The Civil War and Reconstruction (Units 1-2) Storyboard Development

Erica McCarthy
Post University
Overall Project Design
The Civil War and Reconstruction
The study of the American Civil War and Reconstruction policies is often pieced together toward the end of a U.S. Design choices:
History survey course; that is, it is not given much in-depth discussion as a general rule. However, studying the American Color scheme should be in sepia tones with pops of color
Civil War and Reconstruction policies that followed is required to form an understanding of both recent American
history in regards to segregation and the Civil Rights movement, as well as the current American political climate. It is Background should be Light Goldenrod 3 (#cdbe70)
considered routine today to hear the words “civil war” in political speech without the person speaking having a solid Content boxes should be antique white (#ffefdb)
understanding of what those words mean and the history behind them. For the past few years, there has been an Unclicked links should be Brown 4 (##8b2323)
increasing number of articles talking about a more modern day civil war. The Reconstruction amendments to the United Clicked links should be dark teal (#008080)
States Constitution (specifically the 14th Amendment) form some of today’s biggest arguments about citizenship – who
gets it and what being a citizen means. To ensure that future generations of Americans can fully understand how
America got to the point it is at today, a comprehensive, in-depth study of the American Civil War and Reconstruction
policies is necessary.
Font styles, sizes, colors (include font style name, size, and color for each element):
This module will be presented to undergraduate students as their history elective. It is not expected that students will
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have a full background in how to analyze primary source documents, nor are they expected to have an in-depth
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knowledge of the Civil War or Reconstruction. It is expected that students have at least some background in American
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history, even if that background is from high school or previous. However, it is expected that students will have taken
college classes before this one, and thus be familiar with college-level work. All of the learners will be over 18; however,
since this is a non-traditional format, it is also expected that most of the students will be adult learners above the age of
26. This fact will affect how and what they learn since, by this point, the fundamental myths of Civil War are fixed in
their minds. Helping students think outside of those myths will be a challenge, but a core goal of this course.
Course will be built in Blackboard. Students should be able to click on a link to the specific class from the main portal. Once they are in the course, the navigation pane on the left-hand side should be populated
with the links to connect them to each unit (Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, etc)

Additional Developer Notes:

Content Slide #1.1
“A Peculiar Institution” – Slavery in Early America
Introduction
Slave Ship; accessible from Wikimedia Commons:
Learning Outcomes for this unit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slaveshipposter_(cropped).jpg
By the end of this unit, students will
• Demonstrate the ways that the Constitution provided direct and indirect protection to slavery
• Identify prominent opponents and defenders of slavery
• Formulate an economic argument in favor of slavery and an opposing argument against slavery
• Analyze primary sources for important historical context

Audio narration script or other multimedia elements (ie. video) description. Narration script should be written out fully in this section.

Once students have finished their readings/resources, they should navigate back to the discussion boards to answer the questions there
Content Slide #1.2
“A Peculiar Institution” – Slavery in Early America
Readings and Resources: Death of General Wolfe, painted by Benjamin West in 1770; accessible from
Text:
Howe, Ch 4, Ch 7: http://search.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=284051&site=eds-
Wikimedia Commons:
live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_125 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benjamin_West_005.jpg
Davis, Ch 9-10:
http://search.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=169153&site=eds-
live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_175

Other Reading:
How Slavery Helped Build a World Economy (link: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/01/how-slavery-helped-build-a-world-
economy/)

Primary Sources:
The United States Constitution (link: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/usconst.asp)
Frederick Douglass – “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” (link:
http://search.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=43605368&site=eds-live&scope=site)
John C. Calhoun – “Slavery a Positive Good” (link: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/slavery-a-positive-good/)
George Fitzhugh – “The Universal Law of Slavery” (link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h3141t.html)

Video:
Slavery: Crash Course US History #13 (link: https://youtu.be/Ajn9g5Gsv98)

The video listed in the Readings and Resources is one produced by John Green for his Crash Course channel.

From the Youtube Channel description: John will talk about what life was like for a slave in the 19th century United States, and how slaves resisted oppression, to the degree that was possible. We'll hear about
cotton plantations, violent punishment of slaves, day to day slave life, and slave rebellions. Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, and Whipped Peter all make an appearance. Slavery as an institution is arguably the
darkest part of America's history, and we're still dealing with its aftermath 150 years after it ended.

