Joseph A. Corsetti
Student Learning Objectives:
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1. Students will read and analyze a primary source document.
Introduction
In high school, it is important that students move beyond recalling, remembering, and reporting history towards interpreting history. This lesson, as an introduction to the unit, will prepare students for working with primary source documents, an essential skill for the rest of the unit.
Learning Activity:
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1. To start the lesson, students should define
isolation
. The teacher should write the definition on the board, student should write it in their notebook.
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2. Read James Monroe's "Message to Congress, December 2, 1823." In recent times, the State of the Union Address is given in person, and is televised to the entire nation. This is a recent trend. In the early days of the American Republic, the State of the Union was hand written and sent to the Congress. We know this particular message in the present day as the Monroe Doctrine. However, it was more the work of John Quincy Adams, a member of the Monroe administration.
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3. A close reading of the document is necessary. Have student read each paragraph aloud.
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4. Have students find specific evidence to support the following statements. These can be given to students before reading the document. The goal is to have students identify evidence that supports these ideas.
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a. European nations should leave the Americas alone.
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b. America should leave European nations alone.
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c. Any interference in the Americas by a European nation will be considered a direct attack on the United States.
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5. Students should answer the following. These can also be utilized as homework questions.
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a. What would the opposite of isolationism be?
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b. Is isolationism a good idea? Why or why not?
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c. What impact can isolationism have on a country?
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d. In the present day, is the United States isolationist? Should it be?