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"Annual Report of the Treasuer, Selectmen, and School Committee, To the Inhabitants of
the Town of Deerfield"
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Summary and Objective
By examining three periods of American government - federal, progressive, and current, students will learn about issues that confront these governments, issues that have changed overtime, yet at each juncture the voice of the individual voter had a marked effect on decisions that were made.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Instruct the students on the requirement that each individual community needed to ratify the Declaration of Independence in order for it to be brougt forward. See the Deerfield history as an example of the vote in that community.(Vol. II p.715) Emphasize the risk involved in "letting one's voice be heard'!
Step 2.
Moving to the Progressive era, view the Beer's atlas map of South Deerfield. Note what the community looked like and brainstorm what some of the issues could be in that community. Think about how those issues could be addressed.
Step 3.
Examine pages 2,5,9-10,13-17, 24 & 26 of the 1880 Annual Report of Deerfield.
Step 4.
Divide students into groups to report on the issues of finance, health, welfare, infrastructure (roads/buildings)education. Invite them to make a summary of the conditions of each. Then ask at what juncture could their voices have made a difference?
Step 5.
Moving to current day South Deerfield, review a current warrant to compare the issues and governance with that of 1880. What has changed? What has remained the same? What is the strength of "letting one's voice be heard"?
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