“Oh, Could They But Speak!” The history and importance of Michigan’s Civil War battle flags.
Michigan Government Television presents a package of curriculum materials that examine Michigan’s involvement in the Civil War. The program specifically looks at the role our historic battle flags and the flag bearers played in the conflict. Lesson plans are tied to standards and benchmarks in the Michigan Curriculum Framework in government, history, and technology. The program was created in 2001 and additional curriculum standards and benchmarks were updated in 2006.
To see the lesson plans and the documentary please click here.
The Civil War Battle Flags will be on display at the Michigan Historical Museum through February 5, 2012. The final rotation of flags which are on display now include the battle flags of the 6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment, the 4th Michigan Infantry Regiment, the 18th Michigan Infantry Regiment and the 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment. The flag from the 24th Regiment was carried by Color Sergeant Abel Peck—a farmer from Nankin into Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. Peck was the first of the Regiment to die that day and was followed by nine color bearers who lost their lives or received mortal wounds in defense of the flag which ended up being shot by 23 bullets.
Civil War Sesquicentennial Materials
To commemorate the sesquicentennial celebration of the Civil War look at these resources available through the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and the Michigan Historical Center. The materials at Henry Ford provide a special look at the museum’s exhibit Discovering the Civil War.
Bring the story of the Civil War into your classrooms through the Liberty and Justice for All program which chronicles the struggle for liberty from slavery through the Civil Rights movement. All curriculum and lesson plans are available online free of charge.
As part of the sesquicentennial celebration, the Henry Ford Museum has sponsored a lecture series which examines the significance of the Civil War today. The first parts of the series, “Why Does the Civil War Matter Today?,” are available online.
Additional materials are available through Seeking Michigan which includes videos of reenactments, databases to search Civil War soldiers, and find out about events celebrating the Sesquicentennial in Michigan.
Check back through 2015 for updates on MGTV programming related to special events for the sesquicentennial celebration.
Plessy v. Ferguson Case Discussed on MGTV’s Conversations With Chief Justice Young
Educators looking for discussion topics for their students around the Constitution are invited to view the MGTV interview with Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Young, Jr., Conversations with Chief Justice Robert Young. The interview focused on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1896 Plessy v Ferguson decision, which established the “separate but equal” doctrine, providing legal support for decades of racial segregation. The video is available for immediate viewing in our video gallery and examines how the case violates constitutional principles.
The case focused on the attempt by Homer Adolph Plessy, a 30-year-old shoemaker who was seven-eighths white and one-eighth black, to sit in a whites-only train car after buying a first-class ticket on a Louisiana railroad. The penalty for sitting in the wrong compartment was a $25 fine or 20 days in jail. Plessy challenged the Louisiana Separate Car Act under the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, but a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law.
The program focuses on the history of the case and its implications on American history through the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
Redistricting in 2011
Learn more about the redistricting process and how it impacts states across the country through this guide produced by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. MGTV provided coverage of all House and Senate proceedings related to the passage of the new district lines for U.S. Congress and the Michigan Legislature. Sessions can be requested for classroom use by contacting MGTV directly. Show your students how the districts have changed in your area and how the process was completed after the Census was released earlier this year. Download the Redistricting 101 guide by visiting the Brennan Center for Justice.
Courts, Speed, and Implications: Understanding Michigan’s Justice System
MGTV has only 20 copies of the two disc set left which are available free of charge to teachers. The program follows the People v. Gillis case of felony murder as it proceeds through the justice system up through the Michigan Supreme Court. The video was produced in 2008 by Wayne RESA and MGTV in conjunction with the Michigan Supreme Court. Teachers may request these programs and their curriculum materials on a first come, first serve basis by calling 517-373-4250.
Civic Education Materials
The Michigan Center for Civic Education provides teachers with resources for civic education including mock trial scripts for all grade levels. MGTV has partnered with them for many projects including a teacher conference for the 2010 Michigan Student/Parent Mock Election.
DEFINING MOMENTS
Frank Murphy, Fred Korematsu, and the Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II
Lessons from the past for a post-9/11 world: Internment of Japanese Americans
Michigan Government Television presents a package of curriculum materials dealing with the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. The program covers the U.S. Supreme Court case of Korematsuv. U.S. Government with the dissenting opinion in that case by Michigan’s 35th governor, Frank Murphy, who was a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The materials target standards and benchmarks in the Michigan Curriculum Framework in government, history, and technology. The program was launched in 2003 and updates to standards and benchmarks were added in 2007.
To see the lesson plans and the documentary please click here.
2010 MGTV Michigan Mock Election Project
To learn more about the 2010 Michigan Mock Election Project please click here.
