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Worksheet
Reading Through History

The Emancipation Proclamation

For Students 8th Standards
The Emancipation Proclamation: one of the most important primary sources for studying American history! An interdisciplinary resource includes a reading of Abraham Lincoln's seminal speech quoted directly. Following the reading, pupils...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Oh Freedom! Sought Under the Fugitive Slave Act

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Using the harrowing story of the Crafts, a couple enslaved in the South who escaped to freedom, young historians trace the story of the Fugitive Slave Act. After examining documents, including affidavits and arrest warrants for the...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Fannie Lou Hamer and the Civil Rights Movement in Rural Mississippi

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Good primary resources, offering different perspectives on important issues and events, are hard to find. A packet of 12 primary source images, videos, audio recordings, records, and newspaper articles related to the 1960s civil rights...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Escaping Enslaved people attempting to escape didn't need a ticket to ride on the Underground Railroad. Here is a packet of primary sources that reveal the kind of courage and determination they did need to face the challenges to gain...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the focus of a teaching guide that introduces readers to some of the many controversies surrounding the use of the novel in classrooms. The packet includes 15 primary source excerpts and...
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Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Emancipation: Does It Matter Who Freed the Slaves?

For Teachers 11th
Scholars generally agree on the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. This inquiry-based lesson asks high schoolers to consider more than the claims of who freed the enslaved people but the significance of the issues...
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Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Reparations: Why Are Reparations Controversial?

For Teachers 8th
To understand why the topic of reparations is controversial, young scholars gather background information by reading articles, watching videos, and examining cases where reparations were made. Learners consider the lasting repercussions...
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Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

African Americans and the Civil War: How Did African Americans Experience the Civil War?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To understand African Americans' involvement in the United States Civil War, high schoolers gather evidence from primary source images, census reports, and documents. As a summative performance task, individuals craft an argument,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forest Joe Lesson Plan: Outlaw or Hero?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils become familiar with an American legend that is unfamiliar to many. Presented with the legend of Forest Joe, a runaway slave who, much like Robin Hood, stole from the rich to give to the poor, students draw comparisons and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln on the American Union: " A Word Fitly Spoken"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider Lincoln's perspective. In this presidential perspectives lesson, students explore the political thoughts of Lincoln through a series of lessons that make use of primary source analysis. They hypothesize and take a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Indentured Servitude of Native Americans in Southern New England

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore slavery by researching Native American history. In this racial prejudice lesson, students identify the treatment of Native Americans in the New England area 200 years ago. Learners answer study questions based on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Travelers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the railroad...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Enslaved and Running

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students use runaway slave advertisements to discover how the language varies from the 18th to 21st century. Using primary source documents, they research the brutality of slavery and the desire of those in slavery to be free. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Southern Agriculture and the Slave Trade

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the relationship between agriculture and the slave trade during the 1860s. In groups, they research how two factors led to the explosion of slavery in the Southern United States. Using maps, they answer comprehension...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tobacco: Field Laborers

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine a picture of a tobacco laborer. Using that information, they write a story describing a typical work day for them. They evaluate the impact of political and technological changes in the area as well as the role...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Political and Social Origins of the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the difference in politics in the North and South during the Civil War. Using that information, they discuss how politics and ideologies led to the war. They explain the causes and effects of the war and evaluate the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Abolitionist Movement

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the Abolitionist Movement in Delaware. In groups, they examine a petition presented to the general assembly and an anti-slavery broadside. They compare and contrast the two documents and develop their own broadside to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Patchwork Path

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate slavery by reading a book with their classmates. In this abolitionist movement lesson, 4th graders read the story The Patchwork Path, and discuss the creation of the Underground Railroad. Students create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Americans Who Stood Up for Their Beliefs

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students will reflect upon the use of music to teach lessons throughout history. The focus of the study is based upon early American History. The tie of music and the abolition of slavery makes for interesting inquiry for learners.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prince Hall and His Organization of Black Free Masons in the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students examine the life of Prince Hall who became a member of the Free Masons during the time period of slavery. Depending on the grade level, they are shown pictures or read a reference guide listing the characteristics of each...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Africans Became Slaves for the Colonists

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students complete a t-chart identifying the advantages and disadvantages of having indentured servants. In groups, they research the use of serfs and slaves in various cultures and share their responses. To end the lesson, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time Marches On

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover the times of Colonial America by creating a timeline.  In this U.S. History activity, students research a teacher-directed website about African Americans in early colonial times.  Students utilize their information to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Declaration of Independence: Created Equal?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how Jefferson dealt with equality. In this activity on the Declaration of Independence, students use primary sources to analyze what the phrase, "All men are created equal" meant. They will compare what they think...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slave Narratives

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine many different slave narratives living in the 1700s. In groups, they identify and describe the major events in their lives and arrange them into chronological order. They use this information to create a timeline and...

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