Truman and Civil Rights

I feel like interrogating the contradiction there can become the lesson. Like turn it into a "how should we remember this man?" type of lesson, where you present kids with the evidence on both sides, ask them to pretend that they are historians, or planning a memorial, or they are teachers teaching history, etc, and have them choose how he should be thought about based on the conflicting evidence. I feel like a lack of ability to wrestle with nuance is a HUGE problem in our country and contradictions like these help to build that skill up in our students.

Great question, Jim Jaeger , and super response, Freda Anderson . I like your concrete example of how to frame that kind of inquiry. It reminds me of something I used to do in US History with Andrew Jackson. My question was, "Does he deserve to stay on the $20 bill?"

An inquiry approach, even if just a short 1-2 day lesson, frames the information and nudges students to grapple with it instead of just connect it. Like you said, it's the nuances.

Freda Anderson Great idea!  I could see a rational debate or a Socratic seminar format.  I have long thought that social media will be the "invaders from the North" version of the country's downfall like ancient Rome.  We get these little clips of someone saying something on social media and one side is happy and one side is angry and we typically do not stop to look for the nuance or understand that people will mature and change.

Donnetta Elsasser This is a great debate topic!  I try to remind my students that the President is human and brings a personality into the White House and that can impact the decisions they make.

Yes! And nobody is all good or all bad.

We just have to make decisions about our leaders as more good than bad  or more bad than good.

Donnetta Elsasser We will get the students to this point! :)