+
8 Items in Topic
Lesson Planet Curated

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Excerpts from Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s documentary series provide young historians with insight into the struggles the country faced in the years after the Civil war. Viewers learn about the...
+
21 Items in Topic
Lesson Planet Curated

C-SPAN Classroom: Middle School Civics

For Parents 6th - 8th
Introduce middle schoolers to the roles and powers of the three branches of the United States government, with the 21 resources in the C-SPAN Civics collection. Sorted into the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial...
+
7 Items in Unit
Lesson Planet Curated

The Reconstruction Era and The Fragility of Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Seven lessons examine the Reconstruction Era that followed the United States Civil War. The series of detailed lessons provide background information on the era, teaching strategies, videos, and primary source materials.
+
11 Items in Unit
Lesson Planet Curated

Looking Back Reaching Forward: Exploring the Promise of Brown v. Board of Education in Contemporary Times

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A six-lesson unit commemorates the historic Supreme Court decision Brown V. Board of Education. High schoolers discuss key elements of the decision and examine documents detailing the history of school desegregation and the conditions...
+
Instructional Video4:26
1
1
National Constitution Center

14th Amendment Discussion Starter: The Black Codes

For Students 7th - 12th
The Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws were rules that served the same purpose: to restrict the rights of African Americans. Young historians watch performers read Black Code laws from different states to explain how African Americans were...
+
Instructional Video4:05
1
1
PBS

Reconstruction: The Black Codes

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
During the era of Reconstruction, the planter class of the South tried to replicate the time before the Civil War by squashing rights given in the Thirteenth, Fourteenths and Fifteenth amendments. Using a video clip featuring renowned...
+
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama Slave Codes in 1833: What They Can Teach Us About Slaves Themselves

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After viewing a short PowerPoint about Nat Turner's rebellion, class groups examine Alabama's 1833 slave codes. Individuals then develop a mini-legal brief arguing against one particular slave law.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living Under the Illinois Black Codes

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use the text of the Illinois Black Codes to examine the laws in place. Using this information, they draw their own conclusions about why the laws existed in a free state. They also identify the purpose of these laws and how they...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Primary Sources in the Classroom: Slavery Unit Lesson 1: Slave Code of 1833

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of slavery. In this primary research lesson, students read the Alabama Slave Code of 1833 and discuss its implications. Students also examine emancipation-related documents and respond to questions regarding...
+
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Reparations: Why Are Reparations Controversial?

For Teachers 8th
To understand why the topic of reparations is controversial, young scholars gather background information by reading articles, watching videos, and examining cases where reparations were made. Learners consider the lasting repercussions...
+
PPT
Curated OER

Reconstruction (1865-1876)

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Easily broken into pieces for several class sessions, this presentation is a great way to transition your class out of a Civil War unit and closer to the 20th century. Engaging photographs, including relevant maps and humorous political...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Called Themselves the K.K.K.; The Birth of an American Terrorist Group

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
How did Ku Klux Klan develop and flourish in the US? How did the government respond to acts of terrorism conducted by the KKK following the Civil War? How does the government respond to acts of terrorism today? This resource...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Lesson on Reconstruction Legislation and Amendments

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students study the legislation and Amendments of Reconstruction period in America. In this Reconstruction lesson, students work in groups to dissect the Black Codes, an article in the US Constitution, as well as the 13th, 14th, and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eighteenth-Century Slave Codes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore slavery by reviewing the written laws intended to keep African Americans subservient. In this U.S. slavery lesson, students analyze a time-line of the history of African Americans. Students discuss the patterns of the...
+
Lesson Plan
Center for Instruction, Technology, & Innovation

Did African American Lives Improve After Slavery?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
The Civil War made slavery illegal, but all ex-slaves were not totally free. Scholars visit eight different classroom stations to uncover life during the Reconstruction Era in America. Groups discover items such as Black Codes, 13th,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slave Code Songs

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study water bodies that were escape routes to Canada for slaves seeking freedom. They examine and create a coded spiritual that describes a personal experience with secrecy and fear.
+
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Plessy v. Ferguson: An Individual's Response to Oppression

For Teachers 11th
After generating research questions rated to segregation, groups are given a primary source document (Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes, Plessy v. Ferguson, etc.) and craft a presentation that details the key elements of their assigned...
+
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Plessy v. Ferguson & the Roots of Segregation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How far in the past do the roots of Jim Crow and segregation extend? Young historians closely consider this question using detailed PowerPoint slides as a basis for discussion rather than lecture, culminating in an activity where class...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery in Arkansas, Market to Misery

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students determine the factors that were considered when purchasing slaves at market or through the purchase of an estate. They examine the Arkansas Slave Code and share its content through a group activity.
+
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

The Civil War

For Teachers 5th Standards
A unit covers many aspects of the Civil War. Over six weeks, fifth graders delve deep into the history of slavery, the Civil War—before, during, and after—Abraham Lincoln, women's contributions, the Emancipation Proclamation, and...
+
Activity
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "Black Laws" by Roger Reeves

For Teachers 6th - 12th
After investigating the Black Lives Matter movement, class members do a close read of Roger Reeves' "Black Laws." They write down words and phrases that rhyme, consider the kinds of rhymes used and their function in the poem. Scholars...
+
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Deconstructing Reconstruction: The Reconstruction Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine the Reconstruction programs instituted following the American Civil War, the potential for change these efforts offered, and the realities that occurred. Guided by a PowerPoint presentation, class members read a...
+
Instructional Video2:14
PBS

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Two short PBS videos introduce young scholars to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 Poor People's Campaign, his support for the Memphis sanitation worker's strike, and the plans for the march on Washington, D.C., to fight poverty. Viewers...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
C-SPAN

14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Two Supreme Court cases, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education take center stage in a lesson about the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Class members research both cases to compare and contrast the rulings.

Browse by Subject


Black Codes