Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • List a few of the most notable people, places, and events of World War Two.
  • Why did you select these people, places, and events?

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of Dartmouth College history professor Matthew Delmont discussing the reason for titling his book, Half American. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #1: Half American (3:21).

  • What “struck” Matthew Delmont as he was researching historical African American newspapers? Why?
  • Based on the clip, how many African Americans served in the military during World War Two?
  • From where is the title of Delmont’s book, Half American, “taken?”
  • What was one of the “foundational ironies” of World War Two?
  • According to Delmont, how was military life segregated during the era?
  • What campaign was “launched” with James G. Thompson’s letter?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage.

  We recommend having your students complete the activity in a jigsaw format to save time. Or, depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• WAR TIME

  Direct students to the war time section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following four video clips that detail the wartime experiences of Black Americans during World War Two. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #2: Before Pearl Harbor (2:24).

  • What is the first “key argument” that Matthew Delmont’s book makes?
  • Based on the clip, what did African American newspapers write about in the early 1930s?
  • What were these newspapers “explicitly saying?”
  • According to Delmont, who was Salaria Key and for what three reasons was she on the front lines during the Spanish Civil War?

• Clip #3: Military Contributions (6:20).

  • What is the “second argument” in Matthew Delmont’s book?
  • Which Black American emerged as a “hero” during the Attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)? Summarize his story and its impact.
  • What was one of the “hardest parts” of the book to write, according to Delmont? Why?
  • What was ‘Double Victory,’ and what made “no sense” for the military? Why?
  • Summarize the contributions and legacies of Edward Allen Carter, Jr. and Vernon Baker, as discussed in the clip.
  • OPTIONAL: Delmont references three other well-known Black combat units: the Montford Point Marines, the 761st Tank Battalion, and the Tuskegee Airmen. Briefly research and record the contributions and legacies of one of these three groups.

• Clip #4: Behind Front Lines (4:27).

  • Aside from combat, what other roles were “deeply important?”
  • Based on the clip, what role did Black Americans play on D-Day (1944)? Summarize the story of Waverly Woodson.
  • What else was “equally crucial” to the Allies’ success on D-Day? Describe the role and impact of the Red Ball Express.
  • According to Matthew Delmont, what purpose did Black war correspondents serve?
  • What roles did Black women serve during World War II, according to Delmont?

• Clip #5: Treated in Europe (1:37).

  • What is a “really important part of the story” of Black Americans serving during World War II?
  • Based on the clip, how did Medgar Evers describe his experiences in Europe?
  • According to Matthew Delmont, why did racial conflicts happen in England between U.S. servicemen during the War?

• POST WAR

  Direct students to the post war section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following four video clips that detail the experiences of Black American World War Two veterans upon returning home. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #6: Veterans Fight Back (4:03).

  • What is the “third argument” that Matthew Delmont’s book makes?
  • Describe the “tenor” of the time.
  • What did Black American World War I veterans “fear” upon returning home?
  • According to Delmont, why was the ‘Double Victory’ campaign important?
  • Based on the clip, who was Medgar Evers and what did he fight against after the War?
  • Who else formed the “backbone” of the Civil Rights Movement? Summarize their stories.

• Clip #7: Isaac Woodard (2:49).

  • What was “distressing” in the post World War II era?
  • According to Matthew Delmont, what happened to Isaac Woodard upon returning home from World War II?
  • Based on the clip, how did President Harry Truman react to what happened to Woodard? Why?
  • What “pieces” led Truman to desegregate the military with Executive Order 9981 (1948)?

• Clip #8: Race Riots (3:22).

  • Where were Black Americans “moving to” after World War II? Why?
  • Based on the clip, how common were race riots during the era?
  • According to Matthew Delmont, where did race riots typically occur? Why?
  • What do the 1943 Detroit race riot and other race riots “reveal?”
  • Describe the “reality” for Black Americans during the time.

• Clip #9: Compared to Other Post-War Eras (3:17).

  • How were Black Americans “looking at” World War II as it started?
  • In what ways was the ‘Double Victory’ campaign an “old idea?”
  • According to Matthew Delmont, what was different with World War II?
  • What things did Black Americans receive by joining the military, and what was “crazy to imagine?”
  • What was “profound” during the War and how did this impact Black Americans?

• REFLECTION

  After students share their findings from the lesson, direct them to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following video clip of Delmont discussing how the Black American experience in the World War II era is connected to contemporary times. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #10: Connection to Today (4:29).

  • To what is World War II “connected?”
  • Based on the clip, for what two reasons do people study history?
  • According to Matthew Delmont, what connection did most of the major civil rights figures of the 1950s and 60s have? Summarize the example Delmont shares.
  • What is “important to understand?” Why?
  • How do contemporary issues connect to World War II? Summarize the example shared in the clip.
  • What can history “help us do?”

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished sharing their findings from the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having learned about the successes and challenges that Black Americans experienced during and after World War Two, summarize their lasting impacts on the United States. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your response.