Corroborating – Page 3

September 30, 2015October 1, 2015

The Golden Girls: Women’s History of The California Gold Rush

“The Golden Girls”

Target: Middle/High School Social Studies
Skills: Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration
Topic: A Women’s History of The California Gold Rush
By: Monica Portugal

EQ: How were women treated in the California Gold Rush?

Description: This lesson would best follow a lecture of the California Gold Rush in order to help students create a better connection to the following documents. The purpose of this lesson is to provide a women’s history of this commonly viewed, male centered adventure.

Directions: Students will first write a half page reflection as to what they thought women in the Gold Rush looked like, acted, or did. Students will then read each document in groups of 2-4, and answer the accompanying questions that go with it. As a class we will then share our answers and have an open discussion on the documents we just read.

At the end of this lesson, students will individually reflect on their answers, write a summary about the lesson, and answer the EQ. Students will then compare and contrast the reflection they wrote before the lesson, and the reflection they written after.

Source #1: Newspaper Article

Using prior knowledge about the California Gold Rush, what surprises you in source 1, and how has it changed your image of the Gold Rush?
What does this document tell us about the women who ventured to California during the rush? (Occupation, income, attitudes)

Mrs. Farnham In California
(February 27, 1850)

“Women are more in requisition than gold, or anything else Those who came out with me had immediately offers of employment at $75 and $100 per month. If there had been five hundred instead of five, they could all have engaged immediately on similar terms. They must be got here in considerable numbers before society can take any shape or assume any character. I hope that while our good brethren at home are bestirring themselves kindly lo send out clergymen, they will not forget that the best of all missionaries to such a population are resolute, virtuous, intelligent women. One of the chief difficulties that were felt by the women who consulted me, was the fear that they should not be protected against rudeness, or perhaps something worse. I reasoned with them that it would not be so, but it was difficult to convince by argument . Therefore let the fact be known to all who care to know it, that the utmost possible deference and care are shown to females; and that any woman, to experience rudeness or insult here, must expose herself much more imprudently than she would to incur the same risk in your cities. No woman need fear to come here who has the sense and energy to take care of herself elsewhere; and she will have, in her capacity for any occupation suited to her sex. a better capital than the gold mines. If there had 1,000 females sailed last May, they would, all who chose to, be profitable employed this day . Everything is scarcer here than gold.”

-Eliza Farnham

Source #2: Advertisement

After reading this document, who do you think the audience is, and what do you think was the purpose of this document?

A Husband Wanted
 “By a lady who can wash, cook, scour, sew, milk, spin, weave, hoe (can’t plow), cut wood, make fires, feed the pigs, raise chickens, rock the cradle, (gold-rocker, I thank you, Sir!), saw a plank, drive nails, etc. There are a few of the solid branches; now for the ornamental. “Long time ago” she went as far as syntax, reap Murray’s Geography and through two rules in Pike’s Grammar. Could find 6 states on the Atlas. Could read, and you can see she can write. Can - no, could - paint roses, butterflies, ships, etc. Could once dance; can ride a horse, donkey or oxen, beside a great many things too numerous to be named here. Oh I hear you ask, could she scold? No, she cant you --- you---- good-for-nothing----! Now for her terms. Her age is none of your business. She is neither handsome nor a fright, yet an old man need not apply, nor any who not a little more education then she has, and great deal more gold, for there must be $20,000 settled on her before she will bind herself all the above. Address to Dorothy Scraggs, with real name. P.O Marysville.”

Ending Questions:

After reading the given documents, what do these sources tell us about women in the Gold Rush?
Do you think these sources agree with another, or disagree?
What inferences can we make about women who were present in the California during the Gold Rush?

Brief Summary/Reflection:

The combination of these documents and the scaffolding questions that accompany them, are intended for students to reflect on this history, and look at these primary sources in a new light in the context of its history. Students will be required to consider the purpose of these documents, and why the authors would have written them. Students will also be forced to consider how these documents are in dialogue with another, and determine whether these sources provide the evidence needed to support their final claims.

For this mini lesson I wanted to provide primary sources that were fun and interesting to read, while at the same time provide a different perspective on the history of the Gold Rush. I stumbled upon these documents while working on a research paper and loved how it showed a completely different image of the 19th century women. I am currently conducting my student teaching at a high school, and have shared some of the documents I am using for my senior thesis with my students. As I was telling them the story of some of my sources, I was pleased to see their interest light up, and their curiosity begin to creep in. It is because of reactions such as those that I hope to provide my students with sources that make them question the context of it, and discover a new story to be told.

