Lesson Plan
Middle Tennessee State University

Fights, Freedom, and Fraud: Voting Rights in the Reconstruction Era

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of post Civil War era, young historians investigate the changes in voting rights during the Reconstruction Era (1863-1876), the fraud involved in the Hayes-Tilden presidential election of 1876, and efforts by Pap...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bridges for All: Better Way

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore organizations founded for the common good. In this character education lesson, students read about organizations that developed for the common good during the Civil War and Reconstruction. In small groups, students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War Soldier's Experience

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars examine the social experiences of the soldiers on the battlefield. Using various viewpoints, they compare their daily life experiences and motives for fighting for the Confederate, Union and African-American soldiers. They...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Egalitarian America

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What does a true American represent? Scholars investigate the equal rights era of the 1960s and 1970s in the 20th installment of a 22-part series on American history. Using photographic, magazine, written, and video evidence, groups...
Lesson Plan7:11
Appalachian State University

Glory: Motion Picture Study Guide

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
This is an excellent resource for teachers to use for incorporating the motion picture Glory into the classroom! Breaking down the film into particular noteworthy and telling scenes, the guide offers important considerations for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arkansas Black Pioneers: A History of African-American Colonies in Arkansas

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research regions of early Arkansas as they relate to African American colonies in Arkansas after the Civil War. They discuss the characteristics of the regions, view a Powerpoint presentation, and write reflective journals.
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Northern Racism and the New York City Draft Riots of 1863

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Just how racist were some people in the North during the American Civil War? Using excerpts of the Conscription Act, as well as graphic images of lynchings, young historians consider why white people in New York City rioted and killed...
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Isn’t It Exciting? (The American Industrial Revolution and Urbanization)

For Teachers 6th
America was built on the ingenuity, work ethic, and foresight of our ancestors. Sixth graders learn about the complex Gilded Age in American history, including the prominent inventors and captains of industry, and how they all connect...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history lesson, high schoolers learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Reconstruction Period

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils use documents and other resources to evaluate the success or failure of the Reconstruction for giving rights to African Americans. The documents are primary resources with questions included for students to complete.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

After the American Revolution: Free African Americans in the North

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore how one-third of Patriot soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill were African Americans Census data also reveal that there were slaves and free Blacks living in the Nort
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars 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. Young scholars review...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Two-Party System in American History: Ch 5

For Students 7th - 8th
Five matching and 5 multiple choice questions to challenge your class. Their answers will test their knowledge of early American government. Party systems, Electorate, and major constituents of the time are the topics included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Pupils examine the Jim Crow laws and how they impacted the lives of both African Americans and white Americans. They discuss the Civil Rights Movement and how their lives may have been different had it not occurred. Groups investigate...
Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

Growing Up in a Segregated Society, 1880s–1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What did segregation look like in the beginning of the 20th century? Middle and high schoolers view images of segregated areas, read passages by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and come to conclusions about how the influence of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Urban Concentration and Racial Violence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research one of the many urban race riots in U.S. history, from the New York City riots during the Civil War to the "Red Summer of 1919" or the hate-strikes of 1943. They present their findings in the form of a newspaper's front...
Worksheet
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National Endowment for the Humanities

A Journalist’s Report: The Better Vision for Black Americans

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After reading a series of primary source documents detailing the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, class members craft newspaper columns assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each man's vision, and present their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black History Web Design

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Each student or student team creates a web page. Students research and make decisions for content of the page. Each web page should contain at least six images and six links, as well as any necessary commentary. Students indicate on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education

For Teachers 5th - Higher Ed
Pupils investigate the history of unequal education in the United States and the impact on African American history. In this unequal history lesson, students discuss the purpose of education and describe an ideal school. Pupils...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

OK in Oklahoma? All-Black Communities

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read to discover the African-American migration to Oklahoma following the Civil War and the eventual settlements of thirty-two all-black towns. To present their findings, students will write position papers and participate in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Priorities and Power: Migrants and Voting

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the African-American migrants entry into the political process. They summarize their findings in a short essay.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Double V Campaign: Victory at Home and Victory Abroad

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students write a persuasive essay as if they were an African American in World War II and decide if they would contribute war bonds or not. In this World War II lesson plan, students study the segregation of World War II and the unity...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Segregation - The Jim Crow Law

For Students 5th - 7th
In this segregation instructional activity, students read about the Jim Crow Laws and the effects they had on African Americans. Students learn about inequality during this time period.