recommendation from Lafayette. When thelegislature granted his freedom, Armistead changed hissurname to Lafayette. As a free man, he became a farmer,raised a large family, and received a monthly

pension from the army for his services.

James Armistead Lafayette


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James Madisons ideas formed the backbone forthe United States plan for self-government. Madison,a wealthy Virginia planter, grew up small, thin, andsickly. Physically, he could not compete with manyFounders. Intellectually, he was a giant.

Madison had the initiative and resourcefulness tonurture a nation in ways no one else could. In 1787,he was a leader at the Constitutional Convention. Hetook notes, spoke often, and helped people come to

compromises. He was ever vigilant about the abuseof government power, and worked to prevent it. Hewas wise enough to be worried about factions. Hesuggested a system of checks and balances. He alsoworked to balance the power of the states and thefederal government. Both are key parts of Americangovernment.

When the Constitution was sent to the states, Madisonwrote newspaper articles to defend it. When it becameclear that the Constitution would not pass without it, hedrafted the Bill of Rights. Madison believed the newgovernment was the work of many heads and manyhands. History, however, has made James Madison

famous as the Father of theConstitution.

James Madison


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As Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the earliestyears of the American republic, John Marshall hadimportant responsibilities. Marshall was born in 1755 onthe Virginia frontier. He served in the Revolutionary War,and later studied law. Marshall wished for the new nationto be strong and unified. He knew the Articles ofConfederation would not help this happen. He spoke outon behalf of the new Constitution in 1789. He wasappointed to the Supreme Court by President John

Adams. His role on the Court gave him the chance tointerpret the Constitution and the system of government itcreated.

He wrote more than 500 opinions. His mostimportant opinion was Marbury v. Madison (1803),in which Marshall explained that it was the SupremeCourts job to say what the law is. This decision

affirmed the power of judicial review. Many of Marshallsrulings affirmed the power of the national government.His opinions are still cited by Supreme Court Justicestoday. They form the backbone of much constitutional law.Throughout his thirty-four years on the Supreme Court,John Marshalls rulings supported the integrity of the new

nation.

John Marshall


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Thurgood Marshall may be best known as the firstAfrican American Supreme Court Justice, but his courageand determination were clear long before his appointmentto the Court. He was born in 1908, the grandson of a slave.He graduated from college with honors. In 1930, he wasturned down at the University of Maryland because hewas black. He completed law school at historically blackHoward University.

Marshall decided to use his talents to end segregation

in public life. His first legal victory came against theUniversity of Marylands admission policythe veryschool which did not let him in because hes black. Hebecame chief counsel for the National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People (NAACP). Marshall andthe NAACP began a legal campaign against segregation inpublic schools. This struggle ended when Marshall argued

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) before the SupremeCourt. This decision declared segregation in public schoolsunconstitutional.

Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court in1967, becoming the first African American AssociateJustice. Thurgood Marshall spent almost a quarter

century on the Court, supporting the Constitutionsprotections for individual and civil rights.

Thurgood Marshall


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Parkshas been called The Mother of the Civil RightsMovement. She was born in Tuskegee, Alabama and was raisedon a farm, growing up in the shadow of Jim Crow law, which

rigidly segregated society. On December 1, 1955, as Parks wasriding the bus home, she was asked to give up her seat and movefurther back in the bus. Parks refused, and was arrested.

Don't ride the bus today, don't ride it for freedom." This statementwas written on the flyers posted around the city of Montgomery onDecember 5, 1955. On that day, Rosa Parks would be tried for hercrime of refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus.

Parks courage led to a boycott of city buses championed, by therelatively unknown Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. , along withmany others. During the boycott, members of the black community(many of whom could not afford cars) made sacrifices for theirrights. Some cab drivers, in solidarity with the boycotters, begancharging blacks only 10 cents per ride to assist with the hardshipsthat came with the bus boycott. When the city government

announced they would prosecute these cab drivers, leaders began aprivate taxi plan offering coordinated transportation. Theyrisked not only arrest, but police brutality and mob violence.

The boycott was powerfulMontgomery county bus passengerswere 75% African Americanand it lasted more than a year: 381days. In November of 1956 the District Court ruled that segregationon buses was unconstitutional and boycott officially ended.

