Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fugitive from Labor Cases: Henry Garnett (1850) and Moses Honner (1860)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers engage in the comparison of cases which demonstrate the increasingly volatile political crisis in the 1850s arising over the issue of slavery and the necessity for the enactment of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Debate Lesson Plan: Slavery in the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the U.S. Constitution to see what has been writte about slavery. Then, students, in groups, research the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to explore slavery compromises.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Counting On Freedom

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine the poem and artistic masterpiece The Quadroon Girl and use this knowledge to practice mathematical concepts such as: more than, less than, counting, and majority.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reparations for Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils analyze slavery reparations. In this American history lesson, students examine the pros and cons of paying reparations for slavery and participate in a discussion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SLAVE TRADITIONS AND RELIGIONS: AN INSTITUTION CREATED WITHIN THE SLAVE COMMUNITY

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students learn and discuss the origins of slave traditions and religions. They use a T-chart and compare the slaves lifestyle with other modern lifestyles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Internment Camps for Japanese-Americans

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Pupils examine both sides of Japanese-Americans being sent into internment camps. They participate in a mock trial (civil trial) that includes the defense, plaintiff, and jury. They compose a statement in support or against this topic
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Resources

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students explore the REpublican Era and the writing of the constitution and Billof Rights through various links and activities included in this collection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

With malice toward none, with charity for all: The life of Abraham Lincoln

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research Abraham Lincoln in a variety of ways. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson plan, students use primary sources, vocabulary activities, books, and more to research and learn about Abraham Lincoln.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kensington Mansion: Plantation, Sharecroppers, Tenants

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders investigate the significance of the Kensington Mansion. In this South Carolina history lesson, 11th graders take field trips to the mansion and research primary and secondary sources about plantations, sharecropping, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prohibition Then; MADD Today

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine consumer traits. In this economics instructional activity, students examine the separate histories of Prohibition and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Students participate in a classroom simulation to discover how the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who or What is Un-American?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore concepts about civil liberties, research the history of sedition-related legislation in the U.S. and create a position paper on the topic.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individual Rights -- Freedom of Speech at School

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine their individual rights at a public school. In groups, they identify the most common ways of expressing themselves and why they should limit their speech in public. They compare and contrast two cases in which they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Songs of Unrest - Lesson 4

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils identify popular songs from 1968 and make connections with the year's current events. They pretend that they are producing a new CD. The CD includes four songs that comment on today's social issues. They write the liner notes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Before Rosa Parks: Upper Grades Activity: Frances Watkins Harper

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the rhetorical strategies Frances Watkins Harper used, such as tone, emotional appeal and descriptive language
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore different instruments and what role they play in Jazz. They also each person's role in a democratic society.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 8: After Slavery: Stowe's Vision

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
In this lesson, 8th graders look at how slavery contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War, at Abraham Lincoln's efforts to save the Union, and at what impact the Emancipation Proclamation had on the North's view of the war. Includes...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Civil War & Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era brought about the end of slavery and the expansion of civil rights to African Americans through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Compare the Northern and Southern states, discover the concepts of...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: The Reconstruction Amendments

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this interactive lesson, students will understand and explain the key provisions of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, commonly referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott, having lived in a free territory, was not entitled to his freedom. Students learn about the impact of the Court's decision, and how it was...
Lesson Plan
Internal Revenue Service

Irs: Income Tax Issues Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan will help young scholars understand how and why a federal income tax was implemented by Congress during the Civil War and in 1913.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Booker T. Washington: Orator, Teacher, and Advisor

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Through two primary source activities and watching a short video, students will learn about Booker T. Washington's commitment to African American education, and assess his ideas about how to achieve equality for African Americans in the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs News Hour: Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The object of this lesson is to take a look at the USA Patriot Act and the controversies around the Act. Does the Patriot Act defy our Civil Liberties? This lesson will explore that question and more.
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Docsteach: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will study a letter from Annie Davis, a woman who was enslaved in Maryland and wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to find out if 'we are free.' The students will decide if she received her freedom...