Grade Level / 5 / Duration of Lesson / 45-55 minutes
Lesson Topic / This lesson will discuss the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments; the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau; and the move from a plantation system to sharecropping.
SC Standards and Indicators / Standard 5-1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of Reconstruction and its impact on the United States.
5-1.2 Explain the effects of Reconstruction, including new rights under the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments; the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau; and the move from a plantation system to sharecropping.
Common Core Strategy(ies) addressed / Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
Academic Vocabulary / Amendment
Sharecropping
Due Process
Lesson Materials Needed (attached at end of lesson) / SmartBoard Lesson
Partial Notes
Anticipation Guide
Essay Rubric
Content Narrative
(What is the background information that needs to be taught to understand the context of the lesson? Be sure to include necessary citations) / These three Reconstruction amendments were designed to end slavery and protect the rights of the newly freed slaves. The 13th Amendment freed slaves everywhere in the United States. It is a common misconception that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves. The only slaves freed by President Lincoln’s proclamation were slaves that were in territories still controlled by the Confederacy. The Confederate government did not recognize the right of the President of the United States to free its slaves. The Union army freed the slaves in the territories that it conquered. However, there were still slaves in the border states that had not left the Union and in parts of the South that the Union army did not control. This amendment recognized the rights of all Americans to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as promised in the Declaration of Independence. Consequently, during Reconstruction, the rights of African Americans were protected by the federal government. The 14th Amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision and recognized the citizenship of African Americans. The amendment also recognized the rights of all citizens to “due process of the law” and “equal protection of the laws.” The amendment affected African Americans in all parts of the United States, not just in the South. Southern states refused to ratify the amendment and so Congressional Reconstruction was imposed. The 14th Amendment also included provisions for lessening the political power of states that did not recognize the rights of citizens to vote. However, this was not effective and led to the passage of the 15th Amendment. The 15th Amendment declared that the right to vote of a male citizen could not be infringed upon based on “race, creed, or previous condition of servitude.” The amendment affected African Americans in all parts of the United States, not just in the South. Southern states were required to write new constitutions that allowed African Americans to vote. Southern cities claimed that the only reason that Congress passed this amendment was to protect the power of the Republican Party. Certainly this motive played a part in the passage of the 15th Amendment. However, as a result of the amendment, African Americans were able to vote and hold political office and were elected to state legislatures and congressional delegations during the Reconstruction period. Although the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were designed to protect the rights of African Americans, they were only effective so long as the Republicans had control of state governments or federal troops were able to protect African Americans’ social and political rights. No provisions were passed to ensure that African Americans would be able to own land and most Southerners refused to sell land to African Americans, even if the former slaves had the money to purchase it. Consequently, the economic rights and independence of freedmen were limited, even during Reconstruction. Once Reconstruction ended, there were no protections in place for the rights of African Americans. Although African Americans had constitutional rights as a result of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, these were often violated by hate or terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. The initial reaction of freedmen to emancipation ranged from exhilaration to hesitancy to fear. Most celebrated the day of Jubilee. The aim of African Americans during Reconstruction was to reunite with their families and enjoy the freedom that had been denied to them for so long under slavery. Many left their plantations, but most soon returned to the land that they knew. It is a common misconception that many freedmen immediately migrated to the North and the West. African Americans did not migrate in large numbers from the South until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Instead, they married and established strong communities in the South. African Americans formed their own churches where they or others could worship freely. Many African Americans sought an education in the freedom schools they or others had established. Some established businesses. They voted and held elective offices during Reconstruction. African Americans also tried to acquire land, however, for the most part, this was denied to them. General Sherman had advocated distribution of ‘forty acres and a mule’ to African American war refugees and some land was distributed during and shortly after the Civil War. The federal government returned most of the lands to white landowners that had been confiscated from Confederates and given to freedmen because the government respected the rights of whites to their landed property. Most freedmen had no money to purchase land and little opportunity to work for wages since there was little currency available in the South. Consequently, freedmen entered into agreements with white landowners to trade their labor for land in an agreement known as sharecropping. In exchange for the right to work the land that belonged to whites, African Americans and poor landless whites would be given a share of the crop they grew. Although African Americans suffered from violence and intimidation, they carved out as much independence as possible in their own lives. The Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees, and Abandoned Lands, or Freedman’s Bureau for short, was established by Congress prior to the end of the Civil War. Although the Bureau was never effectively staffed or funded, it was the first line of assistance to all people in the South in need, especially the destitute freedmen. The Freedman’s Bureau provided food, clothing, medical care, education, and some protection from the hostile environment in the South. The Bureau helped many freedmen find jobs and provide some protection in their labor contracts. However, African Americans were not able to achieve economic independence because the great majority of African Americans did not receive their own land to farm. Instead the Freedman’s Bureau helped African Americans to establish the sharecropping relationship with the worker-less plantation owners. The most important contribution of the Freeman’s Bureau, however, was the establishment of over 1,000 schools throughout the South.
South Carolina Department of Education (2011). 5-1.2. South Carolina standards support documents (pp. 4-6). Columbia: South Carolina Department of Education.