Rosa Parks
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William Penns fight for religious liberty spannedfour decades and two continents. At twenty-fouryears of age, Penn was imprisoned in the Tower ofLondon in 1668 for life. But he was did not repent. Iowe my conscience to no mortal man, he declared.A devout Quaker, he had been persecuted for hisbeliefs. Fortunately, Penn was well-connected. Withineight months he was released. He continued to writeand give speeches. He continued to support religious

toleration. He continued to protest efforts to forceEnglishmen to follow one faith.

As he grew older, Penn became interested inAmerica. In 1681, the King gave him the largestremaining piece of land between New York andMaryland as payment of a debt to his father. Pennnamed the colony for his father, calling it Pennsylvania

or Penns Woods. He advertised for colonists, and theycame in droves.

Penn called it his Holy Experiment. As governor,he believed that good government could not force afaith or require conformity. Respect for individualbeliefs and self-government, William Penn argued,

would bring peace and prosperity toPennsylvaniaand they did.

William Penn


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Jackie Robinson was born in Georgia in 1919.Abandoned by his father and raised with his foursiblings by their mother, Robinsons early lifeexperiences were of segregation: in restaurants, movietheaters, and at school. His mother taught him self-respect, courage, and perseverance. His athletic talentsblossomed in high school. He excelled at many sports.As a player in the Negro American League, Robinsonsbatting average approached .400.

Robinson signed on with the Brooklyn Dodgers in1947, ending 80 years of segregation in professionalbaseball. Robinson knew it would be a tough road.Some players threatened to strike. When he was at bat,fast balls would narrowly miss his head. The crowdtaunted him with racial epithets. His family receivedhate mail. But Robinson did not back down. And as

time went on, his fellow ball players could not denyhis talents and contributions to the team.

Robinson was a trailblazer in American sports. In1997, on the anniversary of his first game, MajorLeague baseball retired Jackie Robinsons number42as a testament to his courage and perseverance.

Jackie Robinson


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The fourth of seven children born to Quaker parents,Benjamin Rush was the most famous physician of his time.Known and respected by many of the Founding generation,

Benjamin Rush treated illnesses such as yellow fever andsmallpox, putting himself at great risk to do so. During theyellow fever epidemic of the 1790s he often saw more than onehundred patients a day and published an account of his findingsin 1793. He did not limit his ingenuity to medicine. He alsoplayed a major role in revolutionary politics, attending theContinental Congress of 1776 and signing the Declaration of

Independence. He and James Wilson led their home state ofPennsylvania to become the second state to ratify the newConstitution.

Decidedly revolutionary in his thinking, he worked to curesocial ills such as slavery, alcoholism, and tobacco addiction. Hewas passionate about education. He knew that schoolspromoted virtue, and virtue was key in a free society like the

American republic. He was a pioneer in the study of mentalillness and a champion of humanitarian reforms. He often saidthat, when it came to bringing about much-needed change,Prudence is a rascally virtue. His reputation was forinnovation and candor, if sometimes to the point of tactlessness.

Throughout his career, Rush pursued his revolutionary ideaswith three goals in mind: to improve life, ensure liberty, and

encourage the pursuit of happiness.

Benjamin Rush


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Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for the ideals of theDeclaration of Independencethat all people are createdequal. Stanton was born in New York State in 1815. Shereceived a formal education, unlike most women of hertime. She did well in school, impressing her teachers andclassmates with her intelligence. But as a woman, shecould not attend the college of her choice.

Stanton was disturbed by womens lower legal status.She helped organize the first womens rights convention in

the US in Seneca Falls, New York. At that convention, theDeclaration of Sentiments and Resolutions was read. Thisdocument, based on the Declaration of Independence andwritten by Stanton, declared the legal equality of men andwomen, and listed the legal rights women should have,including the right of suffrage (voting). Her work helpedlaunch the womens movement which eventually won

women the right to vote.Stanton knew she was fighting for something bigger

than herself. She did not live to see the passage of theNineteenth Amendment. Susan B. Anthony wrotewhen Elizabeth Cady Stanton died, Mrs. Stanton wasalways a courageous woman, a leader of thought and

new movements.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton


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Harriet Beecher Stowe used the power of her pento open the eyes of a nation to the injustices of slavery.She was born in Connecticut in 1811. She lived in aProtestant, abolitionist tradition: her father a minister,her brother a theologian, her husband a clergyman.When Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act in1850, Stowe knew she had to act. At the time, womenhad few ways to engage in politics. She could not runfor office, or even vote, but she was undeterred. Ever

resourceful, she found a political voice in her writings.She began to do research by interviewing former slavesand others who had personal experience with slavery.Her first novel, Uncle Toms Cabin, told of the abusesuffered by enslaved people and families in emotional,human terms.

