Exploring History Vol IV

Exploring History Vol IV
University of Portland Students 
Peter Pappas, Editor

This eBook is a collaborative project of Peter Pappas  
and his Fall 2016 Social Studies Methods Class  
School of Education ~ University of Portland, Portland Ore.
Graduate and undergraduate level pre-service teachers were assigned the
task of developing an engaging research question, researching supportive
documents and curating them into a DBQ suitable for middle or high
school students.
For more on this class, visit the course blog EdMethods  
For more on this book project and work ﬂow tap here. 
Chapters in chronological order
1. Mysterious Bronze Age Collapse by Sam Hicks
2. From Revolution to Government by Valerie Schiller
3. Imagination, Innovation & Space Exploration by Molly Pettit
4. The Real Romanovs by Kelly Marx
5. World War I: The Human Cost of Total War by Anna
Harrington
6. Collectivization and Propaganda in Stalin’s Soviet Union by
Clarice Terry
7. Holy Propaganda Batman! by Karina Ramirez Velazquez
8. The Nicaraguan Literacy Crusade by Scott Hearron
EXPLORING HISTORY: VOL IV
i
Engaging questions and historic
documents empower students to be
the historian in the classroom.

Peter Pappas, editor  
School of Education ~ University of Portland
His popular blog, Copy/Paste features downloads of his instructional
resources, projects and publications. Follow him at Twitter @edteck.
His other multi-touch eBooks are available at here.
© Peter Pappas and his students, 2016
The authors take copyright infringement seriously. If any copyright holder has
been inadvertently or unintentionally overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to
remove the said material from this book at the very ﬁrst opportunity.
ii
Cover design by Anna Harrington
Cover image: Timeless Books 
By Lin Kristensen from New Jersey, USA  
[CC BY 2.]  
via Wikimedia Commons

My father, now the ships of the enemy have come. They have
been setting ﬁre to my cities and doing harm to the land.
Doesn't my father know that all my infantry and [chariots] are
stationed in Khatte, and that all my ships are stationed in
Lukka? ...Now the seven ships of the enemy which have been
coming have been doing harm to us. Now if other ships of the
enemy turn up, send me a report somehow, so that I may know.
MYSTERIOUS
BRONZE AGE
COLLAPSE
1
Chapter by Sam Hicks

What do Historians do when
the Written Record is Missing?
Over the course of a century many of the great
civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean vanished.
Literacy nearly vanished. Even today, many textbooks
shift their focus away from the Mediterranean and never
mention this cataclysm that shows that civilization is
fragile. The lack of a written record should not be seen
as a reason to skip over this event, but rather as an
opportunity. This is an invitation to you as a student to
be a historian. Review the records. Theorize about what
may have happened. Free from the constraints of a
clear narrative and neatly arranged facts, your goal is
not to memorize each fact, but to use the evidence to
form your own opinion.
When looking at the Bronze Age Collapse, read what
remains of the written records from the time and
scientiﬁc evidence for alternative explanations. Analyze
and argue for various explanations using the evidence
that is available to you. This is your chance to solve a
mystery!
4
Map of the great empires
of the Eastern
Mediterranean circa 1200
B.C.E.

Image of Deir el-Bahari with temples of Hatshepsut, Thutmosis III and Mentuhotep II. by Ian Lloyd
(lloydi.com) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hatshetsup-temple-1by7.jpg
GALLERY 1.1 The world of the Late Bronze Age
The Eastern Mediterranean
of the Late Bronze Age
One might be forgiven for thinking that civilization
in the Eastern Mediterranean at the close of the
Bronze-Age was stable, even tranquil.
Interdependent networks of trade and the
establishment of international treaties (written and
familial) created a stability and peace. There were
few major wars, but there were professional armies
based on expensive and well-trained charioteers.
Then suddenly (in a historical sense), over the
course of a century, almost every major civilization
of the Eastern Mediterranean disappeared. Only
one civilization survived this destructive wave,
Egypt. This ancient and resilient civilization
escaped destruction by the slimmest of margins
and was left exhausted and vulnerable. This sole
survivor of the literate societies of the late Bronze-
Age leaves cryptic references to invaders from the
North: Denyen, Ekwesh, Lukka, Peleset, Shekelesh,
Sherden, Teresh, Tjekker, and Weshesh. They
record the names of their foes and artistic
depictions of these assailants.
These people appear and suddenly civilization
collapses. It was clearly these marauding new
comers disrupted the staid world of the late Bronze
Age. That is the easy answer, but is it true?
Use the gallery at the right to explore
images from across the Eastern
Mediterranean

What Remains for the Written Record?
Sea People
A letter from the King of Ugarit to the
King of Cyprus states, "My father, now
the ships of the enemy have come. They
have been setting fire to my cities and
doing harm to the land. Doesn't my father
know that all my infantry and [chariots]
are stationed in Khatte, and that all my
ships are stationed in Lukka? ...Now the
seven ships of the enemy which have
been coming have been doing harm to
us. Now if other ships of the enemy turn
up, send me a report somehow, so that I
may know." Cline, E. 2014. 1177 B.C. the
Year Civilization Collapsed. Princeton. p.
9
The Egyptian relief at Medinet Habu tells
us, "The foreign countries made a
conspiracy in their islands. All at once the
lands were removed and scattered in the
fray. No land could stand before their
arms, from Khatte, Qode, Carchemish,
Arzawa, and Alashiya on, being cut off
[at one time]. A camp [was set up] in one
place in Amurru. They desolated its
people, and their land was like that which
has never come into being. They were
coming forward toward Egypt, while the
Famine
Letters in the time include these lines, "I
have no grain in my lands." "Do you not
know that there is famine in the midst of
my lands." "It is a matter of life and
death!" “There is famine...we will all die
of hunger. If you do not quickly arrive
here, we ourselves will soon die of
hunger. You will not see a living soul...."
"with me, plenty (has become) famine."
Cline, E. 2014. 1177 B.C. the Year
Civilization Collapsed. Princeton. pp.
143-144.
Documents in Egypt state Pharaoh
Merneptah "caused grain to be taken in
ships, to keep alive this land of Hatti."
Civilization Collapsed. Princeton. p. 143.
On the receiving end of this shipment of
food aid, a letter from Pharaoh
Merneptah found in Ugarit notes a
"consignment of grain sent from Egypt to
relieve the famine in Ugarit."
Civilization Collapsed. Princeton. p. 143.
REVIEW 1.1 What do you think?
Check Answer
Which of these best describes the tone of
letters compared to the written records from
the Egyptian sources?
A. The letters are humorous
B. The letters are boastful
C. The letters are nostalgic
D. The letters are pleading

MOVIE 1.1 In their wake they left destruction!
Watch this book trailer for Eric Cline’s 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization
Collapsed (Princeton 2014)
The Sea People
The "Sea People" (as modern scholars call them) are recorded in
Egyptian sources as attacking in great numbers, ﬁrst 1207 B.C.E.,
and again in 1177 B.C.E. The Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III
commemorated his defeat of the Sea People in a wall relief depicting
his victory at the Battle of the Delta. We still know very little about the
Sea People. We do not know where they came from or where they
settled. We do not know why they came and what motivated them to
attack so many cities. We do not know what they valued, believed, or
thought about because we have no written records from them. They
have left us nothing in their own words. We know them only by the
accounts of people who called them enemies and the destruction for
which they are held responsible.
In the inscription from Ramses III found at Medinet
Habu, he celebrates his victory over the Sea People.
Is there any bias in this inscription? Why is important
to think about the sources when we read primary
sources? How does a lack of a written record from
the Sea People make it difﬁcult historians think about
them fairly when investigating the Bronze Age
collapse?
Image by Beato. [Public domain] https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Philistine_ship_of_war.jpg
GALLERY 1.2 Egyptian Depictions of Sea People
Use the gallery at the left
to explore images of the
Sea People from Egypt.

USGS Map of a modern “earthquake storm” that effected Turkey in the 20th
century. Image by USGS (USGS [1]) [Public domain] https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EQ_storm_Turkey.png
GALLERY 1.3 Seismic activity in the Eastern Mediterranean
MOVIE 1.2 What do the Experts say about the
earthquake storm?
Part of a speech by Eric H. Cline to The Oriental
Institute
Earthquake Storms
Historians have often seen any destroyed cities from the
Late Bronze Age and blamed Sea Peoples! While Sea
People may have been responsible, cities in the region are
destroyed or abandoned for many reasons throughout
history and the causes are not all the same. One of the
likely causes for at least some of the destruction is
earthquakes. A review of earthquakes in the area in modern
times suggests these can come in a seemingly rapid
succession or sequence called an "earthquake storm."
Review the maps of earthquakes in the Eastern
Mediterranean and maps of destroyed cities dating from
the late Bronze Age, do you see any patterns? Knowing
what you now know of "earthquake storms" in the region,
what role might these have played in the collapse of
civilizations in the late Bronze Age?

Mediterranean Sea
The Dead Sea
Hala Sultan Tekke
Hazor
Ugarit
INTERACTIVE 1.1 A complex picture of climate change, famine, migration, invasion, even civil
unrest!
1 2 3 4 5
REVIEW 1.2 What does the Map suggest to
you?
Check Answer
Why did Amnon Ben-Tor say that Hazor
was likely not destroyed by the Sea
People?
A. They had the same
religion
B. It was too far inland to
be attacked by Sea
People
C. The site appears to
have been destroyed in
an earthquakes
D. The attackers were
Israelites
The map above is in Norwegian. It shows the path
of destruction often associate with the Sea People,
sites of signiﬁcant battles, and the locations of
cities (those destroyed and those left standing).
See if you can locate the city of Troy that was
supposedly destroyed by Greeks in this period.
Also, visit the city of Hazor, the destruction of which
9
Key Questions
What do you think happened?
What does the evidence tell you?
the Bible credits to the Israelites. Other locations on
the map provide other clues about the fate of these
great civilizations.
When you are ﬁnished exploring the map, take a
few moments to analyze what you have learned
about the Bonze Age collapse.

