Lesson Plans

Civil War & Reconstruction

Reconstruction

Students will examine multiple primary sources to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the federal government's efforts in utilizing the Freedmen's Bureau to implement and enforce the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments during the Reconstruction Era from...

Sherman's March to the Sea

Students will examine a series of primary sources relating to Sherman’s march. This will allow them to experience the march through several different...

The Cause of the Civil War?

After reviewing Dr. Chandra Manning’s analysis of the Jasper Barney (1862) and John White (1862) letters, I have developed the following outline for my extended lesson plan. The essential question for the lesson will be “Was the Civil War about slavery prior to the Emancipation Proclamation?” The extended lesson will take four days to complete and the students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge of both the content and the context of the information through a summative...

The Collapse of Compromise and a Nation

Students will use primary documents to determine how the collapse of the Missouri Compromise as a result of the Kansas Nebraska Act (1854) and the Dred Scott ruling (1857) led to secession and the coming of the Civil War. Students will explore this focus question through the lens of the four political parties that ran candidates in the Election of 1860: the Republican Party, the Northern Democratic Party, the Southern Democratic Party, and the Constitutional Union Party. The radicalization of each party and their lack of cross-regional appeal are emblematic of the national schism that deepened as the Election played...

The Great War: Emancipation Proclamation and Conscription Act of 1863

This lesson aims to have students analyze the unpopularity of the War in the North amongst various socio-economic groups. By looking at various sources, students will come to learn that the Civil War was not necessarily about ending slavery, and that the North was not entirely united in support of the war and the methods used to continue fighting the war such as the...

The Impact of Reconstruction: A Historical Investigation

In this lesson, students will analyze primary source documents in order to answer the question, "Did Reconstruction effectively change African American rights?" This lesson is designed to enhance Unit 1 of Montgomery County Public Schools 9th grade U.S. History Curriculum. Prior to this lesson, students should already be introduced to key ideas and concepts from the unit including but not limited to terminology such as "change and continuity," "lynching," and "Reconstruction." They should also be familiar with the difference between political, economic, and social systems. They should understand that reconstruction efforts were started by Radical Republicans and designed in efforts to transform the...

The Nation Divides

Students will analyze seven primary resources in order to determine the impact of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the issue of fugitive slaves on both the North and the South prior to the Civil...