History Day script
Allie Berta
Tessa Brown
Tyson Brown
Melissa Pace
Script
Narrator: It is February 28, 1939 Easter Sunday. Marian Anderson has just finished performing on the steps of the Lincoln memorial.Only a month early was Marian Anderson a black opra singer was denied to perform at the Constitution Hall of the Daughters of the Revolution( DAR). Eleanor being an active in civil rights and a member of the DAR did not stand for this and organized the performance that is going on right now.Two women are walking in the park until they run into a mutual friend on a DAR member and the other her husband. Conversation of the days happenings are immediately sparked.
Woman 1: That was a very powerful show. So many men, women and children, black and white, together for this one cause.it was quit moving.
Woman 2: Yes, I know what you mean. What a large crowd, I had no idea the turn out would be this enormous!
:: An estimated 75,000 people attended the performance and many more heared it on the radio::
[The two women run into their mutual friend a DAR member Marie and her husband]
Woman 1:June! So you decided to come out today and see the festivities.
[The women hug and Charles kisses the ladies hands]
June: Yes, Charles and I thought that since this was pretty much caused by my fellow DAR members. We should come see Ms. Anderson sing. I can’t believe the amount of people that came!
Woman 2: I know! Especially on such a bitter cold day.1
Charles: This is all somewhat ridiculous I didn’t think Mrs. Roosevelt would take things this far. You know what a horrible reputation my June and the Daughters of the American Revolution are going to have now.
June: Well, I guess something had to be done! Sure publicly resigning from the DAR was bold by Eleanor, but by speaking out and all this will be remembered.
[Everyone looks shocked at the outburst, while Maries looks surprised at herself and her actions]
Woman 1: [sensing awkwardness] Ah well either way, this was quite the large event. Today[all look back at Lincoln memorial] history was made, good or bad.
Charles: OH geezzz… I need to sit down, my knee is going out, and it’s not what it used to be since the war.
[All sit down]
Woman 2: What I think is remarkable is the difference of the Roosevelt administration to the Wilson administration. Mrs. Wilson would have never organized something like this.
:: President Wilson and his wife were very racist. They even hosted the leader of the KKK for tea. ::
Woman 1: Mrs. Roosevelt is defiantly different from Mrs. Wilson.
Charles: Well I sure know President Roosevelt has lost a good amount of Southern votes from this alone. He has tried to distance himself away from this as much as possible. What a handful she must be!
:: This was definitely not the first act Eleanor Roosevelt had taken in the name of African American’s. Trying to keep his position neutral, Theodore Roosevelt kept attention from his wife’s actions away from himself. ::
June: Tomorrow, I promise you everything that’s happened today will be all over the newspaper. I wonder what Eleanor will put in her My Day column about today. Just yesterday she announced her resignation from the DAR andisn’t that right June.
:: Eleanor had wrote in her My Day column: “They have taken an action which has been widely talked of in the press. To remain as a member implies approval of that action, and therefore I am resigning.”
Woman 2: Yes, she did and let me tell you it did not go over wll with my fellow members to well.
Woman 1: With things like that and just everything that she’s done and have been doing really shows her passion for equality for blacks .
Woman 2: Just look at us talking about it, and the effect it has had on only us. Imagine the direct effect it has had on other people.
[All are silent for 1 second]
Charles: Heh, I’m assuming now you and the DAR will now be forced to open their minds and eyes a little more. You’ll will probably have Marian perform after all.
June: Yes your probably very right honey. I never totally supportive of the DAR’s decition and Eleanor not sitting down idly while this discrimination happened really showed me something. That what if Eleanor had not taken a stand on what happened. This chain reaction that is happening would not be happening. The DAR would have denied Marian Anderson, and that would have been the end of it.
Charles: I know I wouldn’t have given it much of a thought past a week.
Woman 2: This is going to enlighten something in society. Just look over there at the Jefferson memorial. He wrote that everyone was created equal, but he was a man who own slaves. He sort of shows the hyprocasie of America. Of that we say everyone is equal, but we make blacks second class citizens. So Eleanor taking a stand is a great act. By sticking by her morials and showing she means what she says.
[The four people stand there in thought]
Woman 1: Well we should be getting on our way. I’m so glad we bumped into both of you.
Marie: It was wonderful seeing you too!
Woman 2: Farewell!
Charles: Good day.
Narrator: Following this performance The Daughters of the American Revolution changed their policies on African Americans, and invited Marian Anderson to perform at their constitution Hall. Many say this performance set up by Eleanor Roosevelt was a push towards the civil rights movement. Eleanor continued her quest for racial equality until her death.
