ALIBRARYUNITLESSONPLAN

PICTURINGNATIVISMINANTEBELLUMBOSTON:

UnitOutline

NEHSummerInstitute2010:“PicturingEarlyAmerica:People,Places&Events,1760‐1870”SalemStateCollege,Salem,MADirector:ProfessorPatriciaJohnston,ArtHistoryTiaEsposito,DirectorofLibrary,VideoconferencingCoordinatorBostonCollegeHighSchool

UnitOverview

 WhoweretheIrishCatholicImmigrantsinthe19thcentury?WhydidtheycometoBostoninsuchlargenumbers?Whatwaslifelikeforthem?WhatvaluesdidtheybringwiththemthathelpedshapeBostontoday?

 Workingwithprimarysources,visualculture,andlibraryresourcestoanswerthesequestions,studentsreachanunderstandingoftheimpactthattheJesuitsandIrishCatholicshavehadinthefaceof“bitterracialandreligioustensions”inantebellumBoston.

ContentObjectives SkillsObjectives

  TohelpenrichexistingunitonimmigrationbyincludingvisualcultureinLibraryStudySkillsclasstogivestudentsanopportunitytoviewAmericanhistoryfromthepointofviewoftheJesuitsandtheirschool’sown150yearhistory

  Toorientstudentstotheschool’slibrary,history,andculturethroughathoroughinvestigationofthestronganti‐Catholic,anti‐Irish,anti‐immigrantsentimentsthattheschool’sfirststudentsfacedinthemid‐19thcentury

  ExplorevisualcultureandprimarysourcesrelatedtoNativisminBoston1820‐1870

  Researchrelatedprimaryandsecondarysourcematerialsinlibraryonlinedatabasestoaidintheirinterpretation

  Discussandanalyzetheseprimarysourcesinlibraryarchivesexhibit

  ComparelocalhistoryofNativismwithcontemporaryNativismthroughvideoconferenceswithotherschools

  Createfinalprojectforpublicationinschoolmediaoutlets

Objectives

MakingConnections

  TimeRequired: Approximately7‐8classperiodsinlibrary(oneclassperiodevery7‐daycycle)

  RecommendedGradeLevel: Middleschool

  CurriculumFit: history,reading/writing,visualarts,religion,writinglab

  Political–fearsthatIrishCatholicswillundermineAmericandemocracy(papism,monarchism).

  Economic–fearforthelossofstatusorsecurityofAmericanworkers

  Religious–fearsaboutreligiousdifferences

  Social­fearsofviolence  Intellectual­fearofCatholicSchoolseducatingProtestantchildrenandfillingchildren’smindswith“popishideas”

  Artistic­Puritansdidnotwanttheirarttolook“tooCatholic”–differentartisticstyles,Catholicswantedmoreelaboratestyleintheirchurches

Lesson1:IntroducingNativisminBostonEssentialorGuidingQuestion

Thereisonelineontheschool’swebsitewhichstates:

“TheschoolwasfoundedtoeducateaburgeoningpopulationofIrishimmigrantsduringaperiodofbitterracialandreligioushatredintheCityofBoston.”

Asyoubegintoexploreimmigration,whatdoesthismeantoyou?

Procedure

 Readtheoverarchingquestionontheboard Logontonetwork,scavengerhunttofindquoteonschool’swebsite,openworddocumentanduseguidingquestionaswritingprompt

 Logontoemailaccount,send&printdocument

 Discussguidingquestionasaclass Play“MinglingGame”withNativismQ’s AssignvocabularywordstobelookedupinOxfordEnglishDictionaryOEDONLINE

Lesson2:LookingatVisualCultureofBostoninthe19thCentury

  Powerpointpresentationofvisualcultureinpoliticalcartoons,newspapers,engravings,broadsides,sculptures,portraits,photographs,letters,primarydocuments

  Discussvisualcultureinimagesasaclass  Playthe“DotGame”  Checkoutbookonimmigrationfromlibrary

WhenMassachusettsWasABritishColonyThereWasALawBanningJesuitPriests‐1647

“ThatnoJesuit…shallhenceforthatanytime…comewithinthisjurisdiction;Andifanypersonshallgivejustcauseofsuspicionthatheisoneofsuchsocietyororderheshallbebroughtbeforesomeofthemagistrates…tobetriedorproceededwithbybanishment…andifanypersonsobanishedshallbetakenasecondtimewithinthisjurisdiction:MassachusettsBayColonyjurisdictionuponlawfultrialandconviction…heshallbeputtodeath.”

‐‐MassachusettsGeneralCourt,1647

JohnTrumbull,DeclarationofIndependence

WhatisanAmerican?

“TheAmericanisanewmanwhoactsuponnewprinciples;hemustthereforeentertainnewideasandformnewopinions.”

–LettersfromanAmericanFarmer,1782

JohnAdamsThoughtsonTheJesuitsLetterfromJohnAdamstoAbigailAdams,8September1777MassachusettsHistoricalSociety.http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/

“YouwillseebythePapersinclosed,thatWehavebeenobligedtoattempttohumblethePrideofsomeJesuitswhocallthemselvesQuakers,butwholoveMoneyandLandbetterthanLibertyorReligion.TheHypocritesareendeavouringtoraisetheCryofPersecution,andtogivethisMatterareligiousTurnbut,theycantsucceed.TheWorldknowsthemandtheirCommunications.ActuatedbyalandjobbingSpirit,likethatofWilliamPenn,theyhavebeensolicitingGrantsofimmenseRegionsofLandontheOhio.AmericanIndependencehasdisappointedthem,whichmakesthemhateit.YettheDastardsdarenotavowtheirHatredtoit.itseems.”

BenjaminFranklinQuoteAboutGermanImmigrants

"ThosewhocomehitheraregenerallyofthemostignorantStupidSortoftheirownNation…”

–BenjaminFranklin

BenjaminFranklinHiramPowers(1805‐1873)Marble,1862

GilbertStuart’sPortraits

Stuart,Gilbert.Bishop,1823,MuseumofFineArts,Boston(CheveruswasfirstCatholicBishopofBoston)

Johnston,DavidClaypoole(1799­1865).[PortraitofReveredJohnCheverus];lithograph.June1825.

StrongAnti‐CatholicSentimentsPrevailed,ButCheverus’PortraitsWereEverywhere,EvenInManyProtestantsHomes.

HarrietBeecherStoweCollectedMadonnas

MostSuccessfulPainting:TakingtheVeil,1863

MostFamousPainting:EmbarkationofthePilgrims,1837,CapitolRotunda

RobertW.Weir

BishopCheverusEstablishedUrsulineConvent

Anti‐CatholicpoliticalcartoonbyThomasNast

SculptureofRev.BeecherwithWilliamLloydGarrison(top)

“WehavereasontofearnotonlytheprinciplesofthefloodofCatholicswhoemigrate,butthewilypriestswhovisitus,andthecorruptionspreadbyEuropeanmoneydistributedbythem…andtheprogressofRomanCatholicschools.”‐‐Rev.Beecher(HarrietBeecherStowe’sFather)

(OnlydaysafterBeecher’sthreeinflammatoryspeechesinBoston,theUrsulineConventwasburneddown.)

ReverendLymanBeecherandtheRomanCatholicsinBoston

RebeccaReedwasaProtestantyoungwomanwhohadattendedtheschoolin1831asacharityscholar,butleftshortlythereafterandpublishedapamphlet,

thenabookthatcausedmuchexcitementinthecity.

“IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT FOR SOME DAYS PAST A GROUNDLESS RUMOR HAS PREVAILED IN CHARLESTOWN AND THE VICINITY, THAT A YOUNG LADY…PLACED IN THE CATHOLIC CONVENT, AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE VEIL, HAS BEEN SECRETED OR ABDUCTED, THROUGH THE MACHINATIONS OF THE CONTROLLING AGENTS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, AND WAS NOT TO BE FOUND BY HER FRIENDS. IN CONSEQUENCES OF THIS RUMOR, A GREAT EXCITEMENT WAS CAUSED… AND OPEN THREATS OF BURNING DOWN THE CONVENT MADE.”

"Ruins of the Ursuline Convent, at Charlestown, Massachusetts," historical print, 1834. Collection of the Charlestown Historical Society

AfirebucketfromtheFranklinFireSocietyofCharlestown,circa1834

DavidClaypooleJohnston’sDepictionoftheUrsulineConventRiot

CourtesyAmericanAntiquarianSociety

TheBroadStreetRiotinBoston,1837:Oneofthemostviolentconfrontationsinthecity'shistory

Riotinvolvingoverfifteenthousandpeople!

RiotsliketheoneonBroadStreetareoccurringinmajorcitiesacrosstheU.S.

AnIrishfuneralprocessionandacompanyofYankeefirefighterscameface‐to‐faceinthestreetsofBoston.Afist‐fightmushroomsintoaninsaneriotof15,000.

"RiotatHoboken,May1,1851."Germanimmigrantsbattlednativists.

EmigrantsLeaveIreland,engravingbyHenryDoyle(1827–1892)

TheIrishPotatoFamine

Fr.JohnBapststripped,tarred,andfeathered

October14,1854

SohowweretheIrishCatholicImmigrantspictured?

We’veseenthe“religioushatred”butwhataboutthe“racialhatred”goingonat

thistime?

RobertMorris,firstAfricanAmericanAttorneyinBoston

RobertMorris’idcard1863

RobertMorris,CatholicLawyerinBoston

MorrisHelpedtoFreeShadrachMinkinsandWorkedwithThomasSims

RobertMorrisRepresentedAnthonyBurnsandwasinthecrowdof50,000AsBurnsWasTakenAway

MorrisWorkedWithCharlesSumnerontheRobertsvs.theCityofBoston1850

Whenmostpeoplethinkofsegregatedschooling,theythinkoftheAmericanSouthduringthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury.ButtheearliestcourtcasetobattleagainstseparateschoolsforAfrican‐AmericanchildrencameoverahundredyearsearlierinBoston,Massachusetts,atRobertMorris’suggestiontoSumner.

EmigratedfromCountyCork1848

FirstIrishCatholicImmigrantto:

  BeelectedtoCongress  Serveasconsulgeneral  BeelectedMayorofBoston(1901‐1905)

RobertMorrisTrainedPatrickCollins

Morristooknoteofan11yearoldIrishimmigrantwhowasbeingpickedon.Rememberingthebigotryhefacedasachild,Morristooktheyoungboyinandtrainedhiminthelaw.

QuotebyRobertMorrisafterwinninghisfirstcase,inwhichherepresentedablackmanagainstawhiteman.

“Iwenttomyoffice.Isatdownandcried.IthoughtofthemightyoddsagainstwhichImustcontendandthenitwasthatImadethevowIhaveneverbroken.Itwasthis:Iwouldprovemyselftobeamanandagentleman,andsucceedinthepracticeoflaw,orIwoulddie.”

—RobertMorrisafterbeingridiculedbythe lawyerhe’djustbeatenincourt.

MorrisUnsuccessfullyPetitionedforAfricanAmericanUnitin1859(54thRegimentcameshortlythereafter)

AUGUSTUSSAINT‐GAUDENS[1848–1907],ShawMemorial,1884–1897

Note:St‐GaudenshimselfwasanIrishFamineImmigrantwhooncesaid,“LoveandCouragearethegreatthings.”

