We the Missourians: Diverse Changemakers

Civic honesty, also referred to as reflective patriotism, as outlined in the Educating for American Democracy (EAD) Roadmap, involves teaching truthfully about past wrongdoings and injustices in U.S. history without falling into cynicism. A civic honesty approach helps teachers and students explore the complex narratives of Missouri, encompassing not only remarkable achievements and triumphs but also serious injustices and dominations. By doing so, students can build a deeper and fuller grasp of Missouri history while also seeing themselves as part of diverse changemakers. 

This unit includes diverse perspectives from the individuals and groups who shaped Missouri history. Changemakers spanning the Clovis people, the Mound Builders, the Osage, European explorers and settlers, African Americans and more are studied. Guided by the unit essential question, “Who are the changemakers in Missouri?” students explore how these individuals and groups contributed to the betterment of culture, history, and society, as well as the traits that characterize them as changemakers. 

Utilizing an inquiry-based learning model, students are presented with questions, problems and scenarios throughout this unit. The unit begins with a field trip to the history museum at the Gateway Arch. There students inquire into how the past is curated, what stories the artifacts tell about the past, and what and whose stories are not seen at the Arch. Inquiry-based lessons with individual and group activities expose students to diverse changemakers who contributed to Missouri history and culture. They see that history is shaped not only by iconic heroes but also by numerous ordinary individuals and groups who stood up for change. 

This unit incorporates a wide range of primary and secondary sources (a list of primary sources is provided below). In particular, customized secondary sources were created in the form of diaries, an interview, autobiographies, short biographies, and letters to help students engage more deeply with primary sources and support inquiry-based learning. Some examples include Diary Entries and Maps (Day 8-9), Q&A about Equiano (Day 13), Letters to Abigail and Short Biographies (Louisiana Purchase) 

(Day 17), A Letter from D.C. (Day 20), and James Milton Turner, Charlton Tandy, Moses Dickson, and Frankie Freeman (Day 24).

We focus on agency-oriented narratives. Too often, the narrative of African American history begins with enslavement. This unit aims to reframe the teaching of African American history by first exploring the rich historical and cultural heritage of West Africa, specifically the Mali Empire (Day 12), before addressing the issues of enslavement. Additionally, this unit centralizes the voice of the enslaved, using Olaudah Equiano––who was once enslaved but later freed––to emphasize resilience and agency, as well as teaching the struggles and challenges faced by enslaved people (Day 13). 

This unit is co-designed with the School District of University City in Missouri. If you wonder how you might adopt this for your own context please see this document: Application Beyond University City.