The True Meaning of Democracy: Eleanor Roosevelt, Marian Anderson, and Respect
45 min
Walk-In-The-Shoes Questions
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.
- What challenges are you facing?
- What fears or concerns might you have?
- What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?
Observation Questions
- Who was Eleanor Roosevelt and what was her relationship to Marian Anderson?
- How did Eleanor Roosevelt show respect toward Marian Anderson?
- How do you treat others with respect in your life?
- What does Eleanor Roosevelt’s demonstration of respect reveal about her identity?
Discussion Questions
Discuss the following questions with your students.
- What is the historical context of the narrative?
- What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
- How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
- How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
- How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
- What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
- Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
- How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?
- Students will analyze Eleanor Roosevelt’s show of respect toward Marian Anderson in 1939.
- Students will understand how being respectful can help shape their identity and purpose.
- Students will apply this knowledge to pursue more respectful actions in their own lives.