Taking a Stand - Writings of William Allen White
Guided tour—William Allen White House State Historic Site, Emporia
Grades—high school
William Allen White was known for taking a stand on issues of importance to Kansans. Through his editorials in the Gazette he managed to catch the eye of both common Americans and presidents. White became known as the "Sage of Emporia" and was admired for his ability to represent the feelings of the heartland. This tour offers the students an opportunity to take a stand.
The tour has been developed to provide history and English students the opportunity to participate in an in-depth study of one of three issues important to White, fellow Kansans, and Americans. The three topics are the Populist Party, the Court of Industrial Relations, and the influence of the Ku Klux Klan.
Teachers will choose the topic that their students will pursue. Background information will be provided prior to the visit to the house. This will include expository information and primary sources related to the topic. Each of the three tours will feature one of White’s writings as the anchor. White’s editorial, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” attacking the Populist Party, will be the basis for the first tour. When White posted a sign in his office supporting the striking railroad workers, he defied Kansas Governor Allen’s interpretation of the Court of Industrial Relations’ authority. His letter, “To an Anxious Friend,” will be the centerpiece of this second tour. In 1924, the Ku Klux Klan were exerting their influence throughout the Midwest. The third tour will be based on White’s article announcing that he would run for governor in an attempt to ban the Ku Klux Klan from Kansas.
The students will take a short tour of the White home and then gather in White’s study to participate in an intellectual discussion called a Socratic Seminar. The physical environment in which the activity is conducted is one of the most crucial elements of the process. What better setting to stimulate critical and creative thinking than in the home of William Allen White?
Possible Kansas standards addressed:
History: Benchmark 1, Indicator 1: (A) The student analyzes the ways the People’s Party Platform of 1892 addressed the social and economic issues facing Kansas and the nation.
History: Benchmark 1, Indicator 2.: (A) The student analyzes the text of William Allen White’s essay “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
History: Benchmark 1, Indicator 5: (K) The student understands the role of the Court of Industrial Relations in solving labor disputes in the 1920s.
History: Benchmark 1, Indicator 11: (A) The student analyzes significant developments in race relations (e.g., rise of the Ku Klux Klan).
History: Benchmark 5, Indicator 2: (A) The student develops historical questions on a specific topic in Kansas history and analyzes the evidence in primary source documents to speculate on the answers.
History: Benchmark 5, Indicator 3: (A) The student investigates an event in Kansas history using primary and secondary sources and develops a credible interpretation of the event, speculating on its meaning.
Civics-Government: Benchmark 1, Indicator 2: ?(A) The student analyzes how the rule of law can be used to protect the rights of individuals and to promote the common good (e.g., eminent domain, martial law during disasters, health, and safety issues)—Court of Industrial Relations
Civics-Government: Benchmark 4, Indicator 1: ?(A) The student examines the role of political parties in channeling public opinion, allowing people to act jointly, nominating candidates, conducting campaigns, and training future leaders.—Ku Klux Klan and/or “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
Civics-Government: Benchmark 4, Indicator 2: (K) The student explains how public policy is formed and carried out at local, state, and national levels and what roles individuals and groups can play in the process. –Court of Industrial Relations and/or “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
Civics-Government: Benchmark 4, Indicator 3: (A) The student analyzes policies, actions, and issues regarding the rights of individuals to equal protection under the law.—Court of Industrial Relations
Civics-Government: Benchmark 4, Indicator 4: (A) The student examines issues regarding political rights (e.g., to be an informed voter, participate in the political process, assume leadership roles). —Ku Klux Klan and/or “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
Civics-Government: Benchmark 4, Indicator 7: (K) The student explores issues regarding civic responsibilities of American citizens (e.g., obeying the law, paying taxes, voting, jury duty, serving our country, providing leadership, involvement in the political process). —Ku Klux Klan and/or Court of Industrial Relations
Civics-Government: Benchmark 4, Indicator 8: (A) The student examines the role of interest groups and their impact on governmental policy. —Ku Klux Klan and/or “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”
Reading: Benchmark 3, Indicator 1: ? The student determines meaning of words or phrases using context clues (e.g., definitions, restatements, examples, descriptions, comparison-contrast, clue words, cause-effect) from sentences or paragraphs.
Reading: Benchmark 3, Indicator 9: ? The student uses paraphrasing and organizational skills to summarize information (stated and implied main ideas, main events, important details, underlying meaning) from appropriate-level narrative, expository, technical, and persuasive texts in logical or sequential order, clearly preserving the author's intent.
Reading: Benchmark 3, Indicator 10: ? The student identifies the topic, main idea(s), supporting details, and theme(s) in text across the content areas and from a variety of sources in appropriate-level texts.
Reading: Benchmark 3, Indicator 14: ? The student identifies the author's position in a persuasive text, describes techniques the author uses to support that position (e.g., bandwagon approach, glittering generalities, testimonials, citing authority, statistics, other techniques that appeal to reason or emotion), and evaluates the effectiveness of these techniques and the credibility of the information provided.
Writing: Benchmark 2, Indicator 1: The student develops a thesis statement based upon at least one main idea in response to a prompt. (Ideas and Content: pre-writing, drafting, revising, N,E,T,P)
Writing: Benchmark 2, Indicator 2: The student clearly defines the main idea by selecting relevant, logical details that meet the reader’s informational needs. (Ideas and Content: pre-writing, drafting, revising: N,E,T,P)
Writing: Benchmark 2, Indicator 3: The student selects and uses (1) personal experience (2) personal observations (3) prior knowledge (4) research to meet the reader’s needs and to create appropriate point of view. (Ideas and Content: pre-writing, drafting, revising: N,E,T,P)
Writing: Benchmark 2, Indicator 4: Expresses information in own words using appropriate organization, grammar, word choice, and tone sufficient to the audience. (Ideas and Content: pre-writing, drafting, revising: N,E,T,P)
Writing: Benchmark 2, Indicator 6: Cites references for all sources of information and includes summarized and paraphrased ideas from other authors. (Ideas and Content: pre-writing, drafting, revising: N,E,T,P)
Writing: Benchmark 2, Indicator 7: Constructs a bibliography with a standard style of format (e.g. MLA, APA, etc.). (Ideas and Content: pre-writing, drafting, revising: N,E,T,P)
Cost per student is $2. One adult enters free for every 10 students. Additional adults pay the student rate.
Admission scholarships: School groups from Lyon, Osage, and Coffey counties receive free admission for this tour courtesy of the W.S. & E.C. Jones Trust grant. For more information see tour scholarships for William Allen White House.
Length of tour: approximately 90 minutes.
Number of students in a group: for the best experience, we recommend approximately 25 students per tour.
Registration and scheduling: Contact site administrator, 620-342-2800; or email Red Rocks. Tours must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Other guided tours available at the Red Rocks:
Hats Off to William Allen White - Red Rocks
William Allen White and the Reform Era - Red Rocks
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