An educational lesson plan explores the plight of African Americans escaping slavery during the Civil War. Learners view a presentation and analyze primary documents and images to understand the purpose of contraband camps and how they impacted the war. At the end, they participate in discussion, fill out worksheets, and complete a short written activity to demonstrate their knowledge of the impact the camps had on African Americans.  

Concepts

civil war, the united states civil war, primary sources, primary source analysis, primary source images, american history, skills review

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have scholars create a short skit depicting life in a contraband camp
• Give an independent assignment to have students research the living conditions of the camps 

Classroom Considerations

• Requires a wall map of the United States 

Pros

• Provides extensive background content for instructors
• Resource includes enrichment activities to reinforce the concepts explored in the lesson

Cons

• None