Sweet Land of Liberty

Sweet Land of Liberty

by Deborah Hopkinson

Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins

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Grades 3+

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Experiencing his own injustices as a child, Oscar Chapman grew up to be an assistant secretary pf the interior under Franklin Roosevelt, who stood up for what is right. In 1939, Marian Anderson, an African American opera singer was invited by Howard University to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. However, the owners of the hall denied her the chance because of her race. Not standing for this, Chapman arranged for her to sing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 75,000 people. Opening with one of our nation's anthems "Sweet Land of Liberty," she was the first to have performed at this venue. It is also the place were Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech, twenty-four years after Anderson's performance. This was not only a tremendous event for Anderson, Chapman, and Washington D.C., but for a nation as well, as Chapman devoted much of his efforts to ending segregation. This was but a minor part in the civil rights movement, but the work of a few people, made a big difference for a lot.

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This book portrays the work and effort of an everyday person, Oscar Chapman. He realized how cruel the world can be at a young age, and grew up to make a change. This story depicts how people stand up for not just themselves and their own race, but for others as well. Social Justice Element #4 is all about how people make a change in the face of injustice. When Chapman became aware of Anderson's circumstance, he took upon himself to make sure she was allowed to be heard. Not only was Anderson allowed to perform, she performed in front of five times as many people that would have heard her at Constitution Hall.

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Teachers can incorporate this book in several different units. To view some lesson plans associated with this book click here... scroll down to view "Teaching History with Children's Literature: Sweet Land of Liberty." To include a short clip of Anderson's performance to your lesson plan click here.