Notes:
State curriculum for public schools of California. Includes sections with grade specific information.
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Model Curriculum
for Human Rights
and Genocide
California State Board of Education
1988

Model Curriculum
for Human Rights
and Genocide
Published for the
California State Board of Education
Francis Laufenberg, President
By the
California State Department of Education
Bill Honig
Superintendent of Public Instruction

Publishing Information
When the Model Curriculum for Human Rights and Genocide was adopted by the California State Board of Education on October 2,1987, the members of the Board were:
Perry Dyke, President
Francis Laufenberg, Vice-President
Joseph D. Carrabino
Agnes L Chan
Gloria Sun Horn
Susan Owens (Student Member)
Angie Papadakis
Kenneth L. Peters
Jim C Robinson
David T. Romero
Armen Sarafian
Bill Honig, Secretary and Executive Officer
The document [...]

Contents
Foreword…………………………………………………………………………………………v
Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………..vil
Human Rights and Genocide in the
History-Social Science Framework, A Model Curriculum………………………….1
Curriculum Resources……………………………………………………………………….6
Appendix A: Summary of Human Rights
and Genocide in the Curriculum……………………………………………………….13
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..13
Goals and Curriculum Strands…………………………………………………….14
Course Descriptions…………………………………………………………………..15
Criteria for Evaluating Instructional Materials………………………………..24
Appendix B: Examples of Violations of Human Rights……………………………25
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..26
Chapter 3, “Inhumanity: An Historical Overview”……………………………27
The Armenian Genocide………………………………………………………………31
The Ukrainian Genocide……………………………………………………………..39
Chapter 5, “Surplus People: The Final Solution”
(Retitled for California: “The Holocaust: [...]

Foreword
It is of deep importance in our increasingly multicultural society and our interdependent world that our students recognize the sanctity of life and the dignity of the individual. We want to instill in our students a respect for each person as a unique individual. We want our students to understand that concern for ethics and [...]

Preface
The Model Curriculum Human Rights and Genocide has been developed
pursuant to Assembly Bill 1273 (1985), which states that:
… the State Department of Education shall develop a model curriculum for use by school districts maintaining grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to be incorporated into existing history or social studies courses offered by these districts relating to [...]

Human Rights
and Genocide in the
History-Social Science Framework
A Model Curriculum
There is no more urgent task for educators in the field of history and social science than to teach students about the importance of human rights and to analyze with them the actual instances in which genocide— the ultimate violation of human rights— has been committed. We [...]

which had begun to recognize genocide as an offense against humanity as well as against the target group. It was more precisely defined in 1948, when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This document defines genocide as follows:
In the present Convention, [...]

• United States Constitution (including the Bill of Rights)
• French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech to Congress declaring the Four Freedoms and their incorporation in the Atlantic Charter
• United Nations’ Universal [...]

are like other people or different from them, to work harmoniously with those from other cultures, and to cultivate values that promote cooperation and good citizenship. The goal of both study and activity in these years is not only to promote cognitive appreciation for different cultures but also to work actively to combat feelings of [...]

Because respect for individual rights and protection for them are integral to the definition of a democratic society, students should recognize that a democratic system of government offers the best protection against the abuse of human rights.
At numerous points in the curriculum for grades six through twelve, students should analyze the political, religious, and philosophical [...]

Curriculum Resources
As school districts develop their history-social science curriculum, they may wish to develop case studies related to issues of human rights and events of genocide. The studies could include books about human rights organizations; key biographies of human rights activists (for example, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sakharov); key histories; and personal accounts. [...]

Armenian Assembly of America, 122 C Street N.W., Suite 350, Washington, DC 20001. Teacher’s Manual on the Armenian Genocide. This teaching manual contains reference materials, facts, documents, maps, excerpts from eyewitness accounts, and a list of resource persons and bookstores. Chapters deal with deportation, extermination, and the world response.
Armenian Assembly of America, Western Regional Office: [...]

Ethnic Studies Departments. University of California and California State Universities. Information on current problems affecting ethnic minorities in California is available.
Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation. Inc.. 25 Kennard Road. Brookline, MA 02146; telephone (617) 232-1595. Executive Director. Margot Stern Strom. A resource center provides films, slides, filmstrip kits, videotapes, posters, and testimony of witnesses [...]

International Alert Against Genocide and Mass Killings, Box 259,1015 Gayley Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
Internet on the Holocaust and Genocide. U.S. Address: c/o Ronald Santoni, Denison University, Granville, OH 43203. This organization distributes a newsletter entitled Internet on the Holocaust and Genocide.

Japanese American Citizens League, Rom Wakabayashi, National Director, 1765 Sutter Street, San Francisco. CA [...]