Once students have finished their readings/resources, they should navigate back to the discussion boards to answer the questions there
Assessment Slide #1.1
<Discussion Board 1.1 – Arguments in Regards to Slavery>
Discussion board question is listed to the right. Students should complete their initial response to this question by
11:59 PM EST on the Wednesday of Unit 1. Discussion boards for this topic should be well-thought out, at least three
paragraphs, with evidence cited from the readings to support their arguments/answers. Students should respond to at
least three classmates with
Identify some of the key arguments on each side of the slavery debate. Based on
your knowledge of the concerns of each side in the slavery debate, give possible
solutions that could have resulted in an eventual peaceful settlement between the
two opposing camps.

Initial posts are due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM. You must respond to at least three
of your classmates no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday.

This discussion board is a formative assessment. There is no standard correct answer for this discussion board, as students’ answers will differ. A rubric will be developed to adequately assess whether students
have fulfilled the requirements of the discussion board itself. Positive feedback would include praising the student for understanding the material and engaging their classmates in further discussion, and
exhibiting advanced critical thought and analysis. Negative feedback (or, rather, constructive feedback) would include reminding the student of the requirements of the discussion board and indicating to them
that the instructor would want to see more evidence from the readings or evidence that the student understands the material.

This is a short answer question with no interactivity.

Assessment Slide #1.2
<Document Analysis Worksheet>
Students will be need to choose one of the primary source documents for the week and, in a short paper, answer the
questions asked. The questions fall under five categories: Interpreting the documents: for discovery and discussion:
• CONTENT: a question that requires you to figure out what the writer is saying • What does it say?
• CONTEXT: a question that helps you understand the background of documents • When and where was it written?
• CONSIDERATIONS: a question that examines why documents were written • What events, people, places, and issues does it describe?
• CONNECTIONS: a question that links documents with broad historical themes • Who wrote it and to whom? What was their relation?
• CONVERSATIONS: a question that explores the interplay between writer and audience • Why was it written? What motivated its creator?
• What specific circumstances brought about its creation?
• What is its tone? What kind of voice does it employ?
• What (if any) outcomes did the creator hope to achieve by writing it?
• What must we consider in using it as a source of evidence?
• What can we tell about the creator’s values and point of view from it?
• How does the creator’s viewpoint affect the ways events are described?
• What can this document tell us? What can’t it tell us?
• What intentional messages does it convey? What unintentional ones?
• To what other documents on this website does this one relate? How?
• What unanswered questions do you have about this document? What do you still
need to know in order to make sense of it?

This assignment will require the instructor to know the documents as well (and perhaps even have an answer sheet that they themselves have filled out as a baseline). Positive feedback for this assignment will
include telling the student that they’ve fully answered the questions and understand the content, as well as (depending) gone deeper into the document rather than scratched the surface. More constructive
feedback, if the student did not quite hit the mark with this assignment, would include pointing out where the student could have delved deeper into the document and thought a bit more critically about it.

Questions are open-ended with a variety of answers depending on the document chosen. No interactivity.
Content Slide #2.1
Compromise and Crisis – The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Nullification Crisis
Introduction
Map of the United States in 1821; accessible in GIF format from Wikimedia
Learning Outcomes for this unit: Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Slave_Free_1789-1861.gif
By the end of this unit, students will
• Identify the main provisions of the Missouri Compromise of 1820
• Construct an argument regarding the legitimacy of South Carolina’s nullification threat
• Evaluate and discuss President Andrew Jackson’s position in regards to the nullification threat
• Analyze primary sources for important historical context

Audio narration script or other multimedia elements (ie. video) description. Narration script should be written out fully in this section.

Once students have finished their readings/resources, they should navigate back to the discussion boards to answer the questions there
Content Slide #2.2
Compromise and Crisis – The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Nullification Crisis
Readings and Resources: Map of the United States in 1821; accessible in GIF format from Wikimedia
Howe, Ch 6: (link: Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Slave_Free_1789-1861.gif
http://search.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=284051&site=eds-
live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_203
Digital History – The Growth of Political Factionalism and Sectionalism (link:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3531)
Digital History – Nullification (link: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3546)
Missouri Compromise – HISTORY (link: https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/missouri-compromise)

Primary Sources:
Missouri Compromise, in Milestone Documents in American History (link:
http://search.ebscohost.com.postu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=228097&site=eds-
live&scope=site&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_Cover)
South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification, November 24, 1832 (link:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/ordnull.asp)
President Jackson's Proclamation Regarding Nullification, December 10, 1832 (link:
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/jack01.asp)

Video:
What was the Missouri Compromise? (link: https://youtu.be/68gi3C0A9Fo)

The video listed in the Readings and Resources is one produced by the History Channel in 2017. In this short video (which can also be found on the History Channel website link in readings and resources), the
History.com Editors discuss this temporary solution to the slavery controversy early in the 19th century.

