The Changing Understanding of Unalienable Rights

Home Education Landmark Lesson The Changing Understanding of Unalienable Rights

The Changing Understanding of Unalienable Rights

Through this lesson, students will explore how the definition of unalienable rights has changed over time. The example of the Emancipation Oak as a guiding force for their research across the internent.

Location

Hampton , VA

Type of Landmark

Landscape

Topics

19th century
African American
Civil War

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to explain how society’s understanding of unalienable rights has changed over time by completing a web-quest.
  • Students will be able to defend their position by composing an argument for or against celebrating the Emancipation Oak as a national monument using web-quest research.

Materials

Suggested Instructional Procedures

  1. Explain objectives to students.
  2. Hook: Ask students to think of a place that is important to them, and why that place is important to them or their families. Then guide student discussion.
  3. Hand out Web-Quest Worksheet.
  4. Also hand out photos of the Emancipation Oak.
  5. Have students split into pairs to complete the Web-Quest assignment.
  6. Circulate around the room, and provide help to students as needed.
  7. When students have completed the web-quest, review responses in whole group discussion.

Vocabulary

Emancipation: The granting of equal social and political rights to a disenfranchised group.

Unalienable: Impossible to seperate or to take away.

Declaration: An explicit, formal announcement.

Archive: A collection of materials pertaining to a topic, or to a variety of topics.

End of Lesson Assessment

Accurate completion of web-quest and written opinion (#6). Rubric provided.