Curated OER
Fugitive from Labor Cases: Henry Garnett (1850) and Moses Honner (1860)
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...
Curated OER
The Great Debate Lesson Plan: Slavery in the U.S. Constitution
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.
Curated OER
Counting On Freedom
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.
Curated OER
Reparations for Slavery
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.
Curated OER
SLAVE TRADITIONS AND RELIGIONS: AN INSTITUTION CREATED WITHIN THE SLAVE COMMUNITY
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.
Curated OER
Internment Camps for Japanese-Americans
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
Curated OER
Constitutional Resources
Students explore the REpublican Era and the writing of the constitution and Billof Rights through various links and activities included in this collection.
Curated OER
With malice toward none, with charity for all: The life of Abraham Lincoln
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.
Curated OER
Kensington Mansion: Plantation, Sharecroppers, Tenants
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...
Curated OER
Prohibition Then; MADD Today
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...
Curated OER
Who or What is Un-American?
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.
Curated OER
Individual Rights -- Freedom of Speech at School
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...
Curated OER
Songs of Unrest - Lesson 4
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.
Curated OER
Before Rosa Parks: Upper Grades Activity: Frances Watkins Harper
Students analyze the rhetorical strategies Frances Watkins Harper used, such as tone, emotional appeal and descriptive language
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students explore different instruments and what role they play in Jazz. They also each person's role in a democratic society.
Curated OER
Lesson 8: After Slavery: Stowe's Vision
Eighth graders read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War [Pdf]
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...
iCivics
I Civics: Civil War & Reconstruction
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...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Reconstruction Amendments
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.
iCivics
I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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...
Internal Revenue Service
Irs: Income Tax Issues Lesson Plan
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.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Booker T. Washington: Orator, Teacher, and Advisor
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...
PBS
Pbs News Hour: Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties Lesson
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.
US National Archives
Docsteach: Letter to President Abraham Lincoln From Annie Davis
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...