Lesson Plan: Road to the Civil War Name: Sarah Vorreiter and Jake Settanni

Class/Subject: 7th grade U.S. History Date: November 12, 2012 Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: Explain why conflict arose over the issue of slavery in the territories after the MexicanAmerican War. Identify the goal of the Free-Soil Party. Analyze the compromise Henry Clay proposed to settle the North and the South. Summarize the main points of the Compromise of 1850. Describe the impact of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin Explain how the Kansas-Nebraska Act reopened the issue of slavery in the territories Content Standards: Common Core Standards Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12 Key Ideas and Details 2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. 8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text Materials/Resources/Technology: entrance slips (25 copies) timeline "clues" (8 sets) handout with propaganda images and questions whiteboard to write down the correct order of timeline for note-taking Teacher's Goals: At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to o identify why conflict arose over the issue of slavery o comprehend the concept of compromise and some of its consequences o analyze propaganda from the North and the South Lesson Breakdown Start of class: Entrance Slip (5 minutes)

Students will do an "entrance slip" or "bell ringer" activity, in which they will try to answer a few review questions on provided slips of paper to transition into the lesson. 1) Slavery was a hotly contested issue between the North and the South from 1848 all the way up to the breakout of the Civil War. Which side favored slavery, and which side was against it? South favored, North against 2) Why did the North want to abolish slavery? Why did the South want to keep slavery? Students should make a list for reasons for each side, (sheet will have a table) 3) Remember Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster? Briefly describe who were they, and what were each of their stances on slavery? Following a few minutes of work time, we will bring the students back together to go over answers and introduce the timeline activity. Introduction of Lesson: Timeline (15 minutes) To begin, students will be divided into 7 groups: 5 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 4 to account for the 23 students. Each group will be given an envelope containing slips of paper with various dates and events. The goal is for the students to place the events in a logical chronological order, and then date them accordingly. Groups:
1. Emir, Khalid, Yoana 2. Tom, Trevon, Rachel, Grace (the one of the left side of the room) 3. Shawn, Lamar, Jayda 4. Nick Bell, Tony, Grace (right side of room) 5. Mersadi, Haylee, Nick Cole, Desirae 6. Reagan, Brian, Amecia 7. Isaiah, Akieon, Alana

1848-1861: Americans divided over slavery in the west. 1850: Compromise of 1850; California admitted as a free state. 1855: Violence erupts between proslavery and anti-slavery settlers in "Bleeding Kansas". 1857: Dred Scott decision; Supreme Court declares Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. 1858: Lincoln-Douglas debates. 1859: Hoping to ignite slave rebellion, John Brown captures federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry; Brown is captured, tried, and hanged. 1860: Lincoln elected President; southern states secede 1861: Confederate forces attack federal troops at Fort Sumter, Civil War begins After all the groups have completed their timelines, we will come back together as a class and create the timeline on the board. We will ask each group which event took place on which date, and clarify why the order makes sense for groups that do not understand.

We will transition into the lesson by asking the students if they know what key event happened in 1848 that helped initiate tensions regarding slavery between the North and South. This will begin the transition into our main lesson.

Lesson Instruction: Section 1 Discussion (15 minutes) Ask the students what was going on in the United States in 1848. Were we involved in any major conflicts? The United States had recently concluded the Mexican-American War. Ask the student if they know why we were fighting with Mexico? Briefly talk about the idea of Manifest Destiny and explain how the States acquired land as the result of winning. What was the significance of this land acquisition? Remind students that slavery was a huge issue during this time if they do not recall. Should this new territory have slaves or not? How does the country decide? Wilmot Proviso: proposal that Congress ban slavery in all territory acquiring from war. Did it pass? Why not? The North and South clearly have different positions over slavery, and Congress is in a stalemate over what to do. How does the issue get resolved? o Congress decides to turn it over to the citizens and put it to a vote. o Popular Sovereignty: let people in states vote directly on issues This case let them decide if new territory should be free or not. The decision over slavery versus free was such a big issue, that a new political party came into existence: Free-Soil Party o Why was the reasoning behind the name? o Called for territory to be "free soil", place where slavery was banned o Antislavery Whigs and Democrats formed the party and attempted to run for the presidency. Lost, but one of the first examples of significant third-party candidates Along with the conflict over Mexican-American War territory, the North and South also dealt with other points of contention o What major state joined the United States in the 1840s? California o Both sides realized that California's admission into the Union would upset the balance between free and slave states in the Senate North: California should be free state because most of territory lay north of the Missouri Compromise South: Argued that if North gained majority, there could not block antislavery attacks in the Senate Threatened secession. What is it? Do you think this is beneficial or hurtful to the South? Debate on fugitives: what is a fugitive? Do you think South was justified in wanting Northerners to return their slaves? (runaway slaves) The Big Three (Clay, Calhoun, and Webster) o John Calhoun (SC senator), what did he argue? Said that California's admittance would mean that South would be forever attacked on issues of slavery.

