Churchill, Leadership and Democracy



Statesmanship and Democracy

A Culminating Activity in American History, 1877-2001

Introduction

Certainly there is power in freedom, justice and truth, power not only for individuals but for collective nations. These virtues stir people to do what is right and encourage people to refrain from doing wrong. They provoke undying devotion, energy and fortitude. They are not easily defined, attained nor are they easily given up. For centuries, democracies have embraced these ideals though not without statesmen. A well structured democratic institution is merely a hollow shell without the hearts and souls of men. But with men also comes corruption. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can withstand adversity; if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

This lesson plan will focus on the impact of statesmanship and democracy in American history. Though at times dealing with abstract concepts, this lesson will provide teachers with great flexibility. Ideally this lesson would occur at the end of a year long American history course that has covered the years 1877-2001.

Through brainstorming and discussion, students will gain an understanding of the virtues of democracy while also recognizing the significance of statesmen on this system of government. By examining primary sources, students will compare common themes of democracy as well as the affects of mass culture on today’s leaders. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to read several key speeches of democratic leaders in times of national crisis and discern how virtuous, democratic nations confront evil.

Particular attention will be paid to Winston Churchill throughout this lesson. His passion and courage for the cause of freedom resounds throughout history. He is a shining example of a leader who tirelessly took up the cause of democracy in the hopes of bettering not just Britain but the world. His words on October 29, 1941 are still relevant for today’s statesmen and all democratic citizens, "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.''

Guiding Questions

Is there virtue in democracy?

Can democracy continue on its own or must statesmen lead the way?

What examples in history support the virtue of democracy and the impact of statesmen?

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students should be able to:

▪ Articulate the general virtues of democracy and explain the significance of statesmen in the leadership of democracy.

▪ Identify several statesmen in democratic history and assess what made them statesmen as opposed to simply a leader.

▪ Discuss the overall effects of modern society on leadership in light of Winston Churchill’s 1925 article, Mass Effects in Modern Life.

▪ Identify common themes of democracy in particular writings of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thomas Jefferson.

▪ Discuss how a virtuous democratic nation confronts evil.

Background Information for the Teacher

Democracy is literally, rule by the people. In America, democracy has taken on the distinct shape of a republic. This is evident by the free elections of representative leaders to serve in a limited government. Though democracy may look different in various cultures it usually carries common ideals such as, freedom, justice and safety. Democracies have their weaknesses and are not immune to political failure and foreign invasion. However, democracies have shown great resilience over time largely because of educated citizens and virtuous leaders. Throughout history, this system of government has been marked by economic and military strength. The balance of the interests of the individual versus the state can be precarious but undoubtedly evokes the power to overcome tyranny.

In this lesson several primary sources are used to explore the concepts of statesmanship and democracy. Winston Churchill, Federalist No. 10, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan all had something to contribute to the discussion of these topics. By examining the writings of these statesmen, common themes of democracy are evident such as, the danger of “factions,” civil and religious liberty, preservation of peace, self-determination, hard work and patriotism.

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Washington, John Marshall, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ronald Reagan are all statesmen who shaped not only America but consequently the world. Courage, commitment, resolve, wisdom, prudence, and integrity were exemplified by these men. They fought to keep freedom alive even in the face of peril. Democracy would not be the same without them.

Before going further, one must distinguish between a leader and a statesman. Leaders can sway their nations to unwavering devotion, bring economic wealth, and restore national pride. Adolf Hitler, among others in history, could be called a good leader, but at what cost? What did he lead his people to, destruction, shame, evil? A statesman on the other hand, has the wisdom to recognize evil and the courage to face it head on. He balances the interests of the individual with that of the nation as he seeks to ensure safety and justice. Steadfast and resolute, a statesman adheres to wise counsel but is not afraid when necessary, to stand alone. With their vision and valor, statesmen shape the character of society for the betterment of the world.

When faced with the threat of tyranny and terror democracy, under the direction of statesmen, does not shrink or falter. If anything, citizens are united more strongly in the cause for freedom. The words of statesmen during times of crisis are critical and impacting. By examining several instances in history when world leaders addressed their respective nations following assaults within their borders by foreign invaders, much is learned about the responsibility of democracies. Virtuous, democratic nations cannot help but confront evil.

Preparing to Teach this Lesson

Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and links used in this lesson. Download and print out selected documents and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing. Also, locate audio recordings of Franklin Roosevelt’s Infamy Speech, George W. Bush’s Address to Congress, September 20, 2001, and possibly Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream Speech. Become familiar with these recordings and the technology necessary to play these recordings for your students. You will also need easel pad paper and markers available for this lesson. Finally, you should become familiar with and/or review the primary sources used in this lesson.