Books and Scholarly Articles used or
Referenced
Cline, Eric H. 1177 B.C.: The Year
Civilization Collapsed. Princeton University
Press. (2014).
Drake, Brandon L. The Inﬂuence of Climatic
Change on the Late Bronze Age Collapse
and the Greek Dark Ages. Journal of
Archaeological Science xxx (2012) 1-9.
accessed on 11/27/2016 via http://www.q-
mag.org/_media/drake-2012-bronze-age.pdf
Kaniewski, David, Elise Van Campo, Joël
Guiot, Sabine Le Burel, Thierry Otto, Cecile
Baeteman. Environmental Roots of the Late
Bronze Age Crisis. PLOS ONE (2013).
accessed 11/28/16 via http://
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pone.0071004
References
Images not Referenced Elsewhere
1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed,
Eric H. Cline - Book Trailer for Paperback.
Princeton University Press. accessed on
11/22/16 via https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=fUNbLcTJzh0
Cline, E. 1177 B.C. 1177 BC: The Year
Civilization Collapsed. Address to the
Oriental Institute on February 25, 2015.
Published on April 6, 2015. Accessed via
YouTube on 11/19/2016. https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyry8mgXiTk
Interactive Map of the Bronze Age Collapse
based on map by by Finn Bjørklid (Own
work) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Bronsealderens_sammenbrudd.jpg
Map of 14th century B.C. Eastern
Mediterranean by Alexikoua, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
14_century_BC_Eastern.png
Books and Scholarly Articles used or
Referenced (cont.)
Kaniewski, David, Elise Van Campo, Karel
Van Lerberghe, Tom Boiy, Klaas
Vansteenhuyse, Greta Jans, Karin Nys,
Harvey Weiss, Christophe Morhange,
Thierry Otto, Joachim Bretschneider. The
Sea Peoples, from Cuneiform Tablets to
Carbon Dating. PLOS ONE (2011).
accessed 11/28/16 via http://
journals.plos.org/plosone/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pone.0020232
Langgut, Dafna, Israel Finkelstein, Thomas
Litt. Climate and the Late Bronze Collapse:
New Evidence from the Southern Levant.
TEL AVIV Vol. 40, 2013, 149–175. accessed
via http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/wp-content/
uploads/2014/01/
Langgut_et_al_LB_Collapse_2013.pdf

11
Reflection
Strangely, the first thing that popped into
my mind when we received this Document
Based Lesson assignment was to create a
lesson about what historians do when the
written records are lost or missing.
I also decided that, as this would eventually
lead to writing a chapter in an eBook, to
write the chapter that is missing from my
students’ textbook–the collapse of literacy
and civilizations in the Eastern
Mediterranean at the end of the Bronze Age
in roughly 1200 B.C.E.
I had a wonderful time with this project and
I learned new skills for various applications.
I also took a chance and e-mailed Dr. Eric
Cline–an expert on the late Bronze Age. He
put me in contact with other people and
opportunities related to this topic. It was a
good reminder that academics are
collaborative and supportive; in future, I will
continue to reach out to experts and
resources that can enrich my students’
learning.
About the Author
Sam Hicks grew up in California where he
excelled in Social Studies. After high school,
he studied international politics and the
European Union at American University.
He has worked on political campaigns and
not-for-profit health care.
Currently residing in Portland, Oregon, he is
finishing his Masters in Teaching at the
University of Portland.
Mr. Hicks is pursuing a career as a teacher
and hopes to encourage critical thinking, a
genuine and honest interest in other people
and cultures, and effective collaboration
among his students.
“These are valuable skills that have served
me well across many careers and in my
academic life. They are learned skills and
require practice. We owe it to our students
to give them compelling curricula that ask
the best of them and afford them the
opportunity to excel.” --Sam Hicks

The American Revolution brought to the forefront
colonial debates which had been happening on the
sidelines for decades. Do people have rights? What is
the role of government in protecting those rights? Who
should be represented in a government which aims to
protect every person’s rights? The 1st and 2nd
Continental Congresses, and particularly the
Constitutional Convention, would establish state and
FROM REVOLUTION
TO GOVERNMENT
2
VALERIE SCHILLER

personhood representation for years to come.
On the path toward government, delegates from the
colonies would represent the people in meetings and debates.
The 1st Continental Congress began the journey. In the
meantime, between meetings, founders wrote letters to each
other and to their friends, expressing perhaps more genuine
feelings about the established and potential government over the
colonies. These essential debates and letters are best learned as
a series of text and picture documents on a timeline toward the
Constitution.
In this lesson, after offering the essential question, I move
13
Previous image: Outside of Independence Hall, Philadelphia
https://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/iceninejon/4926623160
Current image: Inside of Independence Hall Assembly Room
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independence_Hall_Assembly_Room.jpg
from the 1st Continental Congress, to the 2nd Continental
Congress, to a powerful quotation from an Alexander Hamilton
letter, onward to the first constitution, the Articles of
Confederation. In response to the new and flawed government,
George Washington and Henry Knox offer words to their friends
and to each other which demonstrate the powerful undercurrent
sweeping the country toward the Constitution. The Constitutional
Convention serves as the final clash of ideas toward the
ratification of the document which continues to govern our
country today.

E s s e n t i a l
Questions:
How did the debates of
colonial America shape
the Constitution?
Do these issues still
affect our government
and us as citizens today?
14
The US Capitol Building as it stands
today.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:US_Capitol_South.jpg

15
The British’s punishment for the Boston
Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, convinced the
colonists it was time to take larger measures.
Delegates from the 13 colonies (other than
Georgia) gathered at Carpenters’ Hall in
Philadelphia from September 5 until October
26, 1774, to reach a resolution.
At the 1st Continental Congress, there
was a great deal of disagreement among
delegates. Most of the delegates at this time
still felt strong ties to the mother country. They
simply wanted to be treated fairly.
Conservatives, reluctant to meet in secret,
were still loyal to Great Britain and preferred
finding compromise and reconciliation. On the
other hand, some delegates demanded
change. Radicals, like cousins John and
Samuel Adams, believed colonists deserved
rights and liberties as Americans. Some also
began to see the colonies as united, and used
Benjamin Franklin’s famous cartoon “JOIN, or
DIE” to recruit support. Extreme radicals
even called for independence.
As a result, the delegates decided to
pursue three actions: (1) a petition to King
George III, recognizing common causes and
unity, but calling for the removal of excess
control over the colonies, particularly in
Boston; (2) a boycott of British goods to
continue until the Intolerable Acts were
repealed; and (3) a call to meet again the
following May should Parliament not address
their grievances.
Carpenters’ Hall,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress; https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Join,_or_Die

Second Continental Congress, 1775-1781
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The British Parliament took no official
recognition of the colonists’ petition. As a
result, the delegates reconvened the following
May at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The
Congress issued their final attempt at avoiding
war, an Olive Branch Petition to Parliament, to
no avail. Colonists decided this was the final
straw. Support for independence dramatically
increased. With the first shots at Lexington
and Concord, the American Revolutionary
War officially began.
Soon, the Congress selected a
Committee of Five to draft and present a
Declaration of Independence from Britain to
the world. Featured to the bottom-right, the
Committee--Roger Sherman, Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and
Robert Livingston--designated Thomas
Jefferson to write the first draft. After
incorporating changes the other members
proposed, Jefferson produced a final copy.
The Committee presented the document to the
“Committee of the Whole” (featured to the
top-right).
Yet, even after approving the
international document, delegates debated
how independent the now declared states
were. The Congress had the authority to
appoint ambassadors, raise armies, and sign
treaties, but was without any power to tax.
While creating the first constitution, delegates
from large and small states debated
representation. The small states won the
debate: each state, regardless of size, would
have a single vote under the Articles of
Confederation.
Top painting by John Trumbull (1819)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_of_Five

“...It may be pleaded, that Congress had
never any definitive powers granted them
and of course could exercise none—could
do nothing more than recommend. The
manner in which Congress was appointed
would warrant, and the public good
required, that they should have considered
themselves as vested with full power to
preserve the republic from harm. They
have done many of the highest acts of
sovereignty, which were always chearfully
submitted to—the declaration of
independence, the declaration of war, the
levying an army, creating a navy, emitting
money, making alliances with foreign
powers, appointing a dictator...all these
implications of a complete sovereignty
were never disputed, and ought to have
been a standard for the whole conduct of
Administration. Undefined powers are
discretionary powers, limited only by the
object for which they were given—in the
present case, the independence and
freedom of America. The confederation
made no difference; for as it has not been
generally adopted, it had no operation.
But from what I recollect of it, Congress
have even descended from the authority
which the spirit of that act gives them,
while the particular states have no further
attended to it than as it suited their
pretensions and convenience. It would take
too much time to enter into particular
instances, each of which separately might
appear inconsiderable; but united are of
serious import. I only mean to remark,
not to censure.
But the confederation itself is
defective and requires to be altered; it is
neither fit for war, nor peace. The idea of
an uncontrolable sovereignty in each
state, over its internal police, will defeat
the other powers given to Congress, and
make our union feeble and precarious.
Alexander Hamilton had already proven himself capable to
General George Washington, while Hamilton served in the
Continental Army.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton
“make our union feeble
and precarious”
A Letter from Alexander Hamilton to friend
James Duane
...The confederation gives the states
individually too much influence in the
affairs of the army; they should have
nothing to do with it. The entire formation
and disposal of our military forces ought
to belong to Congress...It may be
apprehended that this may be dangerous
to liberty. But nothing appears more
evident to me, than that we run much
greater risk of having a weak and
disunited federal government, than one
which will be able to usurp upon the
rights of the people...”
Founders Online, National Archives

