Book

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

Use this resource on the Eugenics movement of the early 1900s to deepen students' understanding of the history of racism in the United States.

Last Updated: May 12, 2022

Book

Language

English — US

Subject

History

Racism

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement focuses on a time in the early 1900s when many people believed that some "races," classes, and individuals were superior to others. They used a new branch of scientific inquiry known as eugenics to justify their prejudices and advocate programs and policies aimed at solving the nation's problems by ridding society of "inferior racial traits."

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

ISBN: 9781940457017

Date of Publication: December 2020

Format: Print Book

Cost: $25.00

This book is available for purchase from most places you buy books, including major retailers and independent bookstores.

Purchase on Bookshop.org Purchase on Amazon.com

Download this resource for free. By signing up for a Facing History account, you can access this and other resources. You'll also be able to save items for later and build collections for your class. It's fast, easy, and free!

Activity

Students explore the supporting question “How did the Angel Island Immigration Station both reflect and enforce borders within American society?”

Captain examines passengers aboard the The Shimyo Maru vessel.

Activity

Students explore the supporting question “How did border enforcement at the Angel Island Immigration Station impact immigrants and their descendants?”

Angel Island Immigration Station Graphic

Activity

Students explore the supporting question “How does the history of immigration through Angel Island help us understand how we create and challenge borders today?”

Assessment

Students culminate their arc of inquiry into the Angel Island Immigration Station by completing a C3-aligned Summative Performance Task and Taking Informed Action.

Inquiry

This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question “How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?”

Lesson

Students identify continuities and changes between Emmett Till’s murder and today’s Black Lives Matter movement, and they reflect on the ways they can contribute to the movement for racial justice.

George Floyd mural outside Cup Foods at Chicago Ave and E 38th St in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Assessment

In this summative assessment, students reflect on their answer to the unit's essential question in order to create a Toolbox for Racial Justice.

Students seated at desk facing each other work together.

Unit

This six-lesson unit delves into the history and legacy of the murder of Emmett Till, considering what we can learn from it as we work to achieve racial justice.

Lesson

Students explore the importance of context and learn about Emmett Till’s murder in Jim Crow-era Mississippi.

July 1939: An African-American man drinking at a segregated drinking fountain in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Lesson

Consider the talk Mamie Till-Mobley had with her son Emmett before he traveled to Jim Crow-era Mississippi in 1955 and the dangers that prompted her concern.

Southbound Illinois Central Railroad "Seminole" passenger train crosses main line of West Point Route at station in Opelika, Alabama in August 1955. Absence of interlocker required crew member to flag crossing.

Lesson

Explore Mamie Till-Mobley’s courageous decision to show the public Emmett Till’s body through an open-casket funeral and photos in Jet magazine and consider why Emmett’s death generated widespread determination to pursue racial justice.

A large crowd gathers outside the Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ in Chicago, Ill., Sept. 6, 1955 as pallbearers carry the casket of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who was slain while on a visit to Mississippi. Police estimate a crowd of about 2,000.

Lesson

Students explore the life and choices of anti-lynching journalist Ida B. Wells and learn about the long tradition of Black resistance to racial terror and violence.

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was an African-American journalist and early civil rights activist.

More Like This Teaching Resources Learning & Events

Using the strategies from Facing History is almost like an awakening.

— Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif

Search

Search

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

At a Glance

Language

Subject

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

Purchase

Download a PDF of this resource for free

You might also be interested in…

Supporting Question 1: The History of the Angel Island Immigration Station

Supporting Question 2: The Impacts of Detention on Immigrants and Their Descendants

Supporting Question 3: Navigating the Borders of National Belonging

Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

Angel Island Immigration Station: Exploring Borders and Belonging in US History

The Legacy of Emmett Till

Summative Assessment: Creating a Toolbox for Racial Justice

“I Wanted the Whole World to See”: The Murder of Emmett Till

Contextualizing Emmett Till’s Murder

Preparing to Journey to the Mississippi Delta

"A Rallying Cry and a Cause"

The Anti-lynching Activism of Ida B. Wells

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

At a Glance

Language

Subject

Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

Purchase

Download a PDF of this resource for free

You might also be interested in…

Supporting Question 1: The History of the Angel Island Immigration Station

Supporting Question 2: The Impacts of Detention on Immigrants and Their Descendants

Supporting Question 3: Navigating the Borders of National Belonging

Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action

Angel Island Immigration Station: Exploring Borders and Belonging in US History

The Legacy of Emmett Till

Summative Assessment: Creating a Toolbox for Racial Justice

“I Wanted the Whole World to See”: The Murder of Emmett Till

Contextualizing Emmett Till’s Murder

Preparing to Journey to the Mississippi Delta

"A Rallying Cry and a Cause"

The Anti-lynching Activism of Ida B. Wells

Inspiration, insights, & ways to get involved