City University of New York
Jim Crow and the Fight for Civil Rights
The history of voting rights in America has always been rocky, especially in the time period after the Civil War. Learn about the ways that Jim Crow laws affected the voting rights of African Americans with a lesson featuring primary...
Eastconn
Learning to Analyze Political Cartoons with Lincoln as a Case Study
Discover the five main elements political cartoonists use—symbolism, captioning and labels, analogy, irony, and exaggeration—to convey their point of view.
Curated OER
Analyzing Civil War Pictorial Envelopes
Students explore the power of political messages contained in visual artifacts and examine the political messages conveyed by the illustrations that appeared on personal stationery used during the Civil War. They create and describe a...
Curated OER
The Civil War
Students, examine The Civil War, from a variety of perspectives and assignments. After taking notes, they can choose from creating a front page newspaper article describing the fall of Fort Sumter, discuss the pros and cons of fighting,...
Curated OER
Learning to Analyze Political Cartoons with Lincoln as a Case Study
Eighth graders examine the attributes of political cartoons. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders analyze a cartoon titled " The Good Uncle and the Naughty Boy." Students then create their own political cartoons about aspects...
Curated OER
Who Fought for the Confederacy?
Did the Confederate Army really consist of southern volunteers? Using primary sources, historians examine the story behind the "Twenty Negro Law" and realities of conscription during the Civil War. A letter and a lithograph (included as...
Curated OER
1850s: Road to Secession
Detailing the political and social events leading up to the Civil War, this presentation provides students with maps, political cartoons, and photographs to put this time period into historical context. The Presidential Elections of...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Reconstruction
When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...
Curated OER
Gilded Age Politics
Whisk your students through the politics of the Gilded Age with this presentation, which features the contexts and characteristics of the 1880-1888 Presidential Elections. Clever political cartoons and clear, concise bullet points about...
Curated OER
Reconstruction (1865-1876)
Easily broken into pieces for several class sessions, this presentation is a great way to transition your class out of a Civil War unit and closer to the 20th century. Engaging photographs, including relevant maps and humorous political...
Curated OER
Civil War Newspaper
Students investigate the concept of the Civil War while conducting research using a variety of resources. The information is used to create a source for a class project. They create a class newspaper that becomes a summary of some...
Center for History Education
Continuity or Change? African Americans in World War II
While World War II was a pivotal moment in history, historians debate its importance to the civil rights movement. Class members consider the implications of segregation and the war using a series of documents and a jigsaw activity....
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama's Secession in 1861: Embraced with Joy and Great Confidence. Why?
From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...
Curated OER
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Public Views of Lincoln
Students write a letter in the voice of Abraham Lincoln. In this history lesson plan, students interpret the way the public viewed Lincoln during various times by examining political cartoons and images. Students write a letter in the...
Curated OER
West Virginia State Museum Lesson Plan
Young scholars explore historic West Virginia. In this US history lesson, students examine primary sources and political cartoons that depict the issues of statehood for West Virginia and the role that those played in the Civil War. This...
Curated OER
Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the period of time from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. They analyze and interpret political cartoons and editorials, conduct research on famous civil rights places, and complete...
Curated OER
Civil War Telecollaborative Newspaper
Fifth graders analyze the different points of view in the Civil War. They role-play a Southern citizen, write and publish a newspaper article, e-mail a partner, and create a class newspaper with articles, editorials, ads, and political...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln: Our Man for All Seasons
Learners analyze perceptions of slavery during the Civil War era. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding Lincoln's view of slavery. Learners also compare pro- and anti-slavery political...
Curated OER
618,000: Shall Not Have Died in Vain
Students explore the American Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students examine a slave auction advertisement and an Abraham Lincoln quote. Students also read Pink and Say, create a foldable regarding naval warfare, and design a...
Curated OER
Images of Secession
Analyze political cartoons and historical events. Middle schoolers utilize primary resources to increase their comprehension of the topic of secession. They utilize graphic organizers to take notes, compare, and analyze political...
Curated OER
The Civil Rights Movement
Students analyze the tensions that existed in American society during the Civil Rights Era as well as the problems that children experienced. They evaluate editorial cartoons dealing with the American Civil Rights movement to view the...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Immigrant Discrimination
For a class learning about Chinese and Irish immigration in America, here's a great starting lesson plan. It has your critical thinkers examining song lyrics, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and a political cartoon, and finally...
Curated OER
An "Unconstitutional" Act? The Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Students explore the implications of habeas corpus. In this Civil War lesson, students analyze the writ of habeas corpus by Lincoln during the war. Students examine primary sources from Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney. Students design...