January 6th, 2021 Resource Guide

Focus Question for Free and Fair Elections:
● What does it mean for a nation to have a free and fair election?
Discussion Questions:
● What is the government’s role in holding free and fair elections?
● Why is the concept of one person, one vote central to free and fair elections?
● Why is it important to make sure that people are not intimidated during an election?
● What happened on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.?
● What questions do you have about what happened? Where can we look for answers to those questions?
● Even though the election occurred in November, how did the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6,
2021 present a direct challenge to the concept of free and fair elections?
● How do the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 create a challenge to a peaceful transfer of
power? Why is that a threat to free and fair elections?
● What should the media do to help ensure that future elections are free and fair?
● What can we do to ensure that future elections are free and fair?

Focus Question for Political Polarization in the United States:
● What is political polarization, and is the United States becoming more polarized?

DIscussion Questions:
● What does political polarization look, sound, and feel like where you live?
● What causes polarization?
● What evidence does the infographic provide about political polarization that you believe to be the most
important? Why?
● What happened on January 6, 2021 in Washington D.C.?
● What questions do you have about what happened? Where can we look for answers to those questions?
● How did the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 represent political polarization in the United
States?
● What should we do as a country in response to these events?
● How should students respond? Why?

Focus Question for Beer Hall Putsch (Munich Putsch): Why should Americans in 2021 know about the events of the
Beer Hall Putsch?

Discussion Questions:
● What happened in Munich, Germany on November 8–9, 1923 that contributed to the rise of fascism in Germany?
● If the overthrow of the government was unsuccessful, why was the Putsch a success for Hitler and the Nazi party?
● What pressures and motivations affected the decisions of political and military leaders on all sides during the Putsch crisis?
● Consider the usual penalties for treason for attempted overthrow of a government. What is the penalty in your country? Why was Hitler’s sentence relatively light in comparison?
● What happened on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.?
● What questions do you have about what happened? Where can we look for answers to those questions?
● What are the similarities that you see between the events in Munich, Germany on November 8–9, 1923 and what happened January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.? What are the differences? Why is it important to think about the similarities and differences between these two events?
● Consider the events in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 and what you know about the rise of fascism.
in Germany. What lessons can we apply from the past to avoid these types of horrors?
● How should the government respond to what happened in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021?
● How should the American people respond?

Focus Question for Trump Supporters Storm US Capitol Building As Protests Turn To Riots: What happened in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021? Why did it happen?

Discussion Questions:
● What are you thinking about about the events in Washington, D.C.?
● What happened on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.?
● What questions do you have about what happened? Where can we look for answers to those questions?
● How has the way that President Trump responded to the results of the November presidential election influenced what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021?
● How did President-elect Joe Biden respond to these events?
● How should we respond to these events to ensure a more democratic path forward?

Focus Question for Practice Good Information Hygiene: Sanitize Before You Share: How can we practice good information hygiene to ensure that the information we share is accurate?

Discussion Questions:
● What does accurate mean to you? What does credible mean to you?
● What are the four steps to sharing credible and accurate information?
● Why is it important that we share credible and accurate information?
● What happened on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.?
● What questions do you have about what happened? Where can we look for answers to those questions?
● How did misinformation lead to these events?
● Why is it important that we make sure the information we share about January 6, 2021 is credible and accurate?

Focus Question for Far-Right Groups Are Behind Most U.S. Terrorist Attacks: How has the threat of white supremacist terrorist groups grown in the last few years?

Discussion Questions:
● How has politics played a role in the growth of domestic terror groups?
● How did the news cover the attacks highlighted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies?
● Why do domestic terrorists attack people who are exercising their right to free speech?
● How does domestic terrorism challenge central values of American democracy?
● How can people try to stop the growth of terrorist groups?
● How might the pandemic be playing a role in the growth of hate groups?

Focus Question for When Something Scary Happens: Who do we look to for help in a crisis?

Discussion Questions:
● Why is it important to tell people how you feel when you are worried or scared?
● Who would you look to for help in an emergency?
● How can you help others in a crisis?

Focus Question for the Election Certification Articles: How does the United States Congress certify a presidential election?

Discussion Questions:
● What is Congress's role in certifying a presidential election?
● What is supposed to happen if a member of the House of Representatives and Senator objects to a state’s electoral college results?
● How might these objections delay the process?
● What false information was shared about the certification process before January 6, 2021? Why do you think it was shared?
● Why have there been claims of fraud occurring in this past November’s presidential election? What evidence is there to support these claims?
● Why do you think an insurrection occurred as the election was being certified?
● How should we respond to the misinformation about the November presidential election?
● How does this misinformation, and the subsequent events of January 6, 2021, challenge the goal of free and fair elections in the United States? What should be done about this?