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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
May 11
Pedro Albizu Campos leads the Puerto Rican Independence movement.
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| Grades | 6 – 12 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Historical Figure & Event |
Prominent political and social activist was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on June 29, 1893 or September 12, 1891. After being educated at the University of Vermont and Harvard University and serving in the US military in World War 1, Albizu Campos became interested in the Puerto Rican independence movement, serving as the president of the Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death in 1965.
Among his accomplishments are improved labor conditions in Puerto Rico (Albizu Campos led strikes against the Puerto Rico Railway and Light and Power Company and the US sugar industry) and bringing attention to the problematic colonial relationship between the US and Puerto Rico. His theory of non-collaboration with colonial structures (such as boycotting elections and military service) made him a controversial figure in the US. He was jailed twice and was under FBI surveillance for much of his life.
Called “El Maestro” or “The Teacher” for his powerful speaking ability, Albizu Campos is the namesake of several schools in Puerto Rico, Harlem, and Chicago.
Using background information on Pedro Albizu Campos as an example, invite students to investigate the complicated histories of figures from throughout the world associated with nationalist movement. These movements, often related to histories of colonization, assert the interests of one's own nation as separate from the interests of other nations or the larger interests of all nations. Prominent nationalist figures include
Pedro Albizu Campos (Puerto Rico)
Simón Bolívar (South America)
Miguel Hidalgo (Mexico)
Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)
Nelson Mandela (South Africa)
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (India)
Michael Collins (Ireland)
Let students or groups of students choose a figure from this list, or another nationalist figure of their choice. Students can conduct research through print and Internet sources and share their findings with their peers using the Bio-Cube student interactive.
- Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
This biography from National Louis University provides additional information about the life and accomplishments of Pedro Albizu Campos.
- Nationalism
This entry from Stanford University provides background information on nationalism, including links to other resources.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Students select, read about, and report on a hero and then identify how their hero matches certain criteria and characteristics. Hero reports are then compiled into a class book.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Biography Project: Research and Class Presentation
Classroom biography study offers high-interest reading with a purpose, as students begin with inquiry and research, summarize and organize their information, and prepare oral presentations to share with the class.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Battling for Liberty: Tecumseh’s and Patrick Henry’s Language of Resistance
Students study Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech and the ways Native Americans also resisted oppression through rhetoric and action.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Crit Lit for Kids: From Critical Consciousness to Service Learning
Students take their ideas from the classroom page to the community pavement when they participate in a service-learning project based on their multimedia presentations.
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