Native Son Lesson Plan

It is vital for students to understand the historical context and significance of Native Son. Students should be encouraged to do independent research, both through traditional means and online. There are several historical incidents mentioned in Native Son that can be researched online. Documentary footage, primary documents, and information on the informal segregation of cities may be easier to find online and more readily available. In particular, students should be steered to look for content about Jim Crow laws, the Great Migration, slavery, the NAACP, the history of the Communist Party USA, and the history of the Ku Klux Klan in order to better understand the context of Native Son....