Unit 2: Marginalization

Overview
In this unit, students should examine in depth the marginalization and/or disenfranchisement of 2-4 of
cultural groups (European colonizers, European Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Jewish
Americans, American women, African Americans, or other marginalized groups at the teachers
discretion). Students should analyze how these groups were marginalized both legally and culturally,
and they should look for examples of stereotypes and prejudices in literature (novels, stories, poetry,
articles, auto-/biographies, philosophical and religious texts, editorials), propaganda (leaflets, fliers,
cartoons, political platforms, religious appeals, commercials, advertisements), philosophy, music (rockand-roll, bluegrass, country, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, rap, etc), and artistic representations (pictures,
photographs, paintings, depictions, caricatures, sculpture, architecture) as well as in legal documents
(the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendments, Acts, court cases and precedents, local/state/federal
laws). Students should also develop an understanding of the role that pop culture media and
innovations in technology and transportation played in the establishment and perpetuation of the
marginalization. Students should also develop a concrete understanding of the historical context
(situations, legal status, global movements and thoughts, local sentiments, warfare/discontent at home
and abroad) of these examples of marginalization. Students should identify the similarities and/or
differences within these examples of marginalization as well as make connections to the currently
marginalized groups of contemporary American society. Students should also analyze the cultural and
legal punishments that reinforced the marginalization of different groups (i.e., public shaming, the
stocks, flogging/whipping, prisons, capital punishment). Throughout their study, students should
examine how the marginalization of these groups influenced how they defined themselves as well as
how others defined them. They should analyze how these groups perspectives on the American
Dream influenced their attitudes and actions concerning their marginalization.
Note to Teachers
In this unit, students should begin sharing what theyre learning in their Independent Study research as
it relates to the marginalization of their particular cultural group. Teachers should hold students
accountable for outside research, reading, writing, and sharing as part of the Independent Study and
seminar aspects of the course. Students may choose to share such things as primary documents, legal
documents, specific laws, stories, poetry, mythology, legends, art, propaganda, songs, musical genres
and movements, fliers, auto-/biographies, commercials, advertisements, caricatures, depictions,
sculptures, scripts, leaflets, etc. Students may also share information regarding the historical context
of their groups marginalization such as legal status, global movements and thoughts, local sentiments,
and warfare or discontent at home and abroad. When students share their factual knowledge, they
should also offer analysis and insights into the causes and effects of these texts on the cultural
marginalization of their cultural group.
Generalizations
1. In American society, many groups of people have been legally and culturally marginalized and/or
disenfranchised due to cultural background, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender
identity/roles, religious affiliation, education, and physical location, and evidence of this
marginalization/disenfranchisement can be found in the legal/historical documents, literature,
philosophy, art, music, and popular culture of the time.
2. There are similarities and differences in the marginalization of various groups in American history as
well as groups in contemporary American society, including reasons for marginalization, legal
methods of marginalization, cultural and legal punishments to reinforce the marginalization, and
individual and group responses to marginalization.

