Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: The Reconstruction Amendments

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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.
Handout
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: The Reconstruction Amendments

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An article that discusses the 13-15th amendments and their impact on social history.
Lesson Plan
South Carolina Educational Television

Know It All: Reconstruction Amendments

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders will complete research on one of the Reconstruction amendments then create a project demonstrating their knowledge of that particular amendment as if they are supporting that amendment during the era it was created. Their...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Civil War & Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 10th
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...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-instructional activity 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,...
Unit Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Citizens: African American Identity: 1865 1917

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the efforts of African Americans to be recognized as equal citizens after the Civil War, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Includes links to supplemental information.
Interactive
iCivics

I Civics: Games: Do I Have a Right?

For Students 9th - 10th
Play this game from iCivics that requires an understanding and application of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and a few other amendments to argue and win cases the clients bring into the law firm. There...
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: The Civil War's Legacy

For Students 11th
In this tutorial, students look at how the Civil War ended and the impact on the North and the South and on the future of the United States. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution are also examined for how they came...
Website
Other

Historical Boys' Clothing: The American Civil War: Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
Outlines the major programs of the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, and the discrimination that African Americans faced, such as from the Black Codes and the Ku Klux Klan. Also discusses the amendments made to the Constitution...
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service

For Students 9th - 10th
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...
Website
Mount Holyoke College

Mt. Holyoke: Reconstruction Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's a concise timeline that highlights the important facets of reconstruction from the announcement of Abraham Lincoln's reconstruction plans to the end of reconstruction at the election of Rutherford B. Hayes.
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875

For Teachers 10th - 12th
The Dred Scott case decided that African Americans were not citizens of the United States. However, 18 years later they would have citizenship and many other rights. Students will examine the following documents to understand how and why...
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1844 1877: Reconstruction: Life After Slavery

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses what life was like for African Americans who were freed from slavery after the Civil War. Includes questions for students.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: "With Malice Toward None"

For Students 9th - 10th
A four-page discussion of Reconstruction from the plans Lincoln made while the Civil War was still raging to the end of Reconstruction with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Opposing Views on Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at how Andrew Johnson tried to carry out Lincoln's plan for reconstruction. Read onto the second page to find out how the congressional plan thwarted Johnson and was much more punitive.
Handout
Digital History

Digital History: America's Reconstruction: A Visual Timeline of Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides a timeline of the Reconstruction era in the South.
Handout
Other

Ithaca High School Social Studies Department: Plans for Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
A great chart comparing Lincoln's and Johnson's reconstruction plans with the plans offered by the Radical Republicans.
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Classroom: Freedom From Slavery

For Students 9th - 10th
Check out this interactive timeline of the history of freedom from slavery in the United States.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Reconstruction Era

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes what the South was like after the Civil War ended. Many places were in ruins and people were desperately poor with many being homeless. Social structures had collapsed now that slaves had been freed. The Reconstruction era...