Uncle Toms Cabin sold 10,000 copies in its first

week, and was a bestseller in its time. She reachedpeoples hearts and minds in a way that politicians hadnot been able to do. Historians believe the publicationof Uncle Toms Cabin sped up the outbreak of the CivilWar, as more and more people believed the nation hada duty to end slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowes writing

truly changed a nations view of justice.

Harriet Beecher Stowe


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As a writer, friend, and citizen, Henry David Thoreaulived a life of integrity and moderation. For over a year,Thoreau lived in a small bare cabin near Walden Pond,Massachusetts. In stark contrast to the IndustrialRevolution going on around him, he wanted to live byTranscendentalist principles: simplicity, economy, andmoderation.

Thoreau tried to live his life with this kind of integrity.In the mid-1800s, he opposed the United States war with

Mexico. He believed that the war would lead to slaverysexpansion in the West. He did not want his tax money tosupport the war or slavery. When the Massachusettsgovernment required that citizens pay a poll tax to vote,Thoreau refused. As a result, Thoreau was arrested. Hespent a night in jail and wrote about it. Under agovernment which imprisons any unjustly, the true place

for a just man is in prison, he argued. He believed healone had acted responsibly as a citizen, by refusing tosupport an unjust war.

Thoreau believed that one person, firm in hisor her beliefs, can change the world. Henry DavidThoreaus words and actions have inspired generations

of Americans.

Henry David Thoreau


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Mary Beth Tinker fought for the right of students torespectfully express their personal views in public school.Tinker was a thirteen year old middle school student fromDes Moines, Iowa in 1965. She opposed the war inVietnam. She, her older brother John, and other studentsdecided to wear black armbands to school to protest thewar and mourn the dead. When they got to school, theywere told they would be suspended from school until theyreturned without the armbands.

Tinker believed the punishment she faced wasunjust. She believed had a right to express her views ina respectful and non-disruptive way. She courageouslywore the armband even though she knew she would besuspended. She refused to give up her fight. She andher brother took their case to the Supreme Court.

In Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) Tinker won her case.

The Court said that the armbands were akin to purespeech. Schools must have the ability to keep order,but unless students truly disrupt school, they do notshed their constitutional rights to freedom of speechor expression at the schoolhouse gate. Mary BethTinkers fight for justice became a landmark victory

for public school students rights.

Mary Beth Tinker


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Mary Tsukamoto devoted her life to ensuring civilrights for all Americans. She was born in San Franciscoto parents who had come to California from Japan. Sheattended a segregated school, and helped her family growmodest crops despite laws banning Japanese people fromowning the land they farmed. In 1941, the Japanese bombedPearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II.President Roosevelt was concerned that people of Japanesedescent might aid the Japanese. Roosevelt signed an

Executive Order creating detention camps. 120,000 people ofJapanese descentmost of them American citizenswererounded up and forced to live in the camps. They lost theirpossessions, their livelihoods, and their dignity.

Tsukamoto worked to make sure the story of JapaneseInternment would not be forgotten by history. She recordedher experience in a book: We the People:

A Story of Internment in America. She also worked withthe California History Museum and the SmithsonianInstitution in Washington, DC to develop exhibits aboutJapanese Internment. Despite her experience, she remainedcommitted to self-government. In 1990, Mary Tsukamotowrote: Only in a democracy can we correct mistakes. I am

proud to be an American.

Mary Tsukamoto


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Harriet Tubman, an enslaved field hand who couldnot read, escaped to freedom in 1849. Thirty years ofpoverty and abuse had left her small body battered andscarred. But her spirit was unstoppable. There wasone of two things I had a right toliberty or death.If I could not have one, I would have the other, shelater said.

Not content with securing her own freedom,Tubman then turned to helping others escape.

