FINAL PROJECT: THE DANVILLE RIOT
Final Project
History 615
The Danville Riot: The Flash Movie and Student Questions
Introduction
The final project for this course takes a slightly different angle on the Danville Riot than the two preliminary assignments and incorporates the riot into what could be part of a secondary school lesson on the post-Reconstruction Era. This project thus brings together my interest in teaching, the unique historical opportunity for teaching the post-Reconstruction Era that is the Danville Riot, and the technological requirements of this course. In its final form, this project is made up of a flash movie and accompanying student questions.
The Goal
As the final project has taken a different angle, so has the goal of the final project. The goal is no longer to determine whether the Republican or Democratic Senate investigation was correct in its findings on the Danville Riot, but rather to present their conclusions in such a way that allows students to discover the prejudices and motivations that each side had that affected the way they interpreted the evidence. By drawing on their knowledge of the post-Reconstruction Era, students should walk away from the assignment with a better idea not only of the prejudices and motivations of the two political parties, but also with how this small event was a microcosm of the struggles faced by the country as a whole during this period.
The Virginia SOL's
The starting place for any pontential teaching project in the state of Virginia is the Standards of Learning. There are several that apply to this project and they are listed briefly here:
VUS.8c The student will demonstrate knowledge of how the nation grew and changed from the end of Reconstruction through the early twentieth century by analyzing prejudice and discrimination during this time period, with emphasis on "Jim Crow" and the responses of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois.
VUS.1a The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to identify, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary source documents, records, and data, including artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, historical accounts, and art to increase understanding of events and life in the United States.
VUS.1b The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to evaluate the authenticity, authority, and credibility of sources.
VUS.1d The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to develop perspectivs of time and place, including the construction of maps and various time lines of events, periods, and personalities in American history.
The Flash Movie
The flash movie below is a powerful presentation of time, location, and primary source material. It takes the user on a 3D tour through the town of Danville (using the 3D map of Danville made in SketchUp (see "3-D Map Assignment")) during the Danville Riot. The user is moved through the city, visiting the sites of each major event of the riot in chronological order. When an event is encountered, the tour stops and the conclusions of both the Republicans and the Democrats are presented for that event, allowing the student to see how the two sides interpreted each event differently. All the information presented in quotes is taken from the Senate Report (see "The Great Map Hunt"); information not in quotes has been added by the author or is from other primary sources.
The user has complete control over the tour. Buttons at the bottom of the screen allow for simple navigation: the user can move forward from one event to the next, jump to the start of November 2 or the start of November 3, jump to the very end, and even move backwards. There is also a set of four instruction pages (found by clicking the left-most button at the bottom of the screen), accessible at any time during the tour, that can help any student encountering difficulties.
Notes: The flash movie is approximately 950 KB. It contains approximately 1 minute of animation and 16 tour stops. It is highly recommended that students have read the background information found on "The Great Map Hunt" page before using the movie.
Possible Student Questions
1. What major event lead to the town of Danville being in a very excited state on the morning of Saturday, November 3, 1883?
2. Identify each of the following individuals and the role they played in the Danville Riot: Col W.E. Sims, Noel, Lewellyn, Lawson, Taylor, and Lea.
3. Why is it important for each side to establish who initiated the riot?
4. According to the Republicans, what pieces of evidence point to the fact that the whites were trying to initiate a conflict?
5. According to the Democrats, what pieces of evidence point to the fact that the blacks were trying to initiate a conflict?
6. What evidence do the Republicans present that shows that the whites were well organized before and during the riot? Why is this important to the Republican case?
7. Compare and contrast how the Republicans and Democrats present the crowds of whites and blacks before and during the riot.
8. How does the Republican portrayal of the power exercised by the mayor differ from that of the Democrats? Why does each side seek to portray the mayor as they do?
9. How does each party attempt to show that the law was on their side?
10. What stereotypes about blacks are present in the investigation?
11. How does each party's interpretation of the validity of the investigation reflect their biases on states' rights?
12. What do the Republicans and Democrats each hope to gain from the differing presentations of the Danville Riot?
13. What do you consider to be the most credible parts of each side's story?
14. Pretend that you are a Republican or Democratic senator and must debate the events of the Danville Riot before the opposing party in the Senate. What would you say?
15. Rewrite the Danville Riot in your own words, detailing what you think actually happened. Why do you think the events happened in this way?
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