Arts and Literature
Math
Science & Technology
Social Studies
Pretend you are a driver on the Gold and Glory circuit
and make a diary of your journey on the road from town
to town, race to race. Follow the maps provided on the
website or create your own course. If you create your
own, what features will you include?
Pretend you are a reporter and write a newspaper account
of a Gold and Glory Sweepstakes event. Be sure to include
descriptions of all sights and sounds, not only of the
car engines and the track, but also the people in the
bleachers, the food stands, the fireworks, and all the
other spectacular scenery you might imagine.
Listen to an early jazz piece from the 1920s or early
‘30s. What mood do you think the composer was
trying to convey? How did the composer do this? Which
instruments did he/she use in order to create the desired
sound? What instruments and techniques would you use
to create a sad mood? A happy mood? A thoughtful mood?
Design a poster or newspaper advertisement for the Gold
and Glory Sweepstakes during the race's heyday in the
1920s.
Compare a sports report from the 1920s or ‘30s
to an article from a current newspaper. How does the
reporter describe the events? What are the differences
you notice? What are the similarities?
Pretend that you are a reporter and you will interview
one of the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes drivers. What
will you ask? How will you prepare?
Find pictures of automobiles from the 1920s and ‘30s.
If you were designing a racecar, which car would you
modify? Why? Sketch your design and describe why you
made the changes.
Write and enact a play depicting Charlie Wiggins and
the drivers at the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.
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Calculate the average speed for a car in the 1920s and
compare it with cars of today. How many miles could
drivers travel on a gallon of fuel? What fuels were
used in the 1920s and today?
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Compare and contrast the engineering of a racing car
built in the 1920s and '30s to a car built today.
Purchase a wooden racecar kit from a hobby store. Build
the kit and customize it. Design a track and race your
creations.
Compare the clothing and car safety features for a racecar
driver in the 1920s to a driver today. How has technology,
including design and materials, changed?
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Begin a discussion about barriers that may still exist
for African American racecar drivers. What barriers
might exist for other minorities and women? Why?
Compare the clothing worn by spectators from the 1920s
to spectators today. How is attending a race different
today?
Research a current racecar driver you admire and report
on his or her career path.
Visit a library and hunt for information on the Gold
and Glory Sweepstakes in old newspaper microfilms. Also
look at the important news of the day, as well as the
advertisements of the era.
Compare the prize money offered at the Gold and Glory
Sweepstakes to prize money offered today. What other
rewards to drivers receive? What recognition was important
to drivers of the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes?
Look back at other major sporting events in the African-American
community during the 1920s and ‘30s. How were
the heroes of the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes similar
to other popular black athletes, such as the members
of the Negro National League baseball teams, or the
Harlem Globetrotters basketball squad? Why have some
of these teams persisted, while others have ended?
Investigate why John Dillinger was interested in fast
cars. Who else in his era might have been?
Discuss the role and status of athletes in the 1920s
and today. What do reporters say about them? What about
fans? How are they treated? The same? Different?
What was your community like in the early years of the
1900s? What was happening in state and local government?
What was happening in the arts? What drove the local
economy? How has your community changed?
Interview an older person in your community. What memories
does he or she have of those years? How do they compare
with your experiences growing up today? What do they
recall about race relations in your community?
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