The 2nd Continental Congress
appointed a committee to draft the
United States’ first constitution, the
Articles of Confederation. The
committee completed an approved
version which was sent to the states for
ratification on November 15, 1777. The
debates surrounding ratification would
drag on for four years, due to land
claims, before all 13 states signed on in
agreement.
A major debate of the 2nd
Continental Congress was between
federalists and anti-federalists. The
federalists believed in stronger
federal power, while the anti-
federalists advocated for state power.
In effect, the anti-federalists won.
The Articles of Confederation created a
loose confederation of sovereign states.
The weak central government was
designed to leave most of the power to
the individual state members. Following
from the foundational debate between
small and large states, under the
Articles, each state, regardless of size,
would receive a single vote.
The thirteen Articles of the
document set forth the following:
(1) “This confederacy shall be 'The
United States of America’.”
(2) “Each state retains its sovereignty,
freedom, and independence, and
every power, jurisdiction, and right,
which is not by
this Confederation expressly
delegated...”
(3) “States...enter into a firm league of
friendship with each other, for
their common defense, the security
of their liberties, and their mutual
and general welfare, binding
themselves to assist each other,
against all force offered to, or
attacks made upon them...”
(4) Establishes for the free people of
each state equal treatment under
the law and freedom of movement
between states, except for
“paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives
from justice.”
(5) Allocates one vote in Congress to
each state. State legislatures would
appoint members of Congress.
(6) Asserts only the central government
can declare war. An individual state
can wage war only with the
permission of Congress. The
exception is if a state is invaded or
under imminent attack. However,
each state must have a ready and
well-trained militia.
Regardless of federalist
complaints, the Articles functioned well
enough to direct the country through
the war’s ending and accompanying
international and territorial issues.
Many found the biggest issue was when
the Confederation needed to secure
war resources from the states.
The Articles of Confederation, 1781-1787
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Articles_of_confederation_and_perpetual_union.jpg

A Letter from George Washington to friend  
Benjamin Harrison Jan 18, 1784
Following the end of the Revolutionary War, George
Washington was seriously concerned about the state of
the federal government for the new nation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington
“A half-starved limping
Government”
“...The disinclination of the individual
States to yield competent powers to
Congress for the Federal Government,
their unreasonable jealousy of that body
and of one another, and the disposition
which seems to pervade each, of being
all-wise and all-powerful within itself, will,
if there is not a change in the system be
our downfall as a nation. This is as clear
to me as the A, B, C; and I think we have
opposed Great Britain, and have arrived
at the present state of peace and
independency, to very little purpose, if
we cannot conquer our own prejudices.
The powers of Europe begin to see this,
and our newly acquired friends the
British, are already and professedly
acting upon this ground; and wisely too,
if we are determined to persevere in our
folly. They know that individual
opposition to their measures is futile, and
boast that we are not sufficiently united
as a Nation to give a general one! Is not
the indignity alone, of this declaration,
while we are in the very act of
peacemaking and conciliation, sufficient
to stimulate us to vest more extensive and
adequate powers in the sovereign of
these United States? For my own part,
altho’ I am returned to, and am now
mingled with the class of private citizens,
and like them must suffer all the evils of a
Tyranny, or of too great an extension of
federal powers; I have no fears arising
from this source, in my mind, but I have
many, and powerful ones indeed which
predict the worst consequences from a
half-starved, limping Government, that
appears to be always
moving upon crutches, and tottering at
every step. Men, chosen as the Delegates
in Congress are, cannot officially be
dangerous; they depend upon the breath,
nay, they are so much the creatures of the
people, under the present constitution, that
they can have no views (which could
possibly be carried into execution,) nor
any interests, distinct from those of their
constituents. My political creed therefore is,
to be wise in the choice of Delegates,
support them like Gentlemen while they are
our representatives, give them competent
powers for all federal purposes, support
them in the due exercise thereof...”
TeachingAmericanHistory.org, Ashland University

A Letter from Henry Knox to friend George Washington
Dec 21, 1786 “The insurgents who were
assembled at Worcester in
Massachusetts have disbanded. The
people at Boston seem to be glad at this
event and say it was the effect of fear.
But the fact is that the insurgents effected
their object, which was to prevent the
Court of Common Pleas from proceeding
to business. It is probable that the seizing
some of the insurgents at Middlesex
occasioned a greater number of them to
assemble at Worcester than otherwise
would have assembled merely on
Account of preventing the common
Pleas.
By Private Letters of the 13th from
Boston it appears that government were
determined to try its strength by bringing
the insurgents to action but were
prevented by the uncommon deep
snows, which are four and five feet on a
level.
The commotions of Massachusetts
have wrought prodigious changes in the
minds of men in that State respecting the
Powers of Government every body says
they must be strengthned, and that unless
this shall be effected there is no Security
for liberty or Property.
Founders Online, National Archives
Such is the State of things in the
east, that much trouble is to be
apprehended in the course of the
ensuing year. I hope you will see Colo.
Wadsworth in Philadelphia in a few
days. I expect he will be here on
Saturday next.”
After befriending General George Washington, Henry Knox
rose to the position of chief artillery ofﬁcer and would
accompany Washington during his war efforts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Henry_Knox_by_Gilbert_Stuart_1806.jpeg
“no Security for
liberty or Property”
Shays’ Rebellion was the deﬁning event which tipped
the United States toward establishing a stronger
central government.
http://www.history.com/news/how-shays-rebellion-
changed-america

The Constitutional Convention, 1787
Independence Hall, Philadelphia Image source
In the midst of Shays’ Rebellion,
delegates called for a meeting to discuss
needed improvements to the Articles. Fearing
a bias against small states, Rhode Island
delegates boycotted the convention. The
delegates at the convention unanimously
elected George Washington president.
From May 25 to Sept 17, 1787, twelve
of the thirteen states met at Independence
Hall in Philadelphia to debate the merits and
demerits of the Articles, and discuss a
possible new government. Even before all of
the delegates arrived, James Madison had
already begun drafting the Virginia Plan,
which favored representation for large
states, based on population. Madison’s
plan also proposed a bicameral legislature.
In response, the New Jersey Plan would
reassert an Articles-style unicameral
legislature, which favored representation for
small states, based on a single vote for
each state, regardless of size. In the end,
both sides won. The Connecticut
Compromise, following Madison’s two-
chamber model, satisfied the large states
representation by population via the House
of Representatives, as well as assured the
small states equal representation via the
Senate.
Similarly, delegates tussled over
personhood representation. Whether slavery
would still be allowed under
the new Constitution was heavily debated,
for the southern states had the majority
of slaves. Many southern delegates
refused to join the Union if slavery was not
allowed. Northern delegates insisted, at
the very least, the Union not participate in
the international slave trade. In the end, the
states compromised, keeping slavery but
planning for the elimination of the slave
trade.
However, the states also conflicted over
how slaves would be represented. The
northern states determined slaves were
property, that they should be counted for
taxation but not for representation. Southern
states preferred to count slaves only for
representation. Ultimately, the three-fifths
compromise catered to the south by
counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for
representation.

During the Constitutional
Convention’s final session, after
months of debates and
compromises, the final draft of
the document was complete.
Between 1787 and 1788, eleven
of the thirteen states ratified the
Constitution, more than enough
to begin the new government.
However, while the Federalists
wanted to go ahead with the
new, more powerful,
government, the Anti-
Federalists disputed the
proposed Constitution.
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay,
and James Madison would go on
to publish the Federalist Papers
in support of the new
government.
The Constitution has three
sections: the Preamble, the
Articles, and the Amendments.
The Preamble sets forth the
framework of the document, the
Articles explain the function of
the branches of government, and
the Amendments define the rights
of the people. While the Articles
were a response
The U.S. Constitution, 1789 As people, particularly
judges, have examined the
document over the years,
interpretations of the framers’
work have been limitless.
While concepts such as
separation of powers and
checks and balances are
more obvious, just how those
concepts apply to specific
situations has been
challenging. Courts at
different levels of the country
cannot agree on a single
interpretation of the powers
of government nor the rights
of the people and of
individuals. However, should
politicians, journalists,
academics, and everyday
people learn more about the
historical background of the
document’s development,
one of compromise,
people would be less likely to
insist on framers’ priorities
and perhaps be more
appreciative of the nuances
and complexities the
document holds for its
readers.
https://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/thorne-enterprises/498309798
to the debates of the
Constitutional Convention
surrounding the needs of the
legislative, executive, and judicial
branches, the Amendments were
a last minute addition. Originally,
the Constitution did not include a
Bill of Rights.
According to Anti-Federalists,
such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick
Henry, and Samuel Adams, the
limitations of government were not
clear. Thus, Federalist James
Madison drafted additional articles,
which would later become a
separate section called the
Amendments.