MorristhoughtsohighlyoftheJesuitsofBostonthathelefthisentireestatetothem

“…thattheIrishAmericansofBostonaresoearnestlyandconsistentlyfriendlytotheircoloredfellowcitizensisduelargelytothegreatinfluenceexercisedbyRobertMorris.”—AmericanCatholicTribune,November24,1888,pp.1‐2.

RobertMorris:ACommemorativePoemwrittenbyElijahW.SmithandreadbyJamesM.TrotterattheMemorial

MeetingheldinBoston’sCharlesStreetChurchMarch5,1883

“Wehonorhimbecausehestood

Calmmidtheragingsea;TruetohisGod,hisracehimself;

Hiscountry,Liberty.”

Bringingitbackaroundtotheessential/guidingquestion:

WhatdoyouthinkElijahWilliamSmithmeantbyragingsea?

Doyouthinkhewasspeakingofthe“bitterracialandreligioushatred”ofthetime?

Lesson3:StudentResearchComponentNativisminBostonin19thCentury

Studentswillcometothecomputerlabsinthelibraryanddoresearchintheonlinedatabases,exploringtheirownexamplesofnativisminantebellumBoston,recordingtheirfindingsonthe“ThatWasThen,ThisIsNow”THENsideoftheworksheet.

THEN NOW

NATIVISMThatwasthen,ThisisNowWorksheet

Lesson4:StudentsHavePersonalExperiencewithVisualArtfromArchives

  Studentswillexploretheschool’sarchivesexhibit  NOTE:Ifaschooldoesnothaveaschoolarchives,localorstatearchivesormuseumscouldbevisitedthroughafieldtriporvideoconferencewithmuseumswithonlineeducationprograms.

 Museumvideoconferencingprogramscanbefoundinthedirectorybelowusingkeywordsearch:Immigration

  VideoconferenceContentProvidersDatabasehttp://www.vccontentproviders.org/searchprogram.php?streg=28

Materials

  “Reading”PortraitureGuideforEducators,Smithsonian,NationalPortraitGalleryworksheethttp://www.npg.si.edu/docs/reading.pdf

  NationalArchivesDocumentAnalysisGuideshttp://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/

Procedure

Studentswillcometothelibraryarchivesandaftergoingthroughtheexhibit,willfindoneportrait,photograph,orartifact,andwillcompletetheappropriateworksheetonthepiecefromtheexhibitthattheymostidentifywith.Studentswillwriteastoryaboutthepiecetheyselectedasanassignment.

WhatwasLincoln’shopeforthefutureaftertheCivilWar?

WhatwasHomer’s?Weretheirhopesrealized?

Lesson5:StudentResearchComponentNativismToday

VeteranInANewField,1865HomerWinslow

AbrahamLincoln,AlexanderGardner1865

ProtestersmarchduringarallyagainstArizona'simmigrationlaw.Saturday,July10,2010,inBoston.(APPhoto/MichaelDwyer)

ImmigrantadvocatesprotestingArizonaGov.BrewerassheattendstheNationalGovernorsAssociationmeetinginBoston.TheyareprotestingArizona’scontroversialimmigrationlaw.

ProtesterssaidBrewerwasabigotandcalledfortheendofwhattheysaidwas“racistdeportation.”

Newlawrequirespolicetoquestionpeopleabouttheirimmigrationstatusifthere’sreasontosuspectsomeoneisinthecountryillegally.

Procedure

  StudentsintroducedtocomparisonofNativismThenandNowinvideo“WrongThen,WrongNow”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljyxzCShh_4

  StudentsuseonlinelibraryresourcestoinvestigateNativisminAmericatodayandrecordtheirfindingsontheThatWasThen,ThisIsNowWorksheetNOWside.

  DiscusswithstudentshowattitudestowardtheIrishCatholicsinthe19thcenturyaresimilartoattitudestowardimmigrantstoday.Howdotheseattitudesaffectthewayimmigrantsaretreatedandthekindsoflegislationthatispassed?

