Project Planning Doc

Title: Comparing Ho Chi Minh (1945) and Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence (1776)

Website Intro: Compare the US Declaration of Independence as written by Thomas Jefferson and the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence as written by Ho Chi Minh. To what extent are Thomas Jefferson and Ho Chi Minh's ideals in their respective Declaration of Independence transcripts similar? How are they different?

Tags: Ho Chi Minh, Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

Project Format: primary and secondary source documents with guided reading questions

Materials:

Previous semester lesson on Declaration of Independence: https://newsela.com/read/lib-ushistory-declaration-independence-legacy/id/28583/

Previous class activity- Declaration of Independence Timeline Activity: https://classroom.monticello.org/lesson-plan/declaration-of-independence-timeline-activity/

Primary text- Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence transcript: https://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/transcript-declaration-independence-final

Primary text- Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence transcript: https://www.unc.edu/courses/2009fall/hist/140/006/Documents/VietnameseDocs.pdf

Secondary text- French Declaration of the Rights of Man transcript: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp

Ho Chi Minh's English Speech Translation of Vietnamese Declaration of Independence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFAQO-nH4yA

The History Reader: http://www.thehistoryreader.com/modern-history/ho-chi-minh-thomas-jefferson/

Grade level: high (9-12)

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding ...as a whole.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.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.

California History-Social Science Content Standards

10.2: Students compare and contrast the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution and their enduring effects worldwide on the political expectations for self-government and individual liberty.

1. Compare the major ideas of philosophers and their effects on the democratic revolutions in England, the United States, France, and Latin America (e.g., John Locke, Charles-Louis Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Simón Bolívar, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison).

2. List the principles of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights (1689), the American Declaration of Independence (1776), the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (1789), and the U.S. Bill of Rights (1791).

3. Understand the unique character of the American Revolution, its spread to other parts of the world, and its continuing significance to other nations.

Duration: 120-150 min

Objectives (consider these if you’re writing an activity or lesson plan – there’s no need to include all of the possibilities suggested):

Students will understand the impact of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence on the struggles for independence throughout the world.

Students will be able to explain to what extent they are convinced that Ho Chi Minh truly believed in Jefferson's ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness through an essay writing.

Students will know the struggle for independence in post-WWII Vietnam.

Steps:

DAY ONE (60 minutes)

1. Silent Reading: Students will scan through, read, and study silently for 15 minutes Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, or a reasonable amount of time. Next, do the same for Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence speech.

2. Choral Reading: Students and teacher now read various sections of Jefferson's Declaration as a class out loud while matching prosody and pacing. After and during the reading, students are encouraged to (annotate) underline and highlight key words and difficult to understand vocabulary. Words that are misunderstood may be circled and have an arrow written out with annotated comments and questions. Next, do the same for Ho Chi Minh's speech.

3. Homework: Formative Assessment- Have students complete the Annotated Student Drawings. Students are encourage to read: The History Reader: http://www.thehistoryreader.com/modern-history/ho-chi-minh-thomas-jefferson/DAY TWO (60 minutes)

4. Paraphrase key parts of the text on the margins of each primary source. Next, Think-Pair-Share: Students are instructed to consider the most significant parts of the texts. After a short segment of time, students are instructed to share out their thoughts with a partner. Students then share out their responses to the teacher while the teacher projects responses on Document Reader, etc.

5. Text-Dependent Questions. Students will answer questions based on the primary text provided. Students will gain a better understanding of the text and the use of language including vocabulary words. Additional resource: Colonialism by Francisco Ortega.

The Vietnamese and American Revolution PowerPoint presentation. If time allows. Upload online and offer it to students as an additional resource.

Accommodations: Some students will require additional time to look over their responses. Teacher will walk around the classroom and check for understanding. Teacher will look to see that students have understood the excerpts and will verbally verify with individual students that they understand and can paraphrase short segments of the passages.

6. Differentiating for Special Needs: Students with Special Needs are provided with a word bank of each of the handouts with typically difficult to understand key terms and their definitions. The handout is created in conjunction with the Special Education teacher based on the reading comprehension levels of the specified students.

DAY THREE

Assessment: Essay Prompt: To what extent are you convinced that Ho Chi Minh was a believer in Jefferson's ideals of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? Provide evidence from Thomas Jefferson and Ho Chi Minh's primary sources including the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. See Essay Rubric.