American Humanities, Unit 2

3. Literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture often reflect the cultural values and beliefs that
led to a denial of individual rights as well as the conflicts concerning the denial of those rights.
4. Social divisions due to economic circumstances, race/ethnicity, gender identity, and religious
affiliation as well as immigration, migration, and settlement may create conflict and tension among
diverse peoples, and this conflict and tension are often reflected in regional literature, philosophy,
art, music, and pop culture.
5. American literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture are venues for deconstructing the
concepts of freedom, equality, and justice, and differing perspectives on and discrepancies among
freedom, equality, and justice are represented in American literature, philosophy, art, music, and
pop culture.
6. Given that conquest of one group over another impacts culture, the legacy of cultural domination,
slavery, and creolization is significant in definitions of identity, the human ideal, and the American
Dream for Native Americans and African Americans (among others), and disagreements over the
institution of slavery and cultural dominance have caused cultural and national conflicts, which
have impacted national identity.
7. War and a countrys participation in warfare impacts its culture and belief system and can create
both unity and division in society, occasionally ostracizing groups of its citizens and/or uniting
various groups into a national consensus, and this unity and division is often reflected in the
literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the time period.
8. Discoveries of natural resources and legislation concerning them, particularly during the frontier
movement and various rushes, impact human migration and contribute to the marginalization of
various historical groups, and the evidence of this marginalization can be found in the literature,
philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the time periods and regions.
Essential Questions
1. When was going on in American and around the world at the time of this groups marginalization?
2. What were the contributing factors that led to this groups marginalization (historical and cultural)?
3. How does the literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the region and time period
reflect the cultural values and beliefs that led to this groups marginalization?
4. How was this group legally marginalized, and what are some of the legal documents and cases that
demonstrate this groups marginalization?
5. How was this group culturally marginalized, and how did the cultural marginalization manifest itself
in literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the region and time period?
6. What types of social and legal punishments reinforced the marginalization of this group, and how
successful and/or unsuccessful were these punishments?
7. What are the similarities and/or differences in the marginalization stories of different groups?
8. How are these marginalization stories similar to the current status of contemporary marginalized
groups?
9. How did technology and technological innovations help to establish and then perpetuate this
marginalization?
10. How were the stereotypes and prejudices concerning this group evident in literature, propaganda,
philosophical and/or religious texts, music, artistic representations, and pop culture media of the
time period?
11. How did this group respond to the media stereotypes and prejudices, and did the people utilize
literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture to challenge those stereotypes and prejudices?
12. How did the media portrayal of this group affect the groups sense of identity?

American Humanities, Unit 2

13. How did this groups marginalization affect their perspective on the American Dream?
14. In American history, how have immigration, migration, and settlement created conflict and tension
among diverse groups of people?
15. In American history, how has economic stability or instability affected the relationships between
majority and minority groups?
16. How are conflicts and tension due to immigration, migration, settlement, and economic issues
reflected in the literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the region and time period?
17. How did the American society of this groups region and time period use literature, philosophy, art,
music, and pop culture to define, explain, and clarify the concepts of freedom, equality, and justice?
18. In what ways did the concepts of freedom, equality, and justice of this groups region and time
period exclude and marginalize this cultural group?
19. How did the literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of this groups region and time
period identify differing perspectives on and/or discrepancies among freedom, equality, and justice?
20. How did this groups exclusion from the concepts of freedom, equality, and justice affect their sense
of cultural identity, the human ideal, and the American Dream?
21. In American history, how has the conquest of one group over another impacted culture?
22. Why are concepts such as cultural domination and slavery significant aspects of the histories of
marginalized groups?
23. How does cultural domination, slavery, and creolization affect a marginalized groups definitions of
identity, the human ideal, and the American Dream?
24. How have disagreements over cultural domination and slavery created cultural and national
conflicts?
25. In what ways have disagreements over cultural domination and slavery both positively and
negatively affected culturally marginalized groups in history?
26. How has war and Americas participation in warfare impacted American culture and belief systems?
27. How can warfare create both unity and division in society?
28. How can the unity and/or division caused by warfare both positively and negatively affect culturally
marginalized groups?
29. How can the unity and/or division caused by warfare and conflict be reflected in the literature,
philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the time period?
30. How have discoveries of natural resources and legislation concerning them impacted migration and
settlement in American history?
31. How has the migration and settlement due to discoveries of natural resources and the legislation
concerning them contributed to the marginalization of various cultural groups in American History?
32. How do the literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture of the regions and time periods
reflect the marginalization of various cultural groups during periods of great migration?

American Humanities, Unit 2

Unit Goals
What do students need to KNOW?

What do students need to be able to DO?

How 2-4 cultural groups have been legally and

culturally marginalized

The similarities and differences among the

histories of marginalized groups

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
identify how groups have been legally and
culturally marginalized

The cultural values and beliefs that led to a

denial of individual rights for a cultural group

Compare and contrast the histories of

marginalized groups

The social conflicts caused by a denial of rights

to a cultural group

The types and examples of the social divisions

that may create social conflict and tension

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
identify the cultural values and beliefs that led to
a denial of individual rights for a cultural group

How literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop

culture are venues for deconstructing freedom,
equality, and justice

Explain the social conflicts caused by a denial of

rights to a cultural group

Identify the types of social divisions that may

create social conflict and tension

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
identify examples of the social divisions that have
caused social conflict and tension among diverse
groups of people

