Scholastic Challenge
"The mere imparting of information is not education." Carter G. Woodson
" Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."
Carter G. Woodson
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the United States of America. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as American Emancipation Day, also known as Juneteenth, has spread across the United States and beyond.
Today, Juneteenth commemorates American freedom emphasizing achievement and education. Some Juneteenth events last a day, a week and up to a month, featuring guest speakers, Blues/Jazz entertainment, cookouts and family gatherings. It’s a time for reflection and rejoicing. It’s a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Juneteenth’s growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long overdue. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to acknowledge a period in American history that has shaped and continues to influence society today.
Why the Challenge?
Juneteenth, An American Celebration, Inc. has created the Scholastic Challenge, to ensure that Black American history is recognized from the arrival of the proverbial Twenty Africans who landed in Jamestown in 1619. The Jamestown Twenty were indentured servants, not slaves it been said, but the result was the same none the less. The goal of the JAACI Challenge is to enable and franchise the youth of today and tomorrow.
JAACI CHALLENGE
- Explain why you believe the number of Juneteenth celebrations are growing around the country.
- Explain the reasons and objectives of The Emancipation Proclamation.
- What was the impact of the 13th, 14th, and 24th amendments?
- What were some effects of the fugitive slave law and the three-fifth (3/5) clause?
- Why and when did the U.S.A. abolish the slave trade?
- Compare and contrast Jim Crow laws, the Black Codes and Gerrymandering.
- What political party was formed as the Anti-Slavery Party?
- Describe the contributions of Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson to the Civil Rights movements?
- How did Frederick Douglass and the North Star impact the anti-slavery movement?
- The family of Ruby Bridges suffered because of the decision to send her to an all-white school. What were some of the motives behind their choice?
- What was Margaret Mitchell’s contribution to Historical Black Colleges?
- Carter G. Woodson pioneered Negro History Week which has ultimately become Black History Month. Defend your position that Black History Month is relevant or Irrelevant in America today.
- Describe Diane Nash’s activities with the Freedom Riders in Birmingham? What might have happened had she not participated?
- Describe some of the consequences of the Dred Scott decision.
- Compare the contributions of Richard Spikes, Joseph Gambol, Garrett Morgan and Albert Scott.
- Compare the similarities between Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi and the black Congressional representatives during
Reconstruction.
- What were Joseph L. Barrow, Lena Horn and the Greensboro Four’s contribution to The Civil Rights Movements?
- Describe the value of Eleanor Roosevelt’s flight with the Tuskegee Airmen.
- Children participated in the Birmingham campaign of 1963 to both praise and criticism. Should children have participated? Defend your position.
- What was the effect of media coverage of the Birmingham campaign in 1963?