The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience
7 LessonsResource Overview:
The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience puts teachers and students in conversation with those who strove and continue to strive for a greater realization of the promises of liberty and equality as outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Through primary source analysis, this new resource from the Bill of Rights Institute explores the efforts to realize the Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice by exploring key periods in African American history. Students of history know that there is no substitute for being there – but primary sources come close!
Six chronological primary source sets covering the colonial era to the present day allow students to consider how the efforts of law- and policy-makers, the courts, and “We the People” – individuals and groups – have worked to ensure a society faithful to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. A culminating assessment has students choose a topic to research and present to make connections to how the work to ensure a society aligned with Founding principles continues in the present day.
Special Features:
- Era-specific background essays
- Full and abbreviated primary sources and scaffolded primary sources – over 100 in all!
- Graphic organizers to help students connect and discover key concepts
- Student Capstone Project
- Extension Activities to help integrate themes into other disciplines, including the arts and literature
- Full-color timeline available for purchase on the BRI Store
Full Primary Source List
Teachers Say:
“I and my students will benefit from Plainest Demands of Justice because I will spend less time finding primary resources for these topics.” Virginia Educator
“I really liked the “introduction” section before the sources. I also think the questions and sources led to active discussion and most of my students were very engaged in the debate.which is the main reason I love BRI resources – [they] make it so easy to use the sources – no one else makes it this easy.” Pilot test educator
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7 Lessons
LessonThe Declaration of Independence and the Promise of Liberty and Equality for All: Founding Principles and the Problem of Slavery
Introduce students to the concept of Founding principles based on natural law and natural rights as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Analyze primary source documents to determine the extent to which the writing of the Declaration of Independence contributed to the quest to end slavery in the United States in the Founding era.
LessonSlavery and the Struggle for Abolition from the Colonial Period to the Civil War
How did legislators, courts, and individuals interact with and interpret the principles of liberty and justice in the quest to end slavery from colonial times to the outbreak of the Civil War?
LessonThe Lost Promise of Reconstruction and Rise of Jim Crow, 1860-1896
This lesson asks students to look at primary source documents as they consider the following question: To what extent did Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice become a reality for African Americans from Reconstruction to the end of the nineteenth century? The Civil War ended slavery and African Americans were in a position to claim their natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But would that happen?
LessonThe Struggle Continues: Stony the Road (1896-1941)
To what extent did the Founding principles become a reality for African Americans in the first half of the twentieth century? The documents come from a variety of actors in the American republic: legislators and policymakers, the courts, and individuals and groups. As students go through the documents, encourage them to think not only about the principles of liberty, equality, and justice, but also about the ways in which these groups interact with each other in creating or stalling change.
LessonContinuing the Heroic Struggle for Equality – The Civil Rights Movement
To what extent did Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice become a reality for African Americans in the civil rights movement? The documents come from a variety of actors: legislators and policy makers, the courts, and individuals and groups. As students go through the documents, encourage them not only to think about the principles of liberty, equality, and justice, but also about the way in which these groups interact with each other in creating or stalling change.
LessonWhere Do We Go From Here? 1967-Present Day
To what extent did Founding principles become a greater reality for African Americans in the latter half of the twentieth century to today? What work must still be done? Primary sources show the splintering of the later civil rights movement and continued debates over the full realization of equality and justice for African Americans in the present day.
LessonThe Work Continues: Final Project
What lessons can be learned from studying the African-American Experience? What work still needs to be done to fully realize the promises laid out in the Declaration of Independence?