Differing perspectives on and discrepancies

among freedom, equality, and justice

Conquest of one group over another impacts

culture

The legacy of conquest (cultural domination,

slavery, creolization) affects identity, the
human ideal, and the American Dream

Disagreements about slavery and cultural

dominance have caused cultural and national
conflicts

Analyze how literature, philosophy, art, music, and

pop culture are venues for deconstructing
freedom, equality, and justice

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
explain differing perspectives on and
discrepancies among freedom, equality, and
justice

War and a countrys participation in warfare

impacts its culture and belief system by
creating either unity or division in society

Cultural groups that have been ostracized and

united by national consensus during wartimes

Analyze how the conquest of one group over

another impacts culture

Discoveries of natural resources that sparked

various rushes and physical movements

Reasons behind the frontier movement

How legislation concerning resources and

movements impact migration and settlement

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
demonstrate how the legacy of conquest (cultural
domination, slavery, creolization) affects identity,
the human ideal, and the American Dream

How natural resources and legislation

concerning them have contributed to the
marginalization of various historical groups

Explain how disagreements about slavery and

cultural dominance have caused cultural and
national conflicts

Analyze how war and a countrys participation in

warfare impacts its culture and belief system by
creating either unity or division in society

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
identify historical examples of groups that have
been ostracized and groups that have been united
by national consensus during wartimes

Identify discoveries of natural resources that

sparked various rushes and physical movements

Explain reasons for the frontier movement

Analyze how legislation concerning resources and

American Humanities, Unit 2

movements impact migration and settlement,

which brings diverse groups of people into contact
with each other

Use legal/historical documents, literature,

philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
analyze how natural resources and legislation
concerning them have contributed to the
marginalization of various historical groups

I Can Statements

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to identify
how groups have been legally and culturally marginalized.

I Can compare and contrast the histories of marginalized groups.

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to identify
the cultural values and beliefs that led to a denial of individual rights for a cultural group.

I Can explain the social conflicts caused by a denial of rights to a cultural group.

I Can identify the types of social divisions that may create social conflict and tension.

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to identify
examples of the social divisions that have caused social conflict and tension among diverse groups of
people.

I Can analyze how literature, philosophy, art, music, and pop culture are venues for deconstructing
freedom, equality, and justice.

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to explain
differing perspectives on and discrepancies among freedom, equality, and justice.

I Can analyze how the conquest of one group over another impacts culture.

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to
demonstrate how the legacy of conquest (cultural domination, slavery, creolization) affects identity, the
human ideal, and the American Dream.

I Can explain how disagreements about slavery and cultural dominance have caused cultural and
national conflicts.

I Can analyze how war and a countrys participation in warfare impacts its culture and belief system
by creating either unity or division in society.

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to identify
historical examples of groups that have been ostracized and groups that have been united by national
consensus during wartimes.

I Can identify discoveries of natural resources that sparked various rushes and physical movements.

I Can explain reasons for the frontier movement.

I Can analyze how legislation concerning resources and movements impact migration and settlement,
which brings diverse groups of people into contact with each other.

I Can use legal/historical documents, literature, philosophy, art, music, and popular culture to analyze
how natural resources and legislation concerning them have contributed to the marginalization of
various historical groups.

American Humanities, Unit 2

Aligned Course Essential Standards

C.1
Understand
how American
culture
defines what
it means to
be an
American.

C.2
Understand
the role of
conformity
and
individualism
in American
culture.

C.3
Understand
how poverty,
affluence, and
the American
Dream have
influenced
American
culture.

C.1.1 Analyze
expressions
of identity
within
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.1.3
Compare
ways that
various ethnic
and cultural
communities
in America
have
articulated
the self.
C.1.4
Compare
ways in which
the human
ideal has
been
expressed in
American
culture.

C.2.1 Explain
how
conformity
and
individuality
have
influenced
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.2.2
Evaluate the
extent to
which
American
support or
criticism of
conformity
has
influenced
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.

C.3.1
Compare
multiple
perspectives
of the
American
Dream using
examples of
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.3.4
Evaluate the
extent to
which
poverty,
affluence, and
the American
Dream have
affected
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.

