[Detail] Negro expulsion from railway car
Lesson Overview
The collection African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A.P. Murray Collection, 1818-1907, contains pamphlets and other materials, most of which were written by African American authors about pressing issues of the day. In this lesson, students use the collection's Timeline of African American History, 1852-1925 to identify problems and issues facing African Americans immediately after Reconstruction. Working in small groups on assigned issues, students search the collection for documents that describe the problem and consider opposing points of view, and suggest a remedy for the problem. Students then present the results of their research in a simulated African American Congress, modeled on a congress documented in the collection's special presentation, Progress of a People.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Describe issues or problems facing African Americans following Reconstruction.
- Explain possible solutions to these problems suggested in the sources found, and cite arguments for and against these solutions.
- Make inferences based on a timeline.
- Analyze primary source documents.
- Search a data base to identify documents related to a topic or problem.
Standards
Time Required
- One week
Recommended Grade Level
- 9-12
Topic
- African American History
Era
- Civil War and Reconstruction
- Rise of Industrial America
