Sarah Hopper
Easton Middle School
“Picturing the Past” Blog Response
I so enjoyed the opportunity to spend two days being a “student” again! My career as a social studies teacher is due, in part, to my LOVE of learning history. Having the opportunity to study historical works of art and discuss them with colleagues and experts was a really enjoyable experience for me. I enjoyed the opportunity to study both monuments and art; the monument to the 54th Massachusetts means so much more to me now than it ever did before!
What Civil War image will I introduce to my students? Why have I selected this image? What does it depict?
The Civil War image I will introduce to my students is “Lincoln In Richmond”, which we didn’t study in person, but discussed during our breakout session in the National Portrait Gallery. In this image, Lincoln is shown in the middle of a crowd of people in Richmond. He is holding the hand of a little boy; in the background a crowd of African-Americans are cheering. I selected this image because there is so much going on in the picture; both said and unsaid. I also chose to use this picture because it easily ties into the curriculum I am teaching at the 7th grade level, World Cultures, while also showing a key event in American history. Comparing limited and unlimited governments and how citizens interact with their government are two key objectives in the curriculum. This image shows a government leader in the “throes” of celebration with his people. This illustrates the participatory nature of a representative democracy and also shows that Lincoln is walking with the people rather than speaking to the people.
At the time the image was created, what message might the artist have been trying to convey? What message does the image convey now?
I believe the artist was trying to convey a few messages: one, that Lincoln was a “man of the people”, so to speak – that he came to see the people and interact with the American people in this former capital of the rebel “nation”. Two, I am struck by the jubilant celebrations of the crowd. The artist is clearly trying to convey a change in tides of national feeling. Three, it appears that Lincoln is leading the little boy. To me this evokes a sense of trust in Lincoln. So I believe the artist is trying to show that the country is moving forward due in large part to the strong leadership and support of Lincoln.
Now, the image shows our nation in a tenuous time. With the war all but over, what would happen next? Where was the country going? Would it be able to heal? I believe the image conveys a similar message to what the artist originally intended.
How will I use the selected image in my classroom? How would I like the students to interact with it?
I will use this image in the classroom to: 1. Analyze the characteristics and structure of various systems of government around the world and 2. Use historic contexts to answer questions (two indicators from our VSC).
I would like my students to interact with it first by doing a “think aloud” like we did of the paintings & monuments in D.C. What does this show? What does it not show? Who do we see? What is this picture telling us? Then I will get the students to reenact a “living tableau” of the picture—reenacting the key roles in the picture. I will ask the students playing roles to “narrate” the scene; what might they feel or think? What might happen next in the picture? How could the picture’s message change if people were standing/acting/emoting differently?
This picture is not the only thing I plan to use in my classroom:
*I will definitely use the 15th amendment lithograph to illustrate government policy and how people shape government policy. Further, the layout of the lithograph itself would be a great template for students to use to process current events we study—breaking into multiple parts.
*I also plan on using play doh to have students recreate models of monuments we study during our America unit and then create monuments to recent or current events.
