Author: Juan Perez Sr

HOUSE OF THE FIGHTING CHUPACABRAS PRESENTS
A Basic History Workshop Workbook: No. 2
History through
songs
Singing Your Way
Through Some
American History
JUAN MANUEL PÉREZ
SEATTAH SCHOLAR

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: p. 3
THE THIRTEEN COLONIES SONG p. 4
THE DOCUMENT SONG p. 8
THE CONFEDERATION TO
CONSTITUTION SONG p. 12
THE FIRST AMENDMENT SONG p. 16
THE PRESIDENTS 1-18 SONG p. 18
THE MANFEST DESTINY SONG p. 20
THE PRESIDENTS 19-44 SONG p. 24
Some Answers To The “Question” Pages p. 26

© 2014 Juan Manuel Pérez, Poet & Creator
Corpus Christi, Texas
Contact him by email at: gotobulldog87@yahoo.com
The House Of The Fighting Chupacabras ®
A Division Of Moon Maiden Productions ®
IN GOD WE TRUST!

The history cartoons belong to their individual and respective
Cartoonists. With permission and gratitude to the artists.

Purpose For This Basic
History Songbook/Workbook
This songbook/workbook was created as yet another resource to assist History Teachers in delivering the purpose and meaning of our nation’s most valuable course of study: American History.
I have been working on perfecting a workable solution to an all-to-present dilemma of “History Is Boring.” I have to warn you, the teacher, that it might take you out of your comfort zone and into a place that you are going to have “to keep up” and strive for in order to be successful. Just so you know, my test subjects have been my very own students over a decade and a half of actually working this out. The results have been more than great and the students have enjoyed themselves along the way. Part of what I present to you here (because there is more than this little book) is just another way to reach other-style learners in your class.
Is it a perfect plan? That depends on your attitude and drive and whether or not your plan works out to be a better one when it comes to the students’ success. I’ll applaud you in either case.
Overall, like our American Constitution, this songbook is a living document and can be made perfect with use and restructure as needed.
Many thanks to the great John Seidletz for introducing me to the idea and for adding to the ones I have shared along the way.
Juan Manuel Perez
History Rocks!

So here we are. You dared venture into the second book of learning American History a different way than what you are use to in Middle or High School: by singing.
Remember back in the day how you learned things about World History when you were a little kid? Sure you did. It was called vacation bible camp or Sunday school or something similar to that (I did in both English and Spanish). Of course that is if you grew up in a religious or somewhat religious home in the United States. It was how you learned about that famous historical figure named “Father Abraham” from which sprung “many sons” and, might I add, three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It was also when you first tackled another great controversial topic in Biology and ancient, Ancient History: Creationism versus Evolution. It is how you learned about “unconditional love,” “justice,” and “mercy.” I bet, if you were privy to this type of experience, that a lot of what you remember the most about is what you learned from the songs you were taught. I also bet you that a lot of what you learned in pre-school or kindergarten was also from songs: The American English alphabet or perhaps the wonderment of space (Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star) or even a reminder to clean up your room.
So with that we begin this grand idea of learning American History through songs; with the introduction of the first Song Activity on the subject of the Thirteen Colonies (opposite page). A paper/handout activity has been included on pages 6 and 7 for your use with this activity.

THE THIRTEEN
COLONIES SONG

THE THIRTEEN
COLONIES SONG
[To the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy”]
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, hey
Rhode Island and Connecticut
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
And then there’s, little Ol’ Delaware
Yankee Doodle went to town
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy
Maryland, Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
And then there’s little Ol’ Georgia
Yankee Doodle went to town
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE THIRTEEN
COLONIES SONG
From North to South, name the three sections/regions of the Thirteen Colonies?
A.
B.
C.
From North to South, what were the names of the top four colonies?
a.
b.
c.
d.

From North to South, what were the names of the next four colonies?
e.
f.
g.
h.
From North to South, what were the names of the last five colonies?
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.

Copy for students as needed.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 26.

