Tag Archives: united states history

Cultural Literacy: Liberia

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Liberia. This is a full-page worksheet with a three-sentence reading with six comprehension questions. This is probably suitable as an independent practice assignment (aka homework). My own sense is that the history of racism in the United States warrants a deeper, more critical look at the motivations of the American Colonization Society in encouraging freed slaves to migrate to Africa.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Barbara C. Jordan on the Constitution of the United States in the Context of Impeaching a Criminal President

“My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total. I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.”

Barbara C. Jordan, Statement before House Judiciary Committee considering impeachment of Richard Nixon, 25 July 1974

Excerpted from: Schapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Cultural Literacy: Brown v. Board of Education

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on the on the Brown versus Board of Education case. This is a full-page worksheet with a two-paragraph–six-sentence–reading and six comprehension questions. This document joins a number of other materials (including, apparently, an earlier version of this document) on Brown, which you can find here by searching “Brown v Board.”

Depending on what you need you students to know about this landmark civil rights case, however belated even in 1954, this document will either provide you with a short but solid lesson (like most of the entries from The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, this one packs a lot of information into a a pair of short paragraphs. But if you want students to understand that school segregation in the United States continues on a de facto basis, well, you’ll need something a little stronger, so to speak.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Weekly Text, 18 February 2022, Black History Month 2022 Week III: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Magic Johnson

The Weekly Text for 18 February 2022, observing week III of Black History Month 2022, is a reading on Magic Johnson along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. This material has been of sufficiently high interest to students I have served over the years that I have tagged it as such.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

William Wells Brown

“William Wells Brown: (1816?-1884) American writer, lecturer, and historian, As black America’s first man of letters and a dedicated champion of abolition, Brown devoted himself to the freedom and dignity of his people. A versatile author who wrote in almost every genre, his first publication was Narrative of William Wells Brown, a Fugitive Slave, Written by Himself (1847), which was followed by The Anti-Slavery Harp: A Collection of Songs for Anti-Slavery Meetings  (1848). Brown’s other works include Three Years in Europe; or Places I have Seen and People I have Met (1852), a travel account; Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter: A Narrative of Slave Life in the United States (1853), a novel which depicts the horror of a system that would allow the daughter of a president to be sold into bondage; and The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom (1858), a five-act drama. The Negro in the American Rebellion: His Heroism and His Fidelity (1867), is the first history of the black soldier. Among Brown’s other autobiographical and historical books are The Black Man: His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements (1863), The Rising Son, or, The Antecedents and Advancements of the Colored Race (1874), and My Southern Home; or, The South and Its People (1880).”

Excerpted from: Murphy, Bruce, ed. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition. New York: Harper Collins, 1996.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem originally Ferdinand Lew(is) Alcindor: (b.1947) basketball player. Born in New York City, he reached a height of seven feet, one-and-three-eighths inches (two meters seventeen centimeters). During his college career at UCLA, the team lost only two games, and he led it to three national championships (1966-68). He then joined the Milwaukee Bucks; in 1975 he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. The dominant center of his time, in 1984 he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain’s career scoring total of 31,419 points. He also holds the record for the most field goals (15,837), ranks second for the most blocked shots (3,189) and games played (1,560), and ranks third for rebounds (17,440). He was voted Most Valuable Player a record six times.

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

Cultural Literacy: Malcolm X

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Malcolm X. This is a very short introduction to Malcolm–a half-page worksheet with a three-sentence reading and three comprehension questions. The document is comprehensive enough to mention The Autobiography of Malcolm X  as it was told to Alex Haley. That’s where any study of Malcolm X should probably lead. Short as this worksheet is, it serves its modest purpose: to introduce Malcolm and his story to young readers.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Healthful Advice from the Great Satchel Paige

“If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.”

Satchel Paige, “How to Keep Young,” Colliers, 13 June 1953

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Cultural Literacy: Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. Often referred to, as this document states, the “Black National Anthem,” the song was composed by James Weldon Johnson and his brother Rosamond. This is a full-page worksheet made up of a two-sentence reading, the first stanza of the song, and three comprehension questions.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Wynton Marsalis

“Wynton Marsalis: (b. 1961) U.S. trumpeter and composer, a major figure in the renewal of interest in jazz. Born in New Orleans, Marsalis was a trumpet prodigy and was recognized as an important soloist in both the classical and jazz traditions at an early age. He joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (1980-1982) before leading his own groups. As a composer he has written ballet and concert works and won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for his oratorio Blood on the Fields.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.