This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the use of reparations to make amends for the enslavement, exploitation, and generational racism Black people have endured. The compelling question﹣Why are reparations controversial?﹣asks students to evaluate the controversy surrounding reparations payments, engage with narratives of Black people, and compare precedents set by organizations and governments. This investigation spans the Antebellum Era through the 21st century to highlight the ongoing struggle for equality.
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About the inquiry
Compelling Question
Why are reparations controversial?
Staging Question
Generate questions surrounding the concept and forms of reparations.
1
Supporting QuestionHow did Black Codes and Jim Crow laws harm Black people after slavery ended?
Formative TasksCreate a mind map demonstrating the different impacts of Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws on Black people.
SourcesSource A: Artifact, Alabama Poll Tax Receipt
Source B: Article, “Voter Suppression”
Source C: Article, “Exploiting Black Labor after the Abolition of Slavery”
Source D: List of Jim Crow Laws
2
Supporting QuestionHow have organizations and governments used reparations?
Formative TasksCreate a list of ways in which a government or organization has paid or could pay reparations to groups or individuals.
SourcesSource A: Article, “Sherman’s Field Order #15”
Source B: Article, “A Formerly Enslaved Woman Successfully Won a Case for Reparations”
Source C: Article, “Georgetown Students...Create Reparations Fund”
3
Supporting QuestionWhat are the potential impacts of reparations?
Formative TasksWrite 1-2 paragraphs explaining the impacts of reparations in the form of monetary reparations, public apologies, and/or acts of community building.
SourcesSource A: Article, “Japanese Americans’ Campaign for Reparations”
Source B: Op-Ed, “Reparations Are an Opportunity…”
Source C: Interview, Barack Obama
4
Supporting QuestionWhy are reparations currently being discussed?
Formative TasksWrite an evidence-based claim considering why reparations are currently being discussed in the country today.
SourcesSource A: Gallup survey data, “Americans’ Views on Reparations”
Source B: Gallup survey data, “Black Americans’ Attitudes about Race”
Summative Performance Task
Argument: Why are reparations controversial? Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay) that evaluates the controversies surrounding reparations using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical and contemporary sources, while acknowledging competing views.
Extension: To extend their arguments, students can research international examples of reparations (or reparations debates).
Taking Informed Action
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