Profiles in Courage

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Description:

One of President Kennedy’s greatest legacies, Profiles in Courage documents what he believed to be significant acts of moral courage. In a time when politicians’ greatest efforts appear to be to reward the faithful and to get themselves reelected, when fervent speeches have been reduced to sound bites, and when America’s youngest voters are its most apathetic, Profiles in Courage challenges Americans to hold fast to the individualism, the strength, the daring that is our nation’s heritage. John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft, as well as other men and women of political courage, are examined.

Activities:

Students examine the political motivations, actions, speeches, and writings of each of the senators and evaluate Kennedy’s consideration of their acts of courage. They compare and contrast, predict outcomes and future trends, analyze political cartoons, write newspaper editorials, role-play, and dramatize. Lessons aid students in understanding the text as well as in examining the concept of moral courage and applying it to the world in which they live. 

Supplementary materials provide an objective test with answer key and a list of related projects and activities.

Ethical Values: