Crossroads: Middle School Curriculum
Unit VII: What, Then, Is This America? ca. 1865 - 1900

Question/Problem 1: In what ways did the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments exemplify the ideals of Reconstruction?

Contents

Objectives

Description of lesson/activity

Resources


Objectives: The students will be able to:

1. understand the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments to the United States Constitution.

2. use these three amendments to discern the evolving goals of Reconstruction.


Description of lesson/activity:

1. Students should read about Reconstruction and specifically the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.

2. Students should be assigned the accompanying "Reconstruction Amendments" worksheet to be completed either individually or in groups.

(Note: These are the first primary resource readings in the eighth grade curriculum. The teacher may wish to review with students the steps suggested for reading primary documents. See Unit III, Question/Problem 2 for a complete explanation of this method).

3. The teacher should lead a class discussion on the goals of Reconstruction based on student answers to the worksheet. The following goals are key:

4. The teacher may wish to review additional sections of the 14th Amendment not included on the worksheet which discusses apportionment of representation and government debt.


Resources:

1. "Reconstruction Amendments" Worksheet.

2. Student textbook.


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