Assessment Criteria: See Essay Rubric.

Follow-Up Lesson: Ken Burn's The Vietnam War. Segments from Episode 1.

Author Information:

Name: Francisco Ortega

Email: frankylikestoteach@hotmail.com

State: California

Declaration of Independence 1. Look up and write down the definitions of four Tier 3 terms (inalienable, equal, Pursuit of Happiness, liberty) on a separate sheet of paper. 2. Illustrate on this handout each definition without using written text. 3. Go back to the separate sheet of paper explain how your illustrations reflect each definition written.

Key term: inalienable rights Key term: equal

Key term: Pursuit of Happiness Key term: liberty

Text-Dependent Questions: " Comparing Ho Chi Minh (1945) and Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence (1776)"

Directions: Answer the following questions based the texts read in class as well as the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Colonialism article.

1. Based on Thomas Jefferson and Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence, describe the similarities between both transcripts. Cite evidence noting the source.

2. How would you characterize the tone of Ho Chi Minh's transcript compared to Jefferson's? Cite specific key words.

3. How would you characterize Ho Chi Minh's list of perceived abuses by the French compared to Jefferson's perceived abuses by the British? How are they similar? How are they different?

4. Bonus: Based on Ho Chi Minh's Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, describe the similarities between both transcripts. Cite evidence noting the source.

5. Based on the "Colonialism" article, what is colonialism?

6. What type of colonialism do you believe Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam experienced? Explain with evidence from the Vietnam Declaration of Independence and the "Colonialism" article.

7. Based on what you know about the American Revolution and what you know about European colonialism, why would Ho Chi Minh make reference to Jefferson's Declaration of Independence? Was there any possible benefits? Any possible drawbacks?

8. Speculate to what extent any of Ho Chi Minh's text may have used hyperbole? If so, why would he make exaggerations? If not, explain why he would refer to facts as a third party. Make reference to why the author would write what they explain in this given situation.

8. Overall, after analyzing both texts, to what extent are you convinced that Ho Chi Minh was a believer in Jefferson's ideals of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? Provide evidence from Thomas Jefferson and Ho Chi Minh's primary sources including the French Declaration of the Rights of Man?

Colonialism from Economics: The Definitive Encyclopedia from Theory to Practice

Colonialism is the control by one nation over another territory through unequal annexation, procurement, exploitation, and profiteering. There is a transfer of people from the conquering nation to the conquered territory. Colonialism dates back to the late 15th century when Europeans began partitioning the world. From the early 16th century to the middle of the 20th century European settler and exploitative colonies were established in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. At first, mercantilist policies were instituted to benefit the home country at the colony’s expense and later free market policies were established to justify further colonization.  

Settler colonialism is often motivated by the need for land acquisition as well as religious, political, and economic considerations. Imperial motives compel large groups of immigrants to move into a region. Often, depopulation or dislocation of indigenous inhabitants is a prerequisite as the colonizing people play the vital role of bringing “civilization” to the territory. Moreover, Social Darwinist theory and the idea that Europeans are racially superior to native peoples appear to have justified expansion. As an example, after the United States became independent of British rule in the late 18th century, the British sought out a new colony in Australia to exploit its resources by resettling some of its skilled prisoner population. A type of indentured servitude agreement allowed for convicted prisoners to serve out their sentences building the infrastructure needed for a long-term sustainable colony. As a result, aboriginals were pushed out of their ancestral homelands as white settlers colonized much of the continent.

Exploitation colonialism usually entails intense resource extraction by native labor under the supervision of settlers; often back to the homeland or a major trade center. Financial and governmental administrative bases served to further the interests of the colonizing nation while relying on indigenous expertise, resources, and labor. Commodities such as agricultural products, precious minerals, timber, and other goods were extracted for almost the sole benefit of the colonizing nation while building a limited infrastructure for the colonized territory. During the slave trade era, slaves were used in the Americas largely as a result of the Atlantic slave trade and later blacks were forced into labor in their native lands in Africa.

Article written by: Francisco Ortega

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum at Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi where Ho had declared Vietnam's Independence

C-47 jump similar to the Special Operations/OSS that provided special training to Ho Chi Minh leading up to his Declaration of Independence