Curated OER
South Carolina's Constitution
Eighth graders explore the definition of political culture. After viewing a movie, 8th graders discuss how the political culture of the 1600 and 1700s is reflected in early drafts of the South Carolina constitution.
University of California
The Civil War: Secession of the South
Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...
Curated OER
Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Constitution
Students determine how President Lincoln promoted emancipation. In this slavery lesson, students examine primary documents, including the U.S. Constitution, to reconstruct Lincoln's attempts to end slavery and deliver the Emancipation...
Curated OER
School Desegregation in South Carolina
Eleventh graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this North Carolina history lesson, 11th graders examine the Briggs v. Elliott case in order to understand the difference in the state and...
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...
Curated OER
Reconstruction and the 1868 South Carolina Constitution
Students, through lecture and group discussion, explore the American Civil War Reconstruction and how it affected the development of the 1868 Constitution of South Carolina. They discuss its impact on South Carolina even today.
Curated OER
Where Do We Go From Here?
Eighth graders examine the impact of Reconstruction on South Carolina. In this Reconstruction lesson, 8th graders use primary documents to research sharecropping and freedman's contracts in the agricultural South following the end of...
Curated OER
Secession: A Southern Perspective
Eighth graders determine how secession impacted South Carolina as well as the United States. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders examine selected primary and secondary sources in order to study the state's sovereignty and the...
Curated OER
Municipal Government in South Carolina
Twelfth graders complete several activities as they study and explore the three different types of municipal governments allowed in South Carolina and the types of services provided for people within these metropolitan areas.
Digital History
Representation: By State or by Population
Should representation in the new United States government be based on population? This learning exercise illustrates the details of this important quandary through an adaptation of speeches on the topic given at the Constitutional...
Curated OER
Constitution Evolution Research Project
Eighth graders demonstrate how South Carolina's Constitution has evolved through a research report. In groups, 8th graders conduct research and write a paper analyzing the historical and social influences that have been associated with...
Curated OER
Vote for Me!
Tenth graders analyze voter trends in South Carolina and discover techniques canddidates and their parties use to convince us to vote their way. They are able to locate voting statistics for their county; compare the number of...
Curated OER
Paving the Road to the Constitution
Eighth graders argue for or against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, 8th graders complete four activities that encourage them to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of...
Stanford University
The 1898 North Carolina Election
Pupils discuss why the Democrats defeated the Fusion ticket in the 1898 North Carolina election. In this content area reading instructional activity, learners explore three primary documents and answer guiding questions that help them...
Digital History
Slavery and the Slave Trade
What would it have been like to have heard the debate on the issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention of 1787? With this resource, you are given the opportunity to read through a reconstruction of speeches on the topic with your...
Curated OER
Henry Laurens in the Tower of London
Eighth graders examine primary sources regarding Henry Laurens and his time in the Tower of London. In this American Revolution lesson, 8th graders create illustrated journals based on their research of imprisonment of Henry Laurens.
Facing History and Ourselves
Interracial Democracy
Radical Reconstruction, the 10-year period referred to after Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867, saw the establishment of manhood suffrage, men voting without any racial qualifications. Southern states also rewrote their...
Curated OER
Who's Who in Government: Past, Present and Future
Twelfth graders research a list of governmental leaders of South Carolina's past and present. They briefly identify each by writing a short summary which includes the dates of their political career, party affiliation, positions held in...
Curated OER
Orangeburg Massacre
Students study the Orangeburg Massacre. In this social studies lesson, students discuss the Civil Rights Movement and the protest movements that took place. Students examine the events that led up to the Orangeburg Massacre at South...
Curated OER
South Carolina and Quebec - A Comparative Study
Students compare the structure and functions of the state government of South Carolina and the provincial government of Quebec. They examine the role of political parties and differing expressions of democracy and make a...
Curated OER
Interest Groups in South Carolina Government
Students create an outline and short class presentation about an assigned interest group by conducting research using the Internet and interest group contacts. They evaluate the role of an assigned interest group in the South Carolina...
Judicial Learning Center
Civil Rights and Equal Protection
Almost every American is familiar with the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Far fewer understand the constitutional reasoning or the wide-ranging consequences of the ruling in the field of criminology. The interesting...
Curated OER
They're Only Children
Third graders compare how the lives of African American slave children differed from children's lives today. In this analysis of slavery lesson plan, 3rd graders evaluate and discuss the conditions of slavery in collaborative groups....
Curated OER
Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker
Students research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history instructional activity, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Students review the South...