Lesson6:ExpandingtheLessonBeyondtheClassroomViaVideoconference

Usingtheirresearchfromtheir“ThatWasThen,ThisIsNow”worksheetstudentswillengageinaSocraticSeminarwithaclassinArizonaandaclassinDublinIrelandviavideoconference.

CenterforInteractiveLearningandCollaborationhttp://www.cilc.org

CollaborationsAroundthePlanetasocialnetworkingtoolforeducationalvideoconferencinghttp://projects.twice.cc

Lesson7:ReflectingonNativisminBostonAssessment

  Recallwithstudentstheoriginalguidingquestion.Handbackoriginalpiecesstudentswroteanddiscussasaclass.Dothestudentsfeelasthoughtheyhavecometoabetterunderstandingofnativism?Studentsrewriteoriginaldraft.

  Brainstormasaclasswaysinwhichthestudentscandemonstratetheirunderstandingthroughart,music,orliterature.

  Assignstudentstocreateapieceofproseorpoetry,anewspaperarticle,apieceofartwork,apieceofmusicorapodcastdemonstratingtheirunderstandingofnativisminBoston.Letstudentsknowthatthefinishedworkwillbesubmittedtotheschoolnewspaper,theschoolliterarymagazineortheschoolpodcastclubforpublication.

MassachusettsCurriculumFrameworksAddressed

Social,Political,andReligiousChange,1800­1860

USI.31Describetheformationoftheabolitionistmovement,therolesofvariousabolitionists,andtheresponseofsouthernersandnorthernerstoabolitionism.(H)

USI.32DescribeimportantreligioustrendsthatshapedantebellumAmerica.(H)

A.theincreaseinthenumberofProtestantdenominationsB.theSecondGreatAwakeningC.theinfluenceofthesetrendsonthereactionof ProtestantstothegrowthofCatholicimmigration

VocabularyToBeLookedUpInOxfordEnglishDictionaryforHistorical&ContemporaryMeanings

DiscriminationJesuitical“Know­Nothing”NativeAmericanismNativismPopishRacismStereotype

Bibliography

  BurningofUrsulineConvent.http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=234  Davis,John.“CatholicEnvy:TheVisualCultureofProtestantDesire,”TheVisualCultureofAmericanReligions,CA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2001,pp.105‐128.

  Greenridge,Kerri.Boston’sAbolitionists.Boston:CommonwealthEditions,2006.  Johnston,Patricia.“SamuelF.B.Morse’sGalleryoftheLouvre:SocialTensionsinAnIdealWorld,”SeeingHigh&Low:RepresentingSocialConflictinAmericanVisualCulture,CA:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2006,pp.42‐65.

  Kendrick,StephenandPaulKendrick.Sarah’sLongWalk:TheFreeBlacksofBostonandHowTheirStruggleforEqualityChangedAmerica,Boston:BeaconPress,2004.

  MassBayColonyBansCatholicPriests.http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=155

  “RobertMorris”MassachusettsBarofTrialAttorneys2ndJamesOtisLectureSeries,2009.http://www.massabota.org/Site/2009_Lecture.html

  Schulz,Nancy.FireandRoses:TheBurningoftheCharlestownConvent,1834.Boston:NortheasternUniversityPress,2002.

ListofSlidesfromPicturingAmerica

  “BenjaminFranklin”HiramPowers,Marble,1862  “GeorgeWashington”(TheLandsdownePortrait)GilbertStuart,1796

  “VeteraninANewField”WinslowHomer,1865  “AbrahamLincoln”AlexanderGardner,1865  “RobertGouldShawandthe54thRegiment”AugustusSt.Gaudens,1884

ThankYou

Averyheart‐feltthankyoutoalloftheNEHprogramcoordinators,especiallyDr.PatriciaJohnston,JessicaLanier,KayleighMerritt,SteveSchmidt,andalloftheNEHInstituteparticipants.Iwouldalsoliketothankthemanylibrarians,archivistsandcuratorswhogavesograciouslyoftheirtimeandresources.