Identifying Raphael Lemkin's Outrage

About this Lesson

In his early adulthood, Raphael Lemkin did not set out to change the world. He was inspired to act by his own outrage when he learned about the crimes the Ottoman Empire committed against Armenians during World War I- and outraged that the perpetrators of these crimes went unpunished. He could not believe that there was no legal precedent for punishing perpetrators of such terrible crimes against humanity. 

The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand Lemkin's outrage so that they can identify what motivated Lemkin to take action.

Essential Questions

• What is a crime against humanity? 
• What does it mean to be morally outraged? How might someone turn moral outrage into action?

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Understand the phrase "crimes against humanity"; 
• Be able to describe basic information about the Armenian Genocide and the trial of Soghomon Tehlirian; 
• Recognize that in 1921 there was no legal precedent for prosecuting perpetrators of crimes against humanity; 
• Gather information from primary and secondary sources.

Lesson Plan

Activity 1: Journal Prompt

In groups or individually, have students read the first part of the reading, "Sovereignty Cannot be Conceived as the Right to Kill Millions." Students should stop reading at the asterisks. To guide their reading, you might ask students to focus on the following comprehension questions:

1. Who was killed in Germany in 1921?
2. Who killed him? Why?
3. What evidence does this narrative provide to support the Allies' statement that Turkey was committing "crimes...against humanity and civilization"?
4. Based on this reading, what do you learn about the ability of nations (Turkey, France, Great Britain, Germany, etc.) to punish perpetrators of crimes against humanity?

You might review these questions with students after they have finished reading. Or, students can pair up and answer the questions together. This narrative contains historical material documenting graphic violence inflicted on the Armenian community. Thus, this would be an appropriate time to give students the opportunity to react to the narrative in their journals: What are they thinking about after reading this piece? What questions, ideas, or concerns does this reading provoke?

Activity 2: Open Discussion

Open a discussion by allowing volunteers to share what they wrote in their journals. Students' own thoughts may help identify two problems addressed in this narrative: 1) the fact that crimes against humanity happen in the first place; and 2) the lack of an effective legal response to these crimes.

You can preview the next lesson by telling students that they will be learning about a man named Raphael Lemkin, and his response upon learning about Tehlirian's murder of Talaat. You might end class by having students discuss the following questions, or they could answer these questions for homework:

1. Lemkin was outraged when he heard that the mass murder of the Armenians went unpunished. Imagine that you had the opportunity to talk to Lemkin. What advice would you give him? How could he turn his moral outrage into action? What options for action are available today that might not have been available in 1921? To what extent do you think he could make a difference or would you advise him not to pursue this work?
2. What does it mean to be morally outraged? Have you ever been morally outraged by something? What was it? What did you do about it? Reflect on your actions. How do you feel about them? Would you do the same thing next time?
3. In the absence of law, what can be done to prevent crimes against humanity and civilization, like those that took place in the Ottoman Empire during WWI?