American History/English III Orstad/Disher Fall 2010
Investigating Historical Witch Hunts:
What Happens When You’re on the Wrong Side of History?
For this assignment, you and your partner will be investigating one of the following historical “witch hunts” wherein a group of people persecuted others for being different in some way. We have studied such “witch hunts” in our reading of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, our comparisons between the attitudes and social norms in the 1950s and 1960s, and Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the “Red Scare” of the 1950s.
As you conduct your research, consider the following motivations for prejudice and scapegoating. What biases are present in your “witch hunt?”
American History/English III Orstad/Disher Fall 2010
Social differences
Economic gains/losses
Political gains/losses
Cultural differences
Racial/Ethnic differences
Generational differences/changing social norm
American History/English III Orstad/Disher Fall 2010
Suggested Historical Events:
American History/English III Orstad/Disher Fall 2010
Japanese-American Internment Camps (1940s)
Civil Rights Movement (1960s)
World War I
Germany in the Third Reich (1939-1945)
Srebrenica Massacre (1995)
Rwandan genocide (1994)
Armenian genocide (1915)
Genocide against the Herero people of Namibia
Gendercide (ex. female infanticide in China)
McMartin Preschool Trial (1984-1990)
The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
Orval Faubus and the Integration of Central High School- Little Rock, Arkansas (1957)
Secession of South Carolina (1865)
The First Red Scare: The Palmer Raids (1920s)
Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears (1836)
Prejudice against Irish or Italian immigrants (early 1900s), Eastern Europeans, Muslim or Arab-Americans, Hispanic/Latinos
Genocide in Darfur, Sudan
The Crusades
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Know Nothing Party
The Spanish Inquisition
Missing girls in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico
Modern-day “witches” in Ghana or South Africa
the Patriot Act (early 2000s)
Dredd Scott case (1857)
Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896)
*Your suggestions or ideas are welcome—just clear them with a teacher first. Human Rights Watch (hrw.org) is a great place to start if you’re looking for ideas.
American History/English III Orstad/Disher Fall 2010
Elements of the Project:
You and your partner will give an 8-10 minute presentation on your chosen historical witch hunt, explaining what happened, by and to whom, and its historical and social ramifications (consequences). You will also be expected to cite your sources correctly and to “give voice” to the wronged through a creatively written collaborative piece. A successful project will have all of the following:
1. A time sheet (filled out by BOTH partners together), confidential peer evaluation (one per student), and self evaluation (one per student).
2. A visual element for your presentation—a prezi (prezi.com), glog (glogster.com), poster, powerpoint, wordle (with an explanation/subtext), video, or another creative form to be approved by Mr. Orstad or Ms. Disher.
3. Presentation outline or any note cards used.
4. A problem-solution essay (in the form of an editorial or letter to the editor) written from the perspective of the victim(s) explaining what happened from the “wrong side” of history, the problem, its cause(s), and a possible solution (either the one that actually happened, or an alternative to history).
5. An annotated bibliography of cited sources (4-6, at least two of which should be print sources), formatted correctly.
The project is due NO LATER THAN Friday, November 12 to Mr. Orstad or Ms. Disher (email or hard copy). Presentations will take place Monday, November 15 and Tuesday, November 16 in class.