Unique Curricular Projects

• Abolitionist and Southern Cotillion:

  • Activity Description: Students will divide up the room into a northern half where an abolitionist meeting is being held and a southern half where a fancy southern cotillion is taking place.  Both northern and southern groups need to have three skits each.  We will start with a skit in the south where plantation owners are just finishing up from a dance.  They will talk about their experiences on their plantations and explain to each other their justifications for slavery as a part of the economy.  We will then after three minutes have the southerners freeze as we move to the north to hear our master of ceremonies introduce the first speaker.  The speaker will share on her or his reasons for fighting against slavery for three minutes before we freeze and go back to the south. We will see another three minute skit in which we learn more about southern arguments for keeping slavery including states rights. After three minutes we will hear another skit in the north.  Our third skit in the south will include slaves talking about the underground railroad.  We will have a final skit in the north and then students will be able to enjoy some  refreshment/treats in their part of the room while our guests (adults, invited teachers,) will ask students questions about their historical characters that they represent and about the issues concerning slavery in 1854 America. 

  • Historical Timeline / Geography: Our event will take place on July 4, 1854: The Cotillion will be in Columbia, South Carolina and the Abolitionist meeting will be in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

    • Example of 2011 Student Research Handout 

    • Blue and Gray Trail:1854 Timeline 

    • Timelines.Com:1854

    • Library of Congress Time Line of African American History, 1852-1880:http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timeline.html

    • Columbia, South Carolina:

      • Wikipedia, Columbia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_SC

      • Historical Map, Antebellum: http://www.sciway.net/hist/maps/mapsanteb.html

      • South Carolina:

    • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:

      • Antebellum Pennsylvania: http://www.pennsylvaniaroots.com/history-8.html

      • History Map: http://www.history-map.com/picture/002/Pennsylvania-Harrisburg.htm

      • Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrisburg,_Pennsylvania

        • Civil War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrisburg_in_the_American_Civil_War

        • PHMC Register Civil War Volunteers:

         

  • This lesson plan was designed by Dean Smith.  Please follow creative common's license for its use. (2011)

www.smithclass.com  If you have ideas to add to this list, please let me know.

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