American Hypocrisy

This unit was created by the History Department in Plainfield Public Schools, part of the 2021 cohort of The 1619 Project Education Network. It is designed for facilitation across approximately 16 60-80 minute class periods.

Objectives

Students will be able to...

• Evaluate the article “The Idea of America” by Nikole Hannah-Jones and explore hypocrisy in the foundation of the United States as it relates to African American people. 
• Evaluate the article “The Wealth Gap” by Trymaine Lee and explore the wealth divide between African American people and their non-African American counterparts. 
• Evaluate the article “Mass Incarceration” by Bryan Stevenson and explore the impact of mass incarceration on African American males in the U.S. 
• Evaluate the article “Medical Inequality” by Linda Villarosa and explore the ramifications of medical inequality for African Americans.
• Create a demonstration of learning (DOL) in the form of a PowerPoint that addresses the three essential questions, using evidence from one or more articles.
• Participate in a Socratic Seminar answering questions listed in the Performance Task section below.

Essential Questions

1. What are underreported stories, and why are they important?
2. How do you find and communicate underreported stories that matter to you?
3. What is the role of journalism in evaluating history and examining the contemporary underreported issues that are connected to events in the past?

Unit Overview

In this unit, students will examine articles from The 1619 Project and use them as tools to guide an inquiry process into how African Americans were mistreated in the United States, and what hypocrisies underlie the founding of the country. Students will consider the importance of finding and telling underreported stories from history, and will examine how underreported stories from history connect to present day issues.

Students will reflect on the essential questions and the articles they explore in writing throughout this unit, culminating in a PowerPoint presentation and a Socratic Seminar through which they will demonstrate their learning.

Thematic Focuses:

• Disenfranchisement 
• Capitalism
• Emancipation
• Segregation 
• Bigotry 
• Civil Rights 
• Indoctrination
• Racism 
• Hypocrisy 
• Wealth 

Skill Focuses:

• Quick writes
• Reflective writing 
• Creating a thorough PowerPoint 
• Citing scholarly work
• Close reading 
• Speaking

Performance Task

Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar with another school district (ideally), or with another section of this course. The students will prepare for and participate in a discussion on topics that correlate with the unit. The discussion questions will include, but are not limited to:

1. Why did author Nikole Hannah-Jones use the title “The Idea of America” for her article? What contradictory themes were presented in the article?
2. What is the historical significance of the wealth gap between African American and white people in the U.S.?
3. How does mass incarceration affect African American people in the U.S.?
4. What negative ramifications were perpetuated with medical inequality between African American and white people?

16-day unit plan for teachers, including pacing, texts and multimedia resources, guidelines and rubrics for student projects, and performance tasks for the unit. Download below, or scroll down to read the complete unit plan.

Unit Resources

New Jersey Student Learning Standards – Social Studies

• 6.1.12.CivicsDP.3.c - Examine the origins of the antislavery movement and the impact of particular events, such as the Amistad decision, on the movement. 

• 6.1.12.HistoryUP.3.b - Examine a variety of sources from multiple perspectives on slavery and evaluate the claims used to justify the arguments.

• 6.1.12.CivicsDP.5.a - Analyze the effectiveness of governmental policies and of actions by groups and individuals to address discrimination against new immigrants, Native Americans, and African Americans.

• 6.1.12.CivicsDP.6.b - Relate the creation of African American advocacy organizations (i.e. the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to United States Supreme Court decisions (i.e. Plessy v. Ferguson) and state and local governmental policies.

• 6.1.12.HistoryCC.8.c - Identify the conditions that gave rise to the Harlem Renaissance and assess the impact of artists, writers, and musicians on American culture.

• 6.1.12.CivicsDP.13.a - Analyze the effectiveness of national legislation, policies, and Supreme Court decisions in promoting civil liberties and equal opportunities (i.e. the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, Title VII, Title IX, Affirmative Action, Brown v. Board of Education, and Roe v. Wade).

• 6.1.12.HistoryCC.13.c - Determine the impetus for the Civil Rights Movement and generate an evidence-based argument that evaluates the federal actions taken to ensure civil rights for African Americans.

• 6.1.12.EconEM.13.a - Explain how individuals and organizations used economic measures (e.g., the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sit downs, etc.) as weapons in the struggle for civil and human rights.
• 6.1.12.HistoryCA.14.b - Create an evidence-based argument that assesses the effectiveness of actions taken to address the causes of continuing racial tensions and violence.

Formative Assessment 1: Making Local Connections

After exploring articles from The 1619 Project, students who experienced this unit in Plainfield Public Schools in fall 2021 shared connections they could make between the issues they learned about in the project and issues they were aware of in their own community.

I think about the imaginary line between Plainfield & Westfield. As soon as you cross that imaginary line everything changes. The price of houses goes up. The community is better. This is not equality. The services in schools are better.

James W., student in Plainfield Public Schools

This journalism piece connects to financial issues in present day America. Think about the wealth difference of African American people vs. white people...I think the connections that I was able to make today relate to how there are still disparities between how groups of people are treated in America.

Vinchey G., student in Plainfield Public Schools

Formative Assessment 2: Interpreting Quotations

As part of their formative assessments, students wrote responses to the following quotes from 1619 Project articles they explored in class.

It's a shame the difference between African American people and white people in terms of finances. In terms wealth white people have so much wealth than African American people.

Vinchey G., student in Plainfield Public Schools

This excerpt resonates with me because I think about how many African American people live in apartments vs. how many African people own homes. I think that it is unfair. I hear that Will Smith and Jay Z are creating a program to help African American people get homes.

James W., student in Plainfield Public Schools

I think about the difference between the monies that whites vs. Blacks have in this country. I think it is important to note the differences in struggle in white and Black cities. Think about cities like Detroit.

Sharese R., student in Plainfield Public Schools

The mistreatment of African American people extends to the medical field. Doctors had preconceived notions about who African American people were scientifically. These notions were completely WRONG...Both Black people and white people are human.

James W., student in Plainfield Public Schools