American Leaders a Social Studies Resource Unit for K-6 Students

American Leaders A Social Studies Resource Unit for K-6 Students Submitted as Partial Requirement for CRIN E05 or EDUC 405 Elementary and Middle Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Professor Gail McEachron The College of William and Mary Fall 2011 Prepared By: Sarah Faszewski, http://smfaszewski.wmwikis.net/ Kristen Felix, http://kpfelix.wmwikis.net Hailey Hewitt, http://hkhewitt.wmwikis.net/ Lindsay Nachman, http://lenachman.wmwikis.net/ Emily VanDerhoff, http://eavanderhoff.wmwikis.net/ Historical Narrative: All Lesson One: Sarah Faszewski Lesson Two: Kristen Felix Lesson Three: Hailey Hewitt Lesson Four: Emily VanDerhoff, Lindsay Nachman Artifact One: Kristen Felix Artifact Two: Sarah Faszewski Artifact Three: Hailey Hewitt Artifact Four: Emily VanDerhoff Artifact Five: Lindsay Nachman Assessments: All Standards References Costs American Leaders: A Historical Narrative Introduction The United States is defined by the people it has considered its great leaders. These extraordinary individuals include the people who led the country in formative times or fought for what they believed in. These American leaders come from different time periods and represent a variety of races, ethnicities, and genders, but they all have one common characteristic: leadership. Leadership refers to a person’s ability to guide or direct others. People who demonstrate leadership often have strong beliefs and dedicate much of their lives to these beliefs. Abraham Lincoln’s constant fight again slavery and Cesar Chavez’s fight for the rights of the working people exemplify leadership. This study will follow some of the great leaders in the United States: Pocahontas, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Eleanor Roosevelt and Cesar Chavez. These six figures stand out in the history of America as people who have made a significant impact due to their remarkable leadership. Key Ideas and Events Pocahontas It was in the year 1608 that Pocahontas was said to have saved John Smith’s life. John Smith and a crew of nine men took a barge up the river, toward Powhatan, where Smith was captured (Mossiker 1976). Powhatan had made a decision about Smith’s life. As he raised a wooden club over his head, Pocahontas hurled her small body in front of Smith’s, protecting him from harm. This act of protecting Smith’s life and sacrificing her own was more of a simulation of death and an act of peace (Mossiker, 1976). The mock-execution was a way for both Powhatan and Pocahontas to show their preference for peaceful cohabitation (Mossiker, 1976). George Washington On June 15, 1775 Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army. In March 1776, Washington moved his army to New York City to defend it against an expected British invasion, and was overpowered by the numbers and might of the British (Greenstein 2009). In a dramatic turnaround, Washington led his army in a daring crossing of the Delaware on Christmas Eve, and captured a large contingent of mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey. In the summer of 1781, Washington learned that Lord Cornwallis’ army was in a defensive position on Virginia’s York River, so Washington led a force to Virginia, and besieged Cornwallis compelling him to surrender. After the war ended, Washington was unanimously chosen by the electors as the nation’s first president, on April 6, 1789. Abraham Lincoln The most notable event of Lincoln’s presidency was the American Civil War. Lincoln said, ―A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half-slave and half-free‖ (Keneally, 2003, p. 67). One of the most pivotal points in both the American Civil War and Lincoln’s presidency was the Emancipation Proclamation. On January 1st, 1863, Lincoln issued this proclamation claiming the freedom of the slaves within the Confederacy (White House, 2011). Although this freedom was not immediately realized, the document was a turning point in the war. George Washington Carver Carver discovered that farmers in the South relied heavily on growing cotton, but the cotton plants depleted the soil of its natural nutrients. Carver realized that certain crops, such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans returned some of the lost proteins and nutrients into the soil. Carver suggested that farmers plant soybeans for one year and then plant cotton the next. This method of crop rotation eventually saved countless acres of farmland in the American South, and also created more cash crops. (McMurry, 1981) Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor was an early champion of the Civil Rights movement. As First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt set a new standard for American women and minorities. She used her powerful media connections such as press conferences, magazine articles, and a daily newspaper column to support women and minorities during the Great Depression (Beasley, 2010). She gave voice to their concerns, traveling across the nation and reporting back to the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt not only expanded