Here is the basic information for the second Song Activity that is actually on page 10 and 11. Use it as you wish. By the way, this is the longest of the songs! So bare with it.
Important Documents & Ideas Essential To The Founding Of The US Government Up To 1787
1215 Magna Carta
1619 The Virginia House Of Burgesses
1620 The Mayflower Compact
The Fundamental Orders Of
Connecticut
1689 The English Bill Of Rights
1754 The Albany Plan Of Union
1776 The Declaration Of Independence
1781 The Articles Of Confederation
1787 The US Constitution
Briefs On The Important Documents & Ideas Essential To The Founding Of The US Government Up To 1787
1215 Magna Carta: The Great Charter of English liberty granted (under considerable duress) by King John at Runnymede on June 15, 1215
1619 The Virginia House Of Burgesses: First representative
government group in the American colonies. The House met for the first time at Jamestown. It was July 30, 1619.

THE DOCUMENT SONG

1620 The Mayflower Compact: Document signed by 41 male passengers on the Mayflower before landing at Plymouth (Massachusetts). Concerned that some members might leave to form their own colonies, William Bradford and others drafted the compact to bind the group into a political body and pledge members to abide by any laws that would be established. The document adapted a church covenant to a civil situation and was the basis of the colony's government.
1639 The Fundamental Orders Of Connecticut: were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council. The orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers.
1689 The English Bill Of Rights: An act passed by Parliament in 1689 which limited the power of the monarch. This document established Parliament as the most powerful branch of the English government.
1754 The Albany Plan Of Union: Benjamin Franklin's plan
was an early attempt to form a union of the colonies. Part of the Plan was used in writing the Articles of Confederation, which kept the States together from 1781 until the Constitution.
1776 The Declaration Of Independence: Document written in
1776 which declared the American colonies as independent from England.
The Articles Of Confederation: Preliminary constitution
of the United States replaced by the current U.S. Constitution.
1787 The US Constitution: The supreme law of the United
States. The Constitution is the framework for the organization of
the United States government and for the relationship of the
federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within
the United States.

THE DOCUMENT SONG
[To the tune of “Father Abraham”]
There are some famous things
In history
That must be learned again repeatedly
Or we’ll forget
Why we’re so great
Precious things we learn today
The Magna Carta
Of England
It was written in 1215
Guaranteed some rights
To citizens
And they brought it to the colonies
The Virginia
House Of Burgesses
Was the first colonial assembly
The first government
Of representatives
Came together in 1619

1620
On the Mayflower
They signed yet another document
It was the first plan
Of self-government
In the English colonies
1639
Up in Connecticut
They wrote the first constitution
It had a funny name
That went like this
The Fundamental Orders Of Connecticut
In 1689
Back on the English Isle
Another document was written
The English Bill Of Rights
Showed us more ways
To our modern Bill Of Rights
These are some great things
To remember
For they are tested by our history
They are good to know
For you and me
In time this will you see

So, if you are a student of American History, and of the Colonial and the Early American Republic in particular, you should know by now that before the United States Constitution of 1787 was ever realized, there existed something else as our “national governing rules” called the Articles of Confederation which, by the way, had a weak central government, no real economic power, could not stop disputes between colonial states, nor set any boundaries, nor get any respect from other countries and be recognized as a legitimate power. Well, a lot of your students do not know this even existed nor that it was set up during the American Revolution. Heck some of them don’t even realize that the “American Revolution” and the “American War For Independence” are one and the same.
Boloney, you say! Funny, that is exactly where we are going with this next, short, Song Activity (see opposite page). This is just an attempt to remind the students of the “First American Government” that only lasted for less than a decade before the second and current set of national rules were set in place called the United States Constitution which improves on a lot of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. A paper/handout activity has also been included on pages 14 and 15 for your use with this activity.
By the way, if you have not already done so, you need to appoint a student leader(s) as suggested in the First Book, so you can allow the students to teach each other instead of you leading the singing all the time.

