United States History to 1877

Civil War and Reconstruction: 1860s to 1877

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Begin the unit with a question about the basic provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.
• Explain that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America address the issues of slavery and guarantee equal protection under the law for all citizens.
• Explain to students that in order for a law to be put into place, an amendment needed to be officially added to the Constitution.
• Discuss the basic provisions of the Amendments.
  • 13th Amendment: Bans slavery in the United States and any of its territories
  • 14th Amendment: Grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States and guarantees them equal protection under the law
  • 15th Amendment: Ensures all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color or previous condition of servitude
• Discuss that these three amendments guarantee equal protection under the law for all citizens.
• Read the 13th Amendment to the students. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am13
• Read the 14th Amendment to the students. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am14
• Read the 15th Amendment to the students. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am15
• Explain to students that the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were ratified at the end of the Civil War. Each amendment was significant in extending equal rights to African Americans. Have students work in small groups to illustrate one of the three amendments. Amendments may be randomly assigned to the groups.
• Provide each group with markers, a piece of poster-size paper, and a copy of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Encourage students to be colorful and creative. Instruct students that their poster designs must include:
• the title of the Amendment
• an explanation of the Amendment in the student's own words
• a picture illustrating the main idea(s) of the Amendment.
• After students have completed their posters, lead a class discussion on what impact each Amendment had on equality for African Americans. Was the amendment effective? What obstacles did African Americans still face regardless of these Amendments? What long-term impact did the passage of these Amendments have on the history of the United States?
• Write "Citizenship, Voting, and Abolition of Slavery" on the chalkboard.
• Ask students to put them in a logical order. (Prompt kids with questions such as: "Can you vote if you are not a citizen?" "What would need to happen first?" Write a 2 next to Citizenship, a 3 next to Voting, and a 1 next to Abolition of Slavery. Explain to students who did not get the logical order initially why the three cannot occur in a different order (you can't be a citizen if you are a slave and you can't vote if you are not a citizen).
• As a review, have the students complete the Amendment Organizer worksheet. For the Amendment Organizer worksheet, CLICK HERE.
• Use graphic organizers available at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm (Score Graphic Organizers), http://teacherresourcecatalog.pwnet.org/docs/Reading%20Strategies%20for%20Content%20Teachers.pdf (Reading Strategies for Content Teachers), or http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/ (ReadingQuest: Reading Strategies for Comprehension) to assist the students as they organize the background information on the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.

WEB SITES

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am13
13th Amendment

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am14
14th Amendment

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am15
15th Amendment

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