A Place at the Table
“Tomorrow, I'll be at the table
When company comes."
In this module, students explore diverse groups who have been pushed to the margins of American society. Despite the pain caused by exclusion, hatred and injustice in our nation's history, the men and women who, when told by the larger society to "stay in their place," insisted that "their place" was at the American table. This learning module was adapted from materials provided by Teaching Tolerance
In his poem "I, Too," Langston Hughes described how it felt to be a Black man living in the United States during the first part of the 20th century. But his words speak to the experience of all groups who have been pushed to the margins of American society. They also give voice to a sustaining conviction - that true equality will come. Out of all the pain caused by exclusion, hatred and injustice in our nation's history, there has emerged another, more hopeful narrative. This narrative has been composed by the men and women who, when told by the larger society to "stay in their place," insisted that "their place" was at the American "table." As Americans, we are justly proud of the ideals of freedom, democracy and equality that are enshrined in our nation's founding documents - the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Our challenge is to make them more than promises on paper. The stories you are about to read show how some ordinary Americans made those promises come alive, not just for themselves but for us all.
Units of Study
Students in groups of 3-5 are assigned one of the following units. Each student should read the main essay and related primary documents (linked below). Then the students work together to answer the study questions and complete a project (optional). Each student should select one of the writing assignments.
1 - Apostles of Liberty
(1768) Virginia Baptists challenge the state church in the name of religious freedom. 
Main Essay: Apostles of Liberty by Harriet Sigerman
Other Primary Documents:
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2 - Who Claims Me? (1851) Anti-slavery activists in Boston take a stand against the Fugitive Slave Law. 
Main Essay: Who Claims Me?by Gary Collison
Other Primary Documents:
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3 - Freedom's Main Line (1870) Black citizens of Louisville, Ky. use civil disobedience to protest segregation on public streetcars. 
Main Essay: Freedom's Main Line by Maria Fleming
Other Primary Documents:
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4 - This Land Is Ours (1877) A leader of the Ponca tribe in Nebraska champions his people's right to their ancestral home. 
Main Essay: This Land Is Ours by Brandon Marie Miller
Other Primary Documents:
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5 - The Strike for Three Loaves (1912) Immigrant laborers in a Massachusetts mill town join forces to demand fair pay for a day's work. 
Main Essay: The Strike for Three Loaves by Maria Fleming
Other Primary Documents:
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6 - Road Trip for Suffrage (1915) Three activists embark on a daring cross-country journey, in support of women's voting rights. ![[Suffrage envoy Sara Bard Field (left) and her driver, Maria Kindberg (center), and machinist Ingeborg Kindstedt (right) during their cross-country journey to present suffrage petitions to Congress, September-December 1915.]](images/Suffrage_envoy_Sara_Bard_Field_1915.jpg)
Main Essay: Road Trip for Suffrage by Harriet Sigerman
Other Primary Documents:
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7 - The House on Lemon Street (1916) A Riverside, Calif., family battles unjust laws aimed at immigrants of Japanese ancestry. 
Main Essay: The House on Lemon Streetby Maria Fleming
Other Primary Documents:
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8 - A Tale of Two Schools (1945) Mexican American parents in Westminster, Calif., struggle to overturn the policy of school segregation. 
Main Essay: A Tale of Two Schools by Maria Fleming
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9 - Against the Current (1974) Native Americans claim their treaty fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest. 
Main Essay: Against the Current by Beth Hege Piatote
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10 - Wheels of Justice (1977) Disability rights activists stage a month-long sit-in at a government building in San Francisco. 
Main Essay: Wheels of Justice by Lisa Bennett
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11 - Going to Bat for Girls (1992) A Nebraska farm family questions the tradition of gender inequity in school sports. 
Main Essay: Going to Bat for Girls by Lisa Bennett
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12 - The Battle of Spanish Fork (1997) A gay Utah educator fights for her right to teach. 
Main Essay: The Battle of Spanish Fork by Lisa Bennett
Other Primary Documents:
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Conclusion
Read the essay Becoming America by Maria Fleming
Final Writing Assignment - Pick one:
1. History books leave out the stories of many groups. What individuals or groups in your community would you invite to the table, and why?
2. Each generation must carry the torch of freedom forward. What speciual challenges will you and your peers face in championing liberty and equality for everyone, and how will you meet those challenges?