Equality: Emancipation to Civil Rights to POTUS

January is very special in American history, especially this year. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that conferred freedom to African Americans from the bonds of slavery. January 19, 2009 is the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday. The following day, January 20, President-Elect Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the first African American President in history.

Here is an excerpt from President Lincoln's speech: "And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons."

Here are excerpts from Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech that he delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August of 1963. This speech provided the vision and energized the political will that resulted in the Civil Rights laws of 1964.

Those laws helped change the conscience of many Americans about the rights of minorities and created the momentum that ultimately resulted in the election of our first African American president—Barack Obama. Most historians declare this speech as one of the greatest speeches in American history:

• "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"
  
  
• "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
  
  
• "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood."
  
  
• "Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

As millions around the world watch the inauguration, President Obama has already begun to initiate some of the reforms that he promised in his campaign.

One of his promises affects millions of minorities and other lower income Americans—guaranteed access to health care for all. This would include all citizens, such as those with pre-existing conditions, and the need for essential preventive health care. This initiative addresses a history of failed attempts to create a manageable universal health care system—a health care civil rights issue.

Under the present system more than 47 million people are without health care insurance and millions of people are underinsured for most major health problems, or lose their insurance if they lose their jobs.

Assign students to open the new ProQuest model BookCart learning activity, "Universal Health Care Reform." This BookCart contains all the information that a student will need to complete a report or presentation of at least 150 words that cites at least three resources. Assign students to address at least three of the essential questions for critical thinking listed in the BookCart. The BookCart also provides students with written and presentation models to use to create the report.

Teachers or librarians can copy and adapt this BookCart model and hundreds of other ProQuest models in the ProQuest Carts collection.

• Logon to the eLibrary Teacher Edition.
• Click the BookCart Admin link at the top right of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
• Type "Universal Health Care Reform" in the Search box to locate it quickly.
• Click the Copy icon in the Actions column to the right of this title.
• Click Return to My Local Carts.

This BookCart already includes all the information that a student needs to complete the assignment. But, teachers can edit this information to tailor it for their students. To edit the BookCart for your students to use:

• Click the new BookCart Title—it will have the prefix "Copy of".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the Author boxes and your email.
• Optional: Edit the existing directions for your students to use in the Description box.
• Scroll down and click Save.
• Return to My Local Carts.
• Note: Students will be able to open this BookCart by clicking the BookCart tab on the search page.

Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words (or a PowerPoint of at least two minutes and seven slides) that cites at least three resources. Student should address at least three of the following essential questions for critical thinking. You can create or substitute others):

• How is U.S. health care delivered now and who gets it?
• How could health care insurance be made available to all citizens?
• What do some progressive countries do to provide health insurance to their citizens?
• What would you recommend as your health insurance plan and how would you pay for it?
• What are some non-health benefits of Universal Health Care?

Search Pathfinder: Type "Universal Health Care Reform" in the Search box > Type "health care" in the Document Title box of Advanced Search Options > Click Search

Use our custom ProQuest models for written or PowerPoint reports written and PowerPoint-style reports.

PROQUEST SUPPORTS 21ST CENTURY LITERACY & SKILLS

ProQuest has developed a set of online teaching and learning solutions supporting
major initiatives to integrate 21st Century Skills into today's learning environments.