"History Students Honored For Taking A Stand"

A Moment in Time

Kansas Historical Society

A monthly series from the Kansas Historical Society

A man led a mutiny on a slave ship, two Olympic athletes stood up for their beliefs, and a woman persuaded legislators to support prohibition. Three Kansas students received top honors for taking these stories to National History Day.

The Kansas Historical Society will hold a reception at 7:30 p.m. on July 31 at the Kansas State History Center to honor the forty-eight Kansas students who competed in National History Day. The reception will feature these three outstanding History Day presentations.

Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe, Manhattan High School, received the grand prize for her Senior Individual Performance "Joseph Cinque: Taking a Stand in History." The grand prize included a $60,000 four-year Case Western Reserve University scholarship. She also received $1,000 for first place. The History Channel, one of the contest's sponsors, honored Amma's teachers, Mickey Bogart, and Crystal Bailey, her student teacher, with the Mentor Award, which included video equipment and videotapes for the high school.

Amma's topic came from a 1969 illustrated magazine that belonged to her mother, a native of Ghana. Dressed as an African storyteller as her grandmother had done, Amma relates the history of Cinque who in 1838 led a mutiny on the Spanish slave ship La Amistad.

When the U.S. Navy seized the ship, he and the other prisoners were charged with murder, mutiny, and piracy. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court with John Quincy Adams defending Cinque. The former U.S. president successfully argued that slave trade was illegal both by American and Spanish law and that mankind had a natural right to freedom. The Africans were returned to their home to find that many in their families had been killed or sold into slavery.

For support, guidance, and fundraising, Amma gives much of the credit to others. "I couldn't have done it without the help of my teachers, friends, and family," she said. "There's an African proverb, 'It takes a whole village to raise a child.' They really did for me."

John Freeman, Topeka Collegiate, place second in the nation in junior individual performance with his portrayal of an incident at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. The sixth-grader's love of sports led him to investigate athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos who brought controversy to the Olympics when they made the black power gesture.

The two athletes are currently teaching at universities in California and served as sources for Freeman's topic. "I talked to Smith and Carlos," John said. "They explained it so a sixth grader could understand it."

Freeman also interviewed Jim Ryun, a Kansan who competed in the 1968 Olympics, David Hillyard, chief of staff for the Black Panthers, and Harry Edwards, an expert on the sociological aspects of the subject. In the performance Freeman portrays a retiring reporter who once thought the gesture was militant, but now looks on the athletes as heroes.

"I liked sports but I thought these guys were militants," Freeman said. "They were really cool. They helped me so much. I'm going to send them a tape and pictures of my performance."

Sonya Cooper, Hoxie High School, placed second in the nation in senior individual media with her story of prohibitionist Jennie Greever. A newspaper article caught Sonya's eye and led her to Jennie's granddaughter and grandson.

Greever, the wife of a Wyandotte legislator, convinced her husband to vote for prohibition in 1879. She took her message to the Kansas statehouse persuading legislators to vote for the measure. In 1880 Kansas was one of the first state's to pass prohibition.

Sonya's slide presentation presents pro and con sides of the issue with George Greever's "wet" view, and Jennie's push for control. "After prohibition, her lifestyle didn't change," Sonya said. "Her involvement in the community and her church had a ripple effect on her family."

The Hoxie student has entered National History Day four times, entering for the first time when she was in the eighth grade. "I hadn't thought about history before," Sonya said. "It was just a class." Now Cooper plans a career as a library archivist.

Forty-eight Kansas students competed in National History Day June 10-13 in the Washington, D.C., area. The Kansas Historical Society will also honor the teachers, district coordinators, and sponsors who make the state program a success each year. The reception, which is open to the public, will be held at the Kansas History Center, 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615; 913-272-8681, ext. 428; TTY 913-272-8683.