1. Pause the video after you see the clip of President-elect Barack Obama’s 2008 acceptance speech in Chicago. Ask students to jot down the words Obama uses to quote Lincoln. Use the following questions to help guide a class discussion comparing and contrasting the Lincoln and Obama presidencies:
2. In the video, Bill T. Jones defines “them” as a group of people for whom society holds conflicting attitudes and beliefs. Examples he uses are immigration and gay marriage. During Lincoln’s time it was the institution of slavery. Have students work in their groups to identify at least one issue or group in today’s society for which there are conflicting attitudes or ideas. In other words, students identify a “them” in their world today. Guide students to work collaboratively to explore factors that contribute to this conflict.