Image Sources:
http://Photo From: California State Library: https://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/images/goldrush_pic/II_img1.jpg
https://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/images/goldrush_pic/VII-2_img2.jpg http://www.sierracollege.edu/ejournals/jsnhb/v4n2/farnham.html

Source #1:
Ilinois Digital Newspaper Collection: http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/cgi-bin/illinois?a=d&d=SJO18500227.2.146

Source #2:
JoAnn Levy, They The Elephant. (University of Oklahoma Press, 2014), 176.

September 29, 2014

Implications of the First Amendment: “To Bigotry No Sanction, To Persecution No Assistance”

Overview

This pre-assessment will ask 10th grade United States history and government students to corroborate details across three documents: the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786), George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (1790), and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791). The documents will be called Documents a, b, and c, and no background information will be provided. Question 1 will ask students to determine points of agreement in the messages of the three documents. Question 2 will ask students to evaluate what rationale the authors give for their positions. Question 3 will ask students to source the documents. They will chronologically order the documents and match them to their authors.

Having learned about the historical figures who authored the documents, as well as having some context on the evolution of the bill of rights, students should be able to correctly identify the author, voice, message, and significance of the documents.

Documents

a. Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786)

“…Be it enacted by General Assembly that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of Religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities. And though we well know that this Assembly elected by the people for the ordinary purposes of Legislation only, have no power to restrain the acts of succeeding Assemblies constituted with powers equal to our own, and that therefore to declare this act irrevocable would be of no effect in law; yet we are free to declare, and do declare that the rights hereby asserted, are of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right.”

b. George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (1790)

“…If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good government, to become a great and happy people.

“The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy—a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.

“It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support…”

c. First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791)

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The Questions

On what topics do the authors of these documents agree?

What reasoning provided in documents a. and b. support the conclusions of document c.?

Match the documents with their author and date of composition/enactment:

Thomas Jefferson; George Washington; The Constitutional Convention

1786; 1790; 1791

Document a. Author______________________________________ Date___________________

Document b. Author______________________________________ Date___________________

Document c. Author______________________________________ Date___________________

Reflection

When I use this lesson in the classroom, I will use it as a pre-assessment before I begin a unit on the Constitutional Convention. One of the major hurdles that the Federalists had to clear in order to sell the model of a constitutional republic was to ensure the preservation of civil rights. An examination of the evolution of church/state separation is germane to the topic. An assessment that will ask my students to give a close reading to these primary sources should “hook” them into listening to a lecture that will use the sources as a jumping-off point for examining the Anti-Federalist concerns that prompted the writing of the Bill of Rights.

September 28, 2014

Arriving in the Land of Plenty

ellis island — **Title:** U.S. inspectors examining eyes of immigrants, Ellis Island, New York Harbor **Date Created/Published:** New York : Underwood & Underwood, c1913.

Accessed: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Target Students: 9th through 12th grade (Questions can be revised to reflect grade level and content studied)

Historic Skills: Sourcing and Corroboration

Primary Source: This is an excerpt from the Poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, 1883. An inscription of the poem was later added to the Statue of Liberty at Liberty Island in 1903.

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Accessed: Library of Congress

Questions Pertaining to Sourcing:

Sourcing Question: The excerpt from Emma Lazarus’ poem, “The New Colossus” is indicative of the millions of immigrants that emigrated through Ellis Island and is useful in understanding the experiences of and attitudes towards immigrants . Do you agree or disagree? Use evidence from the source to support your answer.

Guiding Questions: Who wrote this? What is the author’s perspective? When was it written? Where was it written? Why was it written? Is it reliable? Why? Why not?

The following are a few excerpts from a book called “ Our Immigrants at Ellis Island” by Mrs. Francis E. Clark, a member of the United Society of Christian Endeavour, 1912. The book was meant to educate young Americans on the hardships and experiences associated with immigration during the late 19th and early 20th century by using real immigrant examples.

Accessed: The Library of Congress

Primary Sources:

T.D. : Temporarily Detained
E: Excluded
O.K. : All right

Questions Pertaining to Corroboration:

Question #1:Explain why a historian may or may not agree with the way in which Emma Lazarus’ poem, “The New Colossus” describes the experiences of and attitudes towards all immigrants who came through Ellis Island.

