Source Sets / World History
Who should shape Latin America's future?
Bolívar, Bilbao, Madero, García Calderón, Perón, Castro, and President Kennedy offer very different plans for the region's government and its ties to the United States.
Teach it
✓ Lesson readyA ready-to-run lesson for this set: Plan Sort: Mapping Latin America’s Futures. Slides include a hook, one slide per source, directions, a take-a-stand vote, an exit ticket, and a teacher script in the speaker notes.
1. Hook: a striking quote 3-5 min
We are not Europeans; we are not Indians; we are but a mixed species of aborigines and Spaniards.
Simón Bolívar, Message to the Congress of Angostura (1819)
Ask: Bolívar was describing the people of the new republics he was helping to create. Why would the question “Who are we?” matter when designing a government?
2. Main activity: Plan Sort: Mapping Latin America’s Futures
Grouping: Groups of 3 or 4
Setup: Draw a large plus sign on chart paper. Left to right: “Strong leaders guide the nation” to “The people rule through free elections.” Bottom to top: “Resist outside power” to “Work closely with the United States.” Groups place each plan card on the grid.
Materials (printables are in the Lesson Plan Doc)
- One set of 7 plan cards per group (printable pages in the Lesson Plan Doc)
- A large sheet with two crossing lines (the sorting grid)
- Exit ticket slips
- Set up the grid 5 min
Explain the two lines. Model one card together, Bolívar, and discuss why he might go in more than one place. - Sort the cards 15 min
Groups place all seven cards on the grid. Every placement needs a reason written in the margin. - Compare grids 10 min
Groups visit one other group’s grid and leave one question on a sticky note. Discuss the card with the most disagreement. - Take a stand 8 min
Use the four-corners slide. - Exit ticket 5 min
Students answer on a slip before leaving.
Take a stand: Who should shape Latin America’s future?
- A. Strong national leaders (Bolívar, Eva Perón)
- B. The people, through free and fair elections (Madero, Bilbao)
- C. Movements that resist foreign power (Castro, García Calderón)
- D. Partnership across the Americas (Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress)
3. Pacing options
15-minute bell-ringer
- 3 min Hook: Bolívar
- 8 min Pairs sort three cards only: Madero, Kennedy, and Castro
- 4 min Exit ticket question 1
Full 50-minute lesson
- 4 min Hook: Bolívar
- 5 min Set up the grid and model one card
- 15 min Group card sort
- 10 min Compare grids
- 8 min Four corners
- 5 min Exit ticket
- 3 min Buffer
4. Exit ticket
- Which plan card was hardest to place on the grid? Explain why.
- Bilbao (1862) and Madero (1910) both complain about leaders who keep power. How are their complaints similar?
5. Differentiation
Support
- This set has no Adapted Docs yet; read key passages aloud or chunk them for struggling readers.
- Pre-sort the cards into older (1800s) and newer (1900s) plans.
- Give each card a one-line summary on the back.
- Sentence frame: “This plan belongs here because it says ___.”
Extension
- Kennedy and Castro spoke less than a year apart. How might each have answered the other?
- Choose one country in the region today. Which of the seven plans does its government most resemble? Explain with evidence.
Suggested sequence
- Bolívar: Message to the Congress of Angostura (1819)Speech · Fordham University · World: Revolutions (1750-1900) · Grades 9-12 · ⏱ 30+ minBolívar's vision for government in newly independent Venezuela.Ask: What kind of government did Bolívar think Latin America needed?Open with this source to frame the question.
- Francisco Bilbao (1823-1865): from America in Danger , 1862Document · Fordham University · World: Revolutions (1750-1900) · Grades 6-8, 9-12 · ⏱ 4 minThere is a tendancy to make unfavorable comparison between the beneficial political development of the United States and Canada towards political stability, and the extreme instability of 19th and 20th-century Latin American politics.Ask: What dangers does Bilbao see facing Latin America, and what does he propose?
- Madero: Plan of San Luis Potosí (1910)Document · Fordham University · Progressive Era (1890-1920) · Grades 9-12 · ⏱ 15 minFrancisco Madero's call to revolt against Porfirio Díaz.Ask: Why did Mexicans rise up against Díaz?
- Francisco Garcia Calderón: "Imperialism of Decadence", 1913Document · Fordham University · World: 20th Century (1900-present) · Grades 9-12 · ⏱ 3 minCalderón was a Peruvian diplomat and writer.Ask: How does García Calderón describe the influence of the United States in Latin America?
- Eva Duarte de Perón: History of Perónism, excerpts, 1951Document · Fordham University · World: 20th Century (1900-present) · Grades 9-12 · ⏱ 3 minEva Duarte de Perón: History of Perónism, excerpts, 1951. A primary source from 1951, reproduced from Eva Duarte de Perón. It begins: "The working class forces have triumphed, thanks to the humble, good men and the workers who saw in Perón not only the..."Ask: How does Eva Perón describe Peronism and the people it claims to serve?
- JFK: On the Alliance for Progress (1961)Speech · Fordham University · Cold War (1945-1991) · Grades 9-12 · ⏱ 15 minKennedy's proposal for a decade of development aid to Latin America.Ask: Could economic aid stop revolutions?
- Castro: Second Declaration of Havana (1962)Speech · Fordham University · Cold War (1945-1991) · Grades 9-12 · ⏱ 30+ minFidel Castro's call for revolution across Latin America.Ask: Why did the Cuban Revolution worry the United States?Close with this source before writing.
Culminating writing prompt
Using evidence from at least three sources in this set, write an argument that answers the question: “Who should shape Latin America's future?” Cite each source by title, explain how its author, audience, and purpose affect its reliability, and respond to at least one counterargument.
Printable writing sheet (make a copy)
Students can plan with the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning organizer.