American Humanities, Unit 2

C.4
Understand
how American
culture has
sought to
balance
individual
rights with
the common
good.
C.4.1
Deconstruct
the concepts
of freedom,
equality, and
justice in
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.4.2 Explain
how
discrepancies
in freedom,
equality, and
justice
influenced
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.

C.5
Understand
how conflict
and
consensus
influences
American
culture.

C.6
Understand
how human
interaction
with land and
nature has
impacted
American
culture.

C.5.1 Analyze
the
relationship
between
conflict and
consensus in
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.5.2 Explain
the impact of
American
slavery on
American
culture.
C.5.3 Analyze
the
relationship
between
warfare and
American
culture.
C.5.4 Analyze
American
societal
perceptions of
women.
C.5.5 Explain
how social
movements
on behalf of
civil rights
and reform
have
influenced
American
culture.
C.5.6
Evaluate the
extent to
which conflict
and
consensus
have shaped
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.

C.6.1 Explain
how human
interaction
with land and
nature
impacted the
development
of literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.6.3 Explain
how
movement on
the American
frontier
influenced
artistic
expression
and
philosophical
thought
within the
United States.
C.6.4 Analyze
the
relationship
between
regionalism
and cultural
development.

C.7
Understand
the
relationship
between
industrializati
on,
urbanization,
and American
culture.
C.7.2 Analyze
the
relationship
between
urban
immigration,
migration,
and American
culture.

C.8
Understand
the
relationship
between
innovation
and American
culture.

C.8.1 Explain
how
innovations in
technology,
transportation
, and
communicatio
n influenced
American
literature,
philosophy,
and the arts.
C.8.2 Analyze
various
genres of
American
music, in
terms of
origins,
development,
cultural
effects, and
distribution
through radio
and
television.
C.8.4
Evaluate
mediums of
popular
culture, such
as music,
television,
photographs,
and movies,
in terms of
historical
context and
accuracy.

Common Core Standards for Literacy in History and Social Studies

READING

WRITING

CMS CCSS Power Standards:

CMS CCSS Power Standards:

R.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to

support analysis of primary and secondary sources,
connecting insights gained from specific details to
an understanding of the text as a whole.

W.11-12.1 Write arguments focused on

discipline-specific content.

R.11-12.10 Read and comprehend history/social

studies texts in the grade 11-CCR text complexity
band independently and proficiently.

W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,

including the narration of historical events,
scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical
processes.

Additional Reading Standards:

Additional Writing Standards:

R.11-12.2. Determine the central ideas or

information of a primary or secondary source;
provide an accurate summary that makes clear the
relationships among the key details and ideas.

W.11-12.3 not applicable as a separate

requirement

R.11-12.3. Evaluate various explanations for

actions or events and determine which explanation
best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
R.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in a text, including
analyzing how an author uses and refines the
meaning of a key term over the course of a text
(e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No.
10).
R.11-12.5. Analyze in detail how a complex
primary source is structured, including how key
sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the
text contribute to the whole.
R.11-12.6 Evaluate authors differing points of
view on the same historical event or issue by
assessing the authors claims, reasoning, and
evidence.
R.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources
of information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in
words) in order to address a question or solve a
problem.
R.11-12.8 Evaluate an authors premises, claims,
and evidence by corroborating or challenging them
with other information.
R.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse
sources, both primary and secondary, into a
coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting
discrepancies among sources.

American Humanities, Unit 2

W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in

which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on addressing
what is most significant for a specific purpose and
audience.
W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet,
to produce, publish, and update individual or
shared writing products in response to ongoing
feedback, including new arguments or information.
W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question) or solve a
problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating understanding of the
subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from
multiple authoritative print and digital sources,
using advanced searches effectively; assess the
strengths and limitations of each source in terms of
the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate
information into the text selectively to maintain
the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and
overreliance on any one source and following a
standard format for citation.
W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts
to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time
frames (time for reflection and revision) and

shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or

two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.

