Macculloch Hall Historical Museum
45 Macculloch Ave. Morristown, NJ
5th to 11th
Grade
www.maccullochhall.org
2015-2016 School Program
Portraying Post-War
Presidents: Johnson & Grant
“Grand Masquerade Ball Given By Mr. Maretzek
at the Academy of Music, April 5, 1866”
April 14, 1866 Harper’s Weekly
Thomas Nast wood engraving
Collection of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum
By the end of the Civil War, Thomas Nast (1840-1902)
had fine-tuned his skill as a cartoonist and transformed
himself into a powerful political force. Students use
Nast’s images of President Andrew Johnson and Ulysses
S. Grant to compare how Nast presented these
presidents in the media. Important events during the
post–Civil War period are addressed, including the first
impeachment trial of a U.S. President. Reconstruction
set the stage for events in American history for the next
100 years.
In the Classroom 45 minutes
Lesson One (with a Museum Educator) Students will:


See a short presentation on the life of political cartoonist, Thomas Nast.
Examine Nast’s political cartoons in small groups and answer document based questions.
 Discover the value of primary sources for studying American history.
Lesson Two (Teacher Assessment—the following class period)

Students present and discuss findings from working with Thomas Nast political cartoons
of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant.
To Arrange a Program:
Programs can be reserved as outreach or on-site programs by email to
[email protected] or leave a message at (973) 538-2404 ext.
16. Programs are $6 per student onsite or $150 for presentation in the
classroom ($100 for each additional program on same day). Classroom
program is designed for 25 students at a time.
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum received an operating support grant from
the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum is a
nonprofit educational affiliate of the
W. Parsons Todd Foundation.