23
To return to the essential questions:
(1) How did the debates of colonial America shape the
Constitution? and
(2) Do these issues still affect our government and us as citizens
today?
It is important to consider counterarguments to traditional
narratives about the debates and compromises of colonial America
toward the Constitution. For example, Charles Beard’s Economic
Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States claims the
framers were motivated primarily by their status as wealthy white
men, molding the Constitution toward their own interests of
protecting personal property. He points to the traits of those
delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention as evidence. 
Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States follows Beard’s
interpretation and concludes that the Constitution was written to benefit
wealthy people. On the other hand, legal theorist Ronald Dworkin offers a
“moral reading” which finds the Constitution was written to emphasize the
country’s moral principles, such as it is wrong for the government to censor
an individual. Judges who interpret the Constitution every day, Dworkin
argues, follow this ideology.
While there are many interpretations of how the Constitution came to
be, the interpretation a reader follows will often predict their view of the
effectiveness of government today. As the future path of the U.S. government
becomes evermore uncertain, it is increasingly important that professionals
and citizens remain vigilant historians, keeping a critical eye on the
information they are presented before reaching a conclusion.
https://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/thorne-enterprises/498309798

REFLECTION

Learning the document-based lesson "From Revolution to
Government," which covers the debates leading up to the Constitution,
has been both advantageous and disadvantageous to me as a teacher.
As a teacher, it is valuable to be familiar with technology such as Google
Slides and eBook, in case I have the opportunity to share it with students
in a future classroom. As a historian, it is always helpful for me to see old
content in a new way. Dealing with often complex software, it is essential
that I am able to guide my students toward an ease of access. At the same
time, the classrooms I have taught in have little, if any, access to digital
technology. The technology they do have access to is definitely not this
kind. I do not anticipate a generous donation from the Steve Jobs
foundation any time soon. Nor do I expect this type of technology to
become cheap enough for our state and local government to suddenly
invest. So, I am unsure of when as a teacher I will actually put this
knowledge into practice. I do know as a teacher I will be teaching most
lessons without much technology but with a lot of discussion. I wished we
would have spent more time learning how to generate and hold in-class
discussions. Even more valuable than the technology tools we have
focused on in class are the communication tools we always have access to
as human beings.
However, as an adventurer of technology, I believe this experience
has been advantageous. Gaining greater familiarity with foreign
technology and learning more in general is always a plus. Nevertheless, I
would have preferred focusing on a smaller quantity of programs in more
depth. Even though I learned Google has a multitude of programs to offer
that I have access to, I would have preferred more time to learn about
their features. At the end of the class, I will have a basic understanding of
many tools rather than a deeper understanding of a few tools. Perhaps
this is where my adventurous spirit will have to come into play.
Connect with Valerie on
Linkedin!
Thanks for reading!

IMAGINATION,
INNOVATION &
SPACE EXPLORATION
3
BY MOLLY PETTIT

Imagination and innovation
are two key forces that drive
history. The stories are
everywhere - the phones in
our pockets, the computers
on our desks, the cars we
drive, the medicine we take
when we're sick, even the
indoor plumbing we use in
our homes.
This chapter will examine
how imagination and
innovation have inﬂuenced
space travel throughout
history. Using historical
thinking skills such as
contextualization and close
reading to examine text and
media sources to unravel the
relationship between
imagination and innovation,
students will analyze how
both inﬂuenced one of the
biggest dreams of the 20th
century, and fueled ambitions
for the future.

ESSENTIAL
QUESTION:
WHAT IS THE
RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN
IMAGINATION
AND INNOVATION
WITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF
SPACE TRAVEL?
"The moon, by her comparative proximity, and the
constantly varying appearances produced by her
several phases, has always occupied a considerable
share of the attention of the inhabitants of the earth."
- Jules Verne, From the Earth to the Moon, 1865
Type to enter text
Above is the essential question students will engage with throughout this
chapter. The various documents (text, video, and photo) used throughout
this lesson will guide student understanding of the long journey humans
have taken in their desire to explore space.
Students can start with this quick-write activity:
Reflect on the quote above from Jules Verne. What is Verne claiming in
this statement? What do you think space travel was like in 1865, when
this was written? How does this quote relate to our essential question?
FUTURE ASTRONAUTS:
THIS ICON WILL INDICATE WHENEVER
GUIDING QUESTIONS OR ACTIVITIES
ARE INCLUDED FOR STUDENTS.

Jules Verne is known as one of the earliest science-fiction writers; some of
his work may be familiar to you: Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the
Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in Eighty
Days. In 1865, Verne published another work, From the Earth to the
Moon - the story centers on the enthusiastic and American, Baltimore Gun
Club. The Gun Club ambitiously takes up a proposed project of building a
projectile that will take passengers to the moon. Many decisions need to
be made - what material should be used to make the projectile, what
method should be used to propel the projectile all the way to the moon,
and what launch-site to use.
JULES VERNE:
FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON
1865
Activity: Ask students to
imagine themselves
as members of the
Baltimore Gun Club and
create a list of questions that
need to be considered for a
successful launch. Have students compare
their questions with those President
Barbicane asks the University of Cambridge
in chapter four (in the box to the left).
Follow-up discussion questions: How did you
decide what questions were important to ask? Verne
asked these questions in 1865, which questions do
you think were also asked during America’s journey to
the moon? What questions needed to be asked during
America’s journey to the moon that Verne could not
have predicted?
"The questions which have
been proposed to it are
these —
1. Is it possible to transmit
a projectile up to the
moon?
2. What is the exact
distance which separates
the earth from its satellite?
3. What will be the period
of transit of the projectile
when endowed with
sufficient initial velocity?
Click here!

GEORGES MÉLIÈS:
LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE
1902
In 1902 using the new and captivating storytelling
medium of film, Georges Méliès
wanted audiences to view a story of
space travel. Watch the full movie
by clicking on the image below.
After watching the film, have
students create a t-chart to
record their observations
about imagination and
innovation as they are shown
in the film.
Questions to guide student discussion or reflection:
1. When was this film made? What was different
then? What was the same?
2. How might the circumstances in which the film
was created affect its content?
3. How is seeing a story being told different from
reading a story? What opportunities and
limitations does the medium of film offer to
show elements of imagination and innovation?
Imagination Innovation
Students might observe the
environment of the moon, the
subterranean world of the
moon, the beings discovered
on the moon...
Students might observe the
shape of the projectile, the
launch procedure, how the
projectile returns to earth...
INTERACTIVE 3.1 A Trip to the Moon / Le Voyage dans la lune - 1902
Click the image above to watch the short film by French director Georges Méliès in
the early years of film.

Where
are we going
next? As time went on and many
aspects of society changed, we see that space
travel moves out of the realm of imagination, and more into
the reality of innovation. The relationship between imagination and
innovation shifts - piece by piece, progress was made toward the human
exploration of space. A circular pattern emerges as imagination inspires innovation, and in
turn, innovation fuels imagination as what once seemed impossible is accomplished. As you continue
through this chapter, consider what factors influenced the relationship between imagination and innovation.
What have we learned so far about the relationship between imagination and innovation?
After reading excerpts from Jules Verne and viewing the short film by Georges Méliès,
describe how elements of imagination and innovation were used in both
sources to tell stories. Predict how this relationship might change
as we focus our study to the mid-1900s, the
Space Race, and beyond.
IMAGINATION
& INNOVATION

RACE TO THE
STRATOSPHERE
1930S
By the early 1930s, pilots around the world had been testing the limits of human and
airplane endurance at high altitudes for years: Apollo Soucek to 43,166 feet on 4 June
1930; Cyril Uwins to 43,976 feet on 16 September 1932; Renato Donati to 47,572 feet on
12 April 1934. Aviation experts understood that the challenge was to master these
ceilings, where the lack of oxygen meant the need for several innovations: pressurized
airplane cabins for life support or variable pitch propellers and
newly designed airplane engines (turbocompressors and
superchargers) to fly in the lighter air.
At first the competition took peaceful forms, not so much with
airplanes as with high-altitude “stratostat” (stratospheric balloon)
records. This was a race for the stratosphere actually launched by
an unlikely character, Auguste Piccard. He was a Swiss national,
professor of physics at the University of Brussels, and a research
specialist on gamma rays. On 27 May 1931, over the course of
seventeen hours, Piccard and his assistant, Charles Kipfer,
achieved a turning point in world history. Their stratospheric
balloon, the FNRS (initials for the Belgian National Foundation for
Scientific Research), made a relatively short trip from Augsburg,
Germany, to the Gurgl glacier at the Austrian Tyrol. But they were
also the first to reach previously unknown heights: 51,775 feet.
The scientific objectives of the mission were mundane enough: the observation and
measurement of cosmic rays (about their nature and intensity and movements), along with
chemical analyses of the air and recordings of temperatures. But the flight was also filled
with all the drama and danger of a science fiction story. The launch unfolded in scenes
that looked as if they were cut from the movie The Woman in the Moon: the gondola ever
so carefully transported by a small railroad track from its hangar to the launch site; huge
floodlights illuminating the site deep into the night; hundreds of workers and spectators
crowding the field; the pilots returning home as heroes to great public acclaim, their
admirers clamoring to sign their initials to the capsule.
The spherical gondola was Piccard’s unique invention, prefiguring the stratospheric
gondolas to come and even the Sputnik spacecraft many years hence. It was the first of
many kinds. Weighing 850 pounds fully outfitted, it was a seven-foot-diameter airtight ball
of welded aluminum and tin (of normal atmospheric pressure and oxygen), partially
based on the technology to make sealed vats for the storage of beer. Piccard provisioned
it with pure-oxygen dispensers and a recirculating system to cleanse the carbon dioxide. It
Auguste Piccard with his
family and stratospheric
balloon, 1930.
With the invention and success of flight by
airplane, hot air balloon, and zeppelin, by the
1930s people around the world started
experimenting with technologies that could take
them into the stratosphere. Rising higher and
faster than previous records, stratospheric
balloons brought space exploration one step
closer to reality.
Read the condensed excerpt on the right
from Rockets and Revolution: A Cultural History of
Early Spaceflight by Michael G. Smith. To find the
original article or to read more,
click here.
Ask students to use close-
reading skills as they read this
text. With your students, create
a set of simple symbols they
can use to indicate when they
have found evidence of imagination and
innovation while reading.
Questions to guide student interpretation:
1. How did competition between countries
contribute to the developments of space travel
during this time?
2. What other factors seemed to contribute?