the role of the First Lady: she expanded the role of the American woman. Cesar Chavez Chavez identified with the numerous farm workers from across the country and founded the National Farm Workers Association to protect and serve them. He led the country’s first successful union for the farm workers for over thirty years. He established rights such as fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, and humane living conditions for the Latino community. He led strikes and boycotts that brought about the first industry-wide labor contracts. The union was an influential factor of the passage of the 1975 California Agricultural Labor relations Act to protect farm workers (Cesar E. Chavez Foundation, 2008). Men, Women, Youth, and Children Pocahontas The most favored daughter of Chief Powhatan, born around 1585, was given the tribal name Matoaka, but is most widely known by her nickname Pocahontas (Mossiker, 1976). In 1607, when English settlers arrived and settled at Jamestown, she was between the ages of ten and fourteen. In her youth, Pocahontas helped her tribe with everyday tasks such as gathering nuts and berries or weaving baskets (Mossiker, 1976). She had a close relationship with her father and it has been reported that the two made their way to the Jamestown settlement to look at the strange settlers (Mossiker, 1976). When the colony’s survival was in question, Pocahontas led troops of tribesmen out of the forest and up to the gates of Jamestown to deliver life-saving gifts of game and wildfowl to the sick and starving (Mossiker, 1976). Throughout the winter, emissaries of Pocahontas came as often as every other day and preserved the colony from starvation with gifts of food. Pocahontas exerted her every effort to bring about a peaceful coexistence between her people and the settlers. When members of her tribe had been captured by the colonists, Pocahontas served as the intermediary between her people and the English, carrying messages back and forth from Jamestown to her father. It was under her care that her people were released and lives were spared, increasing the settlement’s chance for survival (Mossiker, 1976). George Washington George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, about forty miles south of his future home, Mount Vernon. His strong moral character, which made him a heroic figure to Americans, was directed by 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior that he copied into notebooks when he was young. Rule number one states ―every action done in company ought to be done with some sign of respect to those that are present…Rule 22: Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another, though he were your enemy (Uschan, 2000).‖ Washington’s character has been draped in mythology and idolized since the nation’s birth. In 1755, Washington volunteered to serve under General Edward Braddock as his army battled a French and Indian force and experienced a great defeat. Washington bravely immersed himself in battle and gunfire, but emerged unwounded. His heroism contributed to his fame and gained him the title of commander of the Virginia militia (Greenstein 2009). After the French and Indian War, Washington became a key participant in the colonial defiance of a succession of taxes imposed by Great Britain. In July 1774, Washington chaired a meeting at which a resolution was adopted summarizing the American grievances against Great Britain and calling for a conference of delegates from all the colonies: the First Continental Congress (Greenstein 2009). In Washington’s account from 1774, he said his ―personal opposition to British rule [began from] an innate spirit of freedom‖ (Morgan, 2009). During the Revolutionary War, Washington was named Commander and Chief of the military. In 1777, when hope seemed lost, he led troops to nearby Princeton and won an engagement in which he rallied his troops riding into a hail of British fire. Washington made it a point to remain in the field with his troops throughout the war. Following the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the war, Washington resigned his position and returned to private life, which only increased his public esteem (Greenstein 2009). After his resignation as commander in chief, Washington played a central part in the events that culminated in the framing of the constitution, which was ratified in 1788. In April of 1789, the Washington was chosen to be the nation’s first president. As President, Washington wanted to make himself more accessible to well-informed people who might be able to give him useful advice, which was the beginning of the President’s Cabinet (Greenstein 2009). His chief aims as president were to establish a sound financial system, pacify the wilderness, and resolve outstanding issues with Great Britain. Washington’s administration made progress in all of these areas by instituting a plan to guarantee interest payment on the national debt, establishing a national bank and system of taxation; negotiating treaties with Great Britain and Native American tribes (Greenstein 2009).

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