Students learn how American art and literature during the Reform Era reflected changing beliefs about emotion, individuality, and national identity, showing how writers and artists expressed both the challenges and hopes of nineteenth-century America.
Students read an excerpt from John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “Voice of New England” and respond on a discussion wall about what the poem suggests regarding freedom, responsibility, and community during the early reform period. They then review the lesson objectives and are introduced to the idea that art and literature during the Age of Reform communicated powerful social and national ideas.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the overall experience and its vocabulary, emphasizing that students will move through a full research and sharing process. After students post on the wall, prompt them to notice Whittier’s vivid, urgent language and how it stirs emotion and calls people to action. Ask questions about which words or images stand out, how the poem connects to early reform ideas, whose voices might feel supported or challenged, and how art and literature can raise awareness or encourage change. Review the objectives and ensure students understand that they will explore how art and literature shaped American identity during the Age of Reform.
Students read American Romanticism to learn how Romantic thinkers emphasized imagination, emotion, nature, and the individual during the Reform Era. They answer multiple-choice and inline-choice questions about why Romantics valued nature, why they believed people should speak out against unfair treatment, and which textual evidence best supports those ideas.
Teacher MovesFrame the scene by explaining that Romanticism offered new ways of understanding the world that challenged traditional ideas about reason and authority. After students answer the questions, review responses and lead a discussion about how Romantics emphasized individual feelings and personal experience. Ask students what these ideas reveal about how people should understand themselves and the world, and then connect Romantic beliefs about the “inner voice” to reform-era efforts to seek rights, fairness, and social change.
Students read The Hudson River School to explore how nineteenth-century American landscape painters expressed national pride and deeper meanings through nature. They answer questions about why Hudson River School artists chose wide, dramatic landscapes and how their work helped shape American identity. Students then read an explanation of color and composition in painting and use a drawing tool with Robert Havell’s Hudson River North to Croton Point to circle an example of color that reflects Hudson River School ideas and square an example of composition that highlights the importance of the landscape, adding text explanations for each choice.
Teacher MovesExplain that this scene focuses on how visual art communicated cultural ideas in the Reform Era. After students complete the questions on the Hudson River School, discuss how the paintings reflect Romantic beliefs about nature’s emotional and spiritual power and how they encouraged viewers to see the American landscape as full of promise and national purpose. During the drawing activity, circulate and then debrief by asking what students noticed about Havell’s use of color and composition, highlighting patterns such as warm light, dramatic contrasts, and expansive viewpoints. Guide students to interpret how these artistic choices express ideas about land, identity, opportunity, and national hopes, and connect them back to Romanticism and reform-era themes.
Students watch Evaluating Sources for Credibility and respond independently on three discussion walls about what makes a source credible, why credibility matters, and how to tell if a source is credible. Working in small groups, they then select or are assigned a Reform Era writer from a provided list and locate two credible secondary sources about that author. Using a graphic organizer, they record source information, explain why each source is credible, and gather key details for a summary. Groups then plan a two-slide presentation: Slide 1 presents a summary of who the writer was, the main themes or ideas in their work, and how those ideas connect to issues and beliefs of the early to mid-1800s; Slide 2 poses an open-ended discussion question that helps classmates connect the writer’s themes to emotions, imagination, nature, individuality, fairness, or broader social changes.
Teacher MovesClarify the concept of credible sources after students post on the discussion walls, emphasizing expert authorship, evidence, accuracy, and up-to-date information. Help students brainstorm examples of trustworthy secondary sources, steering them toward professional, reviewed sites and away from unreliable sources such as social media or user-edited pages. Organize students into small groups and assign or approve writers so that each group researches a different author. As groups research, circulate to check that they are choosing credible sources and focusing on big ideas and themes rather than just collecting facts. Provide suggested reputable sites as needed and support students in connecting each writer’s themes to Romanticism and reform-era concerns. Guide groups in crafting clear, focused summaries and open-ended discussion questions that invite multiple perspectives and draw on their research.
Students listen to each group’s presentation about a Reform Era writer and take notes in a graphic organizer, recording the author’s name and key details that will help them answer the overarching discussion question about the impact of these writers’ ideas and themes on Americans during the Age of Reform. After all presentations, students review their notes and respond on a discussion wall to the question about the impact of the writers’ ideas, supporting their answer with at least one example from a classmate’s presentation.
Teacher MovesBefore presentations begin, review class norms for respectful listening and participation. Manage the flow of presentations, allowing time for each group to share and for classmates to consider and respond to the group’s discussion question. After all groups have presented, facilitate a synthesis discussion by asking students what they learned or found surprising and what common themes they noticed across writers. Prompt students to connect literary themes to reform movements and broader social and cultural changes, highlighting how authors used their work to question society, inspire reflection, and encourage change. As you review students’ final discussion-wall responses, draw attention to examples that show how literature both reflected and shaped reform-era thinking, and extend the conversation to how these ideas relate to responses to injustice, including civil disobedience and peaceful protest.
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