Lesson
Reconstruction
Guiding questions
Lesson Plan PDF
Essential Question
How did the United States attempt to reconstruct itself after Civil War to create a more just society for everyone?
Guiding Questions
- How did the Reconstruction Amendments try to support justice for Black Americans?
- How did the goals of bringing the country back together change over time?
- How do the successes and failures of the Freedmen’s Bureau illustrate the challenges of achieving justice through Reconstruction?
Learning Objectives
- I can define justice as a principle and a virtue.
- I can identify cause and effect in historical events.
- I can investigate primary source texts and images.
- I can engage in historical analysis through writing.
- I can create a video of my historical analysis.
Content Objectives
- I can describe the intention and impact of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments.
- I can describe the effects of President Lincoln’s assassination on Reconstruction.
- I can explain the purpose and effects of the Freedmen’s Bureau on freed Blacks in the South after the Civil War.
Materials
Teacher Resources
- Vocabulary Cards
- Teacher Resources
- Lesson Rubrics
- Teacher Slide Deck
- Annotation Bookmarks
- Fifteenth Amendment Teacher Resource
- Lesson Video
Student Resources
- Handout A: Vocabulary Word Study
- Handout B: Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
- Handout C: Reconstruction Amendments Primary Source
- Handout D: The Fifteenth Amendment, by Thomas Kelly (1870)
- Handout E: Supporting a Statement with Evidence
- Handout F: Lesson Reading
- Handout G: Historical Analysis Organizer
- Handout H: Freedmen’s Bureau Images
- Handout I: Selfie Video Planning
- Handout J: Student Self-Assessment
- Bill of Rights Visual Guide
Lesson Components
A template to help students define key vocabulary words.
An excerpted version of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address that asks students to predict what they think he will say given the historical context and then reflect on what he did say to Northerners, Southerners, Soldiers, and Citizens.
A scaffolded version of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments that helps students understand the big ideas of these amendments.
A detailed art piece from the Reconstruction era to help students understand more about what the Amendments meant for formerly enslaved people.
A writing activity that helps students build a thesis sentence based on the knowledge they have gained from this lesson.
Two images and accompanying analysis questions that help students understand the work of the Freedman's Bureau.
An activity to accompany the Reconstruction Amendments and the primary source image that asks students to support the claim that the Reconstruction Amendments tried to create justice for Black Americans.
An assessment activity that asks students to create a video that answers one of the guiding questions from the lessons.
A self-reflection activity that allows students to internalize their learning.
Lesson plan
Standards
Related materials
In this elementary history lesson, explore the Reconstruction Era, a crucial period of rebuilding and redefining America after the Civil War. From 1865 to 1877, the nation struggled to heal deep divisions, address the injustices of slavery, and extend civil rights to formerly enslaved people. Learn about the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, changes to the Constitution that abolished slavery, established equal protection under the law, and secured voting rights for Black men. Discover how newly freed African Americans used their rights to shape government at every level, even as they faced violent opposition, unfair laws, and segregation.