Lesson Set
Content Objective(s) / Students will demonstrate an understanding of Reconstruction and its impact on the United States. Students will explain the effects of Reconstruction, including new rights under the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments; the actions of the Freedmen’s Bureau; and the move from a plantation system to sharecropping.Literacy Objective(s) / Students will be able to use the new information from this lesson to write an essay in their student notebooks from the perspective of one of the groups of people discussed. Students will be assigned the task of playing the role of a freedman, a Southern land owner, or a member of the United States Congress. Students will apply knowledge about the amendments in order to make their essays accurate based on the historical evidence presented in the lesson.
Lesson Importance / This lesson is important because it introduces students to the three major Reconstruction amendments. These amendments were paramount at the time they were ratified and their presence in the Constitution has major implications in our society today. This lesson also introduces topics that will be addressed in the future such as: the KKK, the Civil Rights Movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and Exodusters.
Connections to prior and future learning / In 3rd grade, students summarized the effects of Reconstruction in South Carolina, including the development of public education, racial advancements and tensions, and economic changes.
In 4th grade, students explained how specific legislation and events affected the institution of slavery in the territories, including the Dred Scott decision.
In 8th grade, students will analyze the development of Reconstruction policy and its impact in South Carolina, including the presidential and the congressional reconstruction plans, the role of black codes, and the Freedman’s Bureau. In 8th grade, students will describe the economic impact of Reconstruction on South Carolina in each of the various social classes.
In United States history, students will analyze the effects of Reconstruction on the southern states and on the role of the federal government, including the impact of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments on opportunities for African Americans.
Anticipatory Set/ Hook (Engage) / At the beginning of the lesson, the teacher will remind students that despite the fact that the war has ended, freedmen are still not afforded the same rights as others. Until, of course, the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments! The teacher will explain that these amendments guaranteed the freedmen certain freedoms under the federal government that they may not have had otherwise. The teacher will then distribute an anticipation guide to each student. Students will complete the first half of the guide (columns marked with RED font) and put it aside until later.
Skill Development
Initial “explain” portion of the lesson. Introduce vocabulary, explain/demonstrate/model the skill required for the literacy objective, introduce content components.
The content portion is only a brief introduction; the bulk of the student learning will take place during the guided practice activity.
Introduce content components / The teacher will introduce the term Amendment to the students and work with them to define it. When the students understand that the word means to change the Constitution, the teacher will explain that three new amendments were added to the Constitution of the United States of America after the Civil War. The teacher will also explain that because so many different people were involved in and affected by the Civil War, there were many different opinions about these amendments.“I do”
Skill from objective
introduce/explain/model / The teacher will go through slide 3 of the SmartBoard file and model how to use information found in the slide to complete the partial notes. The teacher will explain to the students that they will be responsible for learning about a specific amendment or the effect that amendment had from the slides. The teacher will then explain that the students need to use this information to complete partial notes and present the information to the class. The teacher will model this using slide 3. The teacher will model discovering key information and making a note of it in the partial notes. The teacher will also explain to students that they will be using the information in today’s lesson to develop an essay from the perspective of someone affected by the new amendments. Students will need to take note of important information that can be used in their essays throughout the lesson.
Guided Practice
This is the inquiry portion of the lesson, student-centered & often cooperative learning strategies used, teacher acting as facilitator, also known as Explore.
“We do”Activity Description
Include student “explore” components and opportunities for them to explain their learning. / After the teacher has modeled the use of the slide for completion of the partial notes and preparation of the essay, students will be given an opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the assignment. When all questions have been answered, the teacher will divide the class into four heterogeneous small groups. Each group will be assigned a slide: 14th Amendment, 15th Amendment, emotions of African Americans after emancipation, and sharecropping. When the groups have assembled, the teacher will hand out the slides that correspond with each group. Students will work together to look through the slides to discover key information that will help them complete the partial notes and write from the perspective they have been assigned. Students will have access to primary sources that also relate to the group they are studying. Students will record important information in their student notebooks on their “note taking side”. This will later serve as their graphic organizer for their essay.
Checking for Understanding-“Informal” Assessment / While the students are working on their notes/graphic organizers, the teacher will circulate the room and listen in on the discussion of the groups. The teacher will clarify any area that may be misunderstood. The teacher will answer any questions the groups may have. At this time, students will also be responsible for the second half of the anticipation guide for their group, the response to this question will inform the teacher about whether or not the students are comprehending the information given to them.
Closure
Teacher will re-visit content and answer students’ questions developed during the Guided Practice component. Summarize the lesson, clarify content, and revisit content and literacy objectives.
Content Solidified / After about 7-10 minutes of group time, the teacher will call the class back together. At this time, the teacher will display the remainder of the slides 4-13 as the class discusses each. As the class examines each slide, the group responsible for that slide will share the information they learned during their group time. It is during this group sharing that other students will record notes about the remaining groups of Americans and complete the remainder of their anticipation guides. The teacher will also summarize main points about each group and stress necessary information for the class. The teacher will answer any questions the students may have about the different aims of Reconstruction.Independent Practice