JOHN F. KENNEDY:
“WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON”
1962
INTERACTIVE 3.2 President John F. Kennedy’s Speech
“We choose to go to the moon.”
In watching this video, students can start
to examine the Space Race.
CONTEXTUALIZING: Before watching
the video, introduce students to the
political, social, and economic context
of the 1960s - what major challenges
was our nation facing? Who was involved in
the Space Race and what were their motives?
EXAMINING: After showing the video, ask students what
emotions they think Americans might have felt hearing
Kennedy’s speech - excited to put a man on the moon,
nervous about the cost of a space program, eager to
compete against another major world power? Encourage
students to examine the social, political, and economic
factors that may have impacted this decision.
PREDICTING: Students should use their prior knowledge
of the Apollo 11 moon landing or the Apollo Program to
brainstorm what happened in the years following this
speech. How did imagination and innovation unfold in
those years to create one of the 20th century’s most
memorable moments?
In this famous speech made at Rice University in
September of 1962, President John F. Kennedy
delivered a call to the American people to
support ambitions for the NASA Apollo
Program - to get a man to the moon.
Does this speech draw on imagination or
innovation to make its argument?

The Apollo 1 Crew: Edward H. White II, Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, and Roger B. Chaffee.
GALLERY 3.1 The Apollo Program through the Years

In the years following the 1969 lunar landing many advancements in space exploration and
observation technology were made. Many missions were taken to the moon, the International
Space Station launched in 1998, rovers have landed on the surface of Mars, and satellites have
been sent out deeper and deeper into space...
Cumulative Projects & Final Reflections - The following ideas are designed to help students extend
and/or summarize their learning through this chapter. Some activities will require more time and
resources than others, so choose what assignment would best serve your students.
Research & Critical Analysis
Guide students in researching an additional innovation in the field of
space exploration that has taken place recently. Students should
research the innovative technology answering questions such as:
•What prompted the need for this innovation? How was it influenced
by imagination?
•What steps were taken to develop the innovation? What were the
major milestones or setbacks?
•What is the lasting impact of the innovation?
Students could present their findings to the class through making and
displaying posters or digital presentations. Conduct a “gallery walk”
so students can learn from their peers’ research.
Legacy of Imagination and Innovation
Present the class with a famous photo (click rocket
for example). Ask students to write their responses
to the following questions:
•What is the legacy of a photo like this?
•How do you think people felt being able to see images like
this for the first time?
•How do you think Verne or Méliès would have felt being able
to see actual images from space, or watching the lunar
landing?
•What images do you expect to see in the future of space
exploration? Where are imagination and innovation taking us
CONCLUDE THIS LESSON WITH A FINAL REFLECTION ON
OUR ESSENTIAL QUESTION: WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN IMAGINATION AND INNOVATION WITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF SPACE TRAVEL?

REFERENCES
Icons thanks to the
Noun Project and
their designers
Photos of stratospheric balloon
exploration:
Piccard & Family: click here.
Century of Progress
Balloon: click here.
Information and photo of
Georges Méliès: click here.
All other photos
courtesy of
NASA:
click here for awesome
photos!
Full text of Jules Verne’s From
the Earth to the Moon is
available on Project
Gutenberg: click here.
Book artwork:
click here.
From The British Library:
click here.

I have had so much fun creating this textbook chapter! It is always exciting for learners -
whether they are teachers or students - when you can learn about something you
are passionate about. For me, one such topic is the history of space travel.
I used the Document Based Learning approach to build the flow of this lesson, and I was pleased with the
outcome. The DBL style lends itself to using images and film, in addition to text, as primary source
documents. I like using multiple sources of media to engage students in learning and opening up
their interest to a new subject.
The most difficult part of this project was formulating the essential question. I wanted to
create a question that could guide this lesson while sharing with students what I find so
magical about space exploration - how far our collective imaginative and
innovative power has taken us. I am so inspired thinking about the fact that
people have walked on the moon, that since 1998 astronauts from various
countries have lived together on the International Space Station.
I hope any readers out there have enjoyed looking through time
and space with this lesson!
Molly Pettit
THANK
YOU FOR
READING!
REFLECTION

THE REAL ROMANOVS:
HOW MEDIA AFFECTS PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF EVENTS
LESSON DESIGNED BY: KELLY MARX
Image Credit: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Photo of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, taken in
1904. This photograph was reproduced on post cards prior to World
War I.
Anastasia Growing Up
GENERATIVE QUESTION:HOW
DOES MEDIA AFFECT PEOPLE’S
PERCEPTION OF EVENTS?
Anastasia Nikolaevna was the youngest
daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last
sovereign of Imperial Russia. After the
Bolshevik revolution of 1917, the Tzar
and his family were murdered.
Persistent rumors of her possible
escape circulated the globe and
provoked many books and ﬁlms. This
lesson will examine the differences
between the movie “Anastasia”(1997)
and what actually happened involving
the Romanovs and the Tsarina.
Image credits: All images from gallery can be found: Here

Watch 20th
Century Fox's
"Anastasia"
from 1997.
Note: Full
length movie
can be found:
Here
What do you learn
about Anastasia
from the movie?
What do you want
to know more
about?
Guiding Questions:
What does the movie tell you about Anastasia?
What does it tell you about her family?
What does it show happened to her and her family?
Anastasia - 20th Century Fox (1997)

THE REAL LIFE OF ANASTASIA
Extracts from the Letters of Anastasia to her Father:
May 8,1913, 12.30 p.m.  
"...I am in Tatiana's room. Tatiana and Olga are here... I am
sitting and digging in my nose with my left hand. Olga wanted
to slap me but I ran away from her swinish hand..."
Jan.30,1915, p.58  
"...I taught Ortino to sit up and beg and today I've taught her
to give her paw and now she can do it. She is so sweet..."
ANASTASIA WROTE
EXTENSIVELY TO HER FATHER,
NICHOLAS II, WHILE HE WAS
AWAY FROM ALEXANDER
PALACE FOR WORLD WAR
ONE.
WHAT DO THESE LETTER
EXTRACTS TELL US ABOUT
ANASTASIA’S LIFE AT THE
TIME?
Letter excerpts found: Here

The Russian Imperial Romanov Family - Their Mysterious Killings | History Documentary
File
Between the this and the 20th Century Fox Anastasia videos:
What information is different?
Is there any information that is the same?
Which do you think is more reliable?
What
actually
happened
to
Anastasia
?
Video found: Here

Nicholas II of Russia with the family (left to right): Olga, Maria,
Nicholas II, Alexandra Fyodorovna, Anastasia, Alexei, and
Tatiana. 1913.
Photo of Tsar Nicholas II and his daughters Olga,
Anastasia and Tatiana in captivity at Tobolsk in the
winter of 1917-1918
COMPARING LIFESTYLES
ANASTASIA AND HER FAMILY HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AFTER THE FEBRUARY REVOLUTION. HOW HAS
HER LIFE CHANGED?
Image Source: HereImage Source: Here
DOUBLE
CLICK
PHOTOS FOR
QUESTIONS!
Click by Thomas Uebe from
the Noun Project

Tobolsk 8/21 March 1918
My darling, sweet Aunt Xenia,
Thanks heaps for the postcard which has
just come. For now we are, thanks be to
God, alive and in good health. We are
always so glad when we get news from
you. How is Grandma's health? We often
reminisce and talk about you all.

These days it's almost always sunny here
and it's getting warm quite pleasant! So
we do our best to get out in the fresh air
more. We can't slide down the mountain
anymore (though it's still standing) as
they've wrecked it and put a drainage
ditch through it and so we can't ride
down it.Well, they seem to have calmed
down about it now because it was an
eyesore for many for some time. It's truly
dumb and pathetic.
От Вел. Кнж. Анастасии
Николаевны Вел. Кн. Ксении
Александровне+).
Тобольск. 8/21 марта 1918 г.
Моя милая тетя Ксения душка,
Спасибо Тебе большое за
открытку, которую только что
получила. Мы все пока, слава Богу,
живы и здоровы. Всегда бываем
очень рады, когда имеем от Вас
известия. Как здоровье Бабушки
(Императрица Мария Феодоровна).
Часто Вас вспоминаем и говорим.
Эти дни у нас почти все время
солнце, и уже начинает греть, так
приятно! Стараемся поэтому
больше быть на воздухе. - С горы
мы больше не катаемся (хотя она
Letter found: Here
COMPARING LIFESTYLES
ANASTASIA AND HER FAMILY HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AFTER THE FEBRUARY REVOLUTION. HOW HAS
HER LIFE CHANGED?
This letter is from Anastasia
to her Aunt Xenia during her
imprisonment in Tobolsk,
Siberia.
What does this letter tell you
about her new life compared
to her previous letters to her
father?

FINALITY OF DEATH
One of the greatest mysteries for most
of the twentieth century was the fate of
the Romanov family, the last Russian
monarchy. Following the abdication of
Tsar NicholasII, he and his wife,
Alexandra, and their five children were
eventually exiled to the city of
Yekaterinburg. The family, along with
four loyal members of their staff, was
held captive by members of the Ural
ANASTASIA IS FOUND
What do you know now about Anastasia?
How does media affect
people’s, especially
children’s, understanding
of events?

