This simulation for secondary students takes place in 1858 in Jackson, Mississippi. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the American abolitionist, has been apprehended. A street trial is convened to hear charges against her. Students role-play accusors and witnesses for the defense. (RM)

In this activity high school students read and discuss a letter written by a fugitive slave in England asking Britons not to be misled by a statement made by a clergyman claiming that the American federal government was not responsible for slavery, that it was the individual states that were at fault. (RM)

In this lesson, high school students read quotes and relate them to events that took place in the 1960s. Provided are the quotes, discussion questions, and suggestions for class activities. (RM)

Incorporates material from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's into the high school curriculum as part of a unit on the Reconstruction Era. Discusses the background and passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and the beginning of Jim Crow laws as precursors to the Civil Rights Movement. (KO)

Presents two lesson plans for learning strategies employing the skills of empathy and reciprocity. The lessons cover the Black Codes developed during Reconstruction and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Lists objectives, instructional procedures, and makes suggestions for essay questions to be used in summative evaluation procedures. (KO)

Traces the history of the Civil Rights Movement in St. Louis, Missouri from 1954 to 1968. Provides a lesson plan on the movement. Includes editorials published in the "St. Louis Post Dispatch" on the civil rights activities of 1963. Outlines civil rights organizations of the 1960s. (RW)

Offers a lesson plan for comparing the ideas and context of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and the Emancipation Manifesto issued on March 3, 1861, by Alexander II of Russia. Gives background information on the Emancipation Manifesto, discusses preparation and lesson procedures, and suggests…

This lesson plan for use with high school students presents excerpts from a press conference that President Eisenhower held in 1954 dealing with his domino theory and U.S. foreign policy concerning Indochina. In addition to the excerpts, discussion questions and ideas for student research projects are provided. (RM)

Uses role playing activities to stimulate students' problem-solving skills in dealing with the problems of Reconstruction. Lists discussion questions and suggests descriptions for the roles of radical northern Republicans, moderate Northerners, moderate Southerners, radical southern rebels, Black slaves, and foreign diplomats. (KO)

Provides a lesson plan for focusing on the legal struggle to secure personal liberties during the age of Reconstruction. Analyzes the Fourteenth Amendment and a petition from the citizens of Cleveland, Tennessee, in order to identify the methods of change at the federal level and the limitations of such action. (KO)

As early as 1848, women organized into groups to assert their rights as citizens. In 1969, the National Organization for Women developed a Bill of Rights. The document is presented here, accompanied by learning activities, discussion and debate questions, and research topics for use with high school students. (RM)

Illustrates the relationship between the technology of canal building and the development of national unity prior to the Revolutionary War. Examines George Washington's efforts to build the Potomac canal. Encourages students to consider the interrelationships among technology, resources, politics, and leadership. Includes two student handouts and…

Describes the JASON project, a joint project of the National Council for Social Studies and the National Science Teachers Association. Provides a sample lesson on the Punic Wars in which students study the relationship between shipbuilding and Rome's ascendancy to power. Explores the links among technology, science, and social studies. (RW)

Investigates the situations surrounding, and events involved in, the United States's massive western land acquisition from Mexico in 1845 and 1848. Presents a challenging, thorough, and insightful lesson plan that includes numerous background materials, learning activities, maps, and handouts. (MJP)