Assessment Options:
W1- Literacy Common Core Power Standard: Writing Arguments

After reading a variety of texts, write ____ that argues your position on ____. Support your position with
evidence from your research. Be sure to acknowledge competing views, and give examples from past
or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.
o

Example: After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that argues your
position on which war in American history had the most significant impactpositive or negative
on the marginalization of a cultural group. Support your position with evidence from your
research. Be sure to acknowledge competing views, and give examples from past or current
events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.

Example: After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that argues your
position on which factor that drives marginalization (race/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic
status, economic issues, war/conflict abroad, war/conflict at home, immigration,
migration/settlement, gender identity, education/educational opportunity, physical location) has
had the most commonplace and widespread influence on marginalized groups in American
history. Support your position with evidence from your research. Be sure to acknowledge
competing views, and give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify
your position.

Example: After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that argues your
position on whether cultural or legal marginalization was more effective in perpetuating the
marginalization of cultural groups in American history. Support your position with evidence from
your research. Be sure to acknowledge competing views, and give examples from past or
current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.

[QUESTION] After reading a variety of texts, write ____ that addresses the question, and support your
position with evidence from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views. Give examples from
past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.
o

Example: Which war in American history had the most significant impactpositive or negative
on the marginalization of a cultural group? After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts,
write an essay that addresses the question, and support your position with evidence from the
texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views. Give examples from past or current events or
issues to illustrate and clarify your position.

Example: Which factor that drives marginalization (race/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic

status, economic issues, war/conflict abroad, war/conflict at home, immigration,
migration/settlement, gender identity, education/educational opportunity, physical location) has
had the most commonplace and widespread influence in marginalized groups in American
history? After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that addresses the
question, and support your position with evidence from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge
competing views. Give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify
your position.

Example: Has cultural or legal marginalization been more effective in perpetuating the
marginalization of cultural groups in American history? After analyzing a variety of written and
visual texts, write an essay that addresses the question, and support your position with evidence
from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views. Give examples from past or current
events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.

American Humanities, Unit 2

W2- Literacy Common Core Power Standard: Writing Informative Texts

After reading a variety of texts, write a ____ that defines ____ and explains ____. Support your discussion
with evidence from your research. What conclusions or implications can you draw?
o

Example: After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that defines
marginalization and explains how and why certain historical groups in America have been
marginalized. Support your discussion with evidence from your research. What conclusions or
implications can you draw?

Example: After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that defines the
legacy of conquest and explains how it affects the identity, human ideal, and American Dream of
a marginalized group in American history. Support your discussion with evidence from your
research. What conclusions or implications can you draw?

Example: After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay that defines the
various great migrations in American history and explains how those migrations caused cultural
conflict and tension among diverse groups of people and led to the marginalization of one or
more groups. Support your discussion with evidence from your research. What conclusions or
implications can you draw?

[QUESTION] After reading a variety of texts, write ____ that defines ____ and explains ____. Support
your discussion with evidence from the texts. What conclusions or implications can you draw?
o

Example: What is marginalization, and how and why have certain historical groups been
marginalized in America? After analyzing a variety of written and visual texts, write an essay
that defines marginalization and explains how and why certain historical groups in America have
been marginalized. Support your discussion with evidence from your research. What
conclusions or implications can you draw?

Example: What is the legacy of conquest, and how does it affect the identity, human ideal, and
American Dream of marginalized groups in American history? After analyzing a variety of written
and visual texts, write an essay that defines the legacy of conquest and explains how it affects
the identity, human ideal, and American Dream of a marginalized group in American history.
Support your discussion with evidence from your research. What conclusions or implications can
you draw?

Example: What are the great migrations in American history, and how did those migrations
cause cultural conflict and tension among diverse groups of people and lead to the
marginalization of one or more cultural groups? After analyzing a variety of written and visual
texts, write an essay that defines the various great migrations in American history and explains
how those migrations caused cultural conflict and tension among diverse groups of people and
led to the marginalization of one or more groups. Support your discussion with evidence from
your research. What conclusions or implications can you draw?

R1/R10- Literacy Common Core Power Standards: Reading Closely Over Time with a Variety of Grade-Level
Texts

Historical texts (primary and secondary)

Religious texts
Legal texts
Philosophical texts
Literary texts
Artistic representations
Musical representations
Language study

American Humanities, Unit 2