In Search For Freedom and a Call for Change
Throughout the course of American History, different groups of people did not have equal rights and freedoms. People have had to work to bring change to the American people and ensure all people in America had equal rights and freedoms. This course will work to examine two different periods in American history and how people worked to bring about change for those who did not have equal rights and freedoms.
1. In the first section of this course, students will examine what an enslaved person’s life looked like in New York. Students will investigate different abolitionists and research other people who took action to abolish slavery. Students will discuss how slavery was a factor in causing the Civil War and the impact of the Civil War in New York State. Students will examine ways New York supported the Union and the way their local community contributed to the Civil War effort.
2. In the second section of the course, students will examine what a woman’s life looked like prior to gaining suffrage. Students will gain an understanding of the rights denied to women in the 1800s and also those who took action to bring about change for women’s rights.
3. The fight for freedom is a long-running and long-standing one. In this third section, students will pick an event in the modern day where people are still fighting for equal rights and freedoms and examine the similarities and differences between modern-day fights and fights of the past. Students will discuss the similarities between either the fight for freedom of formerly enslaved persons or the fight for equal freedoms for women, and their own modern day event.
4. No one is too small or too young to stand up for what they believe in. Students will discuss ways they can make a difference in their communities and fight for something they believe in. Students will come up with a plan on how they can make a difference in their community and take action to creating a difference.