Analyzing the Letters: Lesson Plan: FDR and the Supreme Court

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Analyzing the Letters
Dick Parsons

Introduction

Each of the following tasks is intended to systematically guide students through the informational content of the letters selected for this feature. The classroom strategies suggested are intended to stand independently so teachers may select and choose what most suitably meets their students' content needs.

Classroom Procedures

Jigsaw Activity
Part I
Begin by assigning one or more of the letters to each student. Make sure that each letter is read by at least two students. During the reading of the letters each student should seek answers to assigned questions that will focus attention on important aspects of the letters' content.
For example, students might search for comments that reveal important information about the author of the letter and the point of view expressed
1. Where is the author from?
2. Can you determine the occupation of the author?
3. Can you tell if the author a man or woman?
4. Can you determine if the author a Democrat or Republican?
5. Does the letter support or oppose FDR's plan to reorganize the Court?
6. What specific reasons are given to support the author's opinion?
Students who read the same letters should then come together as a group to clarify their understanding and share their answers to the questions. Students will share any differences of opinion and discuss portions of the letter that were difficult to understand.
Part II
The second part of the "jigsaw" requires that students who have read different letters come together to compare and contrast their findings. You might arrange this discussion so that students reading supporting letters are in one group; opposition letters in another. Or, you might configure the groups so that letters representing a particular socio-economic point of view are together. The discussion that follows should be organized around a set of inquiry questions, which extend the curriculum objectives of the unit. For example,
1. What are the reasons given by the authors for supporting the President's proposal? For opposing it?
2. Are you able to draw any conclusions from the letters about the ethical values represented by the men and women who support the President's proposal? oppose the proposal?
3. Are you able to draw any generalizations about the characteristics of the authors of the letters that support and those that oppose the President's proposal?
4. Do the letters reveal any conclusions about how the authors felt about President Roosevelt or his administration?
5. Do the letters portray the feelings of a representative cross-section of the American public or do they reflect the opinions of a particular group?
As a follow-up activity students might be required to create a personal letter that either reflects their personal point of view or is representative of the group of letters they investigated. Their letter might present the point of view of a fictional character from the 1930's or a response to a more contemporary but similar proposal made by a current administration.
After students have had a chance to read and discuss the letters, the teacher may wish to involve students in a lesson that examines the substantive issues presented by the Court Reorganization Plan in greater depth. For example,
Select a portion of one of the letters and draw out student opinions about the selected comment. For example, in one letter, author A.N.D. asks FDR to "stop throwing pop bottles at the umpire," suggesting that the Supreme Court plays a role similar to the referee in a baseball game. Is this an accurate portrayal of the role of the Supreme Court? Why or why not? Should the Court's justices be as removed from popular opinion as baseball umpires?
Draw out student opinions about the role of individuals in the democratic process:
1. Do students believe that writing to a powerful or influential person about a problem is an effective means of resolving that problem?
2. Ask if any students have written such a letter and with what results
3. Ask which of the letters might be received most sympathetically. Investigate the characteristics of a persuasive letter.
Role-Play
Students might be asked to extend the ideas of the letter-writers by assuming their identities in a role-playing or simulation activity. For example,
The teacher might set up an imaginary opportunity to "meet the President" (or one of his close advisors—perhaps Raymond Moley or even Mrs. Roosevelt) and discuss the court reorganization plan with him/her. Students in the roles of administration officials and those assuming the character of the various authors of the letters can then discuss their ideas in a structured debate/conversation.