CIVIL RIGHTS/CASUALTIES OF WARTIME
Author: Linda Hugle
email:
Appropriate for grades 9-12.
OVERVIEW:
Social science teachers often discover that the rights we
cherish are rather mundane to our students. When we warn of
threats to our constitutionally guaranteed rights, our students
often side more with expedience, for instance, than with due
process. Likewise, in international crises, the challenge is
leveled: Why don't we just nuke 'em?
This generation which has not experienced warfare sometimes
expresses a yearning for its excitement and finality. Perhaps
as history teachers we have glorified war by our focus on
victors, strategies, and wartime leaders. This activity is an
attempt to balance this treatment of war with concern for the
domestic consequences of nations going to war. It is
particularly appropriate after studying the fall of Athens or
Rome in World History, the US in the Civil War, Canada during
World War I, and as a current issues lesson during times of
international tension.
PURPOSE:
The purposes of this activity are threefold:
1. To demonstrate to the history student that human experience
does reveal patterns which modern society can learn from.
2. To develop analytical skills.
3. To develop awareness of the political and economic
ramifications of war regardless of military outcome.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion, participants in this group activity will be
able to:
1. Identify several political, economic, and personal rights
which citizens of various nations have enjoyed during
peacetime but lost during wartime.
2. Compare circumstances and political consequences of war.
3. Analyze historical data to predict domestic consequences of a
hypothetical Canadian war today.
ACTIVITIES:
1. Ask the history students studying one of the wars listed on
Data Sheet 1 or 2 to identify the war's effect on the
warring nation's own citizens. Include the political,
economic, and personal consequences. Afterwards, distribute
the two Data Sheets (omit consequences of war being studied)
or assign pairs of students to research the domestic
consequences of different U.S. and foreign wars. To focus
attention on diversity, locate each on a world map and on a
timeline.
Remind the students that these were usually consequences to
the victors.
When questioning strategies you might include why
governments demanded these powers and why citizens
surrendered their rights.
Would we willingly surrender these same rights during war?
2. Discuss the current role of Canada in the world and
conflicts we currently have with other nations. The class
should choose one nation Canada might consider using force
against. Assign students to small mixed-ability groups and
distribute Group Assignments to each. Describe an imminent
hypothetical Canadian war and ask the groups to rank the
listed consequences from most likely to least likely to
happen today. (Assume this war would not result in nuclear
annihilation.) It is useful to limit the number of
consequences allowable in the "might happen" column.
Requiring group consensus instead of simple majorities
encourages vigorous debate.
3. After each group shares its predictions with the class, ask
students INDIVIDUALLY to circle those consequences they
would not mind. Share the debrief.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:
DATA SHEET #1 -
Some effects of nations going to war on their citizens:
Roman Republic:
Farmers forced to fight led to agricultural (c. 200 B.C.)
crisis and takeovers of farms by large landowners, powerful
aristocracy developed.
Political violence, civil war.
Representative democracy overthrown by military dictators.
Debtors become slaves.
Loss of freedoms, such as freedom to criticize governments.
European Crusades:
Religious minorities persecuted and killed. (1100 A.D.)
Intellectuals, "free thinkers," punished severely for "heresy."
Church gains power over regular governments.
Aztec Warfare:
Emperor gains absolute power, tyranny. (c. 1300 A.D.)
Citizens sometimes killed for pleasure, other times for
sacrifice.
High taxation to support armies.
Spanish Reconquest:
Nobles lost positions of authority. (1469-1492)
Land seized from opponents.
Jews, Moslems, and "heretics" (Protestants) persecuted and
killed.
Intellectuals, artists, and doctors persecuted.
Russian Expansion:
Ivan the Terrible's army murders thousands of (1547-1584)
"boyars."
Peasants become slaves to landowners.
Taxes on peasants rise sharply.
Peasants' freedom ended.
English Civil War:
Land and property seized from people on both (1642-1660)
sides.
Numerous executions of opponents.
