Teaching After the Election of Trump November 15, 2016
The Zinn Education Project stands in solidarity with those who have denounced Donald Trump’s racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and Islamophobia—as well as his ignorant and deadly proposals about the environment and climate change. We have been encouraged by the young people—in our classrooms and in the streets—who are living the maxim that “people make history.”
As we have tried to make sense of this election and what it means for educators and our students, we have asked ourselves, “What would Howard Zinn say?”
While detesting the outcome, we doubt he would have been surprised. Zinn observed that,
Is not nationalism one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along with religious hatred? These ways of thinking—cultivated, nurtured, indoctrinated from childhood on—have been useful to those in power, and deadly for those out of power.
But Zinn would surely remind us that just because the rich and powerful want something to happen, doesn’t make it so. He would urge us not to lose heart, and to remember our history. Zinn wrote,
There is a tendency to think that what we see in the present moment will continue. We forget how often we have been astonished by the sudden crumbling of institutions, by extraordinary changes in people’s thoughts, by unexpected eruptions of rebellion against tyrannies, by the quick collapse of systems of power that seemed invincible.
No doubt, still reeling from this poisonous election, it is hard to be hopeful. But we invite you to draw on curriculum at the Zinn Education Project to help your students make sense of this new context. We include lessons—some highlighted below—that:
- Show how social movements have made important strides even during dark times.
- Help students explore other moments in history when elites have mobilized to roll back racial and economic progress.
- Highlight examples of “divide and conquer” politics.
- Help students explore aspects of Trump’s agenda—immigration, the environment, Muslims, civil liberties, the press, and economic inequality.
It’s vital that we introduce our students to the individuals and social movements that have made this country more just. As Howard Zinn reminded us:
To omit, or to minimize, these voices of resistance is to create the idea that power only rests with those who have the guns, who possess the wealth, who own the newspapers and the television stations. People who seem to have no power, whether working people, people of color, or women—once they organize and protest and create movements—have a voice no government can suppress.
Civil rights organizer Ella Baker said, “We who believe in freedom cannot rest.” The role of teachers is crucial in this freedom struggle. Please check out the lessons and resources below.
JUMP TO: Strides Against All Odds • Roll Back Racial and Economic Progress • “Divide and Conquer” Politics • Environment • Civil Liberties • Immigration • Economic Inequality • Muslims • Press • U.S. Presidents
Lessons and Other Classroom Resources
Strides Against All Odds
Students can draw hope from stories of people organizing even under the most repressive conditions. Here are just a few of countless examples.
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Pump Up the Blowouts:
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Roll Back Racial and Economic Progress
While textbooks portray U.S. history as a steady march of progress, there have been frequent reversals. These resources highlight a few of the many times in U.S. history when advances made by people of color were rolled back. For example, the political and economic gains by African Americans during Reconstruction were met by brutal, terrorist attacks by white supremacists.
Reconstruction Era (1865-1877)After the Civil War, with the protection of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, African Americans were allowed to vote, run for elected office, attend school, acquire land, seek employment, and use public accommodations. These Reconstruction Era advances ended with violent repression by white supremacists. |
Burned Out of Homes and History: Unearthing the Silenced Voices of
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Ethnic Studies Banned in TucsonA highly successful Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, Arizona, was banned in 2011. Students and teachers organized to protect the program that demonstrated a dramatic increase in college enrollment by Mexican American students. The film Precious Knowledge documents this struggle. Learn about film. |
Why We Should Teach About the FBI’s
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“Divide and Conquer” Politics
The easiest way to prevent organized demands for improved wages and working conditions is to create divisions. Here are three examples from U.S. history of how the strength of natural alliances among working people was undermined by orchestrated efforts by those in power.
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It’s a Mystery—
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The Draft Riot MysteryStudents are invited to solve a mystery, using historical clues, about the real story of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863. By Bill Bigelow. Download lesson. |
Issues on Trump’s Agenda
Trump’s agenda will impact every aspect of students’ lives, including those listed here.
Environment
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Dirty Oil and Shovel-Ready Jobs: A Role Play on Tar Sands and the Keystone XL PipelineRole play on the Keystone XL Pipeline battle. By Abby Mac Phail. |
A People’s Curriculum for the Earth: Teaching Climate Change and the Environmental CrisisArticles, student readings, and teaching activities to understand climate change and imagine solutions. Edited by Bill Bigelow and Tim Swinehart. |
>> More resources on the Environment and Food
Civil Liberties
The Voting Rights Act:
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>> More resources on Racism and Racial Identity
Immigration
The Line Between Us: Teaching About the Border and Mexican ImmigrationLessons for teaching about the history of U.S.–Mexico relations and current border and immigration issues. By Bill Bigelow. Learn more. >> More resources on Immigration |
Economic Inequality
Who Made the New Deal?Part I: What Caused the Great Depression? Part II: A role play explores the impact of popular movements on FDR’s policies. Background reading and role play. By Adam Sanchez. Read more. >> More resources on Economics |
Muslims
A People’s History of Muslims
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Press
News for All the People:
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Teaching about U.S. Presidents
Here are lessons on past U.S. presidents with relevance to today.
The Election of 1860 Role PlayRole play based on the election of 1860 allows students to explore the political debates of the time and the real reasons for the Civil War. By Bill Bigelow. Download lesson. |
Missing from Presidents’ Day: The People They EnslavedThe central role of slavery in U.S. history is often missing in our textbooks, including its with relationship to U.S. presidents and the White House. This article and related lessons begin to fill that gap. By Clarence Lusane. Read article. |
Andrew Jackson Revisited“One of the greatest victories for the people of America since Andrew Jackson,” Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, said of Donald Trump’s success in the 2016 election. We agree that Trump and Jackson have a lot in common, but neither election can be accurately described as a victory for anyone other than the wealthy elite. By Howard Zinn. Read more. |
>> More resources on Presidents
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teaching materials
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