Lesson: The Architecture of Segregation

Level: Adapted for both Primary and High School

1.13 Students make sense of ideas and communicate ideas with visual arts.

2.14 Students should understand the democratic principles of justice, equality, responsibility, and freedom, and apply them to real-life situations.

2.16 Students observe, analyze and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.

2.17 Students interact effectively and work cooperatively with the many diverse ethnic and cultural groupings of our nation and world.

2.20 Students understand, analyze and interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to develop historical perspectives.

Core Content:

SS-E-1.3.1	SS-M-1.3.1	SS-H-1.1.3
SS-E-1.3.3	SS-M-1.3.3	SS-H-1.3.3
SS-E-2.4.1	SS-M-2.4.1	SS-H-2.4.1
SS-E-2.4.2	SS-M-2.4.2	SS-H-2.4.2
SS-E-5.1.2	SS-M-5.1.2	SS-H-5.2.6

Program of Studies - High School

-Use a variety of tools (e.g.,primary and secondary sources, data, and artifacts) to explore the interpretive nature of the history of the United States from Reconstruction to the present.

-Examine the impacts of significant individuals and groups.

-Analyze the social, political, and economic characteristics of various eras in the history of the United States.

-Examine the rights and responsibilities of individuals in American society and the development of democratic principles (e.g., liberty, justice, equality, individual human dignity, and the rule of law.)

-Explore how people and cultures of many countries, races and religious traditions have contributed to the American experience.

-Examine ways in which cooperation, conflict and competition occur as cultures emerge.

-Analyze origins and consequences of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination.

-Examine the social transformations reflected in the struggles for racial and gender equity and the extension of civil rights.

-Describe various styles and purposes of music and explain how music reflects historical and cultural influences.

Lesson Description:

Primary

Show the pictures to the students and ask them to describe what they see in detail. Have them try to guess the subject of each picture. What is it? When might this picture have been taken? Are there people in the picture? What are they doing? Try to get as many details about the pictures as possible before revealing the captions to the pictures. Have the students think about and answer the following discussion questions: What do you think was the reason for having separate doors? How would you feel if you were in this situation? What would you do?

High School

Part 1- Using the worksheet on Reading a Photograph, have students analyze and interpret the pictures alone or in groups. After sharing the results with the class, the teacher should lead a discussion on the upsides and downsides of photographic documents to the study of history. Students should be able to discuss the immediate and long-term effects of segregation and its historical context. Have students share their thoughts about segregation as it exists today geographically and socially.

Part 2- Research the musical history of the Dixie highway. What do you think about the Quonset having separate entrances AND an integrated band? What do you think about the integrated audiences that responded to popular black musicians? Ask students to discuss or write about how popular music has crossed ethnic and racial lines. Is this still happening today?

Materials you will need for this lesson: Photographs of the Quonset Auditorium.

1. Front entrance

2. Side entrance

[optional] Map of Dixie Highway

Lesson by Amber Ridington and Jennifer Small, Program in Folk Studies, Western Kentucky University.