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The Second Great Migration
Imagination and the Second Great Migration Lesson Plan
Overview
In the narrative The Second Great Migration, Vernon Jarrett expressed the idea that radio and newspapers spurred the hope and imagination of African Americans to migrate outside of the South to a "Mecca of human rights and civility." The lesson plan Imagination and the Second Great Migration is designed so that students may research and test this hypothesis by a) conducting oral history interviews with people in their community who migrated from the South during that era; or b) examining the music and lyrics of Earl "Fatha" Hines, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie for evidence of it providing inspiration to migrants; or c) examining newspaper columns written in such publications as the Chicago Defender for evidence of an idealized "other America" where African Americans could live in social and political freedom and equality. Students will compare their findings and evaluate the impact of the imagination on the Second Great Migration.
Grade Levels:High school, grades 9–12
For use with:The Second Great Migration
Concentration Area:History
National Curriculum Standards met by this lesson
The following standards have been taken from the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel) standards.
Students will understand

  • The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties.
  • The social and economic impact of the Great Depression (e.g., the impact of the Depression on industry and workers; the response of local and state officials in combating the resulting economic and social crises; the effects of the Depression on American families and on ethnic and racial minorities; the effect on gender roles; the victimization of African Americans and white sharecroppers).
  • How minority groups were affected by World War II (e.g., how minority groups organized to gain access to wartime jobs and the discrimination they faced, factors that led to the internment of Japanese Americans).
  • The economic boom and social transformation of post-World War II United States.
Time required
One 50-minute class period if students read the narrative, conduct research, and write their evaluation outside of class
Materials needed
Anticipatory Set

  1. Since the earliest colonial days when John Smith, Richard Hakluyt, Sir Walter Ralegh, and John Winthrop wrote letters and tracts to England promoting the New World as a "land of promise," imagination and hope have played key roles in immigration to and migration within the United States. Ask students to brainstorm other examples from literature, music, or film that inspire people to move to the United States or to specific cities or states.
  2. In the narrative The Second Great Migration, Vernon Jarrett expressed the idea that radio and newspapers spurred the hope and imagination of African Americans to migrate outside of the South to a " "Mecca of human rights and civility." "
  3. Ask students to read the narrative and make a list of ways that they might possibly test this hypothesis.
Procedures

  1. Explain to students that they will be investigating primary sources, including eyewitnesses who lived through the experience, to test their hypothesis that media-inspired imagination spurred African-American migration during the period 1940–1970.
  2. Tell students they may test their hypotheses in one of the following ways:

    1. Conduct an oral history interview with an African American in their community (or outside of it, if necessary) who migrated from the South during that era. Students should remember that they are trying to determine whether the media (radio, television, music, newspapers) contributed to their decision to relocate. Students should probe if the migrant thought the new location to which they were moving was a place where they believed they could live a better life.
    2. Examine the music and lyrics of Earl " "Fatha" " Hines, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie or other African-American musical figures for evidence of their music providing "great dreams and great fantasies...needed to maintain hope in this country and their own lives."
    3. Examine newspaper columns written in such publications as the Chicago Defender for evidence of an idealized 'other America' where "black people could talk back to white people—and could vote."


    You also may have students select another teacher-approved area of investigation, such as the portrayal of life in northern and western locales through film, on television, or in personal letters, poetry, or literature.
  3. Tell students they should take notes during their research, assess their primary source(s), compile a bibliography of sources, and write a paper evaluating the validity the hypothesis that media-inspired imagination spurred African-American migration during the period 1940–1970.
Assessment

Evaluate the assignment (which may be multiplied by four to convert to 100-point scale or to letter grades) using the following rubric:

Grading Element/Total Possible Points Excellent (10-9) Good (8-7) Fair (6-5) Unsatisfactory (4-1) No Work (0)
Research (10) Student gathered information from a variety of excellent and relevant sources, both primary and secondary, that related to the hypothesis Student gathered information from relevant sources, both primary and secondary, that related to the hypothesis Student gathered information from a limited range of sources, some of which may not have related to the hypothesis Student gathered irrelevant information that did not help to evaluate the hypothesis No work
Analysis and Synthesis (10) Student:

• Conducted careful, in-depth analysis and drew insightful conclusions supported by the evidence

• Made excellent connections in a well-organized presentation

• Evaluated the reliability of the sources

• Placed the primary sources in historical context

• Analyzed literary and lyrical devices, where applicable (including repetition, irony, analogy)
Student:

