The U. S. Constitution
The Constitution signed on September 17, 1787, was the beginning of an experiment in liberty according to, Linda Monk. It would be the beginning of a new plan for how the U.S. government works to protect its citizenry. It has three parts: the preamble, the articles, and the amendments. 16 In this unit study, students will focus on the Preamble and on some of the Amendments.
The Preamble
When the Constitution's Preamble begins with the phrase, "We, the People," to whom was the Constitution referring? It was referring to the powers of the state and of the U.S. Government, when it was signed. The Constitution did not describe the rights of the people 17. The Preamble states that, 'We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Unites States of America.' It did not describe citizenship rights.
Frederick Douglas, an orator, clarified his meaning of the Preamble in his speech criticizing the Dred Scott case. This case held the ides that African Americans-free or slave-could never be a citizen. Dred Scott, a slave, sued for him and his family's freedom in Missouri in 1846. Mr. Scott charged that he was free because his owner had taken him and his family into a free territory for a time. Fredrick Douglas stated that, 'We, the People' was referring to all people. He wrote that We, the People meant, "not we the white people – not we, the citizens, or the legal voters – not we, the privileged class, and excluding all other classes but we, the people; not we, the horses and cattle, but we the people – the men and women, the human inhabitants of the United States, do ordain and establish this Constitution.' 18 Based on this statement, he felt that the Constitution included the African Americans as citizens, but at this time, Blacks did not receive nor enjoy true citizenship in America as others did.
In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott because slaves were not legal citizens then; they had no standing in the courts. 19 He continue to appeal his case and won the case a number of times before it was finally adjudicated on appeal by the Supreme Court. 20
The Living Document - Because the Constitution was not perfect and was considered the living document, it needed to be changed or amended to list the rights of all citizens. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention met behind closed doors and boarded windows so they could speak frankly. They debated whether enslaved people should be counted as part of a state's population. If slaves were born in this country, why should there be a debate about whether they are citizens? There are several reasons why. States with many enslaved people wanted them counted. States with fewer enslaved people disagreed. Finally, the delegates agreed that three out of five slaves would be counted as a part of the state's population. 21 Does that means that a slave is three-fifths of a citizen? Have African Americans received true citizenship in this country? African Americans are still fighting for their citizenship rights in America.
Bill of Rights (1791 -1939)
After many challenges, the slaves needed something to ensure them rights as citizens. The Bill of Rights is comprised of the first ten Amendments to the Constitution, and are the rights guaranteed to protect the freedoms of all U.S. Citizens. It was ratified in 1791. The rights are real, but aren't applied equally. Even freed slaves often lacked the protection of the Bill of Rights. 22
The Civil War (1861-1865)
For this unit of study, the students will learn that the Northern and the Southern states clashed over the issue of Slavery 23. When whites from the North agreed to stop slavery, the southern states that favored slavery, became enraged. Southerners ignored Abraham Lincoln's plea that the North were friend with the South and not enemies. The moral issue of slavery tore the United States apart.
In April 1861, Confederate Southern soldiers attacked Fort Sumter. The battle waged for four years. At the end of the battle, president Lincoln vowed to Americans, "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom." African Americans fought on both sides of the conflict. Unfortunately, the slaves fought against each other, over the issue of Slavery. Fighting in the War did not give the African American citizenship rights. Many soldiers returned home from battle, and were still discriminated against. 24
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. Like the Constitution in its struggle to be ratified, it had little effect on the slaves and was not a law passed by Congress.It proclaimed freedom of the slaves. 25 But, this proclamation did not compensate the slave owner, didn't outlaw slavery, and did not make the former slaves citizenship. The Emancipation Proclamation, did not liberate the "Negro" in the 19 th century. 26
Constitutional Amendments
Are there any amendments to the Constitution that proposed to give the African American true citizenship? The thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and was ratified in 1865. Many slave-owners from the south disregarded this amendment. 27Thousands of slaves ran away, in protest.
