The 1960s: A Decade of Human Rights Struggles

For the final activity, you will read a newspaper article written by Peter Benson and published in the British newspaper, The Observer, on May 28, 1961. The article was reprinted across the world and it marked the beginning of the formation of Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy group.  As you read the article, determine the claim made by the author and the types of evidence used to support the claim. Note whether the author acknowledges counter-claims or points of view and whether evidence is used to refute those claims.

Directions:

1. Download the Assessing Reasoning and Evidence Used to Support the Author’s Claims graphic organizer.

2. Read an abridged version of the original “The Forgotten Prisoners” article on The Observer opens in new window.

3. Fill in the graphic organizer to help you determine the author’s claim and assess the author’s use of reasoning and evidence to support the claim.

4. After you have completed the graphic organizer, complete the assessment activity below and submit your graphic organizer to your teacher.