Documeria Project, Then and Now: A US History Environmental History Project

U.S. History-Johnson

Documerica Project, Then and Now

 U.S. Environmental History through research and photojournalism.

1. Begin by exploring the U.S. National Archives site on the Documerica Project, a 1970s project funded by the EPA that hired photographers to take photographs of environmental issues throughout the U.S. After taking about 15-20 minutes to peruse the different artists’ collections, students will choose one photographer and up to a couple of his/her photos to research.

2. Research of historical photos will include identifying the basic information about what was being photographed as well as doing deeper research into the environmental problem. Students will seek out newspaper articles from the time about the issue in the photograph to build a deeper understanding of the issue and its impact on U.S. communities. As they research, they will gather key pieces of data and primary source excerpts to use in a later presentation/lesson.

3. Once students have a solid understanding of one or a couple historical photographs and the environmental issue they document, they will start to research this issue in the present day. It may be that they can focus on the specific place where the photograph was taken and find updated information on the state of the environmental issue today. For example, if a photograph from the 1970s documents industrial waste in Detroit, a student could do research on whether actions were taken to clean up the industrial waste (in Detroit or in the U.S. in general) and if this is still a problem today. Their focus should be two-fold: what actions, if any, were taken between the 1970s and today to address the specific issue, and what does the situation look like today. They will want to find primary sources (government documents, reports, newspaper articles) to illustrate their findings. They should seek out a recent piece of photojournalism related to this specific issue, as well.

4. Reflection: After researching an environmental issue, past and present, and how it was brought to public attention in the 1970s, students will reflect on what factors make society more likely to recognize and take action to address environmental issues. They will think about how the current climate change crisis is presented and addressed, both by the U.S government (EPA, etc) and NGOs, and what types of exposure are effective at motivating people to take action. They also will reflect on what responsibility the government has to protect and preserve the environment, and what role the U.S. government is and should be playing in U.S. environmental protection.

5. From the information they have gathered and the reflection they have done, students will create a presentation/lesson that includes a short slideshow (for illustrations and data) and asks the class to do some evaluation of how the U.S. government and society have addressed the environmental issue over time. I will show a variety of sample ideas for how to actively involve the class in discussion/debate around the issues of environmental protection, government and civic responsibility, and effective ways to propagate calls to action.