THE CONFEDERATION TO CONSTITUTION SONG

THE CONFEDERATION TO CONSTITUTION SONG
[To the tune of the “Oscar Meyer Weiner” Song]
My government had a first name
In 1781
My government had a second name
In 1787
Oh, I love my country this do
And if you ask me this I’ll say…
From Confederation
To Constitution
It’s the good ol “U,” “S” of “A”

Questions For The
CONFEDERATION TO
CONSTITUTION SONG
Name the first government’s main document.
Name the second government’s main document.

Copy for students as needed.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 27.

Why did they want to change the first document?
Name the documents that were written to help explain and accept the second document:

Copy for students as needed.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 27.

FIVE FREEDOMS OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Freedom Of Religion
Freedom Of Assembly
Freedom Of Speech
Freedom Of Press
Freedom to Petition

THE FIRST
AMENDMENT SONG

Okay, so here is the only Song Activity in the booklet that was originally introduced in the first BASIC HISTORY WORKSHOP WORKBOOK: The American Constitution: Another Way Of Learning An Important Document.
By the way, some of my colleagues like to sit and argue that there are Six Freedoms in the First Amendment and others will argue that there are only Five Freedoms in the First Amendment... and boy have I heard them argue and argue and argue… Good thing all I am doing here is providing a baseline because they all can agree, from the smartest down to me, that there are AT LEAST Five Freedoms (see below) expressed in the First Amendment. Just Saying.

THE FIRST
AMENDMENT SONG
[To the tune of “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” then followed by a short rap]
R. A. S. P. P.
That’s what “one” means to me
Give it to me…two, three, four
You have freedom of religion
And the right to assemble
Then there is liberty of speech
And the freedom of the press
And last but not least
Is the right to petition
Yeah!!!

THE PRESIDENTS 1-18 SONG
[From 1789-1877; to the tune of “Yankee Doodle”]
First there was George Washington
In second came John Adams
Then third was Thomas Jefferson
And fourth was James Madison

THE PRESIDENTS 1-18 SONG

So for the next Song Activity, I chose the old, ripped-off-from-and-ole-English-pub-song-converted-to-a-lets-mock-the-British-song-by-the-American colonist Song. And now it’s being used again (see the First Song Activity on The Thirteen Colonies on page 5). Who better to set this song too than to some of the very rebels that will be converted into “constitutional monarchs” (aka: American Presidents) of the greatest nation ever to be born of the British Crown.
There is no paper/handout activity for this song but I am sure there is something you can use, specifically on each president at a time, on Skynet... I mean internet.
Practice, practice, practice!!!

James Monroe was the fifth
Then John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson was the seventh
Then Martin Van Buren
William Harrison was the ninth
In tenth was John Tyler
James K. Polk would be the next
And twelfth was Zachary Taylor
Milliard Fillmore was thirteen
Followed by Franklin Pierce
James Buchannan was Fifteen
Sixteen is Ol’ Abe Lincoln
There’s only two presidents left
In seventeen, Andrew Johnson
US Grant will be the last
Up to ‘Seventy-seven
That is all the presidents
Since 1789
Up to number 18
And that will be just fine

THE MANIFEST
DESTINY SONG

Okay, so this next Song Activity can be used not only for the teaching of American History but, in the greatest state of the union, it can also be used for its State History: that of Texas (Yeah, I’m biased!).
“Manifest Destiny” is the single, most unwritten and under-debated government protocol of the 1800’s that resulted in the reshaping of a country at the expense of another, as well as the greatest land grabs in American History. Good or bad (but mostly bad when it came to the cultures that existed in the areas prior to the “white man incursions”) it is why the United States has filled out the way it has. Sadly, it is why some (but not all) indigenous cultures of this great land disappeared (the official Native Americans; recognized by the federal government as such) and the other indigenous people (the un-official Native Americans recognized as Hispanics/Latinos/Chicanos/Others: yeah, the Mexicans) were killed or pushed off their homelands in the southwest. Yeah, I know it is not a popular idea among some American History Teachers and not many want to talk about it, but it is the truth behind Manifest Destiny (and sugar-coating it isn't helping anybody to recognize to never do it again).
Whew! As you can see that such debates can easily be started by this one Song Activity alone. Isn't that the passion for history you want to see from your students? Anyhow, a paper/handout activity has also been included on pages 22 and 23 for your use with this activity.

