Enhancing Social Studies Education Through Primary Sources

Susan B. Anthonys Trial, social justice, and Common Core connections Presented at: NCSS Conference November 22, 2013 St. Louis, MO Dr. Kenneth V. Anthony kva3@msstate.edu

Purpose Teachers must use Common Core State Standards to expand educational outcomes from the narrow college and career focus as espoused by advocates CCSS.

Aims Common Core State Standards: Focus on college and career readiness- literacy. Social Studies: College and career readiness is a very important goal and all teachers should be included in reaching these goals, but as social studies teachers we need to focus on and protect our primary mission: citizenship education.

Historical thinking Our goals as social studies teachers and the CCSS standards have the potential to improve instruction that develops historical thinking making social studies instruction more rigorous, more student focused, and more authentic. Using primary sources to reach literacy goals of CCSS and the civic education goal of social studies is an excellent way to successfully wed the two aims.

Further thoughts on historical thinking Explanation of an idea- to make an abstract idea concrete Application of an idea- used for proof of the efficacy of an idea To support of statement- prove the possibility of some phenomena or effect To support a doctrine or theory- detailed presentation of a historical event to prove a theory through deduction. From Clausewitz (1832/1989)

Primary sources To get value from historical examples and events teachers must teach a detailed presentation of a historical event. (Clausewitz, 1832/1989, p. 170-174) One way for us to do this is through primary sources.

Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Primary sources are the raw materials of history original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. (LOC)

Primary sources Primary sources provide a window into the past unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study, produced by people who lived during that period. (LOC)

Primary sources 1) Engage students, 2) Develop critical thinking skills, and 3) Construct knowledge.

Primary sources resource http://www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/

Textbook coverage One event that is rarely mentioned in United States history texts is the trial of Susan B. Anthony for illegally voting in the 1872 Presidential election. A review of five eighth grade United States history textbooks showed that none mentioned this event.

Textbook coverage 173 words (Davidson, 2014) 33 words (Davidson & Underwood, 1992), 50 words (Davidson, 2005), 272 words (Stuckey & Salvucci, 2005), 137 words (Appleby, Brinkley, Broussard, McPherson, & Ritchie, 2005). Not arguing for more or less coverage Illustrate how most topics are covered in textbooks

Textbook coverage When Susan B. Anthony mobilized about seventy women to vote nationwide in 1872, she was indicted, convicted, and fined (p. 476). from The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People, Volume II: Since 1865 (Boyer, Clark, Haltunen, Kett, Salisbury, Sitkoff, Woloch, 2011)

Rochester Nov 5th 1872 Dear Mrs Stanton Well I have been & gone & done it!!--positively voted the Republican ticket--strait this a.m. at 7 Oclock--& swore my vote in at that--was registered on Friday & 15 other women followed suit in this ward--then on Sunday others some 20 or thirty other women tried to register, but all save two were refused--all my three sisters voted--Roda De Garmo too--Amy Post was rejected & she will immediately bring action for that--similar to the Washington action--& Hon Henry R. Selden will be our Counsel--he has read up the law & all of our arguments & is satisfied that we our right & ditto the Old Judge Selden--his elder brother. so we are in for a fine agitation in Rochester on the question--I hope the morning's telegrams will tell of many women all over the country trying to vote--It is splendid that without any concert of action so many should have moved here so impromptu-- ....Haven't we wedged ourselves into the work pretty fairly & fully--& now that the Repubs have taken our votes--for it is the Republican members of the Board--The Democratic paper is out against us strong & that scared the Dem's on the registry board--How I wish you were here to write up the funny things said & done--Rhoda De Garmo told them that she wouldn't swear of affirm--"but would tell the truth"--& they accepted that When the Democrat said my vote should not go in the box--one Republican said to the other--What do you say Marsh!--I say put it in!--So do I said Jones--and "we'll fight it out on this line if it takes all winter"....If only now--all the women suffrage women would work to this end of enforcing the existing constitution--supremacy of national law over state law--what strides we might make this winter--But I'm awful tired--for five days I have been on the constant run- -but to splendid purpose--So all right--I hope you voted too.

