The Legacy of Joseph Kuhn

Peggy Christensen

Summer Fellowship 2008

To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.

Lesson Five: Isaac Kuhn spent the years following his father’s death successfully building Joseph Kuhn & Co. while dealing with changing conditions and events at the state and national levels.

Duration: This lesson will take one class period.

Analysis of Local Primary Sources: Students will be reading the article about raising sheep that Ruth Kuhn Youngerman shared from her father’s files along with an account of the sheep on page 10 from Jos. Kuhn & Co.. They will also learn about the connection between Isaac Kuhn and airplanes mentioned on pages 10 and 11 from Jos. Kuhn & Co.

Analysis of National Primary Source: There is no national source in this lesson.

List of Materials and Attachments:

• Kuhn sheep article from the papers of Isaac Kuhn supplied by and in the possession of his daughter, Ruth Kuhn Youngerman.

• Sound bite from July 19, 2008 interview between Ruth Youngerman Kuhn and Peggy Christensen.

• Pages 10 & 11 from Jos. Kuhn & Co., a record of the establishment of Joseph Kuhn’s clothing store, found at the Champaign County Historical Archives, Urbana Free Library, 210 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois. The date of publication and the author are unknown.

Procedure:

• Lessons five and six will give the teacher additional opportunities to discuss:
• How does an individual’s history reflect the history of a particular period?
• How does studying the life of an individual help us better understand moments in history?
• How can the use of multiple sources contribute to a more accurate understanding of a particular situation?

• During our June 25, 2008 interview, Ruth Kuhn Youngerman explained that her father “bought ewes to distribute to girls and boys because there was a need for wool to make clothing for our soldiers.” Play the sound bite of her comments recorded on July 19, 2008. Hand out the sheet that explains the “More Sheep and Wool Club” along with page 10 from Jos. Kuhn & Co.
• Students should read the article and top paragraph on page 10 then write a paragraph that explains what caused the wool shortage and how Isaac Kuhn’s responded to it.
• Distribute page11 from Jos. Kuhn & Co. then have students read the bottom half of page 10 and the top paragraph on page 11. The community was invited to witness the plane’s arrival. Have students design either a display advertisement for the store that includes some type of illustration or write a press release for the newspaper that might have been used to advertise this historic event.
• Discuss and share then collect the paragraphs, display ads, and press releases.