Obama Administration Changes Name of Mt. McKinley
(AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/us/mount-mckinley-will-be-renamed-denali.html?_r=0
1) What evidence is used in this article? How do we know the Athabascans were indigenous to the area?
2) Whose perspectives are being represented in this issue? Whose are left out? Why might a teenager in Ohio feel differently about this than a teenager in Hawaii?
3) To what degree does the President's political party affect the public's reaction to this issue? Is this more of a religious issue or a political one?
4) What if a Republican president had changed the name? What if the name was changed to someone living? To what degree would this story be different if it was Mt. Everest?
5) What are the short term consequences? Long term? What are the basic assumptions about ownership of land?
Extension Activities:
1) Students can develop different headlines for the story to evoke emotional responses from different readers.
2) Students can research natural monuments and propose name changes for some with indigenous names and defend another.
AoK: History
WoK: Language
(AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/us/mount-mckinley-will-be-renamed-denali.html?_r=0
1) What evidence is used in this article? How do we know the Athabascans were indigenous to the area?
2) Whose perspectives are being represented in this issue? Whose are left out? Why might a teenager in Ohio feel differently about this than a teenager in Hawaii?
3) To what degree does the President's political party affect the public's reaction to this issue? Is this more of a religious issue or a political one?
4) What if a Republican president had changed the name? What if the name was changed to someone living? To what degree would this story be different if it was Mt. Everest?
5) What are the short term consequences? Long term? What are the basic assumptions about ownership of land?
Extension Activities:
1) Students can develop different headlines for the story to evoke emotional responses from different readers.
2) Students can research natural monuments and propose name changes for some with indigenous names and defend another.
AoK: History
WoK: Language
Why would he change the name? It had been named Mt. McKinley in the past, even if people don't like it, it is still a part of our past and we can't change it. Changing the name is like changing our history, like people have been doing to the confederate flag. Some people may not like it or find it offensive, but it represents our history. So why would Obama think that it's a good idea to change parts of our history because he doesn't like it?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure it says if President Obama likes it or not in the article. If something is "part of our past" why can't we change it? Voting laws for women and those of 18 years of age were changed from previous laws. Should tradition be our highest value? It appears that the name was Denali long before President McKinley was even born. If it was changed one time, why couldn't it be changed again?
Delete