Ira Aldridge Lesson Plan

For my final project, I chose to do a lesson plan exploring and analyzing the life of Ira Aldridge. Ira Aldridge was a trailblazer in the theatre community in the 1800’s. As an African American man from New York City, he was not accepted as an actor in America. So, he went across the pond to London and started his career as an actor. He became famous for his portrayal of Othello, being the first black man to do so, and thus became known as the “African Roscius”. His popularity in Europe allowed him to speak out against racism and slavery in his later life. He was an advocate for human and civil rights and has not been taught as often as he should be in our educational system today.

Lesson Plan Overview