This enquiry uses the story of Charles Wotten to exemplify the experiences of Black sailors and soldiers living in Britain after the First World War.
Wotten was the victim of a brutal murder in June 1919, as he was chased through the Liverpool docks and fell (in fact, he was probably pushed) into the water. He was pelted with stones until he died.
Unfortunately, Wotten’s story is typical of many Black men and women in the post-war period, who found themselves the victims of discrimination, prejudice and violence.
In the enquiry, students are drip-fed clues, as they refine their hypotheses concerning the causes of Wotten’s murder.
Eventually, they are equipped to respond to the enquiry question – and to categorise the causes of the murder in sophisticated ways.
A great enquiry for complicating students’ understanding of the second-order concept of causation.
Download lesson
- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Worksheet 1: PDF
- Resource Sheet 1a and b: PDF
