Civil War & Reconstruction

Standards

Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations

• 8 – U4.2.1 Comparing Northeast and the South – Compare and contrast the social and economic systems of the Northeast and the South with respect to geography and climate and the development of:
  • agriculture, including changes in productivity, technology, supply and demand, and price
  • industry, including entrepreneurial development of new industries, such as textiles
  • the labor force including labor incentives and changes in labor forces
  • transportation, including changes in transportation (steamboats and canal barges) and impact on economic markets and prices
  • immigration and the growth of nativism
  • race relations
  • class relations
• 8 – U4.3.1 Explain the origins of the American education system and Horace Mann’s campaign for free compulsory public education.
• 8 – U4.3.2 Describe the formation and development of the abolitionist movement by considering the roles of key abolitionist leaders (e.g., John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass), and the response of southerners and northerners to the abolitionist movement.
• 8 – U4.3.3 Analyze the antebellum women’s rights (and suffrage) movement by discussing the goals of its leaders (e.g., Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton) and comparing the Seneca Falls Resolution with the Declaration of Independence.
• 8 – U4.3.4 Analyze the goals and effects of the antebellum temperance movement.
• 8 – U4.3.5 Evaluate the role of religion in shaping antebellum reform movements.
• 8 – U5.1.1 Explain the differences in the lives of free blacks (including those who escaped from slavery) with the lives of free whites and enslaved peoples.
• 8 – U5.1.2 Describe the role of the Northwest Ordinance and its effect on the banning of slavery (e.g., the establishment of Michigan as a free state).
• 8 – U5.1.3 Describe the competing views of Calhoun, Webster, and Clay on the nature of the Union among the states (e.g., sectionalism, nationalism, federalism, state rights).
• 8 – U5.1.4 Describe how the following increased sectional tensions:
  • the Missouri Compromise (1820)
  • the Wilmot Proviso (1846)
  • the Compromise of 1850 including the Fugitive
  • Slave Act
  • the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and subsequent conflict in Kansas
  • the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (1857)
  • changes in the party system (e.g., the death of the Whig party, rise of the Republican party, and division of the Democratic party)
• 8 – U5.1.5 Describe the resistance of enslaved people (e.g., Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, John Brown, Michigan’s role in the Underground Railroad) and effects of their actions before and during the Civil War.
• 8 – U5.1.6 Describe how major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention such as disagreements over the distribution of political power, rights of individuals (liberty and property), rights of states, election of the executive, and slavery help explain the Civil War
• 8 – U5.2.1 Explain the reasons (political, economic, and social) why Southern states seceded and explain the differences in the timing of secession in the Upper and Lower South.

8 – U5.2.2 Make an argument to explain the reasons why the North won the Civil War by considering the:

• critical events and battles in the war
• the political and military leadership of the North and South
• the respective advantages and disadvantages, including geographic, demographic, economic and technological
• 8 – U5.2.3 Examine Abraham Lincoln’s presidency with respect to
  • his military and political leadership
  • the evolution of his emancipation policy (including the Emancipation Proclamation)
  • the role of his significant writings and speeches, including the Gettysburg Address and its relationship to the Declaration of Independence
• 8 – U5.2.4 Describe the role of African-Americans in the war, including black soldiers and regiments, and the increased resistance of enslaved peoples.
• 8 – U5.2.5 Construct generalizations about how the war affected combatants, civilians (including the role of women), the physical environment, and the future of warfare, including technological developments.
• 8 – U5.3.1 Describe the different positions concerning the reconstruction of Southern society and the nation, including the positions of President Abraham Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson, Republicans, and African-Americans.
• 8 – U5.3.2 Describe the early responses to the end of the Civil War by describing the
  • policies of the Freedmen’s Bureau
  • restrictions placed on the rights and
  • opportunities of freedmen, including racial
  • segregation and Black Codes
• 8 – U5.3.3 Describe the new role of African- Americans in local, state and federal government in the years after the Civil War and the resistance of Southern whites to this change, including the Ku Klux Klan.
• 8 – U5.3.4 Analyze the intent and the effect of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution.
• 8 – U5.3.5 Explain the decision to remove Union troops in 1877 and describe its impact on Americans

