Italians in Mississippi Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
Much of the story of Mississippi’s people, both past and present, has focused on, as Willie Morris writes, her two great blood sources: Great Britain and West Africa. (Morris, My Mississippi , p.
Bridging Hardship, 1928-1945
David "Boo" Ferriss: A Baseball Great Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
At all levels of athletic competition, Mississippian Boo Ferriss serves as an inspiration to all athletes. A pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1940s, Ferriss suffered a career-ending injury in 1947 and served a brief period as a professional baseball coach for the Red Sox. Boo Ferriss then returned to his native state. In 1959, he became the athletic director and head baseball coach at Delta State University. It was here in the Mississippi Delta that he launched one of the most successful baseball programs in the state.
Capitals and Capitols: The Places and Spaces of Mississippi's Seat of Government Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
The capital of a nation as well as a state has sentimental meaning to its citizens. It is this significant status given to capitals that can cause regional conflict within a state or nation. Mississippi is no exception to these political struggles in the establishment of its state capital. Mississippi’s capital was relocated for various reasons throughout the history of the state even after the current capital of Jackson was selected in 1821.
CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS
Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 3 and 4.
Medgar Evers and the Origins of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
Anthropologist Margaret Mead once argued against the improbability of one person bringing about major changes in society. Rather, she asserted, one person’s dedication and commitment was normally the only way change would come. Few would argue that Mississippi became a vastly different state as the result of the life and work of Medgar Wiley Evers, a pioneer in the state’s Civil Rights Movement.
Jimmie Rodgers: The Father of Country Music Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
While students may be somewhat knowledgeable about Mississippi’s rich contributions in the field of blues music and rock and roll, they are probably unaware of the state’s contributions to the field of country music. This lesson will enable them to study the content and form of country music and to explore the connections between the genre and the rural, southern environment of the early 20th century. In doing so, they will become acquainted with the life of a famous practitioner from Mississippi; Jimmie Rodgers.
William Hollingsworth: An Artist of Joy and Sadness Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
His dream of a career in art led Mississippian William R. Hollingsworth Jr. from his home in Jackson, Mississippi, to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1930. Upon his return to Jackson after completing his education, Hollingsworth worked as a clerk in a government office while continuing to pursue his artistic endeavors. In 1938, he began painting full-time. It would be the beauty and culture of his home state of Mississippi that inspired his finest work.
Elvis Presley:The Early Years Lesson Plan
OVERVIEW
Elvis Presley, or better known as simply Elvis, was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. Even after his untimely death, this Mississippian still remains a pop icon. He rose from a humble beginning in Mississippi to launch a rock and roll revolution with his charismatic stage presence and distinctive voice.
Good Roads: Building the "Old Spanish Trail" Lesson Plan
Overview
The first automobile to arrive in Mississippi arrived at Biloxi in 1900. This revolutionary change in transportation will ultimately impact every aspect of daily life. It will create a need for better road infrastructure and changes in local and state laws. The development of highways and interstates will better connect the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the rest of the state and to the nation.
Curricular Connections
Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 3 and 4.
Teaching Level
Grades 7 through 12
Good Roads: Building the "Old Spanish Trail"
In 1897 the Mississippi Legislature passed a law empowering a county board of supervisors to elect a county road commissioner to oversee improvement of public roads. But since the legislators did not require the appointment of such a commissioner, the law had little effect. On May 8, 1897, referring to this powerless law, the editor of the Biloxi Herald opined, “A proposed road law or a dog tax has a paralyzing effect on the average legislator, and he always approaches them by a circuitous route which sometimes lands him in close proximity but never clearly up to scratch.”