Objective:
Students will roleplay civil-rights activists.
-
A) Black and white students will ad lib an encounter during a sit in at a “whites only” lunch counter.
-
B) Students will make protest signs showing their views of segregation laws.
-
C) Students will roleplay being a white civil rights activist. How are you viewed by your family, friends, peers? What type of danger do you face?
-
D) Students will participate in a congressional debate over the issue of passing a comprehensive civil rights act. This debate takes place after the death of President John F. Kennedy. President Johnson is commander in chief.
During this class period, students will discuss the meaning of the Civil Rights Act and its impact on America. Students will read and discuss the following handout.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. This act contained 11 titles or sections that strengthened provisions made in former civil rights acts. Title 1 addressed the right to vote, Title 2 outlawed the exclusion of African-Americans from restaurant, hotels and other public accommodations. Title 3 guaranteed African Americans full access to public parks and beaches, and Title 4 provided federal funding to target the end of school segregation. The remaining seven titles addressed issues pertaining to the judicial system and discrimination by employers and unions. These titles also prohibited the funding of institutions that practice segregation, and the gathering of the census based on race in areas other than those designated by the Civil Rights Commission. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was said to be the most far reaching legislation passed since Reconstruction.
After discussing the civil rights act and its impact on African-Americans, students will discuss what life in America would be without it. Students will have an open dialogue concerning the need for such legislation in 1993.
Upon completion of the class discussion, students will read, “ The Secret Gifts” by Mary Satchell. In this play, Frederick Douglass, Mary McLeod Bethune, Phyllis Wheatley, Booker T.Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr., visit a group of high school students who are working on a Black History Week program. The youngsters are having a difficult time seeing the relevancy of such a program. The visitations by these famous African-Americans leave them with a sense of their history, and a greater appreciation for the accomplishments of their forefathers and foremothers. The youngsters go on to plan a program that is second to none.
Students will participate in a discussion about people they know who have made it in spite of the odds. I will ask students if they know of any other groups of people who have suffered persecution in America or another country for reasons of race, nationality or religion. I am sure that the Jewish holocaust will be mentioned, but I will use this as a segue to discuss the history of the Japanese people, and the plight of Japanese-Americans before and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Japanese-Americans
By the time Japan began to trade with the Europeans, Japan had become a police state under the rule of Shoguns or military dictators. In the year 1867, Emperor Meiji opened up trade to Westerners, and ended the 250 year isolation that kept Japan basically isolated from the world. The first Japanese who left their country went to Hawaii to work on sugar cane plantations. They went to Hawaii, agreeing to stay for three years. The work and treatment was so cruel, that many Japanese complained to their government about their landlords or overseers. These complaints were investigated and the Japanese government was so appalled by what they found, that they were able to secure the safe return of sixty of the original immigrants. Despite the hardship, many of the remaining immigrants stayed in Hawaii until their three year contract was up. These immigrants stayed to escape the increased military control in Japan, and to escape the strict class system that locked people into the social class into which they were born.
The conditions under which the Japanese laborers lived have similarities to those of African-American slaves. The Japanese worked on plantations in deplorable conditions. They were subject to overseers who monitored their work in the fields. They were viewed simply as a cheap form of labor.
Japanese in Mainland America:
As America became more industrialized, they began looking for a new and less expensive form of labor. Because of this need, the Japanese were invited to come to mainland America. When they arrived in North America, they were met with great suspicion because Japan’s new military power was seen as a threat to the Western nations. Most Japanese immigrants came to America between 1890 and 1907. By 1920, there were more than 111,000 Japanese immigrants in mainland America.
Because of laws written for the “protection” of white Americans, Japanese people were only allowed to own 4 percent of the farmland in California. The Japanese immigrants made rice-growing a profitable venture and converted swamps into farms that produced celery, flowers and strawberries. Many racist Americans were angered by their success, in fact, their success helped to fuel anti-Asian sentiments that already existed.
Upon completion of this handout, students will read, “Botchan” a short story about life in Japan for a young boy. Both of his parents die, and he and his brother must decide what to do with the property left behind. This story addresses the class system, and various Japanese customs. After the reading, students will draw pictures of a scene in the story.
The next class period will be devoted to a discussion of religion in Japanese culture. The following information will be read to students.
Religion:
Religion played a major role in the development of Japanese character. Early Japanese religions presented their emperors as gods. Japanese were taught that all events were dictated by destiny, and would work out for the person’s good. The Japanese sought to possess endurance, honor, patience and acceptance.