Common Core History-Literacy

• RH.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
• RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
• RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
• RH.6-8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
• WHST.6-8.1A Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
• WHST.6-8.1B Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
• SL.8.1A Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

C3 Framework

• D2.His.3.6-8. Use questions generated about individuals and groups to analyze why they, and the developments they shaped, are seen as historically significant.
• D2.His.9.6-8. Classify the kinds of historical sources used in a secondary interpretation.
• D2.His.11.6-8. Use other historical sources to infer a plausible maker, date, place of origin, and intended audience for historical sources where this information is not easily identified.
• D2.His.12.6-8. Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to identify further areas of inquiry and additional sources.
• D2.His.13.6-8. Evaluate the relevancy and utility of a historical source based on information such as maker, date, place of origin, intended audience, and purpose.
• D2.His.4.6-8. Analyze multiple factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
• D2.His.6.6-8. Analyze how people’s perspectives influenced what information is available in the historical sources they created.
• D2.His.14.6-8. Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past.
• D2.His.16.6-8. Organize applicable evidence into a coherent argument about the past.
• D3.1.6-8. Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.
• D3.2.6-8. Evaluate the credibility of a source by determining its relevance and intended use.
• D3.3.6-8. Identify evidence that draws information from multiple sources to support claims, noting evidentiary limitations.
• D3.4.6-8. Develop claims and counterclaims while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both.
• D4.1.6-8. Construct arguments using claims and evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging the strengths and limitations of the arguments.
• D4.2.6-8. Construct explanations using reasoning, correct sequence, examples, and details with relevant information and data, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of the explanations.
• D4.3.6-8. Present adaptations of arguments and explanations on topics of interest to others to reach audiences and venues outside the classroom using print and oral technologies (e.g., posters, essays, letters, debates, speeches, reports, and maps) and digital technologies (e.g., Internet, social media, and digital documentary).
• D4.6.6-8. Draw on multiple disciplinary lenses to analyze how a specific problem can manifest itself at local, regional, and global levels over time, identifying its characteristics and causes, and the challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address the problem.
• D4.8.6-8. Apply a range of deliberative and democratic procedures to make decisions and take action in their classrooms and schools, and in out-of-school civic contexts.

Civil War Compelling Question: Were African-Americans in the South really free during Reconstruction?

1. Slavery: A Way of Life in the South

Standards: RH.6-8.8

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze multiple primary source documents to make a claim about slavery in the South.
2. I can analyze multiple primary source documents to determine which are the most credible.

Supporting Questions: In what ways was slavery the most important “fact of life” in the South during the early and middle 1800s? What were the living and working conditions of people who were enslaved? What were some of the ways that slave owners tried to control slaves? How did enslaved people try to resist (fight back against) slavery? Did some types of primary sources seem less believable than other kinds of sources? Why do you think this is true? How did looking at several documents expand your understanding of slavery?

2. Slavery and the Making of America

Standards: WHST.6-8.1B, RH.6-8.7

Learning Targets:

1. I can support claim(s) regarding the domestic slave trade with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence.
2. I can integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts to make a claim about why slavery thrived in most democratic societies.

Supporting Questions: Why did slavery thrive for over 200 years in one of the most democratic societies in the world? How and why did the institution of slavery grow in the early 1800’s? How did the movements known as manifest destiny and westward expansion impacted the growth of slavery in the United States?

3. Resistance to Slavery: Nat Turner's Rebellion

Standards: RH.6-8.8

Learning Target:

1. I can analyze multiple primary sources about Nat Turner's Rebellion to determine how reliable they are and whose perspective is missing.
2. I can analyze multiple primary sources to make a an argument about Nat Turner's place in history.

Supporting Questions: How reliable are the primary source documents about Nat Turner’s rebellion? Whose perspective is missing? Was Nat Turner a hero or madman?

4. Resistance to Slavery: John Brown

Standards: RH.6-8.6, WHST.6-8.1A

Learning Target:

1. I can analyze primary sources to determine the author's point of view on John Brown's Raid.
2. I can analyze multiple primary sources to make a an argument about John Brown's place in history.

Supporting Questions: Was John Brown a misguided fanatic? Why was Frederick Douglas opposed to John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry?