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 4805 Mount Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215; telephone (301) 358-8900. Resource materials on slavery and the struggle of black people for civil rights are available.
National Conference of Christians and Jews, United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. This organization publishes The Record, which is a short [...]

University Press, 1970; The Other Holocaust, by Bohdan Wytwycky, The
Novak Report. 918 “F” Street. N.W.. Washington. DC 20004. 1980.
Polish American Congress. Inc.. Northern California Division. 3040 22nd
Street. San Francisco. CA 94110; telephone (415) 386-1815.
Polish American Congress, Inc.. Southern California Division, 22048 Sher-
man Way. Suite 217, Canoga Park, CA 91303; telephone (818) 704-1759.
Information on the Nazi [...]

Ukrainian Heritage Club of Northern California, 901 Amberwood Road,
Sacramento, CA 95864; telephone (916) 482-4706. Genocide of Ukrainians in 1932-33: A Case Study, by Miron Dolot. 1986. This is a teaching
guide.
Ukrainian Research Center Institute, Harvard University 1953 Massachusetts
Avenue, Cambridge. MA 02138; telephone (617) 495-7833.
UNESCO: “Human Rights, Questions and Answers,” by Leah Levin, Illustrated by Plantu, UNESCO. [...]

Appendix A
Summary of Human Rights and
Genocide in the Curriculum
Knowledge of human rights and the inhumanity of genocide are presented
throughout the History-Social Science Framework for California Public
Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. As curriculum specialists and
textbook publishers develop their materials, attention should be given to
including understandings of this topic at every grade level. The summary of
where human [...]

students to reflect on the various ways that people
have struggled throughout time with ethical issues
and will consider what the consequences are for us
today.. . .
Human rights and genocide are addressed in five of
the 17 distinguishing characteristics of the frame-
work, as follows:
Eighth:
This framework incorporates a multicultural per-
spective. . ..
Tenth:
This framework emphasizes the importance of the
application of [...]

Constitutional Heritage
Civic Values, Rights, and Responsibilities
Participation Skills
Critical Thinking Skills
Course Descriptions
Kindergarten
Learning and Working, Now and Long Ago. Chil-
dren learn to respect the rights of others. They are
introduced to literature that raises value issues (for
example, The People Could Fly and folktales about
American blacks)…. Children build their sense of
self and self-worth… and build a sense of historical
empathy. [...]

mined for gold and helped build the railroads.
Students learn that with cultural diversity come
elements of tension. .. .
Grade Five
United States History and Geography: Making of
a New Nation. Students develop historical empa-
thy through the eyes of participants in great events;
for example, American Indians, slaves, and people of
different racial, religious, and ethnic groups. Stu-
dents learn of indentured [...]

ment. . . . Students study the ethical teachings of
Confucius. . . . Students can read Paul’s letter to
Philemon, a letter whose moral teaching on slavery
challenged by persuasion the social order and insti-
tutions of Rome. [...]

Students examine the daily life of ordinary citizens
in the new nation in order to understand the life of
servants, blacks (free and slave), and American
Indians___Students study the searing accounts of
Indian removal and the “Trail of Tears.”… Students
learn about Helen Hunt Jackson, who worked to
improve living conditions for California Indians.
Students learn about the major impetus given to [...]

the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amend-
ments to the Constitution.
During study of the “Rise of Industrial America,”
students learn of… the Indian wars, Custer’s Last
Stand, and the removal of American Indians to res-
ervations___Students read Chief Joseph’s words of
surrender… to grasp the great heroism and human
tragedy that accompanied the conquest of this last
frontier. Students also learn of the [...]

groups and to learn how they are alike and different,
in both their past and present experiences,… un-
derstand the root cultures from which American
ethnic groups have developed,… gain insights into
the barriers that various ethnic groups have had to
overcome in the past and present. . . . learn of
contributions of groups and individuals, . . . and
learn [...]

world’s most civilized nations participated in the
systematic murder of millions of innocent people.
Students should understand the nature of totali-
tarian rule… and learn to recognize the importance
of… safeguards of individual rights,… the role of
the individual in mass society, … the ethical re-
sponsibility of the individual… .
During the unit on World War II, students learn of
the collaboration [...]

minority rights. During the Jazz Age, Ku Klux Klan
activities increased in the South and Midwest….A
migration of many blacks from the South helped to
create the “Harlem Renaissance.” . . .
In the unit on World War II, students look again at
the Holocaust and consider the response of Franklin
D. Roosevelt’s Administration to Hitler’s atrocities
against the Jews and other [...]

