Curated OER
The Constitution and the Right to Vote: Ch 6
The US Constitution dictates which members of society have the right to vote. After reading about amendments extending voting rights, your class answers these questions on the 15th, 14th, and 23rd amendments. Use as a quiz or to guide...
Curated OER
Breaking Barriers
Students examine the context of a speech delivered by Barack Obama. In this African-American history lesson, students discuss the 15th Amendment and the American Civil Rights Movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More...
Curated OER
Civil Rights and the ADA
Students examine and discuss the 14th and 15th amentments, and evaluate the agendas of Americans from underrepresented groups in the quest for civil rights. They conduct Internet research and create essays or posters regarding Civil Rights.
Mount Holyoke College
Mt. Holyoke: Reconstruction Timeline
Here's a concise timeline that highlights the important facets of reconstruction from the announcement of Abraham Lincoln's reconstruction plans to the end of reconstruction at the election of Rutherford B. Hayes.
US National Archives
Nara: Presidential Election Laws: Presidential Election Laws
Check out this site from the National Archives and Records Administration on the US Constitution and the United States Code for laws and provisions regarding presidential elections.
PBS
Pbs: Learning Media: Why Should Women Vote? The Suffrage Question
In this activity, students view eleven different documents arguing both for and against women's right to vote. They must click and drag them in the order that they were created. As they work, they need to make a list of the arguments...
iCivics
I Civics: Games: Do I Have a Right?
Play this game from iCivics that requires an understanding and application of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and a few other amendments to argue and win cases the clients bring into the law firm. There...
Other
University of Western Georgia: Reconstruction in the South
An excellent distillation of the many issues addressed in the Reconstruction period in the South in the twelve years after the end of the Civil War.
US National Archives
National Archives: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875
The Dred Scott case decided that African Americans were not citizens of the United States. However, 18 years later they would have citizenship and many other rights. Students will examine the following documents to understand how and why...
US National Archives
National Archives: To What Extent Was Reconstruction a Revolution? (Part 1)
Should Reconstruction be viewed as a revolution or not? Using primary source documents, students can weigh the evidence and come up with their conclusion. This lesson can be used as a whole class, small group, or individual activity.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Radical Reconstruction, 1867 1872
This section explains the purpose of the second phase of Reconstruction and some of the key legislation put forward by Congress, describes the impeachment of President Johnson, and discusses the benefits and drawbacks of the Fifteenth...
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Domestic Affairs
An in-depth analysis of the domestic policies and problems that Rutherford B. Hayes faced as president. Read about the end of Reconstruction, Hayes' economic policy, his troubles with a Democratic majority in the Congress, and his...
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Woman's Suffrage Timeline
Learn the history of women's suffrage with this interactive timeline.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Orator, Author, and Activist
By watching a short video and engaging in two primary source activities, students will explore the need for social change, as well as its inherent challenges.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: The Vote, Making of African American Identity: V. 2
An appeal for black voting rights and an editorial cartoon opposing them. This resource explains that while the 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote, southern states fought to block its implementation.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: "With Malice Toward None"
A four-page discussion of Reconstruction from the plans Lincoln made while the Civil War was still raging to the end of Reconstruction with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Opposing Views on Reconstruction
A look at how Andrew Johnson tried to carry out Lincoln's plan for reconstruction. Read onto the second page to find out how the congressional plan thwarted Johnson and was much more punitive.
Digital History
Digital History: America's Reconstruction: A Visual Timeline of Reconstruction
This resource provides a timeline of the Reconstruction era in the South.
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Learning Adventures: The History and Process of Voting
Learning adventures teaches students of all ages about the voting process and the history of voting, citing the 15th and 19th Amendments, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 26th Amendment. Links to the National Archives and voter...
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Beginnings of the Movement: African American Men Get the Vote
Explore the ways in which the women's suffrage movement, after African-American men were given the right to vote, fell short. Read texts from this period of time.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Voting Rights
This website contains an interactive timeline about the history of voting rights in the United States.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: African Americans and the 15th Amendment
Article on equal rights and the series of events leading to the passage of the 15th Amendment. Includes questions for discussion and an activity in which students re-create the Voting Rights Convention.