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1. A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens

   Ms. Pagan English 9 CP Historical Research Project
2. Why is ACC Important/Relevant? When Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in 1842, the holiday was nearly dead in modern England. Christmas was celebrated by the rural and poor, but frowned upon by employers. Dickens came to write “Carol” while at a low ebb. His pervious book had not been popular and he was struggling. He was working on nonfiction pamphlets about the horrendous working conditions of children in Manchester. But the visions of Ignorance and Want that he saw on the faces of the starved, overworked and ragged children inspired him, and he worked backwards from the scene in which the Spirit of Christmas Present shows Scrooge those children to compose the whole tale. http://www.capitolhilltimes.com/2012/12/why-dickens-carol-is-the-most-important-christmas-tale/
3. Research To understand the events and characters in the novel, we will be researching the historical context that Charles Dickens was writing in (19th Century, England). To fully understand the events and characters, we will research: The Elizabethan Poor Law Victorian Hierarchy Life in the Workhouses The Biography of Charles Dickens Welfare in America
4. Task Your task is to form a research group with your peers and become experts on these topics. You will ultimately create a power point presentation that explains the historical context of A Christmas Carol. Your group will teach the class what you learned about the time period about which Charles Dickens was writing.
5. Directions You must complete: A PowerPoint presentation that represents your research. Everyone will receive a participation grade for each lab day. Plagiarism will not be tolerated! Practice paraphrasing! You should only be using the websites I have provided. You need pictures and text; pictures can be found on other websites. You should have at least 8-10 slides (or more). Plus, a bibliography slide (does not count toward 8-10 slides). Need a typed copy of your questions. Each group member is required to speak at least twice.
6. The Elizabethan Poor Law Need to know words/phrases before researching: The 16th century Reformation Parish Compulsory Laxity Stringency
7. The Elizabethan Poor LawQuestions http://www.victorianweb.org/history/poorlaw/elizpl.html http://www.pearsonhighered.com/samplechapter/0205569390.pdf What were the seven corporal works of mercy? Why were the poor laws created? What three categories were the poor put in? Who was the overseer? What were the duties of the overseer? Explain in detail the two types of relief. How long were the poor laws in place? What was the Poor Law Amendment Act: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/poorlaw/plaatext.html Who did they benefit the most, the poor or industrial people? Why?
8. Victorian Hierarchy http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/victorians/education/victorianeducation.html http://www.erasofelegance.com/history/victorianlife.html Explain in detail the Victorian social hierarchy. What are the differences between life in the working class, poor, and middle class? What is the worth of a shilling? What were the earnings of people in different occupations? Who were Costermongers? How were they helpful to some people? When you have no prospect of a living wage, or sickness or disability or market forces prevent you from working, what are you to do? What different jobs could people have in workhouses? What is the life expectancy of a person in the Victorian age? What types of health issues were common of the time period? What are the differences in schooling in the Victorian era? Include any other information about Victorian Life your group found interesting (transportation, popular culture etc.)
9. Life in the Workhouse http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/poorlaw/condwkhs.htm http://www.workhouses.org.uk/life/entry.shtml http://www.victorianweb.org/history/poorlaw/vismatov.html What did the workhouses look like? Who were the inmates? What was the daily schedule of the inmates? What did they wear? What kinds of jobs did inmates perform? What did the inmates eat? Why were they punished and how? What happened if an inmate died?
10. http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-14-3-a-how-welfare-began-in-the-united-states.html http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-14-3-a-how-welfare-began-in-the-united-states.html What effects did the Great Depression have on people? Who did it effect? How did needy Americans get help before 1900? Why did most states adopt "mother's pension" programs after 1910? In what ways were these pensions sometimes administered unfairly? Did President Franklin D. Roosevelt view the Social Security Act's welfare provisions helping needy children and other dependent persons as permanent or temporary? Explain FDR's reasoning on this matter. Welfare in America
11. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/09/18/who-receives-benefits-from-the-federal-government-in-six-charts/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/09/18/who-receives-benefits-from-the-federal-government-in-six-charts/ http://www.statisticbrain.com/welfare-statistics/ What is welfare? What types of assistance is offered? Be specific. How many Americans are actually receiving aid from the federal government? Who are these people? After researching and looking at statistics, are there people who take advantage of government dependency? Explain. Welfare in America
12. The Biography of Charles Dickens Should complete a VERY DETAILED who, what, where, when, why, how on Dickens’ life. Touch on his major works His influences Dickens as an actor and performer Touch on his homes and other places associated with him. http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/bioov.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/dickens/life.html http://www.dickens-literature.com/