5. Abolitionism

Standards: RH.6-8.6, SL.8.1A

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze multiple primary sources to determine how the authors build an argument in support of abolition.
2. I can participate in a text-based discussion to determine how opinions differed on how to end the institution of slavery.
3. I can analyze primary sources to make an argument about how the abolitionist movement influenced the early women's rights movement.

Supporting Questions: What anti-slavery arguments did abolitionists make? How did opinions differ about how to end the institution of slavery? What were the arguments for and against women participating in the abolitionist movement? How did the abolitionist movement lead to the early women’s rights movement?

6. Reform Movements

Standards: RH.6-8.7

Learning Target:

1. I can integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts to make a claim about the rise of reform movements.
2. I can rank reasons for reform movements in order of importance.

Supporting Questions: Why was there a rise of reform movements in the mid-1800s? What kinds of social problems did these movements try to address?

7. Compromises

Standards: RH.6-8.2

Learning Target:

1. I can analyze multiple document to explain how westward expansion led to increased conflicts and compromises over slavery.
2. I can explain the provisions of the Civil War Compromises.

Supporting Questions: How did westward expansion lead to increased conflicts between the North and South over slavery? What compromises did the North and South attempt to make? How did the Missouri Compromise solve the problem of keeping the balance of power in the Senate between free and slave states? Why did many Northerners oppose the Kansas-Nebraska Act? What were the results of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and how did these results push the nation closer to Civil War?

8. Dred Scott v. Sanford

Standards: RH.6-8.1, 6-8.2, WHST.6-8.1

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple sources to make a claim supported with evidence about what the ruling in the Dred Scott case meant for African-Americans in 1857.

Supporting Questions: What did the ruling in the Dred Scott case mean for African Americans in 1857?

9. Causes of the Civil War

Standards: RH.6-8.1, 6-8.2, WHST.6-8.1

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple documents to make a claim supported with evidence about the most significant causes of the Civil War.

Supporting Questions: What were the most important causes of the U.S. Civil War that began in 1861? In what ways did the Dred Scott decision increase the tensions between North and South?

10. Evaluating a historical giant: Does Lincoln deserve his reputation as the Great Emancipator?

Standards: RH.6-8.6, WHST.6-8.1, WHST.6-8.2

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze multiple sources to make a claim about Lincoln as a historical figure.
2. I can evaluate Lincoln's views of slavery over time.

Supporting Questions: Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? Did Abraham Lincoln really want to free the slaves? What was Lincoln’s position on slavery before he became president? What was Lincoln’s position on slavery as the war began? What was Lincoln’s position on slavery as the war intensified? What is Douglass’s conclusion about Lincoln’s intentions for the Emancipation Proclamation?

11. Differences in the Union and Confederacy

Standards: 6-8.7

Learning Target: I can make a prediction about the outcome of the Civil War supported by evidence from the provided graphs, tables, and maps.

Supporting Questions: On the eve of the US Civil war, what were some of the differences between the Union & the Confederate States of America?

12. The Gettysburg Address

Standards: RH.6-8.4

Learning Target: I can analyze the Gettysburg Address to determine the meaning of key words and phrases.

Supporting Questions: Do you think we have lived up to the message in the Gettysburg Address as a nation?

Reconstruction Compelling Question: Were Freedmen really free?

1. The End of the Civil War

Standards: RH.6-8.4, 6-8.5, WHST.6-8.2

Learning Targets:

1. I can analyze multiple documents to determine how the author presents information including the tone of the text.
2. I can compare and contrast Union and Confederate perspectives on the end of the Civil War, the assassination of President Lincoln, and what challenges might face the country during the coming era of Reconstruction.

Supporting Questions: What can we learn by comparing and contrasting views from the Union and the Confederacy regarding the end of the Civil War? What do the differences suggest about the challenge of reuniting the country after the devastating war?

2. Impact of the Civil War

Standards: RH.6-8.1, WHST.6-8.1

Learning Target: I can use evidence from at least two sources to evaluate the impact of the Civil War on the U.S.

Supporting Questions: What impact did the Civil War have on the United States? What needed to be rebuilt at the end of the war? Who is responsible for rebuilding after the Civil War?

3. Defining Freedom

Standards: RH.6-8.2, WHST.6-8.1

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple primary source documents to make a claim about what freedom meant to formerly enslaved African Americans supported with evidence from at least two sources.

