Download Title: Making Citizens Out of Slaves Lesson Author: Joe Mehfoud

Title: Making Citizens Out of Slaves
Lesson Author: Joe Mehfoud and Terry McCauley
Key Words: slaves, Black Codes, Jim Crow, segregation
Grade Level: 11th grade VA/US History
Time Allotted: 45 minutes
Rationale/ Purpose (so what?)
Nature and scope of topic. Why is this significant to the mission of educating future citizens?
Teaching how African Americans have progressed from slaves to citizens in
America from pre-Civil War through the Reconstruction Era to 1877 is
important because today we still feel the effects of racism and segregation
from our past. It is important that students understand how African
Americans went from being slaves to citizens to show how our attitudes
can change over time and how those attitudes translate into government
action.
Background/Context: How does this lesson fit into a unit of study?
Looking
backwards, looking forwards
This section covers material to illustrate the theme of time, continuity, and
change as it relates to the experience of African Americans in the United
States during and immediately after the Civil War. This lesson would be
preceded by a unit on the Civil War. During the previous unit we would
touch on how the roles of African Americans began to change. After the
unit we would teach the Gilded Age of the post-Reconstruction Era.
Key Concept(s) include definition:
Dred Scott case – 1857 Supreme Court case that established that African
Americans as slaves were not citizens, merely property
Emancipation Proclamation – issued in 1863 during the Civil War by
Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves in those states still in rebellion against
the Union
Reconstruction Amendments – 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments added to
the Constitution after the Civil War abolishing slavery, granting African
Americans civil rights, equal protection under the law, and the right to vote
Black Codes – laws passed in Southern and Northern states restricting the
civil rights of African Americans
Jim Crow segregation – Southern states began passing laws requiring
segregation of the races
NCSS Standard(s)
SOL Information
*As written in the Virginia SOL “Curriculum Framework” for the grade level
NCSS Theme (s) with indicators: Theme #2 – Time, Continuity, and
Change
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Assist learners to understand that historical knowledge and the concept of time are
socially influenced constructions that lead historians to be selective in the questions they
seek to answer and the evidence they use
Help learners apply key concepts such as time, chronology, causality, change, conflict,
and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of historical
change and continuity
Enable learners to identify and describe significant historical periods and patterns of
change within and across cultures, including but not limited to, the development of
ancient cultures and civilizations, the emergence of religious belief systems, the rise of
nation-states, and social, economic, and political revolutions
Guide learners in using such processes of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct and
interpret the past, such as using a variety of sources and checking their credibility,
validating and weighing evidence for claims, searching for causality, and distinguishing
between events and developments that are significant and those that are
inconsequential
Provide learners with opportunities to investigate, interpret, and analyze multiple
historical and contemporary viewpoints within and across cultures related to important
events, recurring dilemmas, and persistent issues, while employing empathy, skepticism,
and critical judgment; and enable learners to apply ideas, theories, and modes of
historical inquiry to analyze historical and contemporary developments, and to inform
and evaluate actions concerning public policy issues.
SOL* : VUS.7 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the Civil War
and Reconstruction Era and their importance as major turning points in
American history by
d) examining the political and economic impact of the war and Reconstruction,
including the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution
of the United States
Essential Knowledge
(minimum for SOL Resource Guide)
Political effects
Lincoln’s view that the United States was one
indivisible nation had prevailed.
Lincoln believed that since secession was illegal,
Confederate governments in the Southern states
were illegitimate and the states had never really
left the Union. He believed that Reconstruction was
a matter of quickly restoring legitimate Southern
state governments that were loyal to the Union.
Lincoln also believed that to reunify the nation, the
federal government should not punish the South,
but act ―with malice towards none, with charity
for all… to bind up the nation’s wounds….
The assassination of Lincoln just a few days after
Lee’s surrender at Appomattox enabled Radical
Republicans to influence the process of
Reconstruction in a manner much more punitive
towards the former Confederate states. The states
that seceded were not allowed back into the Union
immediately, but were put under military
occupation.
