SUBJECTS — U.S. History & Culture: 1812 – 1860; The Civil War; and 1991 – Present;
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING — Justice; Human Rights;
MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS — Citizenship.
Age 15+; December 26, 2021, CNN; With discussion, one 50 minute class.
Another way to put the question: “Is this 1858 or is it 1968? 1858 being a point where the tensions and turmoil in the country broke the entire political and even the constitutional system. 1968, being a period of enormous turmoil but somehow the country came through and it was resilient and 10 years later, frankly, you know, 15 years later, things looked fine.” Fareed Zakaria posed this question to Pulitzer Prize winning historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham on CNN’s program Global Public Square, December 26, 2021.
Note: To properly appreciate this lesson, students should have a basic understanding of the lead-up to the Civil War and the history of the last sixty years in the U.S.
Click here for the video of the interview. Click here for a version of the transcript edited for presentation to classes.
Awards: N/A.
Cast: Fareed Zakaria, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham.
Director: N/A
Students will be exposed to an interesting question relating to the future of the USA and the breakdown of the American political and constitutional system in the lead up to the Civil War.
Note: If you or your students come up with any good suggested responses to the questions posed in this Learning Guide, please email them to us. We will post them on a viewer discussion page.
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Read the transcript with your child or watch the interview. Discuss the issues that it raises. Get their opinion on the answers to the question on healing the divisions in our country or at least having a dialog with people on the other side of the divide.
Historical Accuracy: The statements by the participants in the interview are reasonably historically accurate.
Ms. Goodwin paraphrases Lyndon Johnson’s speech to Congress on March 15, 1968 on voting rights. The exact quote is, “There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.”
Check for prior knowledge about the events leading up to the Civil War and the last sixty years of American history. Have the class watch the interview or read the transcript. Then hold a class discussion using any of the questions below. Afterward, give writing assignments as appropriate.
1. How would you describe what happened to the political system in the U.S. in 1858 – 1861?
Suggested Response:
Hundreds of books have been written about America in the lead-up to the Civil War. There are a number of ways to describe it. Here are a few. The two party-system fractured. Many people in the South had decided that slavery was more important to them than the American union. Many people in the North had come to realize that slavery could not be tolerated. The U.S. was the first, the oldest, the largest, and the most well-established representative government in the world. There was also a sense that if the American democratic experiment failed, government of the people, by the people, and for the people, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, would perish from this earth.
One way to describe the situation is that the American people could not resolve their differences through the electoral process. Another way is that they decided that the differences between them were too great to remain associated in one country. Yet another way to describe 1858 – 1861 is that Americans abandoned the constitutional system based on democratic elections as a way for society to make decisions about the issues confronting it.
Ask the class, do any of those descriptions fit present-day American society? If so, what can we do about it?
2. Describe American society in 1968?
Suggested Response:
1968 began with the Tet Offensive, a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on American and South Vietnamese forces in more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. Young Americans were disaffected particularly by the war. On April 4, Dr. King was assassinated on April , triggering riots in many cities. Robert Kennedy, who had captured the imagination of the moderate left, was assassinated on June 4. In August, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was the scene of massive protests that were brutally suppressed by police who clubbed protesters to the ground in what was described as a “police riot.” In November, George Wallace, whose Presidential campaign supported racial segregation, received 13.5% of the vote winning five Southern states.
3. Describe some differences and similarities between the U.S. of 1858 and the U.S. of the present time that might reflect the divisions in society and how we deal with them?
Suggested Response:
The list below is only a start. Students and teachers should feel free to add to them.
4. Will the future of the United States be more like the years after 1858 or the years after 1968?
Suggested Response:
There is no one correct response. A good response will consider most of the similarities and differences discussed in the Suggested Response to the preceding question.
5. Doris Kearns Goodwin said, “I think we have to learn from the 1850s. If you don’t start figuring out how to deal with [the] deepening divisions, you’re going to end up with something like [the] Civil War.” How can we deal with the deepening divisions in current-day America?
Suggested Response:
The first step is to stand back from your anger and respectfully listen. Remember that we only have one country and we are all in this together. Then seek common ground and be willing to compromise. This is more easily said than done. and how we can respond to that fact. Another way to put it is that, the goal is to have discussions in which differences are brought out and explained in a respectful way so that we can agree where possible, disagree respectfully where we cannot, and come to a compromise when action is needed. In that process, the divisions in society will begin to heal.
6. Jon Meacham said,
[D]emocracy is really counterintuitive. . . It’s not the natural state of things. The natural state is find a strong guy, ally yourself with him so he will beat off the predators so you can get more food. Right? I mean, that’s it. This notion that we’re neighbors and we’re going to concede a little bit in the morning because we might need something in the afternoon, you know, the give and take [that’s not the natural state]. Do you agree or disagree? Justify your position. Give some examples.
