Webquest Format created by Bernie Dodge

WEBQUEST: All Men Are Created Equal...?

On July 4, 1776 our Founding Fathers signed their names to the Declaration of Independence envisioning a country that would guarantee basic freedoms to all its citizens. However, events in American history have not always supported these principles on which our country was founded.

The equality declared in 1776 has been denied men and women of various races and religions at one time or another. In certain instances lines were drawn between "us" and "them". Prejudice, discrimination and intolerance often arose from fear, suspicion and anger. Understanding, respect and tolerance will help us to move towards the realization of a "more perfect union".

The Task

Using the suggested resources, you will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the experiences of the Cherokee, Japanese, and African-American people during their times of struggle. Visit the suggested internet sites and read both nonfiction and fiction accounts of the people and events. Travel back in time and imagine yourself and your family as members of one of these groups of people; complete one of the following assignments:

You are forced to leave your home because of who you are - write a minimum of three journal entries describing your departure, journey and arrival in a new place.
Write a letter to the President suggesting that what is going on is unfair and arguing for equal rights for your people.
You are the editor o f a newspaper. Write an editorial describing how intolerance led to the mistreatment of your people. Include suggestions of alternative solutions to the problems.
As a witness to the events during one of these time periods, write a poem describing the scene: what you see, how you feel and what you are thinking.

Resources

The following pages will provide you with online and print resources that will help you to gain an understanding of the time period, events, and experiences of the Cherokee tribe's removal and relocation, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and the African-American civil rights movement.

Cherokee Trail of Tears

Japanese Internment

African-American Civil Rights

The Process

There is a Native American saying "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins". Since you are not able to walk in the shoes of these people you must collect enough information to get a feel of what it was like for them.

Visit each page of this webquest and link to the sites provided. It is not necessary to read each entire site, but gather enough information so you can relate the events of the time periods.
Take notes; jotting do wn your own ideas of how you would have reacted, what you would have been thinking and feeling if this was happening to you and your family.
Visit the library media center or your public library to access print resources. Choose an historical fiction book from one of these time periods. After reading the book, compare its historical content with the facts you have gathered.
When you have completed your research using a variety of information sources, select and complete one of the writing assignment s listed above (Task).

Learning Advice

The objective of this webquest is to enable you to put yourself in the place of the people it focuses on, to look at what happened from their point of view, in order to gain an understanding of how intolerance shaped the events of history.

You may want to start by visiting the timeline sites to get an idea of how the events unfolded.

Pay close attention to personal accounts and interviews. These will he lp you get an idea of what happened to the people involved.

Conclusion

The confrontations you have learned about here were extreme and took place a long time ago. You may not think they are relevant to your life, but is intolerance a thing of the past? Can you find examples of discrimination today - hate crimes, ethnic jokes, barriers to the handicapped?

Today laws help protect the rights of all Americans but we must continue to work towards tha t more perfect union.

What can you do to help?

This webquest created 5/1/97 by:
Judith Lamb
Library Media Specialist
St. Francis Xavier School
Hyannis, Massachusetts