Radical Republicans also believed in aggressively
guaranteeing voting and other civil rights to
African Americans. They clashed repeatedly with
Lincoln’s successor as president, Andrew Johnson,
over the issue of civil rights for freed slaves,
eventually impeaching him, but failing to remove
him from office.
The three ―Civil War Amendments to the
Constitution were added:
– 13th Amendment: Slavery was abolished
permanently in the United States.
– 14th Amendment: States were prohibited from
denying equal rights under the law to any
American.
– 15th Amendment: Voting rights were guaranteed
regardless of ―race, color, or previous condition of
servitude (former slaves).
The Reconstruction period ended following the
extremely close presidential election of 1876. In
return for support from Southern Democrats in the
electoral college vote, the Republicans agreed to
end the military occupation of the South. Known as
the Compromise of 1877, this enabled former
Confederates who controlled the Democratic Party
to regain power. It opened the door to the ―Jim
Crow Era and began a long period in which African
Americans in the South were denied the full rights
of American citizenship.
Essential Skills
(minimum for SOL Resource Guide)
Formulate historical questions and
defend findings, based on inquiry and
interpretation. (VUS.1c)
Develop perspectives of time and place.
(VUS.1d)
Interpret the significance of excerpts
from famous speeches and other
documents. (VUS.1h)
Economic impact
The Southern states were left embittered and
devastated by the war. Farms, railroads, and
factories had been destroyed throughout the
South. Confederate money was worthless. Many
towns and cities such as Richmond and Atlanta lay
in ruins, and the source of labor was greatly
changed due to the loss of life during the war and
the end of slavery. The South would remain an
agriculture-based economy and the poorest section
of the nation for many decades afterward.
The North and Midwest emerged with strong and
growing industrial economies, laying the
foundation for the sweeping industrialization of the
nation (other than the South) in the next halfcentury and the emergence of the United States as
a global economic power by the beginning of the
twentieth century.
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
soon after the war ended intensified the westward
movement of settlers into the states between the
Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean.
Guiding Question(s): MUST BE SHARED WITH STUDENTS AT BEGINNING OF EACH
LESSON- Visible in lesson procedure and materials.
How did the status of African Americans change in the years immediately
following the American Civil War from 1865 to 1877?
The day’s big question:
Were the newly freed African American slaves considered American
citizens?
Lesson Objective(s): clearly emerges from big question and rationale and standards
and will align with your assessment in Procedure and Process
Obj. 1 Students will be able to explain why the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments were passed.
Obj. 2 Students will be able to describe what the Black Codes were and
how they impacted life in the South for the newly freed slaves.
Obj. 3 Students will be able to explain a Southerner’s perspective on the
changing role of African Americans after the Civil War.
Assessment Tool(s) to be used- Everything above- goes to what you want them
to know/understand do- So what assessments are you going to use to help you manage and
monitor that they have got it-informal and formal—make one over-riding assessment connect to
your closure.
Assessment 1. Visual Imagery – Show students image of Union soldier
protecting an African American in the South and images showing a
segregated classroom. Discuss what is going on in each image and
describe differences they see between the classroom images.
Assessment 2. SCIM-C – Give students three primary source documents
about life in the South for the newly freed slaves and have them do a
SCIM-C for each document. One will be an example of the Black Codes,
one will be a former slave describing his experiences after the Civil War,
and one will be from a Northerner visiting the South. Discuss the SCIM-Cs
with the students and ask them to share their thoughts.
Materials:
Historical
Source(s): List here
and include copies in
materials section below
Additional Materials/Resources:
List here and
include copies in materials section- textbooks etc page
numbers, websites etc
Material A – large ball
Material E – 13th,
14th, 15th
Amendments
Material B – standard-sized cup
Source 1 – example
of Black Codes from
a Louisiana town
Material D – bucket
Source 2 – account
of a former slave of
his experience as
freedman after the
Civil War
Material G – Prom Night in Mississippi trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_zAEGAZoFQ
Source 3 – account
from a Northerner’s
perspective of
African Americans in
the South after the
Civil War
Material C – ping pong ball
Material F – SCIM-C worksheet
Material H – PowerPoint presentation
Procedure/Process:
1) JUST DO IT! The “Hook”: A high-interest activity that introduces new content with
connections to students’ prior knowledge. Between 1-5 minutes. You could also introduce the
days guiding question- could help with assessment of student needs
the hook: One minute game – get the ball in the cup. Students will be divided into two
teams with girls on one team, and boys on another. Each team will have one minute to
shoot a ball into a cup. The girls will be given a large ball that does not fit into the
standard-sized cup provided while the boys will be given a ping pong ball to get into a
bucket.
