Samantha Smith

Using Your Voice: Samantha Smith

Voice and Democracy

In a democracy, people have a say in how the country is run. Citizens get to participate in choosing their leaders, usually by voting in an election. Elected officials represent the people and make decisions on their behalf. 

Democracies protect important rights. In the United States, the First Amendment says everyone has the right to speak, share ideas, and be heard. It protects the freedom of speech and helps people work together to solve problems. Not everyone can vote (kids can’t until they are 18), but everyone has a voice and can express their opinions and advocate for change.  

Citizens can express their views on issues at public meetings, protests, and by communicating with elected officials. Respecting and accepting others with different viewpoints and different ways of life is an important part of being a good citizen. This helps make Maine and the United States a welcoming place for everyone while creating an environment that encourages healthy debate. In a democracy, people can peacefully talk through their problems and create positive change.

Who was Samantha Smith?

Share whatever information from this introduction you feel will help provide context for your students before they investigate the primary sources.

America’s Youngest Ambassador

In 1982, at age 10, Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, sent a letter to Yuri Andropov, the leader of the Soviet Union (now known as Russia). She asked him why he wanted “to conquer the world or at least our country.” Andropov answered Samantha’s letter, telling her he didn’t want to go to war and that the Soviets only wanted peace. Andropov invited Samantha and her parents to visit the Soviet Union that summer. 

Tragically, in 1985, at the age of 13, Samantha and her father were killed in a plane crash as the plane attempted to land at Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn Regional Airport.

Additional Information: The Cold War 1945-1991

After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became the two strongest countries in the world. These countries were often called superpowers. They became rivals and worked to stop each other from gaining too much power. 

This time of tension is known as the Cold War. Although they never fought each other directly, this rivalry led to other conflicts, like the Korean War in the 1950s and the Vietnam War in the 1960s. After World War II, the Soviet Union forced its type of communist government on the surrounding countries under its control. The United States did not want communism to spread to other countries. 

Both nations built atomic weapons, leading to a race to create more powerful and destructive weapons. In the 1970s, the United States and the Soviet Union signed agreements to limit the number of nuclear weapons they each had. Things began to change in the Soviet Union when Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader in 1985. He tried to improve the economy and encourage open discussions, a policy known as “glasnost.” By 1991, the Soviet Union had broken apart, and the Cold War came to an end.

Cold War Resources:

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/cold-war/

https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-russia-nuclear-arms-control

https://historyforkids.org/the-cold-war/

https://titanmissilemuseum.org/about/cold-war-timeline/

The Lesson:

1. Present as much of the introductory information below as desired to your students to give them context for the lesson. Depending on reading level, they could read the introduction as a homework assignment, or you could go over it together as a class.
2. Students choose (or the teacher assigns) one or more of the primary sources to work with.
3. The primary source can be projected/viewed on a big screen by the full class, or printed, so each student has their own copy.
4. This is a mystery-solving activity – students should not know details about the sources in advance. Without first seeing the source label information, students practice their observation and analysis skills. They only see the source and have to use their skills to pull out information about it. 
   • Option 1 – Open inquiry
     • The teacher leads a full-class discussion using the prompts “What do you see?” and “What do you wonder?” The class should be encouraged to look at tiny details and pull out clues from each source. This can also work as a whiteboard or post-it note activity, with students writing their own comments in response to the sources.
   • Option 2 – Guided worksheets
     • Students complete an Analysis Worksheet for each source. They can make educated guesses using whatever information they find in the sources. Note – This can be completed as a class, individually, or in small groups.
5. Present the source label information (the “answers”) to the students. Were you surprised by anything you learned? Have you found more connections between the different sources?
6. Repeat with as many sources as desired.
7. Discuss all the sources together. What sources did you work with? What did you learn from them? What questions do you have? How do the different sources connect to the theme or to each other?
8. Optional: Use the recommended activity prompts and reflection questions for further discussion.

Optional Activity:

 We all have rights, duties, and responsibilities as citizens.  Make a list of your own rights, duties, and responsibilities (you can create three separate lists).  Then rank each one by order from most important to least important.  Put a star next to the ones that have an impact on other people.  Then make a plan about what you can do to protect the right at the top of your list. 

Reflection Questions:

• What traits make a person a good ambassador?  (or peacemaker) 
• In what ways was Samantha Smith a good ambassador?  What did she do? 
• What did Samantha learn about people in the Soviet Union on her trip? 
• Think of a cause that’s important to you.  Could you write a letter to advocate for your cause to the president of a nation/governor/mayor/principal as Samantha did?  Why or why not?  
• Samantha lived more than 40 years ago.  Do you think kids today are as engaged in world politics as Samantha was?  Explain your thinking.  
• Did Samantha’s letter make a difference to the cause of world peace?  Explain why or why not.
• Samantha was a young changemaker.  Who are some other changemakers in the world today?  What are they doing to make the world a better place?  
• If someone had told Samantha that she couldn’t write her letter 40 years ago, would they have been correct?  What part of the Constitution would she read to find out if writing a letter to express her thoughts is a right that she has?
  • National Archives Bill of Rights – transcript available 
  • Library of Congress – Creating the United States virtual exhibit

Maine Industry Primary Source Sets developed in collaboration between the Maine State Archives, Maine State Library, and Maine State Museum.