CCSS Reading Standards for Literacy in History/ Social Studies 6-12 Standard (Grades 6-8) 8. Distinguish between fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text and 9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Indictment against Anthony http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/wp-content/uploads/indictment-for-illegal-voting-front.jpg

List of witnesses http://research.archives.gov/description/278303

Case against Anthony http://research.archives.gov/description/278303

Conviction document http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/documented-rights/exhibit/section3/detail/anthony-conviction.html

Record of conviction http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/documented-rights/exhibit/section3/detail/anthony-conviction.html

Fine

Refusal to pay fine

Your turn You have the transcripts of two documents from the trial of Susan B. Anthony for voting illegally in the 1872 election. Take about five minutes to read over the documents.

Initial impressions What event are these documents related to? What do you know about the event? What do you need to know about this event? What is your reaction to these documents?

Analyzing a Primary Source Observe What do you first notice about this document? What do you find interesting? What are your first thoughts about this document? What people or ideas are prominent in this document?

Analyze a Primary Source Reflect Where do you think this document came from? Why do you think someone made this document? What do you think was happening when this was made? Who do you think was the audience for this item? How was this document created? Why do you think this document is important? What can you learn from examining this document?

Analyzing a Primary Source Question What do you wonder about ? The question phase is where students develop potential research questions that can be answered independently or as a class. Questions offer opportunities for extension activities.

CCSS Connections Using the Reading Standards for Literacy in History/ Social Studies from the CCSS find two or three specific objectives that you can use to help your students create their own detailed presentation of the event and learn important knowledge, skills, or dispositions that contribute to effective citizenship.

Heres an example: Students can learn about the concept of a trial by jury, where it is guaranteed in our Constitution, and who should determine the guilt or innocence of a defendant.

Social justice connections? What can students learn about working for social justice from Susan B. Anthony?

Extentions There are many more primary sources that you can use to help students understand the ideological and philosophical beliefs about suffrage in the 1870s.

Cartoon http://www.virginiamemory.com/online_classroom/shaping_the_constitution/doc/iron

Cartoon http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a51845/

Conclusion CCSS provide an opportunity for social studies teachers to improve social studies instruction by teaching historical thinking using primary sources. We must insure that the primary goal in our lessons is a social studies goal focused on increasing civic competence, understanding we can do this while supporting a literacy goals.

References Appleby, J., Brinkley, A., Broussard, A.S., McPherson, J.M., & Ritchie, D.A. (2005). The American Republic to 1877. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Boyer, P., Clark, Jr., C., Halttunen, K., Kett, J., Salisbury, N., Sitkoff, H., Woloch, N. (2011). The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People (Volume II: Since 1865). International Edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Clausewitz, C. (1989). On War (M. Howard & P. Paret Ed. and Trans.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original published 1832). Davidson, W.D. & Underwood, K. (1992). American Journey: The Quest for Liberty to 1877. Englewoods, NJ: Prentice Hall. Davidson, W.D. (2005). The American Nation: Beginnings through 1877. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall. Davidson, J.W. (2014). America: History of our Nation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Library of Congress. (n.d.). Teaching with Primary Sources. Library of Congress Website. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/ Linder, D.O. (2013). Famous Trials. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm Malaspina, A. (2012). Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President. Park Ridge, IL: Albert Whitman & Company. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards for English, Language Arts, and Literacy for Technical Subjects. Washington D.C.: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. (2010). Silver Spring, MD: National Council for the Social Studies. Stuckey, S. & Salvucci, L.K. (2005). Call to Freedom: Beginnings to 1877. Autin, TX: Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston. Thornton, S. (2005). Teaching Social Studies that Matters: Curriculum for Active Learning. New York: Teachers College Press.