Reflection:
I very much loved the concept of
document based lessons. It aligns with
the high school history standards very
well as most of them are related to
primary and secondary sources. I also
liked creating the flow to a unit where
the students eyes would be opened
progressively throughout the unit. It is
generally the way that I like to teach.
Creating the PowerPoint and the
Google Site were useful ways to get to
know the technology. Both Google
Sites and Google Slides are very
useful in the classroom and if I had
not already known how to use both of
them I would have thought that it was
worth the time to be able to fiddle
around with them. I did find it very
redundant to be doing it on the same
topic over and over again, especially
with the time that each took from our
work on our unit plans and our thesis.
eBooks on the other hand was a
different story. The technology is so
cool and does have so many options
that are functional, interactive, and
engaging. This was weighted however
with the fact that it can only be used
on certain computers and the whole
process essentially felt like the
struggle we deal with in our
classrooms of the students who have
access to technology and those who do
not. I was very grateful for the
flexibility to be given the chance to
work more on the books for a second
class period as it definitely helped to
mediate that have/have-not
mentality.
Overall it was a good projects that
would be helpful in the future that
utilized cool technological assets. It
was a lot of work to be doing during
everything else but by it's self was
worth it.
Image source: Here

WORLD WAR I: THE HUMAN COST OF
TOTAL WAR
ANNA HARRINGTON
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durham_Light_Infantry_Battle_of_Menin_Road_20-09-1917_IWM_Q_5966.jpg

Goal: Students will be able to
articulate the human costs (death,
injury, etc.) of war on soldiers during
World War I
Essential Question: What are the
human costs of total war?
Assessment: Students will showcase
their knowledge through a journal entry
assignment. They will be tasked with
assuming the role of a soldier in World
War 1. They are ﬁghting and living in
the trenches. They will write letters
back home to tell their loved ones
about their experiences in the
trenches. Students will create 5-6
journal entries. Creativity is
encouraged! Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Australian_Imperial_Force

All Quiet on the Western Front
“The dull thud of the gas-shells mingles with the crashes of the light
explosives. A bell sounds between the explosions, gongs, and metal
clappers warning everyone - Gas- Gaas.
These ﬁrst minutes with the mask decide between life and death: is it air
tight? I remember the awful sights in the hospital: the gas patients who lay
in day-long suffocation cough up their burnt lungs in clots. Cautiously, the
mouth applied to the valve, I breathe. The gas still creeps over the
ground… like a big, soft, jelly ﬁsh…
Inside the gas-mask my head booms and roars- it is nigh bursting. My
lungs are tight, they breathe always the same hot, used up air, the veins on
my temples are swollen. I feel I am
suffocating. (pg. 68-70)”
Question: From whose perspective is this passage written? What
evidence from the text supports your opinion? What are they experiencing?
Source: Remarque, E. M., & Wheen, A. W. (1929). All quiet on the western front.

Question: What is the purpose behind the
poster? Why was it created and for what
audience? Is it a reliable source?
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Designed_for_Living%22_-_NARA_-_514110.jpg

Edward Henry Cecil Stewart, undated, France. Born: 13
November 1891, Regiment: 1/5 Grenadier Company, London Rifle
Brigade, Regiment number: 1167; 300717, Rank: Private, Died: 1
July 1916
Source: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/letters-first-world-war-1915/trenches-swept-
continually-shells/
Letter from the Trenches
… As long as you kept your head down you were comparatively safe,
so as it went on, this was where I had my first escape. I was on sentry
duty for a couple of hours, from 1am to 3am and was instructed to
keep a sharp look out. I did not care for the idea of keeping my head
above the trench and looking for beastly Germans, however it had to
be done, it was quite uncanny to watch the enemy trench which
appeared somewhat like a black wave and only sixty yards in front,
then you would suddenly see the flash of their rifles and machine
guns immediately after would come the report and nasty thuds on the
sandbags which you might be resting against. I fired about five shots
Questions: How would you
summarize his
experience in the trenches?
Was it positive or negative?

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Canada_during_World_War_I
The Rear-Guard ~ Siegfried Sasson
(Hindenburg Line, April 1917)
Groping along the tunnel, step by step,
He winked his prying torch with patching glare
From side to side, and sniffed the unwholesome air.
Tins, boxes, shapes and too vague to know;
A mirror smashed, the mattress from a bed;
And he, exploring fifty feet below
The rosy gloom of battle overhead.
Tripping, he grabbed the wall; saw someone lie
Humped at his feet, half-hidden by a rug.
And stooped to give the sleeper’s arm a tug.
“I’m looking for headquarters.” No reply.
“God blast your neck!” (For days he’d had no sleep.)
“Get up and guide me through this stinking place.”
Savage, he kicked a soft, unanswering heap,
And flashed his beam across the livid face
Terribly glaring up, whose eyes yet wore
Agony dying hard of ten days before;
And fists of fingers clutched a blackening wound.
Alone he staggered on until he found
Dawn’s ghost that filtered down a shafted stair
To the dazed, muttering creatures underground
Who hear the boom of shells in muffled sound.
At last, with sweat and horror in his hair,
He climbed through darkness to twilight air,
Unloading hell behind him step by step.
Source: Counter-attack, and Other Poems (1918)
Questions: Is the character viewed positively or
negatively? What language does the author use to
support their perspective?

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_in_World_War_I
Questions: Is this
an accurate
depiction of a
trench in WWI?
What speciﬁc
elements support
your claim from
the picture?

Reflection:
I am conflicted about my thoughts on the Document Based Lesson project. On the
one hand, I thought it was a very clever way to learn and work with many digital
programs. More specifically, we learned how to build a Google site and create a
chapter using a specific software. All of the assignments were scaffolded in such a
way that prepared you for the ultimate goal of creating a chapter in an ebook. I
thought it was clever to have us create a Google site as our rough draft of the
information we wanted to have in our chapter. Learning how to use Google sites was
valuable. Many teachers create their own webpage to house their assignments,
calendars, and agendas to help students stay organized. It was helpful to learn how
to make one, in case I want to use it in the future.
Although I thought that the overall goals and objectives of the assignment were
valuable, it took up a good portion of our time at the end of the term. That time could
have been spent learning additional methods that we could bring into classrooms
that do not have access to digital platforms. Also, the majority of the schools in
Oregon use Chrome books and do not have access to the particular resources we
were using. Therefore, it would be difficult to replicate this project in our classrooms.
Plus, many students do not have access to the programs at home either, so that
would provide a massive barrier for students to complete the project even if they had
access to an device at school.
As an alternative, I think it would be helpful to discuss more methods that do not
require the use of technology. There is a digital divide in schools. Even if that does
decrease in the future, it is important to also be equipped with tools that you can use
in instances where technology is limited. I really enjoyed our lesson on group
discussions. I think there could have been an additional day devoted to that topic
because that is a large part of what we do as social studies teachers... lead
discussions. I'm sure there are other areas that we didn't cover this term that could
also be beneficial to implement in our instruction. Therefore, I am conflicted about
the necessity of the DBQ lesson.
Connect with the author!
LinkedIn: Anna Harrington

“SUCCESSES SPOKEN OF BY
EVERYONE”:
COLLECTIVIZATION AND
PROPAGANDA IN STALIN’S
SOVIET UNION
LESSON DESIGNED BY CLARICE TERRY
7

Ukrainian peasants of the Russian
Empire photographed in 1915, pre-
collectivization.
In 1929, farming in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR) changed forever. For centuries peasants had worked the
land in the mir, overseen by village councils and religious
authorities. Families would be assigned, by these authorities, to
work certain strips of land. Very rarely did this system of
agriculture produce more than the village needed, but each
family usually had enough to survive.
The Bolshevik takeover of the Soviet government, led by
Vladimir Lenin, after the 1917 October Revolution precipitated the
change away from the agricultural system of the mir. Long held
traditions in Russia and the surrounding nations, former imperial
possessions turned Soviet republics, began to fall away. The
royal family had been murdered, and a centuries long system of
monarchy abolished. The Bolsheviks attacked the Russian
Orthodox Church, the religious tradition shared by most in the
former Russian Empire, taking away its money, its buildings, its
church bells, and ridiculing its clergymen. The country that had
relied on its rural population to drive the economy began to focus
on urbanization, industry, and a new proletarian work force. As
urban industrial work became the priority for the new Soviet
government, rural agricultural work became a target for scrutiny
and reform. Rural agriculture was seen as a mere means to
provide resources to the new industries and urban workforce, not
64

This Soviet propaganda
poster reads “Above the
Banner of Marx, Engels,
Lenin and Stalin!” In
Soviet propaganda, the
people are often depicted
exalting the images of
these four men who were
credited as the architects
of the Soviet Socialist
system.
as an equal part of the Communist project. Thus, the
Soviet collectivization policy was drafted and
implemented full scale in 1929.
There are two major perspectives on the success of
the policy and its implementation that must be
considered in any study of Soviet collectivization of
agriculture. The ﬁrst is that of the Soviet government,
led by Josef Stalin at the time of collectivization. In
fact, collectivization represented a major facet of his
First Five Year Plan, a plan that that laid out steps for
the USSR to achieve economic success. The Soviet
government saw collectivization as a way to tear
down class distinctions in the countryside, to impose
equality between wealthier and poorer peasants, and
as a way to educate the peasants in the Communist
system of production. The strips of land in the mir
were replaced with large kolkhozy, where farmers
shared their land, their livestock, their tools, and their
new government issue tractors.
65

A group of
peasants, pre-
collectivization
stands with
their livestock.
They are
waiting to
show their
animals at a
livestock
exhibition.
The second perspective is that of those who experienced
collectivization the most directly; the peasants of the
Soviet Union. The peasant reaction was mixed, with some
seeing collectivization as an opportunity to become more
educated and successful, and others seeing it as an
intrusion. They felt confused about why changes were
needed, why traditions needed to be forgotten and
replaced. Peasants engaged in protests, attacks on
government ofﬁcials, and outright sabotage against the
kolkhozy.
The following documents will inform both perspectives,
through government propaganda, statistics, and peasant
accounts. The task laid out for you is the task of any
historian presented with this knowledge and the following
documents: come to an evidence-based conclusion
about the success of collectivization. You will also speak
to the larger question of the relationship between power
and reality: Can power, in this case the Soviet
government, create reality for the population it
resides over?
66

THE FIRST TRACTOR BY
VLADIMIR KRIKHATSKY
Guiding
Questions:
1. What do you notice
about the image:
people, objects,
activities going on?
 
2. How are the
peasants reacting to
their new tractor?
3. From your previous
observations, what do
you think the painter,
Krikhatsky, was trying
to say about
In the Soviet Union, artists were hired by the government to create content that emphasized
communist principles. This genre came to be known as socialist realism. Krikhatsky was
an early social realist artist who painted before the genre became highly stylized.

Soviet propaganda posters were common sights for Soviet citizens. This is an
example of one from the Soviet Socialist Republic of Uzbekistan. It reads,
"Strengthen working discipline in the collective farms.”
68
Soviet Collectivization Poster:
Uzbekistan, 1933
Guiding Questions
1. What are the people in red
doing? How are they
working?
2. What are the people in
black doing? How are they
working? Are they working
or are they doing
something else?
3. What is this image trying

An Excerpt
from“Dizzy with
Success,” by
Josef Stalin
This is an excerpt from the beginning of
an article by Josef Stalin, the leader of
the Soviet government. It was originally
published in the Soviet newspaper
Pravda in 1930.
69
The Soviet government's successes in the sphere of the
collective-farm movement are now being spoken of by everyone.
Even our enemies are forced to admit that the successes are
substantial. And they really are very great. It is a fact that
by February 20 of this year 50 per cent of the peasant farms
throughout the U.S.S.R. had been collectivised. That means
that by February 1930, we had over fulfilled the five-year
plan of collectivisation by more than 100 per cent. It is a
fact that on February 28 of this year the collective farms had
already succeeded in stocking upwards of 36,000,000 centers,
i.e., about 220,000,000 puds, seed for the spring sowing,
which is more than 90 per cent of the plan. It must be
admitted that the accumulation of 220,000,000 puds of seed by
the collective farms alone - after the successful fulfillment
of the grain-procurement plan - is a tremendous achievement.
What does all this show? That a radical turn of the
countryside towards socialism may be considered as already
achieved.
Guiding Questions:
1.What are Stalin’s claims
about collectivization?
What is his evidence for
these claims?
2. If you read this article as

Statistics from the Soviet government on the pace of collectivization in the Soviet
Union.
GALLERY 7.1 Pace of Collectivization in the Soviet Union
Guiding Questions
1.What can these statistics tell us
about the success of
collectivization in the USSR?
2. How do these statistics either

Markoff, a professor who wrote for a Paris-based
journal called "The Russian Economic Bulletin,"
created this map of the Soviet Union in 1933 as part
of an article revealing the effects of the famine that
occurred between 1932 and 1933. The darker the
shading, the worse the effects of the famine.
Collectivization is often blamed for the famine.
71
Famine in the Soviet Union,
Excerpts from article by A. Markoff, “Famine in the
USSR”
The « Russian Economic Bulletin 7 » has collected much
information which shows indisputably that Soviet Russia is in
the grip of a severe famine. This information is drawn from
various sources.
I. Numerous letters received from Russians in the U. R. S. S.
The « Bulletin » has many such, and their genuineness cannot be
disputed. They come from various regions, but they tell the
same story of the raging of an unprecedented famine. They
permit the fixation of the principal districts affected, and they
reveal the localities where cannibalism has been the horrible
consequence.
A former commander of the Red Army wrote from the Northern
Caucasus to relatives in France, the letter being dated May 16,
in these
Guiding Questions:
1. What do these documents suggest about the success of collectivization?
2. Did all people experience the effects of collectivization the same way?
3. Why would the Soviet government omit discussion of this in their public
discussions about and representations of collectivization?

72
Account of Collective
Farms from Two Soviet
Refugees, 1950
In the 1950s, Harvard University initiated a project
to interview Soviet refugees who came to the United
States after WWII. This is known as the Harvard
Project on the Soviet Social System. The following
pages present documents from this project,
speciﬁcally, two interviews with former Soviet
citizens. The ﬁrst document is the account of a
refugee who lived in Russia at the time of
collectivization. The second is an account from a
refugee who lived in Azerbaijan at the time of
collectivization.
Guiding Questions:
1. How do these accounts of collectivization differ from each other? How are they similar?
2. How do these accounts differ from the propaganda published by the Soviet government?
3. According to these accounts, was collectivization a success for the people who lived it?

Comment on
Collectivization
INTERACTIVE 7.1 Interview One: A Russian Soviet Refugee

Comment on
collectivization
INTERACTIVE 7.2 Interview: An Azeri Soviet Refugee

Final Task:
Using the documents available, it is time for you to tell the true story
of collectivization in the Soviet Union. Create a piece of “people’s
propaganda,” in the socialist realist style. This can be visual, written,
or in another format that best ﬁts your strengths and the story you
would like to tell about the realities of the kolkozy.

Where to find Clarice Terry
Twitter: @clarice_terry
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/clariceterry
76
In doing this project I have be impacted as both an educator and a
content creator.
As an educator, this project has helped me think about ways to better
engage students and make them the historians. By providing students
the tools, in this case the documents that inform a subject, and
scaffolded questions that encourage historical thinking behaviors,
students can take on that role of expert. I also began to think more about
the verbs of student learning, about what students would actually do
with the information they are gathering. Too often students are asked to
take on heaps of content knowledge without being provided a purpose
for it. This process, in the end, was a true testament to the power of
project based learning–there is so much value in providing students the
opportunity to create. In the process they build, as I myself did through
this eBook creation project, both deep content knowledge and skills.
As a content creator, I found the design process really enjoyable. From
the proposal in Google Slides, to a Google Site, to the ﬁnal format of the
eBook I really developed a lesson that was both educational and
interactive. I began to think about how things would look to the person,
the student, using them and how the format would either encourage or
discourage users. I see myself creating more educational content, in
eBooks, on Google Sites, or on other platforms that lend themselves to
high quality design and functionality.
Reﬂection:

References
Sources are placed in the order in which they
1. Alchevskaya with peasants of Alekseevka village.
Mikhaylovskaya volost. Slavyanoserbsk uyezd. Early 20th
century. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Alchevskaya_with_peasants_of_Alekseevka_village._Mikha
ylovskaya_volost._Slavyanoserbsk_uyezd.jpg.
2. Image from page 78 of “The Religion of Russia. A study of the
Orthodox Church in Russia from the point of view of the Church
in England” (1915).https://www.flickr.com/photos/
internetarchivebookimages/14597691708/.
3. Sowjetisches Propaganda-Poster 1933: Marx, Engels, Lenin
und Stalin (Halte den Banner von Marx, Engels, Lenin und
Stalin hoch!) |Source= [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Datei:Marx,_Engels,_Lenin,_Stalin_(1933).jpg
4. A group of peasants to the cows near the livestock pavilion
Mologa county agricultural and handicraft exhibitions in
1912.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:A_group_of_peasants_to_the_cows_near_the_livestock_pa
vilion_Mologa_county_agricultural_and_handicraft_exhibitions_
in_1912.JPG.
5. The First Tractor by Vladimir Krikhatsky. https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collectivization_in_the_Soviet_Union#/
media/
6. "Strengthen working discipline in collective farms" – Soviet
propaganda poster issued in Uzbekistan, 1933. https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collectivization_in_the_Soviet_Union#/
media/File:
%E2%80%9CStrengthen_working_discipline_in_collective_far
ms%E2%80%9D_%E2%80%93_Uzbek,_Tashkent,_1933_(Mar
djani).jpg.
7. Joseph Stalin, Secretary-general of the Communist party of
Soviet Union.http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/owi2001045684/
PP/?sid=04527fcb3fe2491008a95cf7f4932297.
8. A page of the Pravda Newspaper issued on 29 May, 1919.
http://visualrian.ru/ru/site/gallery/#859264.
9. “Dizzy with Success.” Josef Stalin.http://community.dur.ac.uk/
a.k.harrington/dizzy.html
10. Children are digging up frozen potatoes in the field of a
collective farm. Udachne village, Donec’k oblast. https://
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Children_are_digging_up_frozen_potatoes_in_the_field_of_
a_collective_farm._Udachne_village,_Donec%E2%80%99k_obl
ast._1933.jpg
11. Statistics on the Pace of Collectivization.http://
community.dur.ac.uk/a.k.harrington/collfarm.html.
12. Stamp of USSR 1940.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Stamp_of_USSR_1940.jpg.
13.Soviet famine of 1932–33. A. Markoff. Areas of most disastrous
famine marked with black.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Collectivization_in_the_Soviet_Union#/media/
File:Famine_en_URSS_1933.jpg

References
Continued
14. “Famine in USSR.” A.Markoff.https://archive.org/stream/
FamineInUssr/FamineInUssr_djvu.txt.
15. H. S. Bender Papers. Biography Project Photographs.
HM4-083. Box 2 Folder 1 Photo 32. Mennonite Church USA
Archives - Goshen. Goshen, Indiana.https://www.flickr.com/
photos/mennonitechurchusa-archives/9314078845/.
16. Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System. Schedule B, Vol.
24, Case 213 (interviewer K.G.). Widener Library, Harvard
University, page 29. https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/
drs:5618908$29i.
17. Harvard Project on the Soviet Social System. Schedule B, Vol.
7, Case 89 (interviewer M.L.). Widener Library, Harvard
University, page 5. https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/
drs:5434480$5i.
18. Forester Family. Ivan Kulikov.https://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/File:Ivan_Kulikov_Forester_family_1909.jpg.
19. Image from page 386 of “Russia.” Dobson, George Grove,
Henry M Stewart, Hugh, 1884-1934Haenen, F.https://
www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/
14579006859/.
20. Image from page 115 of "Russia then and now, 1892-1917;
my mission to Russia during the famine of 1891-1892, with
data bearing upon Russia of to-day" (1917).Reeves, Francis
B. (Francis Brewster).https://www.flickr.com/photos/
21. Image from page 111 of "Russia then and now, 1892-1917;
my mission to Russia during the famine of 1891-1892, with
data bearing upon Russia of to-day" (1917). Reeves, Francis
B. (Francis Brewster).https://www.flickr.com/photos/