THE MANIFEST
DESTINY SONG
[Formerly the “Mexican-American & Manifest Destiny Song;
To the tune of “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad” Song]
The eyes of Texas are on Mexico
Polk wants your land
From ’46 to ’48 or so
He disputes your boundaries
Do not think you can escape it
It’s the Manifest Destiny
To expand our borders
From sea to shining sea

Five Questions About
THE MANIFEST DESTINY SONG
What number president was Polk?
What took place between 1846 to 1848 in American and Mexican History?
What treaty was signed ending this event?
What exactly is Manifest Destiny?
What happened to Texas almost a decade before 1846?

Copy for students as needed.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 28.

Five More Questions About THE MANIFEST DESTINY SONG
What were these boundaries the song eludes to?
Name all the present states that were granted from the treaty?
Who coined the term “Manifest Destiny”?
How was the term “Manifest Destiny” used in the 1840’s?
When was the era of “Manifest Destiny”?

Copy for students as needed.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 29

THE PRESIDENTS 19-44 SONG
[1778-Present; To an improvised “Old McDonald Song”]
Rutherford Hays was Nineteen
Twenty was James Garfield
Chester Arthur was Twenty-One
Grover Cleveland was Twenty-Two

THE PRESIDENTS 19-44 SONG

So here we are at the very last Song Activity of this very short and resourceful book. It is a continuation of the first presidential song (Presidents 1-18; pages 18-19) that was put together to the tune of a former British song becoming a form of American colonial criticism and called the Yankee Doodle Dandy (just like the 13 Colonies Song). This one is more to the American tune of the “Old McDonald Had A Farm” song; because Old McDonald is the president and the farm is the United States and on that farm he had… a variety of humans from different ethnicities and of all shapes, sizes and persuasions.
This Song activity has no paper/handout activity but there are plenty of those anywhere you look on the internet. Best of luck to you and your students!

With Ben Harrison Twenty-Three
Then Cleveland repeats
William McKinley, Twenty-Five
Then Teddy Roosevelt
William Taft was Twenty-Seven
Woodrow Wilson was Twenty-Eight
Warren Harding was Twenty-Nine
Number Thirty was Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover is Thirty-One
FDR is Thirty-Two
Harry Truman, Thirty-Three
Eisenhower is Thirty-Four
JFK is Thirty-Five
LBJ is Thirty-Six
Nixon becomes number Thirty-Seven
Gerald Ford number Thirty-Eight
Jimmy Carter, Thirty-Nine
Ronny Reagan number Forty
Papa Bush is Forty-One
Bill Clinton Forty-Two
Baby Bush, number Forty-Three
Then Obama is Forty-Four
That is the end of the President’s song
Next election will add one more

Answers to
Questions About
THE THIRTEEN COLONIES SONG
From North to South, name the three sections/regions of the Thirteen Colonies?
A. NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
B. MIDDLE COLONIES
C. SOUTHERN COLONIES
From North to South, what were the names of the top four colonies?
a. NEW HAMPSHIRE
b. MASSACHUSSETS
c. RHODE ISLAND
d. CONNECTICUT
From North to South, what were the names of the next four colonies?
e. NEW YORK
f. NEW JERSEY
g. PENNSYLVANIA
h. DELAWARE
From North to South, what were the names of the last five colonies?
i. MARYLAND
j. VIRGINIA
k. NORTH CAROLINA
l. SOUTH CAROLINA
m. GEORGIA

Answers to
Questions About
THE CONFEDERATION
TO CONSTITUTION SONG
Name the first government’s main document.
The Articles Of Confederation
(1781-1787)
Name the second government’s main document.
The United States Constitution
(1787-Present)
Why did they want to change the first document?
Because of its weaknesses, mainly a weak,
central government.
Name the documents that were written to help explain and eventually accept the second document:
The Federalist Papers, written primarily by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James
Madison. A total of 85 papers (or articles) were written.

