Students learn how the Civil War reshaped power, opportunity, and resistance for Black Americans by examining how enslaved and free Black people experienced the war differently and contributed to the Union effort in meaningful ways.
Students learn how the Civil War reshaped power, opportunity, and resistance for Black Americans by examining how enslaved and free Black people experienced the war differently and contributed to the Union effort in meaningful ways.
Students view an image of two Black Union sergeants and read introductory text about how people without formal power can still act for themselves during conflict. They respond to a word cloud prompt by adding one or two words describing ways people might act for themselves when they lack power. Students then read an overview of the experience and the lesson objectives about African Americans’ agency and contributions during the Civil War.
Teacher MovesPreview key vocabulary (especially “segregated”) and the overall flow of the lesson. After students complete the word cloud, facilitate a discussion to identify patterns in their responses, distinguishing actions that involve risk from those focused on survival or adaptation. Introduce the idea of agency and guide students to connect their ideas to the Civil War by comparing how enslaved and free Black people might have experienced and acted during the war, emphasizing how legal status shaped choices. Review the objectives so students understand what they will learn.
Students examine an image of enslaved people escaping to Union lines and read about how the Civil War created different pressures and possibilities for enslaved and free African Americans. They watch Lives of Enslaved People During the Civil War and read Enslaved People During the Civil War to identify how the war affected enslaved people and how they acted for themselves, recording examples in a class T-chart on war impacts and acts of agency. Next, they read Free Black People During the Civil War and complete a second class T-chart showing how the war affected free Black communities and how free Black people took action.
Teacher MovesUse the first T-chart to prompt discussion about how the war changed daily life for enslaved people, highlighting both increased danger and the weakening power of enslavers. Ask students to explain the choices enslaved people made in response and how these actions show them actively shaping the war’s direction and meaning. With the second T-chart, guide students to see how free Black people faced limits on rights and safety despite being free, and how their actions reflected decisions about loyalty, survival, and the future. Press students to connect both groups’ actions to broader shifts in the war toward ending slavery and redefining freedom, equality, and citizenship.
Students view a recruitment poster for Black regiments and read about emerging roles for African Americans in the Union war effort. They watch Black Soldiers: The Fight for Citizenship to explore why African Americans chose to serve, what they hoped service would achieve, and the challenges they faced, then answer multiple-choice questions about motivations for enlistment and unequal treatment in the Union Army. Working in small groups, students read Excerpt from Negroes and the National War Effort by Frederick Douglass and respond on discussion walls about his intended audience, why his background matters, and what he is trying to persuade his audience to believe or do. Groups then analyze the primary source image The True Defenders of the Constitution, discussing what message it communicates about Black soldiers and how that message connects to Douglass’s ideas about military service and citizenship, and they share their thinking on two additional discussion walls.
Teacher MovesFrame the Frederick Douglass source by addressing its historical language and modeling how to engage critically with terms that are now recognized as dehumanizing. After the video questions, reinforce that many Black Americans saw military service as a way to claim citizenship and belonging, and that unequal treatment made their service both risky and politically meaningful. Organize students into small groups and support their close reading of Douglass’s speech by asking how his experience as a formerly enslaved person shapes his message, what “narrow view” of enlistment he critiques, and why he argues that service is the “speediest and best possible way” to pursue equal rights. During image analysis, prompt students to consider how depictions of Black soldiers’ sacrifice communicate their full participation in the war and how the image reinforces Douglass’s claims about hardship, loyalty, and citizenship. Highlight the broader significance of both the speech and the image in shaping public opinion about Black soldiers and the purpose of the war.
Students view an image of a schoolhouse established by Susie King Taylor and read about the varied roles Black women played during the Civil War. They watch The Life of Susie King Taylor and complete a three-box sequencing organizer by selecting and ordering three key events from her life that show how she contributed to freedom and equality, explaining how each event represents a form of service. Next, students read Excerpt from Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops and complete a concept map summarizing how Taylor described her work in the Union Army, writing a central summary phrase and supporting it with specific details from the source. Finally, they respond on a discussion wall explaining how Taylor’s experiences shape their understanding of what “service” looked like during the war.
Teacher MovesExplain that this scene is an optional extension and then guide students to focus on Susie King Taylor’s actions as contributions rather than just biographical details. When reviewing the sequencing organizer, ask students why they chose particular events and how placing them in order shows her growing impact over time. Use discussion to connect her unpaid, unofficial work as a teacher, nurse, and support worker to broader arguments about Black Americans’ essential contributions beyond combat. As students share concept maps, prompt them to identify the kinds of labor Taylor describes, how she responded when resources were scarce, and what her actions reveal about the behind-the-scenes work needed to sustain the Union Army. In the final discussion, emphasize the significance of Taylor documenting her own experiences and connect her service to Frederick Douglass’s argument that Black people could assert claims to freedom and citizenship through service to the nation.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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