Social Justice in the History Classroom

 Tips to Challenge Students to Learn Social Issues like Immigration

Michael Streich 

Meaningful American history curriculum must connect historical events and evidence with contemporary considerations. Many history texts attempt to provide links to current events or point to historical patterns or themes still relevant in contemporary society. Too often these connections are chapter insets that students and teachers never read. Creating lesson plans that link historical patterns with contemporary events enables students to experience history in a more meaningful way while increasing awareness of current issues.

 

Who is an American?

 

CNN newsman Lou Dobbs just resigned from the network and, according to recent media reports, is considering entering the New Jersey Senate race as a Republican, challenging Senator Robert Menendez. Dobbs is an ardent critic of immigration policies and favors strong action against illegal aliens. Some medial sources suggest that Dobbs may even be considering a run for the presidency in 2012.

 

Immigration has always been an important issue in American history. Nativist American responses to the early 19^th Century Irish and German immigration were often violent and unwelcoming. The same can be said of late 19^th Century Italian immigrants, Central European and Russian Jews, and peoples from other Southern European nations.

 

A comprehensive unit on immigration trends and responses can be easily connected to current American debates regarding Hispanic immigration and the need to address a complex problem. The use of original source documents will enable students to better understand prevailing attitudes in the past as compared to contemporary times.

 

Discrimination and Poverty

 

In many communities today, de facto discrimination is addressed by reevaluating school population demographics in order to achieve higher levels of racial diversity. In some cities, Section Eight housing is being diversified into middle class and even lower upper class neighborhoods to eliminate growing pockets of poverty and crime.

 

Teaching a unit on social discrimination can include documents from the Johnson era “War on Poverty” with an emphasis on diversity goals. Group study questions within the unit module can include focus areas such as:

 

What were the Great Society goals of eliminating poverty?

Will social integration decrease neighborhood crime rates?

Why are non-minority and wealthier Americans opposed to diversity?

Does diversity pose a real threat to American society?

How can objections be overcome?

Have American attitudes changed from the 1960s?

 

Relating “social justice” themes to historical events may be the best answer to ending generational racism and the consequences of discrimination. It is not enough to have students memorize the challenge inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. What is important is for students to see that American society has created its own “wretched refuse” and “tired poor.”

 

The Concepts of Change

 

Unless history curriculum addresses the concepts of change, it ceases to serve a meaningful purpose. Military theorists scour past battles to apply techniques that worked to contemporary war scenarios. Why should this be different for history teachers attempting to change social perceptions?

 

Creating modules that involve group assessments of past evidence in an effort to apply those attitudes to contemporary situations provides a more meaningful understanding of the basic problems of American History. This can be used to address Anti-Semitism, racism, isolationism, and nativism. Every unit within the history curriculum should address some aspect of contemporary concern, whether that involves Constitutional rights or political and social inequalities. 

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