During the unit “The United States in Recent
Times,” students… reflect on the redefinition of the
Bill of Rights during the twentieth century, particu-
larly the tension between the rights of the individual
and the power of the state;… compare the status
of minorities in 1900 to the present; and reflect on
changes in job opportunities, educational opportu-
nitles, and legal protections [...]

Criteria for Evaluating
Instructional Materials
The writing in textbooks . . . must incorporate
human interest wherever possible so that students
will recognize the universal humanity of people in
other times and places, . . . the men and women
whose triumphs and tragedies continue to deserve
our attention, . . . and people who . . . authored
terrible [...]

Appendix B
Examples of Violations of Human Rights
Introduction……………………………………………………….,……………………..26
Chapter 3. “Inhumanity: An Historical Overview”*…………………………….27
The Armenian Genocide………………………………………………………………..31
The Ukrainian Genocide……………………………………………………………….39
Chapter 5, “Surplus People: The Final Solution”
(Retitled for California: “The Holocaust: Genocide Against
the Jews”)*…………………………………………………………………………………45
Mass Murder and Genocide of Poles During World War II……………………53
Chapter 6, “Surplus People: The Pattern Continues”
(Retitled for California: “Totalitarian Violations
in Argentina, Cambodia, and South Africa”)*………………………………55
• Appreciation [...]

Appendix B
Introduction
The items in Appendix B are vignettes that provide some background to
teachers on issues and events of human rights and genocide. The vignettes are
not meant to be inflammatory, to intrude on the rights of others, or to promote
a hostile climate. These examples, selected because they serve to illustrate
events in the curriculum described in the [...]

Appendix B
Chapter 3
Inhumanity: An Historical Overview
The following section is excerpted from Chapter 3 of Human Rights: The
Struggle for Freedom, Dignity and Equality, published by the Connecticut
State Department of Education.
Teaching Objective
Students will be able to cite examples of recent and
past violations of human rights in the United States
as well as in other nations.
Since the beginning of [...]

Religious persecution
Horrible events have also been perpetrated in the name of religion. During the
Medieval Period in Europe, Christianity, in the form of the Catholic Church, was the
one “true” religion. The Church was the richest and most powerful institution in the
Western world at that time and its influence dominated the lives of all from king to
peasant. [...]

years. The lives of thousands of innocent people were disrupted and even destroyed
without any pretense of legal due process. Few people spoke out in defense of the
Japanese Americans. Even the Supreme Court hesitated to challenge the “military
necessity” argument advanced by the government and the military. Only a few, such
as Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson [...]

The Plains Indians were 1he last obstacle to white control of the West. The seven
tribes of the Teton Sioux, numbering about 16,000 in 1880, were placed on a reserva-
tion in South Dakota. There the military proceeded to “civilize” them. They were
forced to give up their traditional economy and to become wards of the state. Children
were [...]

*Please note that pages 31-38 are not included because they do not contain curriculum material on the Holodomor or any other Communist genocide.
Appendix B
The Ukrainian Genocide
Genocide by a leftist government
Even less known than the Armenian Genocide is the famine of 1932-33 in
Ukraine, during which five to seven million Ukrainians died because of official
Soviet policies [...]

USSR Intent is also implicit in the Soviet government’s vehement denials of the
existence of famine at the time it occurred and its rejection of all famine relief
offered by private individuals and organizations, as well as the export for sale
abroad of roughly 1.7 million metric tons of grain at the height of the mass
starvation.
Ukraine and the [...]

for example, the city of Lviv (which the Poles called Lwow, the Russians Lvov,
and the Germans Lemberg) had more Polish inhabitants than Ukrainians, and
Poland claimed the city on this basis. But this same city was located in an area
where Ukrainians outnumbered Poles rather substantially.
In most of Ukraine, which had been ruled by Russia, the bulk [...]

of non-Russian national cultural activities and the active recruitment of non-
Russians into the Party and state apparatuses.
Since the non-Russians were overwhelmingly rural, the two policies, NEP
and indigenization, were but two sides of the same coin. As Stalin once wrote,
“The nationality problem is by the essence of the matter a problem of the
peasantry.” Official sponsorship of [...]

produced. Collectivization was carried out “on the basis of the liquidation of the
kulaks (so-called village exploiters but actually anyone the regime considered
unreliable) as a class.” According to official Soviet figures, 200,000 Ukrainian
farm families or about one million people were “dekulakized” or expropriated.
The true figure is a matter of speculation. At the same time Stalin began [...]

searches and seizures of foodstuffs, a policy for which the Moscow Central
Committee and Stalin personally were responsible, the famine reached its
height in the spring of 1933. At the same time, the nationally minded wing of
the Communist Party of Ukraine was purged, and often its members were
arrested as spies and wreckers. All manifestations of Ukrainian cultural
distinctiveness [...]