Analyzing primary sources:

For this lesson, your students should have some prior experience dealing with primary sources. In order to develop these skills, you might want to use any or all of the following sites:

The Learning Page, located at the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress:



Document Analysis Worksheets, located at the Digital Classroom of the National Archives:



Making Sense of Evidence, located at George Mason University’s “History Matters” site:



Suggested Activities

1. Is There Virtue in Democracy?

2. What Threatens Democracy and its Statesmanship?

3. How Has Modern Society Affected Democratic Statesmanship?

4. What Have Statesmen Said About Democracy?

5. How Must Statesmen of Democracy Confront Evil?

1. Is There Virtue in Democracy?

Begin by asking students to brainstorm examples of democracies. As their answers are volunteered, write them on the blackboard. Then ask students to identify what these nations have in common? What does democracy look like?

Next, direct students to the following questions that you have written on various sheets of easel pad paper and posted around the classroom. Students should copy these questions into their notebooks, leaving space to answer them. The questions are as follows:

▪ What is democracy?

▪ What makes a democracy?

▪ What is the opposite of democracy?

▪ Does democracy need statesmen?

▪ What are its weaknesses?

▪ Is there virtue in democracy?

Divide students into six groups with each group getting an easel pad of paper and a marker. Assign each group one of the above democracy questions, and instruct them to work together to compose their ideas on their piece of paper. Once each group is finished, post their papers around the classroom. Student groups should take turns orally presenting their question and ideas to the class. As students copy these ideas into their notebooks, teacher facilitation will be needed to clarify ideas and suggest additional information to be added to their notes.

This first activity serves as an introduction to the rest of the lesson. However, following this brainstorming session and discussion, students should be able to answer the following question:

▪ What are the general virtues of democracy?

2. What Threatens Democracy and its Statesmanship?

Direct students to the following documents:

Winston Churchill’s 1938 The Lights are Going Out Speech

Churchill, W.S. (2003). Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches. Hyperion: New York. pp182-185.

Publius 1787 Federalist No.10



Abraham Lincoln’s 1838 Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum



Ronald Reagan’s 1982 Address to Parliament

Research/Europe/WM106.cfm

Teachers may wish to assemble these into a reading packet with the complete documents or just the excerpts. It would be beneficial to briefly review the setting of each speech with your students so that they have as sense of the background of the writings. Teachers may wish to model for students how to “interact” with the documents by highlighting and underlining particular portions of importance. Students should note two points from each document that they would apply to your previous class notes and discussion on leadership and democracy.

Based on their reading of the documents, student should answer the following questions:

▪ How do the ideas of these wise men fit into our discussion of democracy and statesmanship?

▪ What are the common themes in these writings?

▪ What are the weaknesses of democracy?

▪ What are the strengths of democracy?

3. How Has Modern Society Affected Democratic Statesmanship?

Direct students attention to the following questions:

▪ What is statesmanship?

▪ What qualities make a statesman?

▪ What is the difference between a leader and a statesman?

▪ What examples are there of statesman in democratic history?

▪ What do these statesmen have in common?

▪ What is the significance of statesmen in democracy?

Guide students in a discussion of these questions by recording their ideas on the blackboard. It would be beneficial for students to add these ideas to their notes as well, as they continue their understanding of statesmanship and democracy. Teacher facilitation will be needed to assist students in discerning the qualities of a statesman versus a leader because the argument could be made that Adolf Hitler was a great leader in that he roused the complete devotion of his people but what separates great leaders from statesmen? Can a leader be truly great while only serving his own interests or must he put the interests of others first?

In addition, pose the following questions to the students:

▪ How has leadership changed in the last century?

▪ How has modern society/mass culture affected leadership?

Teachers may find it useful to write these questions on the blackboard and instruct students to add them to their notes on statesmanship and democracy. Allow students some time to answer in their notebooks before volunteering suggestions.

Direct students to the following document:

Winston Churchill’s 1925 article Mass Effects in Modern Life



Read this selection out loud together. Direct students back to the above two questions on leadership, what would they change or add to their notes after reading Churchill’s article?

Based on their examination of this article, facilitate students in addressing several of the questions raised by Churchill in the article such as; “Are not affairs increasingly being settled by mass processes?” Is the media providing a “continuous stream of standardized opinion?” “Can modern communities do without great men?”

Following this brainstorming session and discussion, students should be able to answer the following questions:

▪ What examples are there of statesmen in democratic history?

▪ What is the significance of statesmen in democracy?

▪ How has modern society/mass culture affected leadership?

4. What Have Great Men Said About Democracy?

Distribute to the students the following documents:

Winston Churchill’s 1946 Sinews of Peace Speech



Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1963 I Have a Dream Speech



Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address



Thomas Jefferson 1776 The Declaration of Independence



Teachers may wish to assemble these into a reading packet. Utilize audio recordings of these speeches as well as placing written copies of them in students’ hands to follow along. The examination of these documents could be done individually, in teacher-assigned groups, together as a class, or any combination thereof. Allowing some in-class reading time would probably prove to be helpful for some students so that the teacher is available to provide guidance and answer questions.

Based on their readings of these documents, students should prepare a brief essay (3-5 paragraphs) comparing and contrasting these writings in light of the following questions:

▪ What are the common themes expressed in these documents?

▪ What do these men say about democracy as a system of government?

▪ What type of leadership does democracy need?

5. How Must Great Men of Democracy Confront Evil?

Direct students to the following documents:

Winston Churchill’s 1940 Wars are Not Won by Evacuations Speech

Churchill, W.S. (2003). Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches. Hyperion: New York. pp 210-218.

Winston Churchill’s 1940 Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat Speech



President Roosevelt’s December 8, 1941 Infamy Speech



President George W. Bush’s September 20, 2001 Freedom and Fear are at War Speech



Teachers may wish to assemble these into a reading packet with the complete documents or just chosen excerpts. It would be beneficial to briefly review the setting of each speech with your students so that they have as sense of the background of the writings. Students could examine these documents by listening to audio recordings of these speeches while at the same time following along with written copies. In addition, the reading of these documents could be done individually, in teacher-assigned groups, together as a class, or any combination thereof. Allowing some in-class reading time would probably prove to be helpful for some students so that the teacher is available to provide guidance and answer questions.

Based on their readings of these documents, students should prepare a brief essay (3-5 paragraphs) comparing and contrasting these writings in light of the following questions:

▪ How does a virtuous, democratic nation confront evil?

▪ Why is freedom worth fighting for?

Assessment

After completing this lesson, students should be able to write brief (1-2 paragraphs) essays answering the following questions:

▪ What are the general virtues of democracy?

▪ How important are statesmen to the leadership of democracy?

▪ How has modern society affected leaders of democracy?

▪ What common democratic themes are evident in selected writings of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thomas Jefferson?

▪ How does a virtuous democratic nation confront evil?

Students should also be able to identify several statesmen of democracy from history.

Finally, students should be able to write essays (2-4 pages) answering the following questions:

▪ Is there virtue in democracy?

▪ Can democracy continue on its own or must statesmen lead the way?

▪ What examples in history support the virtue of democracy and the impact of statesmen?

Extending the Lesson

Many of Winston Churchill’s writings are relevant and rich with vigor on the topics of freedom and justice. His speeches warning of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and his speeches rallying the British people once World War II broke out are excellent examples of fighting for the cause of democracy. These themes are also carried in Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech and his various other works relating to the Cold War. Students may be interested in exploring the rival of communism versus democracy, the rights of the individual versus the state. Also interesting to note would be Churchill’s passion for the unity of the English speaking peoples. Students could examine this concept further through his numerous writings on this topic (The Great Republic) and assess the significance of America’s relationship with our greatest ally, Britain. The Churchill Center in Washington, D.C. has a useful website for locating Churchill speeches online, it is as follows:

Any of the individuals or questions mentioned throughout this lesson could be topics for research papers, presentations, etc. Further ideas include, what are the responsibilities of democratic citizens? What does the War on Terrorism have to do with the virtues of democracy? What are the shortcomings of democracy?

Students may be interested in looking at these ideas from another perspective by examining the effects of tyrannical leadership in history.

Possible book reviews could be completed using Winston Churchill’s The Gathering Storm, The Great Republic, or possibly biographies of great leaders in history.

In addition, several movies might prove to be useful when addressing these topics such as, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Pearl Harbor, and Flight 93: The Flight that Fought Back.

Additional Information

▪ Grade Level: 9th Honors

▪ Subject: American History, 1877-2001

▪ Time Required: 10-15 fifty-minute classroom periods

▪ Author’s Name and Affiliation: Sara Whitis, Ashland High School, Ashland, Ohio

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