Lesson FIVE of the Unit
A trip to the Capitol
We are able to learn about Congress’s activities during and after the Civil War by analyzing primary sources generated during this period. Many of these sources are available for us to study and learn about the work of Congress. By going to the Capitol, students will be able to view many of these documents first hand and see the actions of Congress as well the key issues faced during and after the Civil War.
Introduction
(5 minutes)
Students will be given a blank timeline handout (found here) that they will use as a supplement to fill out during their tour of primary documents. This will enhance student understanding and work as yet another graphic organizer for their learning, as well as make them responsible for understanding the concept of sequencing of events themselves. Under each section, students will also be asked to write a brief description of what the document is, and why it is important so they can understand the importance of laws in the past.
Instructional Strategies
(90 minutes -Museum trip)
This is how the tour will go:
(5 minutes)
Students will be given a blank timeline handout (found here) that they will use as a supplement to fill out during their tour of primary documents. This will enhance student understanding and work as yet another graphic organizer for their learning, as well as make them responsible for understanding the concept of sequencing of events themselves. Under each section, students will also be asked to write a brief description of what the document is, and why it is important so they can understand the importance of laws in the past.
Instructional Strategies
(90 minutes -Museum trip)
This is how the tour will go:
What students will be learningStudents will first view the DC Emancipation act shown to the right. They will see that it was passed by Congress and signed into law on April 16, 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln, abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. The act freed around 3,000 slaves and obligated the government to compensate their owners. It was, along with the Emancipation Proclamation, an important step toward full emancipation for African Americans. The Capitol also has a secondary source, a picture, of the celebration of the DC emancipation for students to see, also shown on the right.
Next, students will be learning about the Freedman's Bureau. On the right, is a primary source of an actual savings book of that time. Students will learn that Congress created the Freedman's Bureau on March 3, 1865 to provide clothing, food, medicine, education, legal services and employment opportunities to former slaves and impoverished southerners. The Freedmen's bank was important because it helped approximately 70,000 African Americans to build their savings and investments. Students will then see a ceremonial copy of the 13th amendment, shown on the right, making it a secondary source. At this point, the students are very familiar with the 13th amendment, so this will serve as a review to remind them that the 13th Amendment passed the Senate on April 8, 1864 and the House on January 31, 1865. It wasn't enacted until December 6, 1865 with Georgia's ratification, bringing the total number of state ratifications to 27, the minimum required to amend the State's Constitution. The image to the right, is actually a piece of architecture in the Capitol, and is painted onto the wall. It depicts the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The Civil Rights Bill (April 1866) granted citizenship and civil rights to all male persons in the United States "without distinction of race and color." Though President Johnson vetoed the bill, Congress overrode the veto- it was the first major piece of legislation enacted over a presidential veto. Next, students will have the opportunity to once again review their knowledge on the 14th amendment by looking at the ceremonial copy (secondary source). The 14th Amendment took two years to receive the necessary 3/4ths of the states to ratify the amendment, which finally occurred on July 9, 1868. The amendment states that all persons born in the United States are both national and state citizens. Most importantly, it gives equal protection to all people in a state as well. Finally, students will see this image to the right, which is a secondary source that depicts the first vote. It shows African-American men, dressed according to their profession, lined up to vote, a right guaranteed to them by the Fifteenth Amendment. The 15th Amendment was ratified by the states on February 3, 1870. It granted all male citizens, regardless of "Race, color, or previous condition of servitude", the right to vote. However, students will additionally learn that some southern states used things such as literacy tests, poll taxes, etc. to deprive African Americans of this right. |
The primary/secondary source they will be seeing
|
Extension Activity
Now that students have not only learned but seen primary sources, they will be asked to compare primary and secondary sources by creating their own graphic organizer for another student to fill out.
*The Field Trip form can be found under Week 15 Reading Reflection*
*The Field Trip form can be found under Week 15 Reading Reflection*