Once students have finished their readings/resources, they should navigate back to the discussion boards to answer the questions there
Assessment Slide #2.1
<Discussion Board 2.1 – The Missouri Compromise>
Discussion board question is listed to the right. Students should complete their initial response to this question by How much was the Missouri Compromise a true compromise? Could either side be
11:59 PM EST on the Wednesday of Unit 1. Discussion boards for this topic should be well-thought out, at least three considered a winner in this compromise? Why or why not?
paragraphs, with evidence cited from the readings to support their arguments/answers. Students should respond to at
least three classmates with Initial posts are due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM. You must respond to at least three
of your classmates no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday.

This discussion board is a formative assessment. There is no standard correct answer for this discussion board, as students’ answers will differ. A rubric will be developed to adequately assess whether students
have fulfilled the requirements of the discussion board itself. Positive feedback would include praising the student for understanding the material and engaging their classmates in further discussion, and
exhibiting advanced critical thought and analysis. Negative feedback (or, rather, constructive feedback) would include reminding the student of the requirements of the discussion board and indicating to them
that the instructor would want to see more evidence from the readings or evidence that the student understands the material.

This is a short answer question with no interactivity.

Assessment Slide #2.2
<Discussion Board 2.2 – The Nullification Crisis>
Discussion board question is listed to the right. Students should complete their initial response to this question by
11:59 PM EST on the Wednesday of Unit 1. Discussion boards for this topic should be well-thought out, at least three
paragraphs, with evidence cited from the readings to support their arguments/answers. Students should respond to at
least three classmates with
Was South Carolina's attempt to nullify a federal tariff inevitable, given the
geographic, political, and economic context of the Missouri Compromise? Should
states have the power to nullify laws? Why or why not? Was President Jackson’s
actions justified? Why or why not?

Initial posts are due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM. You must respond to at least three
of your classmates no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday.

This discussion board is a formative assessment. There is no standard correct answer for this discussion board, as students’ answers will differ. A rubric will be developed to adequately assess whether students
have fulfilled the requirements of the discussion board itself. Positive feedback would include praising the student for understanding the material and engaging their classmates in further discussion, and
exhibiting advanced critical thought and analysis. Negative feedback (or, rather, constructive feedback) would include reminding the student of the requirements of the discussion board and indicating to them
that the instructor would want to see more evidence from the readings or evidence that the student understands the material.

This is a short answer question with no interactivity.

Assessment Slide #2.3
<Document Analysis Worksheet>
Students will be need to choose one of the primary source documents for the week and, in a short paper, answer the
questions asked. The questions fall under five categories: Interpreting the documents: for discovery and discussion:
• CONTENT: a question that requires you to figure out what the writer is saying • What does it say?
• CONTEXT: a question that helps you understand the background of documents • When and where was it written?
• CONSIDERATIONS: a question that examines why documents were written • What events, people, places, and issues does it describe?
• CONNECTIONS: a question that links documents with broad historical themes • Who wrote it and to whom? What was their relation?
• CONVERSATIONS: a question that explores the interplay between writer and audience • Why was it written? What motivated its creator?
• What specific circumstances brought about its creation?
• What is its tone? What kind of voice does it employ?
• What (if any) outcomes did the creator hope to achieve by writing it?
• What must we consider in using it as a source of evidence?
• What can we tell about the creator’s values and point of view from it?
• How does the creator’s viewpoint affect the ways events are described?
• What can this document tell us? What can’t it tell us?
• What intentional messages does it convey? What unintentional ones?
• To what other documents on this website does this one relate? How?
• What unanswered questions do you have about this document? What do you still
need to know in order to make sense of it?

This assignment will require the instructor to know the documents as well (and perhaps even have an answer sheet that they themselves have filled out as a baseline). Positive feedback for this assignment will
include telling the student that they’ve fully answered the questions and understand the content, as well as (depending) gone deeper into the document rather than scratched the surface. More constructive
feedback, if the student did not quite hit the mark with this assignment, would include pointing out where the student could have delved deeper into the document and thought a bit more critically about it.

Questions are open-ended with a variety of answers depending on the document chosen. No interactivity.