Question #2: Using the examples of immigrants from the book “Our Immigrants from Ellis Island” decide whether or not these sources can support Emma Lazarus’ take on immigration in “The New Colossus.” If the sources are not supportive, explain why not.

Description of the Lesson:

This mini-lesson allows students to source a primary document and then find supportive evidence from other primary documents to support or challenge the information being presented in the first primary source. Students are essentially being asked to compare and contrast the differences between a fictionalized account of immigration and actual accounts of immigration while remaining critical of the sources’ origins. The students will be able to interact with the primary sources and ask questions of the primary sources.

Reflection:

Creating a lesson comprised entirely of primary sources leaves the history geek inside of me very content. The SHEG model really allows students to interact with primary source material and engage with material that is often neglected in a more teacher-centered classroom. By giving students an opportunity to analyze the sources directly, they not only take responsibility for their own learning, but are able to make prior connections to what they may already know. A primary source is like a window into another time and another place. In order to understand these windows, it’s essential to learn how to think and analyze like a historian. By teaching students to practice essential historian skills like sourcing, corroboration, and context, one can ensure that the students see the whole picture. I’m very excited to be using primary source material in a way that gives students a chance to grapple with their own opinions and interpretations of history.

September 28, 2014

Damming the Nation

Image: Albert Bierstadt: "Hetch Hetchy Valley from Road", oil, undated c.1870. Link Here. — Image: Albert Bierstadt: “Hetch Hetchy Valley from Road”, oil, undated c.1870. Link Here.

A Historical Assessment Lesson by Erik Nelson
Adapted from SHEG’s Beyond the Bubble assessments site.

Historical Content: Hetch Hetchy Dam Controversy: 1908-1914
Historical Skills: Corroboration, Sourcing

Image Credit: John Muir. Photographer unknown. Library of Congress. Link Here.

Intended Grades: 9-12
Directions: Use the excerpt to answer the questions that follow.

Source Background: In 1906 a massive earthquake and subsequent fires devastated the city of San Francisco. Debate arose between political and business leaders who called for a dam to be built to supply water to the city and the environmental advocates. In his book The Yosemite (1912), John Muir joined the debate.

Source Text: “These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar. Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people’s cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.”

Question 1: Explain why a historian might not believe that Muir’s view alone provides enough evidence to understand the debate surrounding the dam.

Question 2: Three documents are described below. Explain whether each document could be used to support John Muir’s view, or why the document could not be used to support his position.

Image: pg. 489 of “Review of reviews and world’s work (1890). Link Here.

Testimony before the House Committee on Public Lands by former San Francisco Mayor James Phelan about the utilitarian needs of San Francisco’s citizens.
A letter from Robert Underwood Johnson to the Chairman of the House Committee on the Public Lands explaining the need of the country “to uphold its best ideals and its truest welfare against shortsighted opportunism and purely commercial and local interests.”
A letter from the San Francisco Fire Department Widows and Orphans and Mutual Aid Associations, Inc, asking for the right to use the much needed water that would be supplied by the dam.

About the Assessment: This assessment asks students to source and corroborate a document. Students evaluate an excerpt of a 1912 book arguing against damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley in the Sierra. Question 1 asks students to evaluate whether the excerpt provides enough evidence to draw conclusions about the dam debate as a whole. To answer this question, students must source the document to determine whether the account can be thought of as conclusive evidence. Question 2 asks students to evaluate whether additional documents could be used to corroborate the argument.

Source Credits:

John Muir. The Yosemite. From the Sierra Club Web archive. Link Here.

Phelan Testimony and Johnson Letter: From American Social History Production, Inc. Link Here.

San Francisco Fire Department Letter: From the US National Archives Online. Link Here.

Lesson Reflection: As an aspiring architect of social studies classes that engage students in activities to promote historical thinking, it is often hard to brainstorm lessons or activities that address specific ways of thinking as a historian. I relied heavily (entirely) on the model created by Stanford History Education Group to build this lesson. It was very helpful to reverse engineer their assessment model, and I am grateful for the horizons they have opened for me in terms of assessment possibilities. I am also grateful to my Ed. Methods classmates for their help in editing this lesson. Their guidance again helped me to see that my first draft in crafting questions for high school students is never fully comprehensible. Our group worked collaboratively through Google Slides to build these lessons, which was a first big step in content generation. I also realize that reading my questions aloud, and having them read back to me in person, helped me to consider this lesson from a potential student’s point of view. Heavy revision and redirection was needed for clarity.