Parliament (representatives) overthrown by dictator.
British War w/ France:
Dramatic increase in taxes to finance war. (1754-1763)
New restrictions on trade to favor one monopoly.
Riots and violence.
Soldiers stationed in private homes.
Napoleonic Wars:
Representative government overthrown by dictator. (1799-1815)
Loss of rights to women.
Workers lose rights.
Loss of freedoms of speech and press.
Dictator's spies spy on citizens and opposition.
Soldiers drafted into army.
Taxes raised.
Raw materials taken for government.
Trade restricted.
DATA SHEET #2 -
Other Wars which have resulted in losses of freedoms:
War of 1812:
Central government takes power from state government.
Trade restricted.
American Civil War:
President takes over Constitutional powers of (1861-1865)
Congress.
Government examines private mail and telegrams.
Military leaders allowed to arrest citizens without warrants.
Criminal rights suspended (habeas corpus, etc.).
Freedom of speech and the press ended by arrests and
presidential orders.
Draft of citizens.
Government seizes private property.
Taxes raised to support war.
Unbacked paper money is printed
World War I:
Government control over key areas of economy, (1917-1919)
including railroads, farms, and power plants; also fixed
prices.
Increased taxes (first income tax).
Hate propaganda sponsored by government, led to persecution of
citizens of German descent, Irish-American, and Jews.
Vigilante groups form to lynch labor leaders and pacifists.
Espionage Act gave strict punishment to those critical of war
censorship of mails.
Censorship of press; end to freedom of speech (Sedition Act).
Supreme Court grants government right to overthrow freedom of
speech.
Selective Service Act created mandatory draft.
Intolerance led to brutal attacks on Black Americans.
World War II:
Government control over economy (rents, wages, (1941-1945)
salaries, factories, rationing, etc.).
Government sponsored hate propaganda.
Favored treatment for big business led to problems for smaller
ones.
Japanese-Americans forced into concentration camps, lost their
homes and property.
Labor unions lost rights.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
This activity takes about two class periods to complete. It is
a very powerful activity which vindicates history as a relevant
field of study. As students develop their critical thinking
skills, they become aware of the complexity of decision-making
and the important consequences of rash actions.
GROUP ASSIGNMENT:
Discuss within your group each of the following potential
consequences if Canada went to war with (Pick a Country).
Determine the degree of likelihood of each and categorize
accordingly on your paper. You will be graded for effort and
participation and also for participation in discussion of your
results tomorrow.
Consequences:
Decreased Canadian power internationally
Increased Canadian power internationally
Demagogues gaining power
A "draft"
Women being drafted
Private property seized by government
Concentration camps
Increased covert activities
Rights of the accused (habeas corpus, etc.) suspended
Restrictions on trade
Increased taxes
Decreased taxes
Anti- ******* propaganda
Persecution of minorities
Censorship of newspapers
Increased spying (wiretapping, etc.) on Canadian citizens
Riots in Canada
Increased military control over civilian government
Restrictions on freedom of speech
Anti-intellectualism
Oil shortage (or shortage of opponent's main export)
Government takeover of some industries (oil?)
Economic prosperity
Economic depression
Government control of economy (wages, prices, etc.)
Government overthrown by military dictator
Increased tolerance of minorities
Greater citizen involvement in government
More worker's rights
Political violence and assassinations
More money and higher inflation
Farm crisis and loss of farmland to large-scale farm operations
Increased alliance between government and big business
Increased government corruption
More secrecy in government
More openness in government
Vigilante groups
More tolerance of dissent
GROUP ASSIGNMENT:
CONSEQUENCES OF A HYPOTHETICAL CANADIAN WAR WITH ***********
These things |These things |These things These things |These things
would | would | MIGHT | would | would
DEFINITELY | PROBABLY | happen* |PROBABLY NOT |DEFINITELY NOT
happen* | happen* | | happen* | happen*
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circle those consequences which you would not mind if they
happened.