Road to Civil War Day 3 Day 3

Essential Questions How can growth and change have an impact on the land and the people of a nation? How did increased diversity in the United States impact the lifestyles, beliefs and struggles of the diverse ethnic groups?

Objective: This lesson will serve as a brainstorming activity, which will get you thinking about the important questions and misconceptions surrounding the events of the Civil War. Children often have preconceived ideas about the Civil War. Much of their knowledge has been gained through movies, television and previous education. They are typically surprised to discover that some of the information they have learned is inaccurate or only partly true.

True or False? All white landowners in the South owned slaves. FALSE All black people in the South were slaves. The North did not benefit economically from the slave trade. Slaves lived on plantations in the South. True All Southern plantation owners treated their slaves harshly by whipping them and selling them.

True or False? After Reconstruction the freed slaves were welcomed in all states and treated equally. FALSE Industrialization in the North created jobs for whomever wanted to work, including immigrants and freed slaves. True Slaves were treated like members of the plantation owner’s family. FALSE/ True The North was dependent on factories and the South on agriculture. The only cause of the Civil War was the issue of slavery.

Activity A large part of the Civil War was the disagreement of state’s rights vs. federal power. In order to think about this issue, discuss the following situation: The principal represents the federal power, the teachers represent the states, and the students represent the citizens. Create a 3 column chart in your notebook to list the responsibilities/powers belonging to the appropriate group: principal, teachers, and students.

List the responsibilities/powers belonging to the appropriate group: Activity List the responsibilities/powers belonging to the appropriate group: Principal Teachers Students

Final Discussion Why is it necessary to have the principal make certain decisions? How would the students feel if teachers decided on dress codes and some classes had codes while others did not? Why is it necessary for teachers to retain control of certain decisions in their classroom?