We the People--Created Equal

 

"Abraham Lincoln observed that the American nation was, 'conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.' The Created Equal Bookshelf provides opportunities for young people to explore the meaning of this phrase that helped inspire a revolution. What challenges has America faced, and what progress has it made in its efforts to live up to the ideal of universal human equality?"

 

Grades K-3

 

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson

A duckling is scorned for his strange appearance until he turns out to be a different kind of bird all together.

 

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

Black and white drawings offer a powerful visual interpretation of Lincoln's immortal words proclaiming for the American nation a new birth of freedom out of the carnage of the Civil War.

 

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Pink and Say are two young Union soldiers, one black and one white, who meet after a Civil War battle. Through their brief friendship, Say comes to understand Pink's determination to return to the battlefields to fight against the "sickness that is slavery." Also available in Spanish.

 

Grades 4-6

 

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

The author's newest book of historical fiction is set in the Buxton Settlement, a "Negro" refugee colony established in 1849 in Ontario, Canada. A good secure life, education and advancement were all possible for black slaves who escaped from the United States to Buxton on the Underground Railroad.

 

Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Russell Freedman

Provocations by the British government, reactions by the colonials and the stirring rhetoric of Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine are all part of the story. But the focus of the book is on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, particularly on equality.

 

Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

Lincoln's fascinating life and extraordinary career come to life through Freedman's use of primary documents, period photographs and drawings.

 

Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom by Virginia Hamilton

True stories of men and women, both obscure and well-known, illuminate the history of slavery in America from its origins to its abolishment with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment.

 

Lyddie by Katherine Paterson

The farms and textile mills of 1840s Massachusetts are the setting for this story of a young girl who makes bold choices in her life, overcomes some of her prejudices and learns to value other people for who they are. Also available in Spanish.

 

Grades 7-8

 

Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman

It is 1681 in Boston, and the lives of indentured servants, Narragansett Indians, Puritan preachers and tradesmen appear interwoven in predictable ways. But things are not always what they seem. "Saturnalia" refers to an ancient Roman holiday in which masters and servants traded places for one day.

 

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman

Hundreds of ordinary individuals who believed they should be treated equally under the law participated in the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. This book brings to light their stories and the Civil Rights Movement they launched.

 

Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters edited by Harold Holzer

Beginning with verses Lincoln wrote as a young boy, this collection excerpts personal and official writings up through his presidency, revealing his life story, his character and thoughts, and the power of his words.

 

Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez

As a young child, the author migrated with his family from Tlaquepaque, Mexico to California. This semi-autobiographical account of his teenage years reflects his family's determination to endure poverty and predjudice, to stay together, and to succeed in their new home. Also available in Spanish.

 

Grades 9-12

 

Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie S. Bober

Based on letters to and from Abigail Adams, this biography captures the personalities of Abigail and John, explores their relationship and their roles in the creation of a new nation. Through Abigail's life, we catch a glimpse of the hardships endured on the home front during the Revolutionary War.

 

That All People May Be One People, Send Rain to Wash the Face of the Earth by Nez Perce Chief Joseph

Chief Joseph recounts the ordeal of his tribe's forced removal from their Oregon homeland in 1877, and pleads that the idea of human equality be applied to Indians too. Joseph's words come from interviews published in the 1879 North American Review.

 

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Charlie Gordon is an adult with an I.Q. of 68, but medical treatment in his thirties raises his I.Q. beyond 185. As Charlie's intellectual capacity increases, and others react to him differently, he asks himself what it means to be a person and to be treated as a person. Also available in Spanish.

 

Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography by William Lee Miller

This biography concerns the "moral self-education of our greatest president," said historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. It is at once the story of Lincoln's youth, and inquiry into the development of his character, and an essay in moral thinking.

 

Amistad: A Novel by David Pesci

In 1839, thirty-six African Americans aboard an illegal Portuguese slave ship, the Amistad, mutinied. Captured, taken prisoner and tried for murder and theft, the mutineers were defended by prominent abolitionists, including John Quincy Adams, who argued their case before the Supreme Court.

 

All Ages

 

History in a Box Kit on Abraham Lincoln

This kit, developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, contains a resource book (print and CD formats), DVD, interactive CD-ROM and posters, featuring primary source documents, photographs, artwork, maps, songs and other teaching resources.

 

About the Program

 

The We the People Bookshelf is offered in cooperation with the American Library Association. Libraries in communities and schools can apply to receive free copies of these books. Information for readers, parents, librarians and teachers can be found at The National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

This page updated 4-21-2010.