Supporting Questions: What is freedom? What does it mean to be free? What did it mean to formerly enslaved African Americans to be free?

4. The Freedmen's Bureau

Standards: RH.6-8.2, WHST.6-8.1

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple documents to determine how the Freedmen's Bureau defined and provided freedom and equality for African Americans.

Supporting Questions: How did the Freedmen’s Bureau define and provide for freedom and equality for African Americans? What was the immediate goal or objective of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

5. Plans for Reconstruction

Standards: SL.8.1

Learning Targets:

1. I can participate in a Four Corners Debate evaluating issues that need to be resolved after the Civil War.
2. I can propose a plan for Reconstruction supported with evidence from multiple documents.

Supporting Questions: After the Civil War, how could America simultaneously heal and provide justice to all its citizens?

6. Presidential Reconstruction: Were Freedman Really Free?

Standards: RH.6-8.7, 6-8.2

Learning Target: I can integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts to make a claim about Reconstruction.

I can analyze multiple documents to determine the impact of the Black Codes on freedmen.

Supporting Questions: Were the freedpeople truly free during Presidential Reconstruction? What plan would I have created for Reconstruction? How did formerly enslaved people see the names they selected as a gateway into a new identity? After the Civil War, how can America simultaneously heal and provide justice to all its citizens? What were the Black Codes? How did they impact or limit the freedoms of freedmen after the Civil War?

7. Whose Land is it?

Standards: RH.6-8.2

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple documents to determined what happened to land after the Civil War?

Supporting Questions: What happened to the former plantations after the Civil War?

8. Radical Reconstruction

Standards: RH.6-8.2

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple primary source documents to determine why the Republican Plan for Reconstruction was considered radical.

Supporting Questions: Why was the Radical Republican plan for Reconstruction considered “radical”? Which plan do you think would be more likely to unite the country after the Civil War?

9. Debating Radical Reconstruction

Standards: RH.6-8.6

Learning Target: I can analyze primary source documents to determine the main arguments in the debate over Radical Reconstruction.

Supporting Questions: Why did President Johnson oppose the Radical Reconstruction plan? Why did Radical Republicans support Radical Reconstruction?

10. Defining Citizenship

Standards: RH.6-8.6

Learning Target: I can compare & contrast the 14th Amendment with the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

Supporting Questions: How did legislation define citizenship for newly freed men and women during Reconstruction?

11. Consequences of Radical Reconstruction: Interracial Democracy

Standards: RH.6-8.7

Learning Target: I can integrate analysis of data with other information to determine the consequences of Radical Reconstruction.

Supporting Questions: What were the consequences of Radical Reconstruction? How did interracial democracy look for the United States during Radical Reconstruction?

12. Carpetbaggers

Standards: RH.6-8.7

Learning Target: I can integrate analysis of political cartoons with other documents to make a claim about how Carpetbagggers were viewed.

Supporting Questions: Who were the carpetbaggers? How were they viewed and portrayed?

13. Reconstruction Violence and Failure

Standards: RH.6-8.2

Learning Target: I can analyze primary source documents to determine why Reconstruction failed.

Supporting Questions: Why is Reconstruction sometimes called “the second civil war”? Why did Reconstruction fail?

14. Impact of Reconstruction: Jim Crow Laws

Standards: WHST.8.2

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple documents to identify one social, one political, and one economic change in American society that occurred as a result of Reconstruction.

Supporting Questions: How did Jim Crow laws impact American society and African Americans?

15. Impact of Reconstruction: Literacy Tests & Poll Taxes

Standards: RH.6-8.2

Learning Target: I can analyze multiple primary source documents to determine how literacy tests and poll taxes undermined the civil rights of African Americans.

Supporting Questions: How did literacy tests and poll taxes undermine the civil rights of African Americans?

16. Impact of Reconstruction: Plessy vs. Ferguson

Standards: RH.6-8.2

Learning Target: I can analyze a primary source document to determine how it illustrates the social, political, and/or economic impact of the Supreme Court decision in Plessy vs. Ferguson.

Supporting Questions: Which SCOTUS case established the idea of separate but equal? How did this legal standard impact American society?