Although she faced death or re-enslavement if caught,Tubman became a conductor on the UndergroundRailroad in the 1850s. At first, she returned south torescue her family. Over time, she saved hundreds ofslaves. She was clever and gifted at avoiding capture, sosuccessful that she was nicknamed Moses. Nineteentimes, she made the dangerous 650-mile journey from

Maryland to Canada. She was never caught, and neverlost a passenger.

During the Civil War, she became a scout, spy, nurse,and cook. She recruited freedmen to the Union cause,and helped lead raids that freed hundreds more slaves.With unequalled courage, Tubman pursued liberty for

every American, and in doing sobecame a legend.

Harriet Tubman


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George Washington wanted his presidency to be anexample of moderation, just as he had lived his life. OnSeptember 19, 1796, Washington gave his Farewell Address.Although the Constitution did not limit the Presidents term,Washington knew the system of checks and balances wasdesigned to prevent abuse of power. The letter of the law didnot forbid a third term, but he believed its spirit did.

The decision to step down kept with Washingtonscharacter. Throughout his life, he worked to follow a set of

strongly held values including moderation and responsibility.He was a hot tempered person, but he moderated his actions.He always answered the call of dutyas Commander inChief of the Continental Army, and as president of theConstitutional Convention. And he always stepped downwhen the job was done. In fact, Washington warned againstleaders with a love of power and the ability to abuse it.

There was no greater danger to liberty, no greater peril for afree people. The people wanted him to stay, but he knew hecould not. He was aware that as the first president, everythinghe did would be setting an example for all the futurepresidents of the United States. By resigning, he was a modelof moderation. To George Washington, the preservation of the

American republic was more importantthan personal gain.

George Washington

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Ida B. Wells worked to bring national attentionto ending the injustice of lynching. Wells was bornin Mississippi in 1862, the oldest of eight children.Her parents died when she was 14, and she raised heryounger siblings herself. She put herself through collegeand became a teacher in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1892, Wells lost three close friends to a lynchmob. These gruesome killings made headlines, butno one was arrested or charged. As a journalist and

a newspaper owner and editor, Wells courageouslywrote about the racism that motivated such murders.The press attacked her as a black scoundrel. A mobransacked her office and threatened her life, but shecontinued to speak the truth about lynching.

Wells later moved to Chicago where she publishedThe Red Record, the first documented statistical

report on lynching. She became a respected publicspeaker, and traveled widely. She co-founded theNational Association for the Advancement for ColoredPeople (NAACP) in 1909. Ida B. Wells courage andperseverance helped end an on-going injustice,and brought about important change in the United

States.

Ida B. Wells

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Wilbur and Orville Wrights resourcefulness andperseverance changed a nationand the world. Whenthe boys were young, their father brought home a toythat caught their interest: a rubber-band controlledhelicopter. Their fascination with machines that helpedpeople travel continued throughout their life.

People had dreamed of flying machines, butno one had ever been able to build one that couldbe controlled in flight. The Wright Brothers took the

resources theyd earned from manufacturing andselling bicycles and put it into their dream of inventingan airplane. They experimented with wind tunnels.They hypothesized. They failed, and failed again. Onefailed attempt, a glider, was so disappointing thatWilbur almost gave up.

Then, on December 17, 1903, they succeeded. Their

engine-powered airplane flew 120 feet, landing 12seconds after takeoff. They patented their inventionas a flying machine, and forever changed the world.Great distances could be spanned in days instead ofweeks or months, ideas spread across the globe morequickly, and the modern age was ushered in due in part

to the perseverance of Orville andWilbur Wright.

The Wright Brothers

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Activity 2

Still portraying your character, organize into smaller groups. Share your characters lives, values, opinions,

accomplishments, and heroic actions; and determine how andif your character influenced the other characters youregrouped with.

As a group, complete Handout D: Dinner Party Seating Chart.

Vice-PresidentWalterMondalehosting adinner partyfor PresidentJimmy Carter,1977 40


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Homework:

List the values exemplified by your characters and talk to friendsand family to determine if these civic values are still valued today.

Write a three to five line epitaph for your character(s). Think of a time when you acted heroically and draw a super-hero

comic strip showing what you did.

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Extensions

Create a PowerPoint or Prezi slideshow about your hero(es) OR a hero livingin your community. Present and narrate your slideshow.


baa lesson 5-classroom powerpoint

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