This lesson focuses on the shift toward mass production in northern factories and on southern plantations that occurred during the first half of the 19th century. Using an economics-focused approach to examining U.S. history prior to the civil war, students examine the role of slavery, industrialization, regionalism, and political responses that ultimately led to the start of a war.

Students examine the Autobiography of Frederick Douglass to discover how his skilled use of language painted a realistic portrait of slavery and removed some common misconceptions about slaves and their situation.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal recovery and relief program provided more than a quarter of a million young black men with jobs during the Depression. By examining primary source documents students analyze the impact of this program on race relations in America and assess the role played by the New Deal in changing them.

Students listen to a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., view photographs of the March on Washington, and study King's use of imagery and allusion in his "I Have a Dream" speech.

The focus of this lesson is the Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Students will put themselves in the shoes of the men of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment as they read, write, pose, and then create a comic strip about these American heroes.

Students are asked to use the provided source material to answer the central historical question: Why did African Americans join the Union Army during the Civil War?

This lesson traces the long history of how African Americans have used music as a vehicle for communicating beliefs, aspirations, observations, joys, despair, resistance, and more across U.S. history.

"Get out there and tell people what you want" is great advice from professional soccer player Darian Jenkins. Learn more about her story here.

Perceive, prepare, perform and persevere. The lessons Col. Charles McGee learned as a Tuskegee Airman and applied to the rest of his life.

Walter Watson was the first and only African-American to qualify as a crewmember in the SR-71. Hear from this amazing aviator.

The NAACP fights to establish anti-lynching laws in the years between the World Wars

By researching these "ordinary" people and the now historic places where they brought about change, students will discover how the simple act of sitting at a lunch counter in North Carolina could be considered revolutionary, and how, combined with countless other acts of nonviolent protest across the nation, it could lead to major legislation in the area of civil rights for African Americans.

The book is an introduction or primer to ethnic studies and is not a complete or comprehensive review of the literature. Content focuses on major concepts, theories, perspectives, and voices in ethnic studies with research from anthropology, history, political science, psychology, and sociology to offer an inclusive approach for critical inquiry. Modules include learning objectives, a list of key terms and concepts, applications (exercises), biological reflections (stories), summary, and review questions.

The book addresses the five student learning outcomes and core competencies for Ethnic Studies graduation requirement approved by the California State University Council on Ethnic Studies (GE Area F), and explores the four major underrepresented groups in the U.S. including Native American, African American, Asian American, and Latinx American communities.

Our Lives: An Ethnic Studies Primer is available in three online formats:

PDF version
https://www.hancockcollege.edu/ccecho/documents/Our%20Lives%20An%20Ethnic%20Studies%20Primer%20v3%20FINAL.pdf

Pressbooks version
https://ourlives.pressbooks.com/

LibreTexts version
https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Sandboxes/admin/Our_Lives_-_An_Ethnic_Studies_Primer_(Kennedy_and_Bermio)

Students will complete an IDM (Inquiry Design Model) Lesson to guide them through the social and political discrimination, segregation, and violence against African Americans during the “Jim Crow Era.” They will evaluate the effectiveness of the Reconstruction Amendments based on three supporting questions that help guide them to constructing and providing evidence for a final argument that addresses the compelling question.

Students will examine the life of a Free African American during the Revolutionary War period. This will take place as a case study into the life of Prince Hall. Prince Hall fought for more rights of African Americans during his lifetime.

In this activity, students will compare and contrast the experiences and contributions of Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Van Lew, and Mary “Bowser” during the Civil War era. Students will conduct a gallery walk (in-person or virtually) to gather information about these three women using a graphic organizer.

Students will examine the life of Crispus Attucks and/or James Lafayette. They will explore how both men were able to fight for their freedom as enslaved, or formerly enslaved people. Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to learn more about the life and journey of  both of these men, as well as their impact on historical events.

What has been said of Moby-Dick—that it’s the greatest novel no one ever reads—could just as well be said of any number of American “classics” like The Scarlet Letter, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This course reconsiders a small number of nineteenth-century American novels by presenting each in a surprising context.

This seminar looks at two bestselling nineteenth-century American authors whose works made the subject of slavery popular among mainstream readers. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain have subsequently become canonized and reviled, embraced and banned by individuals and groups at both ends of the political and cultural spectrum and everywhere in between.

Through close readings of Zora Neale Hurston'sTheir Eyes Were Watching God, students will analyzehow Hurston creates a unique literary voice by combining folklore, folk language, and traditional literary techniques. Students will examine the role that folk groups play in both their own lives and in the novel.