Understanding History and Society through Images, 1776-1914

Rationale

Use a picture, it's worth a thousand words. ¹ The origin of this old adage is unknown but it has sometimes been attributed to an editorial by Arthur Brisbane in a Syracuse publication in 1911. No matter how it is stated the phrase is concise: A series of complex ideas that can be conveyed with a much more clear-cut visual image. ² I am always fascinated by the impact of visual images on my students. The visual being worth a thousand words truly applies to 13 year olds. An American Patriot political cartoon from 1774 called Paying the Excise-Man is a classic example of a visual image needing little in the way of words to convey the anger taken out on anyone neglecting to obey the order of boycotting British goods. The threat of a sound beating, tarring or feathering and possibly even death is made very clear in this image. Was this a Patriot or terrorist action lies in your perspective. ³ I think of John Steuart Curry's Tragic Prelude (1938, Kansas Statehouse), a painting of John Brown at Bleeding Kansas. Or Thomas Hovenden's portrait of the same Brown in The Last Moments (1884, Metropolitan Museum of Art) before his execution for treason against the United States government. Brown is portrayed here as a saint on his way to the gallows for the murders of five pro-slavers in Missouri. Whether saint or devil, Brown is considered one of America's first terrorists. Another beautiful image that haunts me is William John Wilgus' portrait entitled Captain Cold, or Ut-ha-wah (1838, Yale University Art Gallery). My students come to me with the memories of Disney's film Pocahontas and often see the images of this film as a realistic portrayal of Native American people. How is the Onondaga's chief more realistically portrayed in Wilgus' painting than Disney's depiction of Powhatan or John White's drawings of the "noble savages" first seen in the Carolinas? Author Larry McMurtry said that the "Redface" images of Native Americans and the American West were "invented by writers, impresarios and poster artists." ⁴ Which image captures the real Native American?

We are subjected to a greater amount of information today and from so many more sources than ever before. The need to properly navigate through all these images is imperative for my students. These 13 year olds need to be savvy consumers of that visual information in order to piece together a more factual view of a particular time period. They need to evaluate the messages they receive from the visuals that they encounter, especially if that visual is being used as a primary source that will allow them to interpret a particular era. The goal of this curriculum unit is to allow me to be the facilitator while they journey on to discover the role of the Revolutionary War in US History. I believe a visual image can bring about more student-driven discussion. I cannot teach without words but utilizing a diverse collection of primary sources can assist me drive home a particular historical point to my students. I want to open up more avenues for my students to use as far as primary sources are concerned. We live in a world where a 15 second video could sell my students any number of products in a single moment. How can I as a teacher compete with that 15 second flash and sell them history? How can 20 minutes of presentation, lecture, and discussion about the trials and tribulations of the Jamestown settlers compete with a series of images that visualizes that same story in a matter of seconds? I do not think that the image alone can do the job but it can certainly draw my students in to a more vibrant discussion. In order to make sure that this journey becomes successful early in the year I will have to establish a set of guidelines that can be utilized throughout the year. Parameters for interpretation of all the visual objects will have to be established. My goal is to sell history to them through these many images and channel their visual appetite into absorbing US History. I need to guide my students in the direction of what an artist's intention may have been, what is implied by the primary source, and what might have been left out that would impact their interpretation of the source. This engagement will also include the aspects of gender, class, and role within the visual images themselves. I believe that my students will be better prepared to explore the evolution, range, and techniques of the artistic pieces and then able to comprehend their nation's history more relevantly.

Although I will be predominantly focusing on primary sources such as paintings, prints, furniture, household wares, political cartoons, and other items, I will also be including several novels for my students to read. These have been chosen because they articulate the story and mood of this Revolutionary War era and the viewpoints are so very diverse. I work hand-in-hand with my Language Arts teacher to support her in the Common Core reading goals. As with the paintings, the novels engage my students and create an atmosphere that will become more student-driven in the end. The novels reflect the very diverse observations of American Patriots, Loyalists, British soldiers, and the British populace in England. The novels are:

• My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
• Chains by Laurie H. Anderson
• Forge by Laurie H. Anderson
• Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood

The novels deal with loyalty to country, king, parents, and slaveholders. Two of the books are from the perspectives of slaves faced with the decision of staying with their owners and possibly remaining slaves for the rest of their lives or joining with the British who are making fast and false promises of freedom when the British win the war. The characters are multi-cultural for my racially diverse students. The narratives are seen from young teenage male and female points of view. Students choose their novel, and I believe it is important to give novels and authors that help to reflect their culture. I think that they get to make a choice in the book they read makes the novel completion more enjoyable. The last novel takes on a British viewpoint with a 16-year-old young man journeying from England to America in the midst of the Revolution. Although written by an American author the fact that he writes it from a British view point and that serves as a piece with an alternative historical ending, I think it answers the "what if" question kids always ask – a significant way of grappling with big historical problems. The visual primary source will provide the basis of the unit and the reading as a secondary source to make this more student directed and satisfactory for their learning process.