• Accurately analyzed information and made an effort to incorporate it in the conclusion

• Made connections in a generally well-organized presentation

• Was able to identify most main ideas in primary source

• Used general information and some secondary sources to place the primary source into historical context

• Mentioned some literary and lyrical devices, where applicable
Student:

• Showed limited analysis or limited application of evidence, weak conclusion

• Demonstrated limited, very general understanding of primary sources

• Made few connections between ideas or was not effective in structuring information

• Demonstrated limited or flawed understanding of the historical context of the primary source

• Did not analyze literary or lyrical devices when applicable
Student:

• Stated a few facts but offered no analysis

• Did not support conclusion with evidence gathered or merely restated facts

• Had difficulty identifying main points of primary source and indicated little understanding of historical context

• Did not organize ideas logically
No work
Grading Element/Total Possible Points Excellent (5) Good (4) Fair (3) Unsatisfactory (2-1) No Work (0)
Technical Writing Skills (5) Excellent:

• Compositional structure

• Persuasiveness

• Sentence structure and variety

• Vocabulary use

• Grammar, spelling, punctuation

• Documentation of sources in bibliography in standard format
Good:

• Compositional structure

• Persuasiveness

• Sentence structure and variety

• Vocabulary use

• Grammar, spelling, punctuation

• Documentation of sources in bibliography in standard format
Adequate:

• Compositional structure

• Persuasiveness

• Sentence structure and variety

• Vocabulary use

• Grammar, spelling, punctuation

• Documentation of sources in bibliography in standard format
Poor:

• Compositional structure

• Persuasiveness

• Sentence structure and variety

• Vocabulary use

• Grammar, spelling, punctuation

• Documentation of sources in bibliography in standard format
No work

Related Works

  • The Schomburg Center's Digital exhibit Harlem 1900–1940: An African-American Community not only provides images and text related to musicians and other artists mentioned in the narrative, but it also has an illustrated timeline, teacher materials, and links to other websites at: http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/.
  • The Library of Congress' American Memory Collection features over seven million online digital documents. Teacher Resources include " "The Learning Page" " where lesson plans, such as " "Stand Up and Sing: Music and our Reform History," " provide a model for incorporating sheet music as a primary source at: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/lessons/99/sing/intro.html.
  • The American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress sponsors the Veterans History Project. In addition to collecting and making available oral histories, the project website, http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/youth-resources.html, includes student guidelines, model interviews and transcripts, and model teacher materials.
  • PBS sponsors the website Regarding Vietnam, Stories Since the War. Bret Eynon's " "How to Do an Oral History About the Impact of the Vietnam Era" " has valuable tips for students and teachers that are applicable for all forms of oral history interviews. They can be accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/pov/stories/vietnam/curriculum.html.
  • The Library of America's Reporting Civil Rights 1941–1973 website is a valuable source of information about the chronology of the Civil Rights Movement, with biographies of leading figures and commentaries by reporters, located at: http://www.reportingcivilrights.org/.
Interdisciplinary Links

  • Language Arts: Ask students to explore the use of persuasive writing and its effect on immigration through American literature by comparing and contrasting the style, literary devices, and arguments offered by writers of the early colonial era with African-American writers of the mid-Twentieth century. Possible colonial-era writers may include Richard Hakluyt, Thomas Harriot, Sir Walter Ralegh, John Smith, John Winthrop, William Bradford, and Anne Bradstreet. Twentieth century publications that students may investigate include the Chicago Defender, Jet Magazine (which led the exposé of the murder of Emmett Till), the Cleveland Call and Post, the Baltimore Afro-American, A. Philip Randolph's Messenger, the Amsterdam News, the NAACP's Crisis, the National Urban League's Opportunity, or Survey Graphic Magazine.
  • Music: Students may wish examine the relationship between popular music and the Civil Rights Movement from 1940–1970. Students may select a song or group of songs and then do the following:

    • Identify historical incidents mentioned in the music or historical events in which the music played a part.
    • Analyze lyrics and music that helped to shape public opinion, looking at such devices as analogy, symbolism, and repetition.


    Possible songs, composers, or figures for students to examine include: Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing (James Weldon and J. Rosamond Johnson), We Shall Overcome (Odetta, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan), Oh Freedom, If I had a Hammer, I Been 'Buked and I Been Scorned, How I Got Over, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, I'm Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table, Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me, Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Hold On (Guy and Candie Carawan), or the SNCC Freedom Singers (Rutha Harris, Cornell Reagon, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Chuck Neblett).
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