Human Rights and the Rule of Law—Ancient History Unit

Description

Authors:

Dr. Tracy Castro-Gill, Washington Ethnic Studies Now

Andrew Chase, K–12 Educator

This unit begins with the history of human rights in ancient times, providing a counternarrative to the idea that human rights movements began in the 1960s. The learning then asks students to question the purpose of laws, asking questions like, “Should laws protect people or property?” Students will be able to make connections between agreed upon human rights, various human rights movements, and the first laws of Mesopotamia. 

This unit is a foundational unit in preparation for the second of this series, From Mesopotamia to Minneapolis; Examining the rule of law (coming soon), in which students will apply what they’ve learned in this unit to contemporary forms of law and order. While this unit is one of two units, it is designed to stand on its own.

note: Student-facing documents are in Comic Sans MS font for accessibility. Data supports increased readability of Comic Sans fonts for dyslexic readers, and it’s fun!