Tessa Brown
Tyson Brown
Melissa Pace
Script
Narrator: It is February 28, 1939 Easter Sunday. Marian Anderson has just finished performing on the steps of the Lincoln memorial.Only a month early was Marian Anderson a black opra singer was denied to perform at the Constitution Hall of the Daughters of the Revolution( DAR). Eleanor being an active in civil rights and a member of the DAR did not stand for this and organized the performance that is going on right now.Two women are walking in the park until they run into a mutual friend on a DAR member and the other her husband. Conversation of the days happenings are immediately sparked.
Woman 1: That was a very powerful show. So many men, women and children, black and white, together for this one cause.it was quit moving.
Woman 2: Yes, I know what you mean. What a large crowd, I had no idea the turn out would be this enormous!
:: An estimated 75,000 people attended the performance and many more heared it on the radio::
[The two women run into their mutual friend a DAR member Marie and her husband]
Woman 1:June! So you decided to come out today and see the festivities.
[The women hug and Charles kisses the ladies hands]
June: Yes, Charles and I thought that since this was pretty much caused by my fellow DAR members. We should come see Ms. Anderson sing. I can’t believe the amount of people that came!
Woman 2: I know! Especially on such a bitter cold day.1
Charles: This is all somewhat ridiculous I didn’t think Mrs. Roosevelt would take things this far. You know what a horrible reputation my June and the Daughters of the American Revolution are going to have now.
June: Well, I guess something had to be done! Sure publicly resigning from the DAR was bold by Eleanor, but by speaking out and all this will be remembered.
[Everyone looks shocked at the outburst, while Maries looks surprised at herself and her actions]
Woman 1: [sensing awkwardness] Ah well either way, this was quite the large event. Today[all look back at Lincoln memorial] history was made, good or bad.
Charles: OH geezzz… I need to sit down, my knee is going out, and it’s not what it used to be since the war.
[All sit down]
Woman 2: What I think is remarkable is the difference of the Roosevelt administration to the Wilson administration. Mrs. Wilson would have never organized something like this.
:: President Wilson and his wife were very racist. They even hosted the leader of the KKK for tea. ::
Woman 1: Mrs. Roosevelt is defiantly different from Mrs. Wilson.
Charles: Well I sure know President Roosevelt has lost a good amount of Southern votes from this alone. He has tried to distance himself away from this as much as possible. What a handful she must be!
:: This was definitely not the first act Eleanor Roosevelt had taken in the name of African American’s. Trying to keep his position neutral, Theodore Roosevelt kept attention from his wife’s actions away from himself. ::
June: Tomorrow, I promise you everything that’s happened today will be all over the newspaper. I wonder what Eleanor will put in her My Day column about today. Just yesterday she announced her resignation from the DAR andisn’t that right June.
:: Eleanor had wrote in her My Day column: “They have taken an action which has been widely talked of in the press. To remain as a member implies approval of that action, and therefore I am resigning.”
Woman 2: Yes, she did and let me tell you it did not go over wll with my fellow members to well.
Woman 1: With things like that and just everything that she’s done and have been doing really shows her passion for equality for blacks .
Woman 2: Just look at us talking about it, and the effect it has had on only us. Imagine the direct effect it has had on other people.
[All are silent for 1 second]
Charles: Heh, I’m assuming now you and the DAR will now be forced to open their minds and eyes a little more. You’ll will probably have Marian perform after all.
June: Yes your probably very right honey. I never totally supportive of the DAR’s decition and Eleanor not sitting down idly while this discrimination happened really showed me something. That what if Eleanor had not taken a stand on what happened. This chain reaction that is happening would not be happening. The DAR would have denied Marian Anderson, and that would have been the end of it.
Charles: I know I wouldn’t have given it much of a thought past a week.
Woman 2: This is going to enlighten something in society. Just look over there at the Jefferson memorial. He wrote that everyone was created equal, but he was a man who own slaves. He sort of shows the hyprocasie of America. Of that we say everyone is equal, but we make blacks second class citizens. So Eleanor taking a stand is a great act. By sticking by her morials and showing she means what she says.
[The four people stand there in thought]
Woman 1: Well we should be getting on our way. I’m so glad we bumped into both of you.
Marie: It was wonderful seeing you too!
Woman 2: Farewell!
Charles: Good day.
Narrator: Following this performance The Daughters of the American Revolution changed their policies on African Americans, and invited Marian Anderson to perform at their constitution Hall. Many say this performance set up by Eleanor Roosevelt was a push towards the civil rights movement. Eleanor continued her quest for racial equality until her death.