A Peaceful World: Eleanor Roosevelt, the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Diligence45 min
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.
- What challenges are you facing?
- What fears or concerns might you have?
- What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?
- Who was Eleanor Roosevelt? Why was she chosen to be the United States’ delegate to the U.N. Human Rights Commission? What was her role at the U.N.?
- What was Eleanor’s purpose as the chair and member of the Commission?
Discuss the following questions with your students.
- What is the historical context of the narrative?
- What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
- How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
- How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
- How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
- What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
- Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
- How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?
- Students will examine Eleanor Roosevelt’s role in developing the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.
- Students will apply their understanding of diligence to their own lives.
- Students will determine ways that they can use diligence to advance freedom.