Exodusters Teacher Resources

As part of a study of post Civil War era, young historians investigate the changes in voting rights during the Reconstruction Era (1863-1876), the fraud involved in the Hayes-Tilden presidential election of 1876, and efforts by Pap...

To understand how the Homestead Act of 1862 changed the US and the lives of the people during that time, class members examine primary source materials including letters, broadsides, and images. They then assume the voice of a...

Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the lesson provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the...

Students assess the influence of African Americans in the western United States from the sixteenth century to the present. They examine the Black-Spanish heritage, slavery and freedom on the frontier, along with African American...

In this literature comprehension learning exercise, 6th graders complete ten short answer questions based upon their knowledge of the events in the book Justin and the World's Best Biscuits.

High schoolers work in teams to research the history of African migration and immigration in the U.S. They present their research in a town hall discussion format and then write a paragraph about their experiences.

In this United States history worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions about the African American experience following the Civil War. A short answer question is included as...

Learners analyze the reasons African-Americans settled in the area to be known as Nebraska. Using primary source documents, they read about the challenges they faced and compare their growth and distribution of African-Americas in the...

Read about the reasons for the extensive black migration to Kansas, especially in the 1870s. These emigrants were called Exodusters. From the National Park Service.

Explains what the Homestead Act of 1862 was and what it meant for settlers, as well as the Exodus of 1879 when many African Americans became exodusters and left the South. Includes questions for students at end.

A look at the exodusters and the reasons the blacks left the South and migrated to Kansas after the Civil War.

Learn about the Exodusters, thousands of African Americans, from the southern states along the Mississippi River, who migrated to Kansas.

Contains a description of the Exodusters and their impact on the American West through their immigration.

The resources here, including letters, photographs, official documents, and maps, represent the exodus of African Americans from the South to the Great Plains in the late 1800s.

The Homestead Act of 1862 gave free land to Americans willing to improve it, regardless of race, sex, or nation of origin.

From the extensive site about African-American migrations, this part of the site focuses on Exodusters and African-Americans who moved to Kansas after the Civil War. Read first-person accounts and see photographs of these hardy...

Photo of exodusters waiting for a steamboat to take them to the west in late 1870s.

This site from the National Park Service provides the history of Nidodemus, Kansas, first western town planned by and for African-Americans. Settled by exodusters, the town served as a symbol as a land of opportunity for blacks escaping...

Contains text and photos on the African American exodus to the West. Includes primary source documents and maps from the era.

Contains text and photos on the African American exodus to the West. Includes primary source documents and maps from the era.

Contains an article written on the African American exodus to Kansas to farm in the late 19th century.

An extensive site that covers many aspects of the Homestead Act, including biographies, charts, and the text of the act. From the National Park Service.

From a chapter on America's expansion westward in a history textbook. This section looks at how Americans felt about westward expansion in the mid-1800s, and ways that the federal government promoted migration. Includes review questions.

This presents an overview of African Americans moving and settling in the West.