2) Instructional sequence:
Processing Activity and Procedure –
Obj #
See
above.
Just do it.
Transition:
Objective
#1
Transition:
Objective
#2
include directions, question frames, assignment
details, to be given to students (these should
all be made into explicit materials (e.g. see
material A) Do you have opportunities for
direct/guided instruction and independent
practice/engagement when appropriate and
time estimates
One minute game, get the ball in the cup
(see materials A, B, C, D)
Check for Evidence of
Understanding
-Either Formal or Informal e.g.
assessments- question frames,
quiz, choice activities, discussion
with frame and your THAT’s A
WRAP.
(Checks Essential Knowledge
and Skills should be in line with
assessment tools above)
Check for student
participation.
Give students a handout of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments (see
material E)
Make sure students are taking
notes on the PowerPoint
Give a lecture as a PowerPoint presentation presentation. Visual Imagery is presented to the class for them to take
the PowerPoint will include
notes (see material H). Read over the 13th, images for the students to
14th, and 15th Amendments with the class
analyze. They will be asked to
(see material E)
discuss as a class, what is
going on in the images?
Listen to their responses
Hand out the primary source documents and SCIM-C worksheets (see
Sources 1, 2, & 3 and material F)
Each student will complete the SCIM-C
worksheets but will be allowed to
collaborate with their fellow classmates
Walk around to see that
students are reading the
documents and completing
(Where each source came from will not be
shared with the student until after the
SCIM-C exercise even though they are
listed on each one currently. The copy the
student will be given will not provide that
information)
the SCIM-C. We will go over
them together as a class to
check for evidence of
understanding
Transition: Students will be instructed to get out their notebooks again to take notes
Objective
#3
Have a class discussion about how
Southerners felt during Reconstruction
Students will respond to the
following questions during the
discussion: How did
Southerners respond to the
new status of African
Americans? Why did they
respond this way? Were they
justified in feeling that way?
Listen to student responses to
check for understanding
3) Closure- THAT’S A WRAP that goes to opening question- and also in part to assessment
tools –at least one key assessment tool. (Do you need a rubric)
Show the Prom Night in Mississippi theatrical trailer to explain why the
lesson is important (see material G). After the video discuss the opening
activity with the students and explain how it relates to the lesson. The girls
were “supposedly” given the same opportunity as the boys to win the
game but the materials they were given were not equal to the boys
Modifications/Accommodations for Diverse Learners:
Include reference and acknowledgement of IEP plans for specific students- that is easy.
Additionally, highlight how you have designed materials/sequences that pay attention to preassessment evidence to address readiness, interest, and learning preference needs, including
attention to student groupings, use of time and materials, variance in whole class and small
group instruction, varied task complexity. Can you delineate key instructional strategies and
scaffolds that are effective for responding to student needs? Do you provide rubrics to explain
what good work looks like? Do you provide room for direct instruction/guided instruction
(including read alouds and think alouds), independent practice. (Use Cruz and Thornton, and
Tomlinson and McTighe).
 Bullet your details and explanations.
 Visual Imagery – images will be shown during the PowerPoint to
show students what life was like in the South during Reconstruction
and after.
 Video/Audio – Using video to connect the content to the present day,
also so they are not listening to the instructor lecture for an extended
period of time during the PowerPoint.
 SCIM-C worksheet – engaging the material and working with primary
sources by looking at the documents and completing the SCIM-C
worksheet (group or individual).
 Lecture and discussion as a part of whole-class instruction.
 Provide an example of a SCIM-C so they know what we are looking
for and how to complete it.
 Some students with IEPs may need more time on the SCIM-C since it
is a complex task. They may also need help with vocabulary.
 Some students may also need vocabulary help with the three Civil
War Amendments