Students are asked to create a well-written research paper of 750-1000 words about two individuals or groups that demonstrate moral courage.
Essays must incorporate three concepts:
1. Include a clear definition of moral courage. Moral courage is . . .
2. Choose two examples of moral courage: one from the Holocaust, the other from a different time and place.
3. Explain why this matters. What should we do now with this information?
Rules and regulations are available here.
Here are the suggested steps you take in researching and writing your essay.
1. Visit Essay Prep and Research page to read about the Holocaust and learn about The Rescuers. You can learn more about
The Rescuers here.
2. Consider possible topics, review the basic essay requirements, the rubric, and read sample essays.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RESCUERS
The rescuers featured below exemplify moral courage.
The Danish People Save their Jewish Neighbors
Irena Sendler and Saving Children from the Warsaw Ghetto
The White Rose: Brave German Youth Resistance Pamphleteers
Japanese Diplomat Chiune Sugihara
Miep Gies: Hiding Anne Frank
Oskar Schindler, a flawed German Rescuer
Raoul Wallenberg: Swedish Diplomat Helped Save Hungarian Jews
Note about research topics:
One must be from the Holocaust. We encourage you to select examples beyond the well-known rescuers provided above and those already well-known. There are many worthy subjects to research!
3. To write about a rescuer from the Holocaust, start by searching here: http://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/stories. All of the people featured on this site will be non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust.
5. You can look at lists of names of rescuers from each country here: http://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/statistics
6. If you are interested in reading about Jews who helped other Jews or fought the Nazis during the Holocaust, you can search here: http://www.jewishpartisans.org/
7. To research the individual or group from a time other than the Holocaust, consider the following questions: A. Is there a particular country that interests you? B. Are you interested in a particular issue such as women’s rights, gay rights, religious persecution, access to education, the environment, etc.? C. Are you hoping to write about someone historical or modern? D. Do you want to write about a group or individual? Male or female?
You may research individuals or groups in historical events such as:
Civil Rights movement activists
Literary subjects dealing with moral courage
A historical topic covered in your classroom
Genocide in Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur, Sudan, Kenya, the Congo, Zimbabwe or Chechnya
7. You must have at least two reputable sources for this essay.
" But to stand up, alone, and battle for truth with a fair prospect of falling long before it is recognized by the people requires a little more courage than usually falls to the lot of mortals."
Ogden, John. “Moral Courage.” National Journal of Education, vol. 9, no. 15, Sage Publications, Inc., 1879, pp. 227–28, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44962375.
Schmid, W. Thomas. “The Socratic Conception of Courage.” History of Philosophy Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 2, [North American Philosophical Publications, University of Illinois Press], 1985, pp. 113–29, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27743716.
Omaha Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, age, genetic information, citizenship status, or economic status in its programs, activities and employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following individual has been designated to address inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Superintendent of Schools, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (531-299-9822).
Las Escuelas Públicas de Omaha no discriminan basados en la raza, color, origen nacional, religión, sexo, estado civil, orientación sexual, discapacidad , edad, información genética, estado de ciudadanía, o estado económico, en sus programas, actividades y empleo, y provee acceso equitativo a los “Boy Scouts” y a otros grupos juveniles designados. La siguiente persona ha sido designada para atender estas inquietudes referentes a las pólizas de no discriminación: El Superintendente de las Escuelas, 3215 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (531-299-9822).