The Artist and His Mother by Arshile Gorky
This image, which is on the cover of Facing History's publication Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians was painted by the artist Arshile Gorky. It is based on a photograph of Gorky and his mother, Sushan der Marderosian, taken in 1912. Although Gorky is generally identified as an American artist, he was born Vosdanig Adoian near the city of Van in what was then the Ottoman Empire. A few years after the photograph was taken, Gorky and his mother were victims of the Armenian Genocide. While he survived, Gorky remembers his mother dying in his arms. As an artist Gorky returned to the subject of the 1912 photograph many times throughout his career.
The Artist and His Mother by Arshile Gorky (en español)
This image, which is on the cover of Facing History's publication Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians was painted by the artist Arshile Gorky. It is based on a photograph of Gorky and his mother, Sushan der Marderosian, taken in 1912. Although Gorky is generally identified as an American artist, he was born Vosdanig Adoian near the city of Van in what was then the Ottoman Empire. A few years after the photograph was taken, Gorky and his mother were victims of the Armenian Genocide. While he survived, Gorky remembers his mother dying in his arms. As an artist Gorky returned to the subject of the 1912 photograph many times throughout his career. This resource is in Spanish.
Civil Rights Historical Investigations
Use this resource to help students study three major moments in the development of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Exploring Civil Rights and Migration: 18-week Curriculum Outline
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Recommended for 7th and 8th-grade, this outline provides an instructional pathway for middle school educators to teach an 18-week curriculum exploring membership, belonging, and the power of individual and collective choices.
Eyes on the Prize Study Guide
This guide provides a framework for using the landmark documentary film Eyes on the Prize as a tool for teaching the civil rights movement.
The Nanjing Atrocities: Crimes of War
This resource details the events that unfolded in China and Japan in the years leading up to World War II and the war crimes known today as the Nanjing Atrocities.
Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement
Use this resource on the Eugenics movement of the early 1900s to deepen students' understanding of the history of racism in the United States.
Stitching Truth: Women's Protest Art in Pinochet's Chile
This resource helps students explore the courageous stories of the women in Chile who challenged the silence and terror imposed by Pinochet's dictatorship from 1973–1990.
Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and The Indian Residential Schools
Designed for Canadian educators, this resource examines the Indian Residential Schools and their long-lasting effects on Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.
Totally Unofficial: Raphael Lemkin and the Genocide Convention
This resource challenges students to consider how individuals, groups, and nations can take up Raphael Lemkin’s challenge to eliminate genocide.
Twilight, Los Angeles Study Guide
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Use this guide to the documentary film Twilight to help students investigate the trial of the Los Angeles police officers indicted for the beating of Rodney King.