How Free Were Former Slaves During Reconstruction
From: Stanford History Education Group (SHEG)
Grade Level: MS, HS
Remote Ready: With Modifications
Time: 1 Class Period
Length of Reading: Pages
One of our faves! According to SHEG, "In this structured academic controversy, students examine constitutional amendments, a Black Code, a personal account of a former slave, and other documents to answer the question: 'Were African Americans free during Reconstruction?'"
Our summary: Students work in groups of 4. Everybody reads 5 very short docs. Teams of 4 are divided in half with 2 students making the case that African Americans were free during Reconstruction and the other 2 arguing the opposite. Each pair explains their arguments to the other pair. Then students try to reach consensus. Questions and graphic organizers provided.
More Information:
Grade Level:
MS, HS: This lesson is meant for middle school and high school students
This Activity Involves:
Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources.
Convention of former slaves, Wash., D.C. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2001706148/>.
