What is the vice of self-deception? Examine whether John Brown deceived himself with self-righteousness by thinking that he could end slavery in the antebellum United States by freeing and arming slaves to launch a racial war in the South.

Essential Question

• Why is self-deception destructive to a healthy civil society? 

Guiding Questions

• When can an individual or a group justifiably decide to break the law? 
• How can people become so deceived by ideas that they will commit horrific acts against others?   
• How can one prevent themselves from being deceived by harmful ideas?  

Learning Objectives

• Students will analyze the story of John Brown to identify examples of self-deception.    
• Students will compare primary sources from John Brown and other historic examples to explain the dangers of self-deception in a civil society.  
• Students will apply an understanding of the consequences of self-deception to their own behaviors. 

Student Resources

• John Brown and Self-Deception Narrative
• Primary Source Activity Handout and Graphic Organizer
• Scaffolded Primary Source Activity Handout and Graphic Organizer

Teacher Resources

• Analysis Questions 
• Virtue in Action  
• Journal Activity
• Sources for Further Reading  
• Virtue Across the Curriculum  

Procedures 

• The following lesson asks students to consider the vice of self-deception and how it can cause an individual to fail to act with integrity.  Students will engage with the story of John Brown, as they consider the essential question: Why is self-deception destructive to a healthy civil society? 
• The main activity in this lesson requires students to read and analyze a narrative that explores John Brown’s decisions that led him to self-deception. Students may work individually, in pairs, or small groups as best fits your classroom. The analysis questions provided can be used to help students comprehend and think critically about the content. As the teacher, you can decide which questions best fit your students’ needs and time restraints.   
• The lesson includes a variety of activities and suggestions for your classroom. Time estimates are included in the activities, so that you can decide what’s most appropriate for your teaching.  
• Additionally, the lesson includes primary source analysis to compare other historical figures and how they understood unjust laws and acted with integrity. 
  • The excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” contains terminology that is no longer used because the terms are recognized to be offensive or derogatory. These terms are retained in their original usage in order to present them accurately in their historical context for student learning.
• Lastly, the lesson includes sources used in this lesson for further reading and suggestions for cross-curricular connections.