Lesson Plan
PBS

Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and Women’s Rights Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Scholars dive into the life of former slave, abolitionist, and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth. Using video evidence, speeches, and primary documents, class members complete a project on a current "Truth-figure" they see in...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Women's Equality: Changing Attitudes And Beliefs

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students analyze archival materials contemporaneous with the birth of the Women's Rights Movement, and begin to appreciate the deeply entrenched opposition the early crusaders had to overcome. They discuss whether or not such attitudes...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Women's Suffrage, Racism, and Intersectionality

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote—as long as they were white. High schoolers read articles and essays about racism in the suffrage movement and consider how intersectionality played a role in the movement. Scholars...
Unit Plan
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Core Knowledge Foundation

Early Presidents and Social Reformers

For Teachers 4th Standards
A unit by Core Knowledge begins with information about early United States presidents. Pupils then explore social reformers such as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglas, abolitionism, women's rights, and more. Participants listen and...
Lesson Plan
Bill of Rights Institute

Freedom for All?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What did abolitionists have in common with those working for women's rights? How has the Native American struggle for voting rights differed from the struggles of other groups? Class members examine the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th...
Unit Plan
University of Virginia

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Reading the Novel

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Teach the importance of context and perspective with a unit focused on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The first lesson considers the role of female characters and readers, including the gender expectations of the time. The...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused"

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery lesson plan, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of...
Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

Antebellum Freedom

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
From indentured servitude to involuntary race-based servitude, slavery has taken many forms in American history. Class members examine three manumission petitions that reveal how the rights of African Americans and African American...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill: The Power of Symbols

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How important are symbols and symbolic gestures in society? Middle schoolers have an opportunity to analyze the importance of symbols on American currency with a instructional activity that investigates the controversies surrounding...