Only way to preserve southern way of life was to make a constitutional amendment to state's rights, or to secede. Henry Clay (Kentucky senator), what important political action did he accomplish in the past? What important compromise did he make? Daniel Webster (Massachusetts senator): argued in defense of Clay, wanted to preserve Union. Why would he defend Clay?

Section 2 Discussion: Compromises Fail (15 minutes of notes + 15 minutes for a propaganda breakout activity) The Compromise of 1850: Congress passed five bills that were based on Clay's proposals o President Taylor was opposed to these proposals, but he died o The next President, Millard Fillmore, however, supported the Compromise, and it became a law Can you think of other examples of how a change in power meant that something new would get passed in government? (ex. elections) How did this compromise get passed? o How does any compromise get passed? Must appeal to both sides and give them each some of what they want without being unfair o For the North: California added to the Union as a free state Slavery is banned in the nation's capital However, Congress has no power to regulate slave trade o For the South: Popular sovereignty would be used to determine the questions of slavery in the rest of the Mexican Cession Tougher fugitive slave law North is outraged/ controversy o Is this fair? If not, who got a better deal? Uncle Tom's Cabin: this book was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe o Stowe was a strong abolitionist (what does this mean?) who wanted to convince the whole nation that slavery was a bad idea o Book is about Uncle Tom, a kind slave that was abused by his owner o Became a bestseller in the North What impact do you think this had on the North? do you think it could have changed their ideas about slavery? (Transition to propaganda activity/handout!) Refer to attached handout Section 2 cont. notes/lecture post propaganda/handout activity: Kansas-Nebraska Act: passed by Senator Stephen Douglas in 1854 o Douglas, from Illinois, favored westward expansion

suggested forming 2 new territories Kansas territory and Nebraska territory South objected, since both of these would become free states Douglas proposed that the states could be decided by popular sovereignty Kansas-Nebraska act replaced the Missouri Compromise Northerners outraged once again President Pierce (Democrat) signed the bill into law Bleeding Kansas: o Citizens were nervous if Kansas would become a free or slave state o Prior to the election, many settlers flooded Kansas Illegal voting 3,000 voters in Kansas, but 8,000 votes were cast Have there been voting controversies today? o Voting for dead relatives, etc 36 out of the 39 supported slavery, but anti-slavery settlers would not accept results and held another election o Kansas now has 2 governments Violence John Brown, an antislavery settler, led men to a proslavery settlement and murdered 5 men and boys started widespread fighting Violence spread to the Senate Charles Sumner gave a speech attacking proslavery foes Target Andrew Butler, whose nephew marched into the Senate and beat Sumner with a cane o Could this happen today? What are some ways that people can protest if there is an issue they disagree with?

Assessments/Checks for Understanding: (15 minutes) Activity: Have students each form their own piece of propaganda for or against a particular school policy or social issue. It can be a drawing, poster, or a couple sentences of text. The point is to get students to think about how they want to present their perspectives to a larger audience, and successfully convince people to take up their position. We will use any additional class time to have students share with a partner or small group, and then share a few for the whole class. Closure/Wrap-up/Review: Restate the lessons covered in class and answer/clarify any additional points or questions. Self-Assessment: We can assess ourselves by looking at the students work from their propaganda activities and by observing how they responded to both the timeline and the lecture components of the lesson. We will also be able to compare and contrast the various teaching

styles we utilized throughout the lesson to prepare better for the future and make sure we are accommodating the needs of our students.