Answers to
Five Questions About
THE MANIFEST DESTINY SONG
What number president was Polk?
11TH
What took place between 1846 to 1848 in American and Mexican History?
THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR
What treaty was signed ending this event?
THE TREATY OF GUADALUPE-HIDALGO (1848)
What exactly is Manifest Destiny?
WAS THE 19TH CENTURY BELIEF THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS DESTINED TO EXPAND FROM EAST TO WEST BECAUSE GOD HAD OR DAINED IT.
What happened to Texas almost a decade before 1846?
TEXAS WAS ITS OWN COUNTRY, THE LONESTAR REPUBLIC FROM AROUND 1836 TO 1845; ONE OF THE SIX FLAGS OF TEXAS

Answers to
Five More Questions About
THE MANIFEST DESTINY SONG
What were these boundaries the song eludes to?
THE RIVERS; THE RIO BRAVO DEL NORTE/ RIO GRANDE AND THE RIO NUECES (NUECES RIVER).
Name all the present states that were granted from the treaty?
CALIFORNIA, NEVADA, UTAH, ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, AND COLORADO, INCLUDING TEXAS BY DEFAULT
Who coined the term “Manifest Destiny”?
JOHN O’SULLIVAN IN THE EARLY 1840’S
How was the term “Manifest Destiny” used in the 1840’s?
IT WAS USED BY DEMOCRATS TO JUSTIFY THE WAR WITH MEXICO IN 1846.
When was the era of “Manifest Destiny”?
FROM AROUND THE END OF THE WAR OF 1812 TO THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR

JUAN MANUEL PÉREZ
Juan, an American-born poet of indigenous Mexican descent, is the author of Another Menudo Sunday (2007), the e-book O’ Dark Heaven: A Response To Suzette Haden Elgin’s Definition Of Horror (2009), WUI: Written Under The Influence Of Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. (2011), and six poetry chapbooks, including the horrifically acclaimed Dial H For Horror (2006).
The poet has also been a member of the San Antonio Poets’ Association, The Poetry Society Of Texas, The San Angelo Writers’ Club, the Science Fiction Poetry Association, the Horror Writers Association, the Alamo Area Poets Of Texas, the Writers Of The Rio Grande, Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers, and Gulf Coast Poets.
Juan is the 2011-2012 Poet Laureate for the San Antonio Poets’ Association and is also recognized as a “Poet Of The Southwest,” as well as a “Librotraficante,” one of many Chicano harbingers of the current “Latino Renaissance” in response to Arizona’s proposed book-banning regulations. He has been a featured reader and presenter at numerous poetry venues, universities, and writers’ workshops around the great state of Texas, as well as, other states including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Ohio. So it goes without saying that he is available for readings in and out of state.
Juan writes poetry on a variety of subjects like Mexican-American/Native American life, immigration, migrant & field labor, comic books, science fiction, horror, food, and even the elusive Chupacabra for which he is also affectionately known as the Original Chupacabrista.
Juan has presented his poetry on the airwaves for Corazon Bilingue on Texas Rio Grande Valley Radio (September 16, 2010) and for the S.C.R.E.A.M. for P.E.A.C.E. Halloween Radio Program in San Francisco, California (October 31, 2011).
His work has appeared in descant, Fresh Blood/Old Bones, Wordland 2, Elegant Rage: A Poetic Tribute To Woody Guthrie, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, Buzzkill: Apocalypse, An End Of The World Anthology, San Antonio Express-News, New Myths, Arts United San Antonio Magazine, La Bloga, Eye To The Telescope, Dark River Press, Harbinger Asylum Yellow Mama, Moon The Eight Continent: An Anthology Of Space Poetry, New Texas, Concho River Review, Alamo Area Poets Of Texas Anthology, Agave: A Celebration Of Tequila, Gifts Of The Great Spirit, The 4th Annual Gulf Coast Poets Poetry Out Of Bounds Reading Chapbook, The Langdon Review Of The Arts In Texas, What Fears Become: The Horror Zine, Volume III, The Rhysling Anthology, The Mayo Review, Writers Of The Rio Grande.com, The Enigmatist, Horror Writers Association Newsletter, WritingRaw.com, The San Angelo’s Writers Club Newsletter, Homenaje A Miguel Hernandez En Su Centenario, San Antonio’s 350.org, And Now The Nightmare Begins, vacpoetry.com, Desahogate, thehorrorzine.com, Boundless, The People’s Comic Book Newsletter, Voices De La Luna, International Poetry Review, Illumen, Star*Line: the Journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, The Poet Magazine, di-verse-city, Voices Along The River, The Dreamcatcher, Inkwell Echoes, The Palm’s Leaf, Message of the Muse and many other publications.
He has also done some acting and has two independent films under his belt plus he has played a supporting role in several of his student’s films such as Senior Skip Day Massacre (2011), The Secret Life Of A Mexican Teenager (2011) and Paranormal Documentary (2011). His regular films El Chisme (2008) and Donato, King Of The Vampire Drags (2009) were both filmed in San Antonio and produced by Glorybridge Productions. His last role was as a movie extra for Old Rodeo: The Legend Of Red Lebow (2011) produced by the late Eugene Smith and Directed by Jody Stelzig. Juan is also a gun-slinging Mexican Indian Rogue, Old West re-enactor with a gunfighter group under the direction of actor and friend, Dean Reading (Temple Grandin (2010) and Walker Texas Ranger (1994)) out of Lockhart with most of the shows occurring in Austin, Texas.
Juan is a ten-year US Navy/US Marine Corps Veteran and a former Combat Medic serving in the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm, 1990-1991) with experience as a Spanish translator providing medical assistance to those affected during Hurricane Andrew (1992) in Dade County, Florida.
Presently, he is a successful public high school history teacher in La Pryor, Texas where he lives.

