Forty Acres? The Question of Land at the War's End

Should land be redistributed to former slaves after the Civil War? This essential question guides a lesson plan on the Reconstruction Era, as learners analyze primary sources (linked), recording responses on a worksheet (linked). To model the activity, two learners act out the first source, a dialogue. Then, groups jigsaw the other documents, which include reading levels for differentiated assigning. The wrap-up points could be adjusted as a homework writing assignment.