Suggested response:
There is no one correct response. Many will disagree with Mr. Meacham. As Doris Kearns Goodwin pointed out, on many occasions people have acted on the instructions of the better angels of their nature. Every single day in all parts of the country and all over the world people put themselves at risk or simply volunteer to help others and to further the greater good. Students should be encouraged to come up with examples of people acting altruistically.
7. Doris Kearns Goodwin said,
“We have to remember all the difficult things that happened and how we were never at the ideal that we wanted to be. But we have to remember that great things happened as well. And great things happened in that crazy decade [of the 1960s.]” Name some ways in which current American society is not at the ideal we want it to be and how we can respond to that fact.
Suggested response:
Examples of defects will differ and each person will have his or her unique views about what constitutes a defect or weakness and what constitutes something positive or a strength. The goal is to have discussions in which differences are brought out and explained in a respectful way so that we can agree where possible, disagree respectfully where we cannot, and come to a compromise when action is needed. In that process, the divisions in society will begin to heal.
8. Why is the right to vote “the fundamental right on which all other rights depend?”
Suggested Response:
Eventually, all officials with any power trace their selection to the people or to public officials appointed by the people. The preferences of the people are expressed through the ballot box.
9. Doris Kearns Goodwin points to the youth of the country as being the hope for the future. If an elder says to you that it is the youth that needs to organize and campaign for your beliefs and to protect the vote, what would you, as a young person say to that elder?
Suggested Response:
There is no one correct response, but a good response is, “Let’s do it together! There is strength in numbers. We all need to work together! Just because you are old, doesn’t let you give up and stand on the sidelines.”
10. What should you do if you don’t trust your government?
Suggested Response:
Get involved and become the government yourself or elect the people who are like-minded. File lawsuits to force the government to do the right thing. Then you can trust the government.
1. How would you describe what happened to the political system in the U.S. in 1858 – 1861?
Suggested Response:
Hundreds of books have been written about America in the lead-up to the Civil War. There are a number of ways to describe it. Here are a few. The two party-system fractured. Many people in the South had decided that slavery was more important to them than the American union. Many people in the North had come to realize that slavery could not be tolerated. The U.S. was the first, the oldest and the largest, and the most well-established representative government in the world. There was also a sense that if the American democratic experiment failed, government of the people, by the people, and for the people, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, would perish from this earth.
One way to describe the situation is that the American people could not peacefully resolve their differences through the electoral process. Another is that they decided that the differences between them were too great to remain associated in one country. Yet another is that they abandoned the constitutional system based on democratic elections as a way for society to make decisions about the issues confronting it.
Ask the class, do any of those descriptions fit present-day American society? If so, what can we do about it?
2. Describe American society in 1968?
Suggested Response:
1968 began with the Tet Offensive, a coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on American and South Vietnamese forces in more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. Young Americans were disaffected particularly by the war. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, triggering riots in many cities. Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 4. The Democratic National Convention in Chicago that August was the scene of massive protests brutally suppressed by police who clubbed protesters to the ground. In November, George Wallace, whose campaign supported racial segregation, received 13.5% of the vote winning five Southern states.
3. Describe some differences and similarities between the U.S. of 1858 and the U.S. of the present time that might affect the divisions in society and how we deal with them?
Suggested Response:
4. Will the future of the United States be more like the years after 1858 or the years after 1968?
Suggested Response:
5. Doris Kearns Goodwin said, “I think we have to learn from the 1850s. If you don’t start figuring out how to deal with [the] deepening divisions you’re going to end up with something like [the] Civil War.” How can we deal with the deepening divisions in current-day America?
Suggested Response:
The first step is to respectfully listen. The second is to seek common ground and be willing to compromise. This is more easily said than done.
6. Jon Meacham said,
[D]emocracy is really counterintuitive. . . It’s not the natural state of things. The natural state is find a strong guy, ally yourself with him so he will beat off the predators so you can get more food. Right? I mean, that’s it. This notion that we’re neighbors and we’re going to concede a little bit in the morning because we might need something in the afternoon, you know, the give and take [that’s not the natural state]. Do you agree or disagree? Justify your position. Give some examples.
Suggested response:
There is no one correct response. Many will disagree with Mr. Meacham. As Doris Kearns Goodwin pointed out, on many occasions people have acted on the instructions of the better angels of their natures. Every single day in all parts of the country and all over the world people put themselves and risk or simply volunteer to help others and to support the greater good. Students should be encouraged to come up with their own examples.