Understanding World War II through the lens of comic
book covers.
By Karina Ramirez Velazquez
HOLY PROPAGANDA
BATMAN!
8

Welcome Historians! This book will help us
understand World War II through the lens
of comic book covers. I will give a brief
introduction on the start of the Golden Age
of comic books, and after an introduction of
the start of the World War II (1939) and
how that influence comic books. The
essential question for this book is: What
can early comic book covers tell us about
World War II? The target audience for this
book is ninth grade high schoolers. The
historical skills that will be studied are
sourcing, contextualization, corroborating,
and close reading.
The final project will be creating your own
comic book cover or meme against or for
the U.S. involvement during WWII. As well
as writing a reflection of 1-2 pages. This
introductory page will also give you an
idea of how to interact with this book.
Introduction
Did You Know?
INTERACTIVE 8.1 Click the “Did You know?” Tab
Meet the Author: Karina
Ramirez Velazquez is the
daughter of immigrant
parents from Michocan
and Morelia, Mexico.
Scroll up or down the image
Click the icons!

Comic Book History
The Golden Age of Comic
Books is a term to describe an era
of American comic books from the
late 1930's, when comic books
where beginning to boom, to the
early 1950's. This was the time that modern comics
were ﬁrst published and their popularity increased.
Many well known characters where introduced, such
as Superman, Batman, Captain America, Wonder
Woman, and Captain Marvel. Most would say that
the Success of Superman in 1938 launched the
Golden Age of comic books. Superman was the ﬁrst
heroic of the Golden Age comic that perpetuated
the launch of the superhero archetype.
Characteristics or qualities of a hero or heroine are
brave, courageous, valiant, superhuman, bold,
fearless, daring, or noble. This also introduced the
audience to the villain archetype. Characters like the
Joker, Lex Luther, Doctor Octopus, Thanos, Red Skull,
and more. Good vs. Evil was given a modern twist
through the Golden Age of Comic Books. Most
importantly, the Golden Age cemented comics as a
mainstream art form that created a new identity in
American culture.
Batman was first introduced in Detective
Comics No. 27 of May 1939. Batman’s
popularity did not end at the Golden Age
Era. He is now an American cultural icon.
GALLERY 8.1 Detective Comics No. 27.
May, 1939
REVIEW 8.1 Pow! Pop Quiz Time!
Check Answer
Batman’s true identity is?
A. Steve Rogers
B. Bruce Wayne
C. Peter Pappas
D. Clark Kent

Continued ...
During the boom of the Golden Age of
Comics books the start of World War II was
in motion. Between 1939 and 1941
Detective Comics and All-American
Publications began to portray their iconic
heroes in red, white, and blue. You can see in many of the
covers superheroes battling the Axis powers. Comic book
sales increased during World War II. Because comic book
were cheap, portable, and created a venue of inspiration
these lead to authors to create patriotic stories of good
triumphing over evil. This is reflected in comic book covers of
Captain America dressed in stars and stripes battling Adolf
Hitler on his first issue. Superheroes were depicted doing
things to help war effort as well. Readers would see them do
things like deliver supplies, stop spies at home, and do what
they could to help to help at home.
Several writers of books were part of the Office of War
Information and the War Writer’s Board. The purpose of
those organizations were interested in give accurate
information about what was happening overseas. After the
end of World War II, the superhero genre lost momentum,
which many consider that being the end of the Golden Age
Era.
Boeing B-17 radar bombing through clouds: Bremen, Germany
November 13, 1943.
GALLERY 8.2 World War II Photos and Comic Book Covers

Captain Aero Comics
Captain Aero Comics was a war comic of the Golden Age Comic Book, appearing in
1941.
GALLERY 8.3 Read through Captain Aero Comic
Executive Order 9066:
“Whereas the successful prosecution of the
war requires every possible protection
against espionage and against sabotage to
national-defense material, national-defense
premises, and national-defense utilities as
defined in Section 4, Act of April 20, 1918,
40 Stat. 533, as amended by the Act of
November 30, 1940, 54 Stat. 1220, and the
Act of August 21, 1941, 55 Stat. 655 (U.S.C.,
Title 50, Sec. 104);
Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority
vested in me as President of the United
States, and Commander in Chief of the Army
and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the
Secretary of War, and the Military
Commanders whom he may from time to time
designate, whenever he or any designated
Commander deems such action necessary or
desirable, to prescribe military areas in such
places and of such extent as he or the
appropriate Military Commander may

INTERACTIVE 8.2 PIONEERS OF TELEVISION |
George Takei's life in an internment camp | PBS
Watch George Takei’s interview.
War at Home
Action Comics Vol. 1 No. 58 March, 1943.
GALLERY 8.4 World War II Comic Book Covers
On December
7, 1941, Japan
attacked the
United States
naval base at
Pearl Harbor. This attack led
to direct American
involvement into World War
II. The following day the
United States declared war
on Japan. During World War
II, the United States detained
over 110,000 Japanese
Americans and relocated
them in internment camps.
This act is considered to be
the largest violations of civil
liberties in the nation.

Final Project
Instructions: Individually or in a group
you must either create your own comic
book cover or a meme supporting or
against U.S. involvement in World War
II.
Each student must write a 1 to 2 page
essay on your reﬂection of how did
early comic book covers tell you about
World War II. Can youth culture like
comic books or media effect our
understanding of an event or
perceptions of people? Do you see that
happening today? Why or why not?
And what was your biggest take away
from this unit?
Sensation Comic Vol. 1 No. 13 January, 1943
GALLERY 8.5 Examples of a Comic and Meme

Reflection
Overall I really enjoyed and found value in creating a
document based lesson. This semester I’ve been
reading, Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James W.
Loewen and a quote that really stood out to me was,
“What would we think of a course in poetry in which
students never read a poem? (pg. 7).” I kept thinking about this quote
throughout this project because that’s how high school social studies have
been teaching history to students, poetry without poems! I feel document
based lessons is an alternative that fixes that problem. It gives students a
chance to work with primary resources and challenges them to be the
historians in the process. The challenge for me was which primary
resources did I wanted to use, and what questions did I want my students
to answer. I am glad I got to use a topic that I am super passionate about
and be able to use it as my document based lesson project. My plan is to
use this next year with my students at OPEN School.
What I gained most from this project was the skills of using google and the
book author program. I am already thinking of creating another document
based lesson on a different subject just so I can continue to grow my skills
in using this program to be a better teacher. My only feed back I would
give about this project is that it’s a bit difficult for people that may not
have a appropriate computer device on hand.
Comic book heroes like Wonder Woman are still influencing
American pop culture today. Many comic book heroes from the
past are being converted into live action films to still represent
hope for the future.
GALLERY 8.6 Sensation Comics Vol. 1 No. 1

Works Cited
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002719307/ - Cover Wonder Woman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Comics_1 - Action Comics No. 1 Superman
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_27 - Detective Comics No. 27 Batman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America - Captain America March No. 1
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=14515 - Captain Aero Comic
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B-17F_Radar_Bombing_over_Germany_1943.jpg -Boeing B
photo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Normandy - Landing supplies at Normandy photo and
German infantrymen
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/01/leipzig-flat-poignant-memorial-clean-
beautiful-death-robert-capa-second-world-war - American soldier killed at Leipzig
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America - Captain America punching Hitler in Captain America
March No. 1
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Action_Comics_Vol_1_63 -Superman fighting a Japanese soldier
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_Vol_1_15 - Batman and Robin with a Machine Gun  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9066#Transcript_of_Executive_Order_9066U -
Transcript of Executive Order 9066
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Action_Comics_Vol_1_58 - Superman Propaganda against the Japanese
http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_America_Comics_Vol_1_22 - Captain America punching
Japanese soldiers
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/World's_Finest_Vol_1_8 - World’s Finest Comics
http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Sensation_Comics_Vol_1_13 - Wonder Woman Sensation Comic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_(2017_film) - Wonder Woman Teaser Poster

THE NICARAGUAN
LITERACY CRUSADE
9
Education for Political Participation, or
Indoctrination for Political Power?
SCOTT HEARRON

INTRODUCTION
ACTIVITY
SOLDIERS OR TEACHERS?
Instructions: Look at the image
on the right and answer the
questions below as best you
can.
This is an image depicting a group of Nicaraguan Literacy Instructors, known as
Brigadistas, as they mobilized to teach the rural poor basic reading and writing skills.
Brigadistas were trained to venture to far flung Peasant villages, to live and work with
the people there while teaching them the basics of literacy and mathematics. This
project was began by the Nicaraguan revolutionary government, the
Sandinistas (FSLN), shortly after victory in a civil war.
1A. What can you tell about the Literacy Instructors
from the image?
1B. Do the instructor's fit your mental image of what a
teacher should look like? Why or why not?
1C. What other images or pictures have you seen that
remind you of this image? Why do they remind you of
it?
1D. Examine the words to the Literacy Campaign
Anthem. How does this seem different than usual
school language?
Barndt, Deborah, and Mary Ann Kainola. The Nicaraguan Literacy Crusade: Second War of Liberation: A Collective Project.
Canadian Action for Nicaragua. Toronto: Action, 1982. P. 2.
Challenge

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