Although there were three main religions in Japan, Buddhism, Shinto and Christianity, most Japanese homes had a Shinto shrine, dedicated to the spirits of their ancestors, and a Buddhist altar. Because Christianity was seen as a plot to destroy Japan, Christian missionaries were kept out of Japan until the end of the Tokugawa Shogun rule in 1867.
Two class periods will be devoted to the reading and discussion of three plays,” Sotoba Komachi” by Kan’ami Kiyotsugu, “Birds of Sorrow” by Seami Motokiyo, and “The Madman on the Roof” by Kikuchi Kan.
Students will be asked to compare and contrast these three plays that deal with religious customs, everyday living, and death. As a follow up activity, students will write a letter to a friend explaining the role of religion in the writing of Japanese plays. These letters will be shared with the class.
During the next class session, students will be given the following handout:
Anti-Asian Legislation:
To prevent Chinese immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens, the First United States Congress set a provision that said only free, white people were eligible for citizenship. When the Japanese immigrants came to America, they applied this legal tactic to them also. In 1924, an immigration act was passed making aliens ineligible for citizenship. Because they were afraid they could not return to America if they traveled back to Japan, many Japanese who had homes businesses and families in America felt trapped. They were denied citizenship in America but yet were unable to return to their native land for fear of not being allowed back into the U.S.
Yellow Peril:
Emperor Meiji, who ruled until 1912, was afraid that western powers would try to take over Japan like they had taken over China. To strengthen Japan’s military forces, he hired the French to restructure the army, the British to restructure the navy, and Dutch engineers to oversee construction in Japan. He patterned the government cabinet after the Germans and abolished the samurai class in 1876.
Because of Japanese military aggression against China, Americans began to distrust Japan. When Japanese immigrants came here, they were met with a great suspicion. Politicians and Journalists were telling the public that the Japanese immigrants were being planted in the U.S. to help prepare a secret attack. This is what the newspapers referred to as the “Yellow Peril”. Anti-Asian groups called for greater restrictions on Japanese immigrants. Rumors that Japanese farmers sprayed vegetables with arsenic to poison white Americans helped to increase the hatred for Japanese—Americans.
The Internment:
On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the United States Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor. It was at this point that Japanese Americans began to experience true hatred, suspicion and injustice. Japanese-Americans were taken from their homes and held in detention camps for three years. Despite the fact that most of them were American citizens, over 110,000 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned from 1942 -1945. Although their businesses went under and they lost their homes, they held fast to their religious belief that it was destiny that brought their perils about, and that everything would work out for them. They used this time of imprisonment for reflection, and emerged stronger and more determined. The information on Japanese-Americans was taken from, The Japanese Americans, by Harry Kitano.
The follow-up activities will take two class periods. Students will participate in a mock town meeting. Students will debate the need for anti-Asian legislature and will try to put themselves in the shoes of the Japanese Americans affected. Students will use the facts presented to argue their respective cases. Furthermore, students will be asked to determine the possible application of such laws to other groups in the U.S.
The second part of the lesson will be the reading of excerpts from,” The Wash” by Philip Kan Gotanda and “ And the Soul Shall Dance” by Wakako Yamauchi. Both plays are filled with information about Japanese culture and relationships.
Playwriting:
At the completion of our investigation of various cultures, students will begin the task of playwriting. The first week will be devoted to brainstorming ideas. Students will be required to synthesize the information they have acquired. Students will begin to try to create a play that has the same basic tone of the plays they have read by members of a particular group. Students may chose to write a play that reflects their own culture, or may try their hand at a play about a group other than their own. Students will be encouraged to research material to ensure historical accuracy.
Because my students have participated in the Yale Dramat’s city-wide playwriting contest, they are familiar with the playwriting process. We will begin by deciding on the major components of the play; the setting, era, potential characters and plot. Students will be encouraged to develop each of these areas carefully.
Upon deciding the setting and era, students will be asked to name their characters and to write a short description of them. Students will identify the role of each character in the play. Students must be sure that the character remains true to his/her purpose. (An antagonist should not suddenly begin giving candy to the neighborhood children, unless the play shows that he has had a change of heart.)
Once students have worked through the aforementioned, they may begin to develop the plot. Students should be reminded to develop a beginning, middle and ending. I will also remind students that the climax of their play may be easily attained by trying to place themselves in the place of one of the people we read about in the plays.
At the completion of the playwriting process, which will take approximately six morning sessions, selected plays will be rehearsed and performed for parents.