Excerpts of TEKS Text

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Suggested Activities

(A)  explain actions taken by people from racial, ethnic, and religious groups to expand economic opportunities and political rights in American society;

Read about narrators associated with religious organizations and those involved with the civil rights or the environmental justice movement.

Read the interview with Maria Berriozabal, about her role as the first Hispanic woman elected to the San Antonio City Council, and with Ernie Cortes, about the ongoing effort to develop a decent and tolerant society.

Look outside the political realm and consider how Father Frank Kurzaj, Bishop Matthiesen, Sister Susan Mika, Deacon Alfred Dominic, and Rev. Roy Malveaux have organized  their religious communities and used powers of moral persuasion to fight for political rights.

(C)  analyze how the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups have helped to shape the national identity; and

Search the TexasLegacy.org whole-site search engine to find references to people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups who inspired the narrators.  What was their impact on the narrators, how and/or why did they help shape the national identity?

Review and report on the sociologist Stephen Klineberg’s insights from his polling of the multicultural aspects of Houston’s identity.   Also consider and report on historian Char Miller’s thoughts about the history of San Antonio, one of the oldest and most traditionally Hispanic cities in the U.S.

Read and report on Grover Hankins recollections of growing up with racism, and learn about his contributions to society.

(D)  identify the political, social, and economic contributions of women to American society.

Search the TexasLegacy.org narrator database of narrators to find references to the archive's female narrators, and to those women who influenced and inspired them, such as Rachel Carson. 

Consider and report on the many women among the Texas Legacy narrators, including political leaders in elected positions (Maria Berriozabal, Helen Dutmer, Sissy Farenthold, Adlene Harrison, Susan Hughes) appointive office (Mickey Burleson, Adlene Harrison, Terry Hershey), and countless NGO roles.  Also, think about the contributions from Texas women such as Irene Scharf or Jane Elioseff who contributed to our political system simply by running for office.

Watch the video excerpt that shows Genevieve Vaughan’s views on the need for a more maternal, nurturing attitude throughout society.  Take a look at the video excerpt that shows Beverly Gattis' argument for a more engaged, and thinking, form of patriotism.

Using the narrator database, make a list of all the narrators who cite Rachel Carson as one of their inspirations.  Read her pioneering book Silent Spring, then use our timeline search engine and other sources to research changes in pesticide use and legislation since Silent Spring was published.