Bay Area: Race and Land (one-day lesson)

Overview

In this lesson, students will examine the role that racism played in the growth of the Bay Area. Students will learn how turn-of-the-century boosters promoted a racialized vision of the Bay Area. They will also learn about the American Indian Movement's takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969, and consider how satire can be used as a tool to challenge a history of racist policies. Finally, students will examine demographic data on the racial and ethnic make-up of the Bay Area and generate hypotheses about the history of settlement in the region.

Learning Goals:

• Students will begin to analyze language that promotes a racialized landscape.
• Students will read about turn-of-the-century promotion of the Bay Area.
• Students will learn about the 1969 Native American takeover of Alcatraz Island.
• Students will consider the relationship between historic settlement patterns and the current racial and ethnic distribution of the Bay Area.

DAY ONE

Website Materials:

• "San Francisco, 1902"
• "Alcatraz"
• "Racial and Ethnic Diversity"

Step 1: 5 minutes: Introduction

a) Ask students the following question:

Imagine you were trying to encourage people to move to the California in 1900. How would you describe the land?

b) Elicit student responses.

Step 2: 20 minutes: Read document

Have students read "San Francisco, 1902" and answer questions silently.

Step 3: 10 minutes: Discussion

a) Share student answers.

b) Ask students to compare the San Francisco Promotion Committee passage to their own answers to the prompt at the start of class. How can students account for the similarities and/or differences between their answers and the Promotion Committee's passage?

Step 4: 15 minutes, Read document and discussion

a) Hand out "Alcatraz" and have students read silently.

b) As a class, discuss question #3. Then, discuss the following questions:

• In what way does the Alcatraz Proclamation mock European and American settlers?
• In what way can the Proclamation be read as mocking the Promotion Committee passage, also?
• Why is satire an effective tool in this case?

Homework

Hand out "Racial and Ethnic Diversity" and have students answer questions.

In addition, students should respond to the following questions:

• What does this chart suggest about the history of settlement in the Bay Area?
• What additional information would you need to find to support your hypotheses?