![Martha and Waitstill Sharp wave to a crowd before leaving New York City for Europe. Martha wears a corsage of flowers on her coat and holds a bouquet of flowers in her left hand. Stamped in ink on verso: "Photo by William T. Hoff, New York Municipal Airport"](/sites/default/files/styles/standard_hero_article_460_361_1x/public/2022-09/Martha_and_Waitstill_Sharp_waving_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=a9a611f7&itok=6xOeojAU)
The Sharps’ Dilemmas
Duration
One 50-min class periodSubject
- History
Grade
12Language
English — USPublished
Overview
About this Lesson
In February 1939, Waitstill and Martha Sharp, an American Unitarian minister and his wife, left the safety of their home and family to rescue refugees in Europe on the brink of World War II. This lesson introduces the Sharps and invites students to investigate the choices they made and the risks they took to help strangers. Students begin with a journal entry to prompt reflection on their own decision-making. Then they use a short video and companion readings, including primary sources, to learn more about the Sharps and to create historical character maps. Finally, students discuss the relationship between identity and decision-making in the Sharps’ lives and in their own.
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