Curated OER
Living History - Civil War
Eighth graders, after researching antebellum North Carolina and the role of North Carolina in the Civil War, write, edit, publish, and produce their own plays.
Center for History Education
The Freedmen's Bureau: Success or Failure?
What is freedom? The United States grappled with the question at the end of the Civil War after four million enslaved people were freed. Using circulars and images from the Reconstruction period, individuals examine how successful the...
Curated OER
Resistance to African American Education During and After the Civil War
Learners research a web site of primary documents to determine the level of support among whites in for the education of African Americans during Reconstruction.
Curated OER
Bridges for All
Learners describe how the brave word of one female Quaker served as a lifeline for fugitives before the Civil War. In this research lesson, students research several examples of the philanthropic work of individuals and organizations...
Curated OER
Reconstruction on Life in Virginia
Eighth graders study the life style of Virginians during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. They examine how the infrastructure, the economy, and the agricultural status of Virginia and the other Confederate states changed...
Curated OER
Reconstruction and "All Men Are Created Equal"
Learners examine the time after the Civil War known as Reconstruction. In groups, they role play a Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Reconstruction in which some members are senators and others are witnesses. They share their ideas on how...
Curated OER
Sgt. Humiston, Where are You?
Students become familiar with the events of the Civil War. In this identification lesson, students use deductive reasoning to understand how the deceased soldier was identified. Students view primary documents for information...
Curated OER
A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction
Students study U.S. History. In this Virginia focused lesson, students study how the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War affected various people in that area. They will listen to lectures and work independently to find gather...
Curated OER
Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement
Students examine the Jim Crow laws and how they impacted the lives of both African Americans and white Americans. They discuss the Civil Rights Movement and how their lives may have been different had it not occurred.
Groups...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction
Young scholars study Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years. They examine the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime. They investigate the complex issues of how Congress took on the role of...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Strange Fruit: Lynching in America
To continue their study of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the beginning of the civil rights movement, class members watch the YouTube video of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" as an introduction to an examination of...
Curated OER
Radical Reconstruction
Students explore the Republican plan for Radical Reconstruction. In this reading comprehension lesson, students use a PowerPoint presentation given by the teacher and multiple texts to answer questions that help them understand why the...
Curated OER
The Reconstruction Period
Students use documents and other resources to evaluate the success or failure of the Reconstruction for giving rights to African Americans. The documents are primary resources with questions included for students to complete.
Curated OER
Emancipation Proclamation
Students analyze key components of a portrait and relate the elements to the historical context. In this lesson students evaluate the "Emancipation Proclamation" and it's significance.
Curated OER
National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers i
Students explore the challenges involved in carrying out a program to care for the needs of Civil War veterans an to mark their graves after their deaths. The biography of a veteran from the community is researched and written in this...
Curated OER
Reconstruction in Texas
Students investigate life in Texas after the Civil War from a variety of viewpoints.
Curated OER
Comparing Ethnic Groups
Eleventh graders explore the relationship between the United States and the Native Americans from after the Civil War to the early 1900's. They evaluate the actions of the United States towards Native Americans and compare the actions to...
Curated OER
The Journal of a Civil War Soldier
Fifth graders write a response in their journals about the fictional thoughts of a Civil War soldier. They use specific web sites in order to research the life of a soldier during the Civil War.
Curated OER
With Liberty and Justice for All
High schoolers examine the role of Supreme Court justices. In this judicial branch lesson plan, students consider the civil rights and civil liberties as they investigate Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia...
City University of New York
Jim Crow and Voting Rights
Class groups examine primary source documents to determine how the voting rights of African Americans were restricted after the failure of Reconstruction, and how African American participation in World War II lead to change.
C-SPAN
14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause
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.
Curated OER
The Second Inaugural Address (1865)—Restoring the American Union
Students explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to reconstruct the country as the Civil War drew to a close.
Curated OER
John Fox Slater and the Freedmen
Eleventh graders discover how Northern philanthropists fought against Jim Crow laws in the South. In this Reconstruction activity, 11th graders analyze 2 letters written by John Fox Slater and determine what his motivations were in...
Curated OER
Antisemitism in Early America
Eleventh graders explore the rise of antisemitism in the United States in the early 20th century. After reading a passage concerning one man's ordeal, 11th graders discuss how the civil rights of minority groups has been viewed in...