His work has appeared in descant, Fresh Blood/Old Bones, Wordland 2, Elegant Rage: A Poetic Tribute To Woody Guthrie, Blood Moon Rising Magazine, Buzzkill: Apocalypse, An End Of The World Anthology, San Antonio Express-News, New Myths, Arts United San Antonio Magazine, La Bloga, Eye To The Telescope, Dark River Press, Harbinger Asylum Yellow Mama, Moon The Eight Continent: An Anthology Of Space Poetry, New Texas, Concho River Review, Alamo Area Poets Of Texas Anthology, Agave: A Celebration Of Tequila, Gifts Of The Great Spirit, The 4th Annual Gulf Coast Poets Poetry Out Of Bounds Reading Chapbook, The Langdon Review Of The Arts In Texas, What Fears Become: The Horror Zine, Volume III, The Rhysling Anthology, The Mayo Review, Writers Of The Rio Grande.com, The Enigmatist, Horror Writers Association Newsletter, WritingRaw.com, The San Angelo’s Writers Club Newsletter, Homenaje A Miguel Hernandez En Su Centenario, San Antonio’s 350.org, And Now The Nightmare Begins, vacpoetry.com, Desahogate, thehorrorzine.com, Boundless, The People’s Comic Book Newsletter, Voices De La Luna, International Poetry Review, Illumen, Star*Line: the Journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, The Poet Magazine, di-verse-city, Voices Along The River, The Dreamcatcher, Inkwell Echoes, The Palm’s Leaf, Message of the Muse and many other publications.
Juan is a ten-year US Navy/US Marine Corps Veteran and a former Combat Medic serving in the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm, 1990-1991) with experience as a Spanish translator providing medical assistance to those affected during Hurricane Andrew (1992) in Dade County, Florida.
Presently, he is a successful, public high school history teacher in Corpus Christi, Texas where he lives.

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