Civil War and Reconstruction

HEADING
Ben Shapiro
AAH 10th
Subject of Lesson:
Civil War and Reconstruction

11/18/15

Day 3.

Amount of Time and Period 1:20, 2nd

OVERVIEW/ RATIONALE
This lesson is designed to teach how to contextualize primary source documents and
learn about why the South seceded.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
1. Political pressures and abolitionist resistance also made South fearful of
North.
2. Abraham Lincoln did not intend to free the slaves at the beginning of the Civil
War for political reasons.
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
1. TSWBAT determine Southern arguments for secession and whether they were
justified or not.
2. analyze what were the causes of the Civil War.
MATERIALS
1. Refugee article.
2. TAPE
3. Butcher Paper
4. Markers
5. Historical Documents handout
6. Unit Plans (for students who werent there)
7. New Classroom Structure guidelines. (for students who werent there)
PROCEDURES
- SETUP: ROWS. BUTCHER PAPER PREPARED FOR BOARD
OPENER
- CURRENT EVENTS: (20 MIN)
o Article on board.
Another Civil War is in Syria.
Attacks in Paris were linked to ISIS in Syria.
Now Republican presidential candidates are saying we should not
accept any Syrian refugees, even a 5-year old orphan.
Christie, Trump, Huckabee quotes.
Christie switched sides after Paris attacks.
24 governors have said they wont accept any in their states.
QUESTIONS: IS ANYONE HERE A REFUGEE?
What do you think our stance on these refugees should be?
Even a 5-year old?

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12/12/2015

What about the vast majority of refugees who are suffering

and are not terrorists?
Why do you think the Republicans are picking this issue?
Why did Chris Christie change sides?
North debated over what to do with fleeing slaves.
o HANDOUT CE ASSIGNMENT.
Encourage people to choose something from their home
country.
BODY OF THE LESSON
-

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS (40 min): Was the South justified in seceding

from the Union?
a. CHQ ON CHALK BOARD: Was the South justified in seceding from the
Union?
b. VIDEO- LEAD UP TO CIV WAR
c. HAND OUT TIMELINE, APPENDIX A
d. GO OVER TIMELINE
e. BUTCHER PAPER AND DOCUMENT ON BOARD
f. READ DOCUMENT A:
We went over sourcing a document before You want to know
who wrote these documents and when, and how this might
influence their perspective
Here we see that this was S. Carolina announcing their secession
So, this is people rebelling against their government, so theyll
probably be anti-Union. They are going to be pro-slavery
probably This is a secession document, so they will probably say
why they are seceding and give their perspective.
Read: AS WE READ THIS, LETS UNDERLINE IMPORTANT
STUFF, AND CIRCLE ANY VOCABULARY WE DONT
KNOW
CONTEXTUALIZATION MODELING:
So, now we are going to talk about another essential task for the historian when
they are analyzing an historical document. It is called Contextualization.
Who knows what the word context means? Taken out of context? Say I was
talking about slavery and said, these blacks should rise up and kill their white
oppressors and Pau walks in. He does not know in what context I was talking
about, and now he thinks I am telling my students to kill people.
Same thing with a historical document. I am in a AA classroom talking about one
of the most cruel examples of oppression that ever existed. Pau hopefully would
ask me a series of questions to try to figure out why I was saying what Im saying.
So I am going to model how I would do the same with a document.
The point is that, we must understand how context/background info. influences
the content of the document.

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12/12/2015

6. and recognize that documents are products of particular points in time If S.

Carolinas legislature were to adopt this resolution today, it would have a very
different meaning, right?
7. I want to ask when and where this document is from? What was happening then?
Who was the intended audience? How might the circumstances then have affected
its content?
8. Lets look at the context that this document is created. EVERYONE LOOK AT
THE DOCUMENT.
9. FIRST, when and where was it created? I will notice that there have been 40 years
of fighting over new states, tariffs, and increasing violent and non-violent
resistance by abolitionists. There have even been threats of secession. S. Carolina
is a slave state
a. So, how might this have influenced? That the two sides are very divided
and there is a lot of anger. People willing to die.
10. SECOND, What was happening then? I see that this is the first time a Republican
has been elected. This is right after his election and he was against new states
being slave states.
a. So, how might this have influenced? The election may have increased
Southern fears to a new height.
11. FINALLY, Who was his audience? I see that they are the first state to secede. Can
they go it alone or do they need to convince people in other states?
a. So, how might this have influenced? This is going to make international
news and they are trying to convince others to join them, so they probably
are going to use the arguments that will be most persuasive.
12. So, basically, what did I do?
a. Increasing violence shows how divided and angry the two sides were
b. First president against new slave states tells me this was a huge blow to
South.
c. First state may want to use most convincing to others to secede.
13. HAND OUT QUESTIONS THESE WILL BE 50 POINT CLASSWORK
GRADE.
14. Okay, now individually or with ONE person next to you, work on questions.
a. After, going to call on random people.
15. After they are done, hand out next document
16. Read Appendix B to yourself, discuss it, and answer those questions.
a. Remember this is a few months later, look for the context. When youre
looking at context, think about who his intended audience was and what
he be trying to achieve, and how this might have influenced what he was
saying.
17. WHY MIGHT THEY FRAME THIS AS POLITICAL OR AS BEING
ATTACKED? AND NOT ECONOMIC?
a. These are elites and politicians what are their goals? Who remembers
Iraq War?
CLOSURE
- Go around to groups and ask what they thought
- Go over tomorrow Draft Riot Mystery.
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12/12/2015

ACCOMMODATIONS
- I will be going around to groups to help.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
- Guiding Questions.
Was war fought over slavery?
Did abolitionists have an impact?
Southerners were scared that North would abolish slavery
in South
But why did slavery matter to them? Economics.
Why were states rights important to them?
Were losing political control. Would lose economic system.
Why did they want political power?
Maintain slavery and control economic laws
How were they going to maintain economic power?
Through political system
University of Missouri black students have organized protests
against.
Racial slurs yelled at black groups president in the groups
meeting white students scattered cotton balls outside the Black
Culture Center.
Protesters said President of school did not respond to their
problems.
One student did a hunger strike.
Then, the football team decided to boycott the games.
Next day President resigned.
QUESTIONS:
Some people have reacted and said the protesters are too
sensitive. Think they had the right to be upset and protest?
Why did the boy decide to go on the hunger strike?
Why do you think the president resigned right after the football team took that action?

Secondary Education Handbook

12/12/2015