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.

  • What types of violence did African Americans face in the late 19th century?
  • Describe what the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” means. Is this always the case? Explain your thinking.

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of author Michael Worden providing opening remarks for his lecture on the 1892 lynching of Robert Lewis, an African American man hanged on accusation of assaulting a white woman in Port Jervis, New York. Direct your students to answer the related question on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #1: A Complex Story (1:37).

  • What is “involved” in the complex story?
  • According to Michael Worden, how do criminal investigators examine cases?
  • What occurred on “June 2nd, 1982?”
  • List the questions that Worden has related to that day.

• 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.

• BACKGROUND

  Direct students to the Background section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following three video clips that provide background information about the town of Port Jervis, NY, the people involved in the historical episode, and the events of June 2, 1892. 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: Context of Port Jervis (2:14).

  • Based on the clip, how many African Americans lived in Port Jervis, NY in 1892?
  • What was “The Hollow,” and where else did African Americans live in the town?
  • How was Port Jervis “typical,” and who was “scorned?” Was Port Jervis “segregated?”
  • According to Michael Worden, were lynchings common in the area? Explain.

• Clip #3: The People Involved (6:05).

  • Based on the clip, how many people are primarily involved in the story?
  • According to Michael Worden, who was Robert Lewis? Summarize his background and experiences in Port Jervis.
  • Who is the “forgotten victim” in the story? Why? Summarize her background.
  • For what reasons is P.J. Foley a “man of mystery?”

• Clip #4: The Events of June 2, 1892 (5:12).

  • Describe the “toxic relationship.”
  • According to Michael Worden, how was the press in 1892 different from today?
  • Based on the clip, what occurred during the days before June 2nd, 1892?
  • Detail the events that occurred at the “fairgrounds.” What was the area like at the time?

• ARREST

  Direct students to the Arrest section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following three video clips that detail the search for Robert Lewis, his apprehension, and his return to Port Jervis, NY. 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 #5: The Search for Robert Lewis (3:09).

  • Who was seen “hiding in the bushes?”
  • According to Michael Worden, where did Robert Lewis travel after the assault?
  • Why were the local police “very limited in their role” at the time? Define this role and how officers were hired.
  • As discussed in the clip, what were the officers’ goals in their search?

• Clip #6: The Apprehension (3:06).

  • Where did the officers “track” Robert Lewis to?
  • Summarize the steps of the arrest, as told by Michael Worden.
  • Based on the clip, what did Lewis tell the officers while on the way back to Port Jervis?
  • How were the officers and Lewis “disconnected?”

• Clip #7: Return to Port Jervis (3:51).

  • What had already “gathered” in Port Jervis? Why?
  • Based on the clip, what rumor began circulating through the town?
  • Summarize the example that illustrates the townspeople’s level of “anger and frustration.”
  • According to Michael Worden, what happened when Robert Lewis and the officers arrived at the jail?

• LYNCHING

  Direct students to the Lynching section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following three video clips that describe the lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis, NY on June 2, 1892 and the aftermath of the event. 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 #8: Incomprehensible Horror (3:16).

  • What was Robert Lewis “immediately subjected to?”
  • Based on the clip, who tried to help Lewis throughout the day? Detail their actions.
  • According to Michael Worden, what did the mob first decide to do?
  • Describe the tension between the “local people.”

• Clip #9: The Lynching (5:37).

  • According to Michael Worden, what did one of the members of the mob start yelling and what happened in response?
  • How did Judge William H. Crane try to “intervene,” and what was the effect of his efforts?
  • What did Judge Crane mean when he said “a word either way could make the difference?” Summarize what happened next.
  • Based on the clip, what happened to Robert Lewis’ body afterward?

• Clip #10: Aftermath (3:30).

  • Based on the clip, how fast did word travel about the lynching?
  • How did people talk out of “both sides of their mouth” in the aftermath?
  • According to Michael Worden, how did the North and South differ in their reactions to the lynching?
  • What was the mob “crowding” to do on June 3rd? Why?

• EVALUATION

  Direct students to the Evaluation section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following two video clips that detail the investigation and legal events after the 1892 lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis, NY. 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 #11: Coroner’s Inquest (6:02).

  • What was the Coroner’s Inquest the community’s “first chance” to do?
  • Summarize Michael Worden’s efforts to research the Inquest.
  • What was the one “simple task” of the Inquest, and how and why did it become a “spectacle?” Explain.
  • How and why was the Inquest “futile?” Detail the Inquest’s conclusion.

• Clip #12: Grand Jury Evaluation (5:00).

  • Who next has a turn to “hold someone accountable?”
  • Summarize the findings in the Grand Jury’s “report” and what they did next.
  • According to Michael Worden, what did the Grand Jury do on June 29, 1892?
  • Based on the clip, were the men ever brought to trial? Why or why not?

• REFLECTION

  After your students finish sharing their findings from the last section, direct them to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following final video clip in which author Michael Worden provides closing remarks for his lecture on the 1892 lynching of Robert Lewis, an African American man hanged on accusation of assaulting a white woman in Port Jervis, New York. Direct your students to answer the related questions and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #13: More to the Story (9:39).

  • What else is there to “talk about” with Robert Lewis?
  • Describe the “piece” of Lewis’ life that still survives today.
  • Based on the clip, what happened to Lewis in 1882 and 1883? How do we know?
  • Summarize the questions Michael Worden still has about P.J. Foley.
  • How was Lena McMahon an “enigma,” and what happened to her?
  • According to Worden, what happened to the lynching tree?
  • What “looming questions” still exist?
  • What was “erected and dedicated” on June 2nd, 2022?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the 1892 lynching of Robert Lewis in Port Jervis, NY, explain what lessons can be learned from this historical episode. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.