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Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Jim Crow as a Form of Racialized Social Control

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Just because slavery was illegal doesn't mean it went away ... Jim Crow Laws took its place. An eye-opening lesson focuses on how Jim Crow Laws were used as a form of racial social control against African Americans in the United States....
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Lesson Plan
1
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Teaching Tolerance

Slavery as a Form of Racialized Social Control

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An engaging instructional activity delves into the effects of slavery on society. Young historians read text excerpts, complete handouts, and participate in group discussion to understand how slavery was a means to control society and...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Facing History and Ourselves

Violence and Backlash

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Revolution and counterrevolution. Protest and counter-protest. Collaborators and bystanders. The focus of the fifth resource in the Reconstruction Era and Fragility of Democracy series is on the political violence that followed Radical...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Facing History and Ourselves

The Political Struggle, 1865-1866

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Healing versus justice. The central source of tension following the United States Civil War was between the demands for healing and the demands for justice, the battle between President Andrew Johnson and Congress. A video introduces the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Defining Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second lesson plan in the Reconstruction Era series...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

The World the War Made

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The United States Civil War forced Northern and Southern societies, as well as the people who made up those societies, to reconstruct their vision of themselves and their identities. A series of video-based web lessons look at the great...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

1862: Antietam and Emancipation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Was the Emancipation Proclamation a revolutionary document or just a military strategy? It proclaimed that all those enslaved in Confederate states would be "forever free." Logistically, though, it did little. The order, however,...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Emancipation 1861 to 1863

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Academics read newspaper articles from 1861 to 1863 regarding Emancipation and answer questions to understand how public opinion changed over time and why. The activity provides scholars with good historical context and the vocabulary...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

1862: Antietam and Emancipation

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
The Emancipation Proclamation shifted the tone and purpose of the Civil War. Using a primary source analysis, pupils consider the significance of the document. A second activity investigates the founding of the United States Colored...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

African Americans in the United States Congress During Reconstruction

For Students 5th
The Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship to all males in the U.S., resulted in the first African Americans to be elected to Congress. Class members research 11 of these men, the challenges they faced, and craft...
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Worksheet
Reading Through History

The Emancipation Proclamation

For Students 8th Standards
The Emancipation Proclamation: one of the most important primary sources for studying American history! An interdisciplinary resource includes a reading of Abraham Lincoln's seminal speech quoted directly. Following the reading, pupils...
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Assessment
Kentucky Department of Education

Kentuckians in the Civil War Era: Constructed Response Essay

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
What part did Kentucky play in the Civil War? A constructed response essay assignment tests to ensure scholars understand the concepts and the arguments for the causes of the Civil War. Learners must read a primary source quote and then...
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Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Presidential Years (Part 3)

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and led the Union out of the most tumultuous time in American history. An informative passage and paired questions evaluate learners' understanding of main ideas, supporting points, and domain-specific...
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Lesson Plan
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University of California

The Civil War: Final Assessment

For Students 7th Standards
Pupils discover the true nature and purpose of the Civil War in the eighth and final installment of an informative series. Using primary and secondary documents, history buffs merge social study knowledge with English skills to create a...
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Lesson Plan
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University of California

The Civil War: Emancipation

For Students 7th Standards
Investigate and analyze Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation using primary and secondary sources. The sixth installment of an eight-part series analyzes the meaning of Lincoln's document in relation to its impact on the Civil War. 
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Activity
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Mr. Beem's Social Studies

Civil Rights Project: The Long Civil Rights Movement

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Investigate milestones along the path that lead to the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. After researching key people, events, court cases, and legislative orders, teams present their findings as a magazine, newspaper, or...
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Interactive
National Constitution Center

Abraham Lincoln's Crossroads

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
History enthusiasts participate in an interactive website that brings Abraham Lincoln to life as he shares his personal experiences between 1854-1864. Scholars listen and read carefully to form their own opinions and discover if they...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Climbing the Wall

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine the challenge of trying to trace your family genealogy if no records were kept of births and deaths. Where would you look for information? What types of documents could provide you with the information you seek? History...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

Emancipation and the Thirteenth Amendment

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Why didn't the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves? Young historians study primary source documents including Lincoln's proclamation and the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Groups also investigate the three...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

Life as a Liberated People

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine having no control over your life and then suddenly having to provide for yourself. Such was the challenge faced by many American slaves after emancipation. Class members are asked to consider these challenges are they examine...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Effective or ineffective? As part of a study of post Civil War America, young historians analyze a series of primary sources to evaluate the effectiveness of the Freedmen's Bureau in addressing the challenges faced by the slaves freed by...
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Lesson Plan
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Walt Disney Company

Elizabeth Started All the Trouble

For Students 2nd - 6th Standards
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a famous suffragette that paved the way for equal rights for women. Readers respond to before, during, and after reading questions based on her story. The resource is a great addition to a lesson during Women's...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment

For Teachers 8th Standards
How did the Emancipation Proclamation lead to the Thirteenth Amendment? Middle schoolers analyze primary source documents including the text of the Emancipation Proclamation, political cartoons, photographs, and prints to understand the...
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Unit Plan
Pacific University Oregon

Civil Rights: US History

For Teachers 10th Standards
To gain an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution, and the 1898 Supreme Court case,...