7. Doris Kearns Goodwin said,
We have to remember all the difficult things that happened and how we were never at the ideal that we wanted to be. But we have to remember that great things happened as well. And great things happened in that crazy decade [of the 1960s.] Name some ways in which current American society is not at the ideal we want it to be and how we can respond to that fact.
Suggested response:
Examples of defects will differ and each person will have his or her unique views about what constitutes a defect or weakness and what constitutes something positive or a strength. The goal is to have discussions in which differences are brought out and explained in a respectful way with a goal of understanding each position and coming to a
compromise so that we may agree where possible, disagree respectfully where we cannot, and come to a compromise when action is needed. In that process, the divisions in society will begin to heal.
8. Is the right to vote “the fundamental right on which all other rights depend?”
Justify your response.
Suggested Response:
The answer is “yes” because eventually, all officials with any power trace their election to the people (or to public officials appointed by the people). The preferences of the people are expressed through the ballot box.
9. Doris Kearns Goodwin points to the young people as being the hope for the future. And if an elder says to you that it is the youth that needs to organize and campaign for your beliefs and to protect the vote, what would you, as a young person say to that elder?
Suggested Response:
There is no one correct response, but a good response is, “Let’s do it together! There is strength in numbers. We all need to work together! Just because you are old, doesn’t let you give up and stand on the sidelines.”
10. What should you do if you don’t trust your government?
Suggested Response:
Get involved and become the government yourself or elect the people who are like-minded with you. File lawsuits to force the government to do the right thing. Then you can trust the government.
See discussion questions.
See discussion questions.
Each of the discussion questions can serve as an essay prompt.
Multimedia:
Anchor Standard #7 for Reading (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). (The three Anchor Standards read: “Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media, including visually and quantitatively as well as in words.”) CCSS pp. 35 & 60. See also Anchor Standard # 2 for ELA Speaking and Listening, CCSS pg. 48.
Writing:
Anchor Standards #s 1 – 5 and 7- 10 for Writing and related standards (for both ELA classes and for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Classes). CCSS pp. 41 & 63.
Speaking and Listening:
Anchor Standards #s 1 – 3 (for ELA classes). CCSS pg. 48.
Not all assignments reach all Anchor Standards. Teachers are encouraged to review the specific standards to make sure that over the term all standards are met.
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Oakes, James, The Scorpion’s Sting — Antislavery and the Coming of the Civil War, W.W. Norton & Co., 2014.
This Learning Guide was written by James Frieden and published on June 15, 2022 and revised on June 21, 2022.
Before 1860, many abolitionists had a plan for ending slavery without war. It included the following: respect the constitutional right of the slave states to determine for themselves whether to permit or prohibit slavery; prevent the expansion of slavery into any new territory, specifically, the new territories of the West; encircle the slave states with a cordon of free territory; repeal or water-down the fugitive slave law so that slaves who reached free territory could not be arrested and returned to slavery; make Washington, D.C. a free territory which would make it easier for slaves from the bordering slave states of Maryland and Virginia to reach free territory; and cooperate with Great Britain in suppressing the already illegal transatlantic slave trade. The hope and prediction of the abolitionists was that within a few decades of the application of their policies by the federal government, slavery would die out and the Southern states would abolish it of their own accord. Oakes pp. 1 — 50.
By 1860, there was a popular metaphor by which Americans, North and South, described this plan. The metaphor was based on the myth (or perhaps it’s true) that if a scorpion is completely surrounded by fire, it will eventually sting itself in its head and die. Ibid. p. 25. Thus, in the words of Sherrard Clemens, a pro-slavery Congressman from Virginia, the plan was “to encircle the slave States of this Union with free States as a cordon of fire, and that slavery, like a scorpion, would sting itself to death.” Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 1st Sesess., p. 586 quoted by Oakes at pp. 23 & 24.
While there is no record of Lincoln himself mentioning the Scorpion’s Sting (so far as TWM as been able to determine), his positions in 1860, were close to the strategy of the Scorpion’ Sting and would have slowly degraded the institution of slavery. The election of 1860 saw the first time that the federal government was under the control of a political party whose policies aggressively, if peacefully, sought the end of slavery. The leaders of the Slave Power agreed with the abolitionists that the policies of the Scorpion’s Sting would sap slavery of at least some of its vitality. The Slave Power saw that with the policies of the Scorpion’s Sting in place, the North’s advantages in numbers and manufacturing power would only grow. So, 1861 was the best time to resist. And, due to the superior leadership of the Southern generals, such as Robert E. Lee, and the difficulty that the North had in finding generals who could match Southern military leadership, the Slave Power almost pulled it off.