Is Protest Patriotic?
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NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT 8th Grade Patriotism Inquiry Is Protest Patriotic? Jim Ryan, a photograph reflecting the idea that many wealthy men were able to get draft deferments while racial minorities and working-class men made up a disproportionate number of draftees, c1970. Photo by Jim Ryan, 1976. Used with permission. Supporting Questions 1. What were the main arguments of Vietnam War protesters? 2. What methods were used to protest the Vietnam War? 3. Why did some Americans consider the Vietnam War protesters unpatriotic? 4. Why did the Vietnam War protesters consider themselves patriotic? THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION- NONCOMMERCIAL- SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. 1 NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT 8th Grade Patriotism Inquiry Is Protest Patriotic? New York State Social 8.9 DOMESTIC POLITICS AND REFORM: The civil rights movement and the Great Society were attempts Studies Framework by people and the government to address major social, legal, economic, and environmental problems. Key Idea & Practices Subsequent economic recession called for a new economic program. Gathering, Using, and Interpreting Evidence Economics and Economic Systems Civic Participation Staging the Question Students read excerpts from Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis (1776) and use the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to generate companion questions addressing the inquiry topic. Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3 Supporting Question 4 What were the main What methods were used Why did some Americans Why did the Vietnam War arguments of Vietnam War to protest the Vietnam consider the Vietnam War protesters consider protesters? War? protesters unpatriotic? themselves patriotic? Formative Formative Formative Formative Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task Performance Task Create a political, social, Create an annotated poster Make a claim with evidence Make a counterclaim about and economic chart of the methods used to about why some Americans why some Americans outlining the arguments protest the Vietnam War. considered the Vietnam considered the Vietnam used by Vietnam War War protesters unpatriotic. War protesters patriotic. protesters. Featured Source Featured Source Featured Source Featured Source Source A: Data bank: Source A: “War” Source A: “Legislators Source A: Excerpt from Vietnam War statistics Source B: Source bank: Demand Stiff Penalties for “Naming the System” Source B: My Lai Massacre Vietnam War protests Dow Chemical Protesters” Source B: Excerpt from "A newspaper front page Source C: Image bank: Source B: Excerpt from Time to Break Silence” Source C: Excerpt from Weather Underground “Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam” John Kerry’s testimony to the United States Senate Source C: Source bank: Source D: Image Bank: Hardhat rallies Escalation into Cambodia ARGUMENT Is protest patriotic? Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical sources while acknowledging competing Summative views. Performance Task EXTENSION Adapt these arguments by rewriting the lyrics to a popular song to address the compelling question while also referring to specific details and evidence from the featured sources. UNDERSTAND Examine the present-day involvement of the US military in a conflict overseas. ASSESS Analyze the arguments of those opposed to the action and the patriotism of their actions against US military Taking Informed involvement overseas. Action ACT Using assorted media platforms, design and create a presentation that conveys support or opposition to America’s current military involvement overseas. THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION- NONCOMMERCIAL- SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. 2 NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT Overview Inquiry Description This inquiry is focused on the compelling question “Is protest patriotic?” The question challenges the notion that protest against authority is unpatriotic and asks students to consider whether America’s democratic institutions are strengthened through occasional opposition to American leadership. This inquiry deals with the Vietnam War era (1964–1973), focusing primarily on the national and international challenges America faced during the presidential administrations of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Students have an opportunity to learn about the reasons for and against the antiwar protests of the Vietnam War era, the methods used to protest the Vietnam War, and the ways in which America’s towns, schools, and families were divided over war policy. In investigating the compelling question, students grapple with issues related to message versus method: Could one agree with the message of antiwar protesters while disdaining the methods of protest? Could one support Nixon’s goal to stem the spread of communism while protesting the bombing of Vietnamese and Cambodian villages? This inquiry challenges students to examine their own views on patriotism and evaluate whether a soldier with a rifle and a protester with a bullhorn can be equally patriotic. In addition to the Key Idea listed earlier, this inquiry highlights the following Conceptual Understanding: • (8.9c) The Great Society programs of President Lyndon Johnson strengthened efforts aimed at reducing poverty and providing health care for the elderly, but the Vietnam War drained resources and divided society. NOTE: This inquiry is expected to take four to six 40-minute class periods. The inquiry time frame could expand if teachers think their students need additional instructional experiences (i.e., supporting questions, formative performance tasks, and featured sources). Teachers are encouraged to adapt the inquiries in order to meet the needs and interests of their particular students. Resources can also be modified as necessary to meet individualized education programs (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans for students with disabilities. Structure of the Inquiry In addressing the compelling question “Is protest patriotic?” students work through a series of supporting questions, formative performance tasks, and featured sources in order to construct an argument supported by evidence while acknowledging competing perspectives. Staging the Compelling Question Students read excerpts from Thomas Paine’s The Crisis (1776) and use the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to generate companion questions addressing the inquiry topic. QFT is a useful tool for developing questions that consists of six deceptively simple steps—determine the question focus, brainstorm questions, refine the emerging questions, prioritize the questions, determine the next steps, and reflect. 3 NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCE TOOLKIT Supporting Question 1 The first supporting question—“What were the main arguments of Vietnam War protesters?”—lays a foundation for the inquiry by focusing on the issues highlighted by antiwar protesters throughout the Vietnam War. Born during or in the wake of World War II, a generation of college students and young adults had come of age during the Eisenhower prosperity of the late 1950s and the promise of the Kennedy years of the early 1960s. Some of these young people sought independence from the conformity of the era, breaking with their parents in areas as varied as fashion, music, and cinema—as well as with Vietnam War politics. The formative performance task asks students to create a chart that highlights the political, social, and economic arguments presented by Vietnam War protesters. The featured sources include a data bank of statistics related to the Vietnam War, excerpts from John Kerry’s Senate testimony, the front page of a newspaper announcing the My Lai massacre, and an image bank reflecting the escalation of the war into Cambodia. Supporting Question 2 The second supporting question—“What methods were used to protest the Vietnam War?”—builds on the first, but has a narrower focus on the methods used to protest the Vietnam War. The formative performance task asks students to create an annotated poster that highlights the varied tactics and techniques protesters used. The featured sources provide students with a sampling of these tactics. Featured Source A, the song “War,” performed by Edwin Starr and written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, captured the sentiments of many Americans who, after half a decade, had lost any hope that the Vietnam War could have a positive outcome. Featured Sources B and C are image banks featuring peaceful and violent forms of protest, respectively. Supporting Question 3 The third supporting question—“Why did some Americans consider the Vietnam War protesters unpatriotic?”— suggests that Americans were not united in their opposition to the Vietnam War and that some were disdainful of antiwar protesters and their ideological viewpoints. The formative performance task calls on students to make a claim about why some Americans considered the Vietnam War protesters unpatriotic. Featured Source A is a set of excerpts from President Richard Nixon’s speech on American opposition to the war and his call to the “silent majority” for their support and commitment to America’s continued involvement in Southeast Asia. Featured Source B is a newspaper account of the Wisconsin legislature’s debate about students protesting the Vietnam War. Featured Source C introduces the ways in which the Vietnam War divided everyday Americans: