Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Washington Crossing the Delaware Part 2

 

Emanuel Leutze "Washington Crossing the Delaware "

The painting of "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze is a historically significant piece of art in the United States. It is so iconic it has become inspiration for pop art. Read about pop art here.

Below is one example of using the painting to create a pop art piece. Compare the two pieces of art, what is similar and what is different?
  1. Create your own piece of pop art using the knowledge you learned from the Wikipedia page. Use "Washington Crossing the Delaware" as your inspiration.
  2. Check with me if you have any questions.
EQ: 
  • What is pop art and why should it be a thing?
Engage:
  • Part 2 of the lesson
Explore:
Explain:
  • Is pop art based on original works ok? 
Evaluate:

  • Students will create a piece of art using Leutze's painting as inspiration.

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Washington Crossing the Delaware Part 1

  

Washington Crossing the Delaware is a very famous painting. Its use in popular culture probably even led to a contest to pick the best George Washington impersonator to re-enact the crossing every year. Watch this video to find out more about the contest. 


After watching the video, lets look at the paining. What do you see? Can you find any historical inconsistencies? You can find more information about the painting of Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware.

Emanuel Leutze "Washington Crossing the Delaware "
The painting creates a lot of questions. Why was this painted? Is it historically accurate? Who is the artist Emanuel Leutze? Check out the article below to find out these answers.

Assignment 

In the comment section of this post answer the following questions:

  1. In "Being George" why do you think portraying George Washington is so important to the contestants?
  2. Why did Leutze paint "Washington Crossing the Delaware"? 
  3. Identify three historical inaccuracies in the painting. 
  4. Should art be historically accurate? Explain why or why not. 

Copy and paste the following frame for your comment:
  1. Portraying George Washington is important to the contestants because
  2. Leutze painted "Washington Crossing the Delaware" because
  3. Three historical inaccuracies in the painting are
  4. Yes, art should be historically accurate because/No, art should not be historically accurate because 
EQ: 
  • Should artists have a responsibility to make their art historically accurate?
Engage:
Explore:
Explain:
  • The students will examine pop culture homages to the painting. We will also discuss how the painting has been used for political reasons.
Evaluate:
  • In "Being George" why do you think portraying George Washington is so important to the contestants?
  • Why did Leutze paint "Washington Crossing the Delaware"? 
  • Identify three historical inaccuracies in the painting. 
  • Should art be historically accurate? Explain why or why not. 

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Walt and El Group

EQ: Why did Walt Disney take a group of animators to South America during World War 2?

Engage:
Explore:
  • Vocabulary: animation, movie, union, strike, goodwill tour
  • Vocabulary: overcoat, sketch, sophisticated, plaza, Nazi
  • Vocabulary: estuary, deforestation, gaucho, llano, pampas
  • Walt and El Grupo documentary
  • Selections from Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros
Explain:
  • Why was the Disney company reeling before the trip?
  • Why did the US Government pay for Disney's trip?
  • How did the trip to South America influence Disney's work and the work of his artists?
Evaluate:
  • How does Education for Death inform what you saw in Walt and El Grupo? 
Extend:

Thursday, November 10, 2022

1776 The Musical

 

Since 2015 the biggest musical, let alone history based musical has been Hamilton. Here is a clip from the Tony's. 


What you may not know is there was a musical over the same time period that started on Broadway in 1969 and later became a movie in 1972. We are going to watch the movie and try to parse what is factual and what is changed for the medium (besides the congressman not randomly breaking into song.)


EQ: Why did the Declaration of Independence get written and who wrote it?

Engage:
Explore:
  • Vocabulary: declaration, independence, self-evident, equal, endowed, inalienable, liberty, derive
  • Vocabulary: government, destructive, transient, accustomed, usurpations, assent, tyranny, justice
  • 1776 the Musical
Explain:
  • What held up the Continental Congress from declaring independence from Britain?
  • Who was the most ardent supporter of independence?
  • How did slavery complicate declaring independence?
Evaluate:
  • Worksheet questions
Extend:


Map of South America

   

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Languages_of_South_America_(en).svg



EQ:
  • What are the official languages of the countries of South America?

Engage:

Explore:

Explain:

  • Identify the countries of South America
  • Identify the capitals of South America
  • Identify the official languages of South America

Evaluate:

  • Vocabulary: official, mountain, plain, plateau, ocean
  • Label and color a map of South America identifying countries, capitals, and official languages
  • GDoc with map instructions

Extend: 

Paul Revere and Joseph Warren

  

Typically this is the story that is told about Paul Revere and his 'Midnight Ride'. Revere is still famous today because of this act that happened on the eve of the Shot Heard 'Round the World, the battles of Lexington and Concord. What many do not know what that Revere wasn't the only rider out to spread the word or that he was captured before he could completely fulfill his mission. This raises the question, why do we not talk about William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott? 


https://prh1734.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PaulRevereMap121416.jpg

In the last lesson we learned about Paul Revere's propaganda piece, the Boston Massacre print. Did you also know that Revere was a silversmith and an occasional dentist as well? On this night, though he was a man on a horse tasked with alerting John Hancock and Sam Adams they were about to be caught by the soldiers. 


Longfellow's poem was written in 1860. It was really a call to keep the union together before the split creating the Civil War. Although it didn't stop the secession of the Confederate states, it did create the myth of Paul Revere's ride.  



THE TRUE STORY OF PAUL REVERE
By Charles Gettemy (link)

"Most men like Revere--- somewhat above the average of the mass, but not possessing the usual elements of enduring fame-- pass out of life eulogized by their fellow-citizens; remembered by a circle of admiring and respecting friends until they also pass away; and are ultimately forgotten, finding no place upon the pages of written history.

"Paul Revere was rescued from this fate by an accident-- the witchery of a poet's Imagination. His famous ride on the night of the 18th of April, 1775, remained unsung, if not unhonored, for eighty-eight years, or until Longfellow in 1863 made it the text for his Landlord's Tale in the Wayside Inn.

"It is to Longfellow's simple and tuneful ballad that most persons undoubtedly owe their knowledge of the fact that a man of the name of Revere really did something on the eve of the historic skirmish at Lexington which is worth remembering."

Let's take a look at Dr. Joseph Warren next. Warren was a leader, along with Hancock and Sam Adams, in the Sons of Liberty. He publicly spoke twice in honor of the Boston Massacre and was appointed President of the Massachusetts Provincial Government, basically the political leadership of those rebelling against the government in Massachusetts. He learned about the British soldiers' plans to march to Lexington and Concord and sent William Dawes and Paul Revere out to warn the towns and then went out to lead the rebels in their fighting against the soldiers. He helped to organize for the siege of Boston and in his governmental capacity negotiated with General Gage. Because of these activities he became well known to British soldiers, which would later cost him his life.





At the battle of Bunker Hill Warren was killed. His body was defiled with bayonets and put in a shallow grave. A few days later a British officer opened the grave and defiled the body again. 



The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill

Ten months later Paul Revere accompanied Warren's brothers with the hope of recovering the body for reburial. When they found the grave they believed to be his they could not recognize his body because of the British defilements. Fortunately, Paul Revere did identify him because of his dental work. It seems Revere had given him and artificial tooth that was identifiable which makes him the world's first forensic dentist

At the time the death of Warren was both a blow and a benefit to the early days of the Revolution. While he was considered a very important person in the Massachusetts rebel organization in his death he was considered a martyr which energized the rebels. Check out this poem,Ode, published in an English newspaper after his death. It celebrates his speeches given in memory of the Boston Massacre and honors his death. This goes to show that there were those in England who supported the cause of the American rebels as well. 

Ultimately both of these men were instrumental in Boston's early contributions to the American Revolution. Their lives seemed intertwined for a half dozen years, until Warren's death. 

EQ: Why is Paul Revere more famous than Joseph Warren?


Engage:
Explore Revere's Ride:
Explore Dr. Joseph Warren
Explain:
  • What did Paul Revere do that made him famous?
  • Who wrote the poem that made Revere famous?
  • How did Paul Revere know Dr. Joseph Warren?
  • What was Warren's role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord?
  • Where did Warren die?
  • Who identified Warren's body?
  • Why do we remember Paul Revere and not Dr. Joseph Warren?
Evaluate:
  •  Answer the questions
Extend:

Monday, November 07, 2022

Boston Tea Party

   

The difference between a riot and a protest may simply be which side of the political argument you are on. But, what happens when the riot or protest isn't really about politics at all, but about money? As we learn about the Boston Tea Party think about the reasons behind it and determine for yourself if it was a riot, a protest, or something else completely.

 EQ: Why did the Boston Tea Party take place?

Engage:

  • Tea!!!

Explore:

Explain:

  • Who was involved in organizing the Boston Tea Party?
  • What happened at the Boston Tea Party?
  • What was the result of the Boston Tea Party?
  • What do you think of the tea?

Evaluate:


Friday, November 04, 2022

The Girl from Ipanema, Bossa Nova and Brazil

The Girl from Ipanema is probably the second most recorded pop song of all time, behind The Beatles' Yesterday. It is a type of Jazz called the Bossa nova, and helped make that genre known worldwide in the 1960's. 

Here is Astrud Gilberto singing the song in a live recording:


I love a good story, and I fell into this one a few years ago. As I was looking for more jazz to listen to I came across the story of The Girl from Ipanema. This BBC produced documentary gives us a good look not only into Bossa nova, but into the popular culture of Brazil. I hope you enjoy learning about this amazing musical art form as much as I have.


        
EQ:
  • Why is Bossa nova important to Brazilian popular culture?
Engage:
Explore:
Explain:
  • What is Bossa nova?
  • Why was Astrud Gilberto chosen to sing the song?
  • How important is the Bossa nova to Brazilian popular culture?
Evaluate:

Tuesday, November 01, 2022

Government and Economies of Latin America

 

EQ:

  • What are the governments and economies like in Latin America?

Engage:

Explore:

Explain:

Evaluate:

  • Assessment

Boston Massacre Printmaking

  

The most famous example of propaganda in United States history is the Paul Revere print of the Boston Massacre. The fact that we still refer to this incident as a massacre is proof of that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Massacre#/media/File:Boston_Massacre_high-res.jpg

The real story of the 'Boston Massacre' is more complicated than a bunch of soldiers indiscriminately firing into a peaceful crowd of Boston citizens. As we examine the evidence as revealed in the trial of the soldiers and find out the true story we need to ask ourselves why would Revere lie? What purpose did it serve? Who benefitted from the false narrative and who was harmed?

Your assignment will be to create a print using the facts of the incident. Obviously the medium we are using will make details very difficult so keep that in mind as you work on the design. 

EQ: Why did Paul Revere create his famous Boston Massacre print?

Engage:
Explore:
  • Vocabulary: massacre, mob, cudgel, deposition, manslaughter engraving, print, propaganda, brayer, art
  • John Adams miniseries video of Boston Massacre
  • Boston Massacre Wikipedia
Explain:
  • What is propaganda?
  • Why did Revere create an inaccurate print of the Boston Massacre?
  • Do you think the soldiers were justified when they fired into the crowd?
  • What do you think was the effect of John Adams representing the soldiers on his career?
Evaluate:
  • Students will create a factual print of the Boston Massacre.
Extend: