Standards

CCE (9-12): IID, VA, VB
NCHS (5-12):Era V, Standard 2A, 3A
NCSS: Strands 2, 5, 6, and 10

Recommended Time

One 45-minute class period. Additional time as needed for homework.

Objectives

Students will:

• understand the historical background of The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution
• analyze the meaning of the Second Amendment
• analyze the meaning of these documents
• evaluate the relative importance of these four documents
• assess the impact of these documents on American history

Materials

• Lesson Plan [pdf]
• Student Handouts
  • Copy of the Emancipation Proclamation
    http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/emancipa.htm
  • Copy of Amendments Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen
    http://billofrightsinstitute.networkats.com/Instructional/Resources/FoundingDocuments/Docs/TheBillofRights.htm
  • Handouts A, B, C, and D: Document Questions (click on "Lesson Plan" above)

• Additional Teacher Resources
  • Answer Key (click on "Lesson Plan" above)

  To view PDF files, download Abode's free Acrobat Reader by clicking on the icon below. Scroll to the bottom of the Adobe page and click on "Get Acrobat Reader Free!"
  

  1. Background/Homework
     1. Review for the students the circumstances in which the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and the three amendments approved and ratified.
        The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. It marked the first time that the United States government issued an order providing for the freeing of slaves. The three amendments were passed by Congress and approved by the requisite number of states near the end of the war (in the case of the Thirteenth Amendment) and in the immediate post-war period. All three were passed in order to guarantee the freedom and rights of blacks in general and former slaves in particular. Southern states that had seceded from the Union were required to accept the amendments as a condition of their being readmitted to the Union.

     2. Have the students read the first two paragraphs of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Fifteenth Amendment (see links above).

     3. Students should write a one-paragraph summary of each of the four documents.
        
        • Emancipation Proclamation: Issued on September 22, 1862; all persons held as slaves in rebellious states (or areas of states) as of January 1, 1863 shall be freed, and the United States government shall protect their freedom.
        • Thirteenth Amendment: Slavery is abolished.
        • Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment: All persons born in, or who live for a certain period of time in, the United States are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they live. No state shall discriminate against anyone or deprive anyone of their rights or the equal protection of the laws.
        • Fifteenth Amendment: The right of all citizens to vote shall not be denied or interfered with by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or because they are former slaves.
  2. Warm-Up [10 minutes]
     Have the students share their summaries with the whole class.

  3. Activity [20 minutes]
     Divide the class into four groups. Assign each of the four groups one of the documents and the appropriate handout of discussion questions. Have the students discuss the questions and write out their answers on the handouts.

  4. Wrap-Up Discussion [15 minutes]
     1. Have each groups share its answers to the questions with the whole class.

     2. After all groups have read their answers, ask the whole class this question:
        Is it more appropriate to say that these four documents “gave” freedom and rights to African Americans, or that they “recognized” the freedom and rights of African Americans? Explain your answer.

  5. Follow-Up Homework
     Students are to produce a spectrum, an assessment tool by which one shows his/her understanding of a subject. A spectrum requires the student to formulate an opinion by analyzing, arranging, and illustrating several subjects/ideas.

     Directions:

     Have each student draw a line—it may be straight or arched—from left to right across the top of a piece of paper. On the left of the line, the student should write “Least Significant Document”; on the right of the line, “Most Significant Document.”

     Have each student draw a line—it may be straight or arched—from left to right across the top of a piece of paper. On the left of the line, the student should write “Least Significant Document”; on the right of the line, “Most Significant Document.”

     The students should write a paragraph explaining why they placed the symbols in the order they chose.

  Extension
  Have the students compose a one-page essay in which they describe what might have happened up to the year 1900 if (choose one):
  
  • the Emancipation Proclamation had not been issued?
  • the Thirteenth Amendment had not been issued?
  • the Fourteenth Amendment had not been issued?
  • the Fifteenth Amendment had not been issued?