Amendment 14, passed in 1866. Section 1 states that, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any persons within its jurisdiction the equal protections of the laws 28.
Amendment Fifteen, Section 1, states that, "The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or precious conditions of servitude."After debate in Congress, it was ratified in 1870. 29The right to vote by men was ignored by southerners. These Amendments gave the African Americans hope for a better life. But the struggle continues for African Americans in their battle for true citizenship.
African Americans Continue to Struggle for Citizenship Rights
There are cases in the twenty-first century that show that African Americans have not yet received true citizenship and fair treatments in America. There is the Rodney King case in Los Angeles where four police officers viciously beat him. An all white jury in Simi Valley, California, tried the officers. All four officers were acquitted of charges. 30
Another recent case of discrimination and unfair treatment of African Americans is the Travyon Martin/George Zimmerman Case (2012). Trayvon Martin was a seventeen-year-old African American youth. As he walked through a neighborhood in Florida, he apparently got into an altercation with a twenty-eight year old white man, George Zimmerman, who was on community watch patrol. Travyon was unarmed. The patrol-volunteer fatally shot and killed Trayvon for no apparent reason. George Zimmerman was initially released with out charge, because he said that he acted in self-defense 31.
These cases described very dark moments in African American history that must be narrated for present and future generations to learn from.
Another Dark Moment in History - The Watsons Go to Birmingham -1963.
The class will read a required fifth-grade book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. 32This chapter book, full of amusing figurative language and southern dialect, will entertain and confuse some of the students because of its unusual language style. Students will focus the discussion on chapter fourteen called, "Every Bird and Bug in Birmingham Stops and Wonders." In this chapter, the narrator, a ten-year-old African American boy calmly describes the appearances of the two bodies of the little black girls who were blown-up in Little Rock. Ironically, he uses patriotic colors to describe their dresses: red, white, and blue, like the American flag. This is a poignant contrast to the pointless crime that just happened, that wasn't patriotic.It was inhuman. The students will learn that the hatred of southern whites caused them to bomb the church and killed four little black girls. The Southern Whites who killed those children were protesting against integration. 32
Cultural Books and Excerpt on U. S. Citizenship
Students will read a book, read articles, or peruse the Internet to research the topic on what was their journey to citizenship. The student and their families will complete a questionnaire to learn more about their individual paths to citizenship. Each book description is listed in the Annotated Bibliography. (33-41) They will discover that the path to citizenship is more difficult for blacks than any other race.
Read Aloud Book Selections
Before every lesson, the students will listen to several read aloud-with pictures books. The teacher will read the following selections, and others: In, We The Kids, by David Catrow, the students will review the modified version of the Preamble to the Constitution, We The People. This book explains the rights and privileges promised to all Americans in kid-friendly language. 42
The book, Molly Bannakay, also a picture book, is about a white girl who was exiled from England and was sentenced to work as an indentured servant. After working for her freedom, she claimed some land and bought a slave, from the auction block, to help her take care of her land. She later married him. They had four daughters, and the oldest daughter had a son, Benjamin Banneker, a renowned scientist and mathematician. 43
Coolie is a picture book story about two Chinese immigrant boys who came to America to help build the great railroad across the west. They, like the African Americans, were bullied and treated harshly because of their race. The bosses called them "coolies" or lowly workers. They teased them about their clothes, hair and eyes." 44
Angel Child, Dragon Child, by Michele Maria Surag, is about a girl from Vietnam, who does not like her American school and shares her unique experiences in coming to America. 45
Another read aloud story, The Long Road, by Luis Garay, is about a Latino boy's frightening journey to a new country. The story will also help English learners as well as other students identify with how a newcomer feels in a new place. 46
Barack Obama of Thee I Sing, by Barack Obama, is a picture-read aloud book. It is about letters Barack Obama wrote to his daughters, giving tribute to thirteen Americans and their ideals that have shaped America. 47
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