Tom Jones
(Manchester - United States)I am a retired high school principal in my 3rd year of post-retirement re-employment teaching high school English.
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- Contributed By: Facing History and Ourselves
Lesson one introduces students to the Armenian Genocide by having them think about the role of history in shaping their own identity. Looking at an autobiographical painting by Arshile Gorky, a renowned American artists and a refugee from the Armenian Genocide, will stimulate students' questions about how his identity was shaped by the past. These questions should provide an entry point into a study of the Armenian Genocide. Essential questions addressed in this lesson include: What does my name mean? Where did it come from? How is my identity shaped by the past? Who is Arshile Gorky? Why did he change his name? What influenced his painting of "The Artist and his Mother?" How was his identity shaped by the past? How do you interpret a work of art? What can we learn from looking at a painting?
This lesson explores the challenges facing Armenians during the second half of the 19th century as they advocated for equal rights within the Ottoman Empire. Throughout the 19th century, Armenians and other minorities struggled to obtain equal rights. At the same time, nationalism swept through the Ottoman Empire, convincing Greeks and other nationalities to demand independence. Most Armenians rejected calls for separation and instead pushed for reform of the Ottoman government. They looked for allies both inside and outside of the empire, including leaders of what would become the Young Turk movement. During this period, many European and Russian diplomats became increasingly concerned about the treatment of minority groups within the Ottoman Empire. Their arguments and efforts to protect those minorities would set important precedents for the international movement for human rights. However, in the absence of adequate protection, Armenians found themselves facing increasing discrimination and violence. In this lesson, students will consider the consequences of choices made by the Ottoman Government, the international community, and Ottoman Armenian leaders. The lesson addresses these essential questions: Who are the Armenians? What is the Ottoman Empire? What rights did Armenians have in the Ottoman Empire? What choices were available to Armenians as they sought equal rights in the Ottoman Empire? How did the Ottoman government respond to Armenian political demands? What happened when Armenians began demanding more rights? How did officials in the Ottoman Empire respond? What challenges do minorities face when they demand for more rights? How is religion and nationality used to create distinctions of "we" and "they"?
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ArmenianGenocideLessonTwoWeandTheytheArmeniansintheOttomanEmpire.mht (107kb)
This lesson examines the ways in which historical evidence has been used to construct a narrative of the Armenian Genocide. In 1915, there was no word to accurately describe what the Turks were doing to the Armenians. Raphael Lemkin did not coin the term "genocide" until Nazi brutality in Europe brought mass murder closer to the heart of the Western world. In the Ottoman Empire, journalists, diplomats, and other witnesses struggled to find language to convey the depth and the enormity of the anti-Armenian measures. Accounts refer to "horrors," "barbarity," "massacres," "murder," "deportations," or "ravages," but no word captures the scale of the violence. This lesson addresses the following essential questions: What happened to the Armenians in 1915? What primary source evidence do we have of the crimes against the Armenians? What different steps did the Ottoman Empire take to try to destroy the Armenian people? What can responsible people do when confronted with powerful evidence of acts against humanity and civilization? How can history be used as a tool to prevent future atrocities rather than abused as a tool to reinforce divisions among people?
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ArmenianGenocideLessonThreeAnalyzingHistoricalEvidence.mht (108kb)
This lesson looks at the choices made by individuals, groups, and governments during the Armenian Genocide. It addresses the following essential questions: What did individuals and groups do when they learned of the atrocities being committed against Armenians? What choices did they make? What dilemmas do people face as they grapple with how to act in the face of mass violence?
As American newspapers turned attention to the unfolding horrors within the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, leaders in the United States and other countries struggled to find an appropriate response to what was recognized as a massive violation provides an opportunity to recognize the ways people can work today to prevent neighbor from turning against neighbor. This lesson focuses on two American responses to the Armenian Genocide: the diplomatic response of Henry Morgenthau Sr., American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and the humanitarian response of the American Committee for Relief in the Near East. This lesson addresses the following essential questions: What were American responses to the Armenian genocide? What factors influenced their response? What is sovereignty? Are there situations when a foreign nation should intervene in another government's affairs? If so, when? Is military intervention ever justified?
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ArmenianGenocideLessonFiveAmericanResponsestotheArmenianGenocide.mht (107kb)
This lesson introduces students to the challenges of seeking justice in the aftermath of genocide. Unlike the Holocaust, most of the primary perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide were not held accountable for their actions. While there were several sets of trials inside Turkey, Talaat, the Young Turk Minister of the Interior, and other key architects of the Armenian Genocide were able to avoid punishment by going into exile. Although Allied leaders threatened to punish Ottoman officials for "crimes against humanity and civilization", following the First World War an absence of political and moral will dashed any hopes for justice. This lesson addresses the following essential questions: What is justice? For there to be justice after the crimes against the Armenians, what would need to happen? Who should be held accountable? Who would need to be involved?
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ArmenianGenocideLessonSixWhatisJusticeAfterGenocide.mht (104kb)
This lesson examines the role of the United States in nation building, and specifically the US role in facilitating the establishment of an independent Armenia. After World War I, the "League of Nations" used mandates to rebuild conquered nations (see Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations). A League of Nations mandate gave one of the Allied nations authority (i.e. permission to protect, manage public services, establish a government, etc) over territory gained during WW1. The Allies were willing to support an American mandate for Armenia. Congress was considering whether to accept the League of Nations' mandate over this area. In July 1919, the United States sent Major General James Harbord to Turkey to investigate the status of Armenians in the area between Russia and Turkey. Ultimately, Congress voted not to accept the League of Nations mandate. The independent Republic of Armenia lasted from 1918-1920. Without adequate protection and resources, the Armenian Republic was swallowed by Turkey and the Soviet Union. Armenia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. This lesson addresses the following essential questions: What is self-determination? Do all groups of people have the right to their own nation? Under what circumstances should foreign powers, such as the US, be involved in nation building?
During the ninety-one years since the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, officials from the Ottoman government, and later from the Republic of Turkey have refused to acknowledge the mass murder and deportation of Armenians and others constituted genocide. The denial has taken many forms and used many strategies. The readings in this lesson, along with the film clip, provide background for an informed discussion about this pattern of denial. While it is important for students to understand that there is no legitimate debate that the Armenian Genocide occurred, there is disagreement over the motivations of the perpetrators. According to the International Association of Genocide Scholars, "There may be differing interpretations of genocide-how and why the Armenian Genocide happened, but to deny its factual and moral reality as genocide is not to engage in scholarship but in propaganda and efforts to absolve the perpetrator, blame the victims, and erase the ethical meaning of this history." This lesson addresses the following essential questions: What is genocide? What evidence exists to show that the crimes against the Armenians constitute acts of genocide? Why do people deny that something happened? What steps has Turkey taken to create the impression that the Armenian genocide did not occur? Why might Turkey want to deny that the Armenian genocide took place? Should all speech to protected? What about speech that attempts to distort history? Should people be allowed to deny that the Armenian genocide ever took place? What are the implications for Armenians, Turks and the international community of allowing denials of the Armenian genocide?
