This activity asks students to read and compare the language of two oral histories, asking them to think about prejudice, stigma and fundamental rights and freedoms.
Objectives
Rationale
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed "equal protection" for all citizens, and the 15th Amendment guaranteed voting rights for former slaves, yet not until the latter half of the 20th century did these rights become realities, or possibilities, for many Americans, particularly African Americans and people with disabilities.
Often, society places stigma on people of color and people with physical differences in ability. Discrimination based on physical characteristics affects many Americans as they try to enter public places like restaurants and movie theaters, find housing, travel on public transportation and obtain an equal education or position in employment. The parallels between the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) reflect patterns of exclusion and prejudice but also reflect the social movements that shattered these patterns.
Process
These activities meet curriculum standards in Language Arts and U.S. History as outlined by Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education, 4th Edition [4].
Links:
[1] http://www.usconstitution.net/constamnotes.html#Am14
[2] http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civilrights/
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/images/teach/activities/October_mid_handout.pdf
[4] http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/