PORT TOWNSEND — A group of Swan School students assumed the roles of the framers of the U.S. Constitution last week, debating the issues that were being discussed at that time and drawing up a blueprint for the new land.
The seven participants in Friday’s debate were fifth- and sixth-graders at the private school who are taught by Melinda Pongrey, who got the idea for the activity from a textbook written by activist-historian Howard Zinn.
The constitutional exercise took place on the eve of the students’ field trip to Washington, D.C., as well as to two of Virginia’s historical sites, Jamestown and colonial Williamsburg.
They were scheduled to begin the trip early this morning and visit the U.S. Capitol and other legislative offices.
“I am looking forward to taking students to D.C. as we continue learning how our founders dealt with the issues of slavery, in-kind payments, bonds and voting,” Pongrey said.
“The role-play was a great beginning to help them think about how we formed a government of people who all have different experiences and points of view.”
During Friday’s class, each student assumed the identity of a real historical figure, though none of them were known outside the footnote page of the history books.
The students spoke in character, arguing the benefits and drawbacks of slavery, in-kind commerce, women voting and government bonds in lieu of payment.
Some had to take positions they disagreed with.
Benji Kenworthy played a plantation owner named John Scholes, who spoke in favor of slavery and against the idea that women and African-Americans should be allowed to vote.
“I found it interesting that a lot of us had to take different views than we might have if we were being ourselves,” student Spencer Drewry said.
“I learned how people dealt with the problems of government, not having enough money,” student Alana McCleese said.
“It was hard for me to write the speech from a perspective that I don’t usually think of.”
Friday’s class represented the second presentation of the speeches, and the kids showed a greater command of the issues than during the last reading, Pongrey said.
The class is small, with the seven schoolmates becoming very close during the school year.
Pongrey said the small class size is an advantage with regard to individual learning, but there would have been a benefit if more kids participated.
“If you had a bigger class, you’d have more people in a caucus, and that would be more fun and had more points of view,” she said.
Pongrey said Zinn had prepared a fifth-grade version and a high school version of the exercise, and she developed her program using aspects of each.
Pongrey said the constitutional study, which will continue after the field trip, will continue to discover how our nation dealt with these issues and compare them with more contemporary ones.
The role-play wasn’t historically correct: Two of the students were portraying self-described “African-Americans,” a term that wasn’t in use at the time.
Additionally, the constitution approved by the students was different than what was actually ratified, as the students ruled that slavery was unconstitutional.
“I learned a lot about the challenges facing the founders,” Kenworthy said.
“The institution of slavery is inhuman, but lots of people needed it for their livelihood.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie. bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
