Procedures

• STEP 1:

  View the following clip and have students answer the following questions.

  Video Clip: How History is Formed (2:04)

  • How do people look to the past to make sense of the world in which they are currently living?

  • How can the interpretation of the past change over time?

  • How does society create people's perception of the past?

• STEP 2:

  Briefly review the history of the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow.

  Have the students brainstorm ways the Civil War still impacts the United States today.

• STEP 3:

  Have the students view each of the clips in the next section. As they are watching, the students will answer the questions on the following handout.

  Handout: Guided Questions- The Removal of Confederate Statues (Google Doc)

• VIDEOS

  Video Clip: New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu on US History and the Racial Divide (5:33)

  Video Clip: Lexington Mayor Jim Gray and the Relocation of Confederate Statues (1:41)

  Video Clip: President Trump and Confederate Statues (1:03)

  Video Clip: Confederate Statues in Charlottesville (3:55)

  Video Clip: Ervin Jordan on the Removal of Confederate Statues(1:15)

  Video Clip: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Confederate Statues (2:26)

  Video Clip: Contextualizing Civil War Monuments (2:29)

• STEP 4:

  Have students list arguments for each category on the following handout.

  Handout: The Removal of Confederate Statues (Google Doc)

  Students should keep in mind the following question as they complete the handout:

  • What should be done about statues honoring Confederate leaders on public lands?

• STEP 5:

  Writing Assignment- Using the previous handout, have the students respond to the following essay question.

  • What should be done about statues honoring Confederate leaders on public lands? Provide examples from current events and the video clips.

• EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  Future History Textbooks: Predict with how you think our current events will be viewed in 50 years. Write a except from a history textbook about the events of our current time period. How do you think our time period will be viewed in the future? What current events will be historical? What attitudes and beliefs do you think will be seen as outdated?

  Modern Statue: Draw a picture of a statue of someone who is alive today who you believe should be honored. Include where you would put the statue. After drawing it, share your picture with a partner. Explain who this person is and why you believe this person deserves a statue. The partner will discuss hypothetical reasons why people might object to this person getting a statue.