A Northeast Georgia History Center Publication
2015 GPS Educator Resource Manual:
4th, 5th, 8th Grade History Lesson Plans: Primary Sources, Hands-on
Activities, Suggested Reading Lists, and Digital/Online Resources
Written and prepared by: Ken Johnston, Curator of Education
Research Assistants: McKinley Brooks, Stephen Orehosky
Table of Contents
Page 3 - Using This Resource Manuel
Page 4 - Primary Sources – A Guide to Their Use in the Classroom
Page 6 - Section 1 – US History to 1860 – 4th Grade
Page 13 - Section 2 – US History since 1860 – 5th Grade
Page 24 - Section 3 - Georgia Studies – 8th Grade
Page 33 – General Online Primary Documentation Research Resources
Northeast Georgia History Center staff have read and viewed all books
and websites recommended as research resources in this Educator
Resource Manual prior to their inclusion. Additionally, all period historic
document texts and images are taken from primary sources verified by
Northeast Georgia History Center staff.
Using This Resource Manual
This Educator Resource Manual provides 4th, 5th, and 8th grade Georgia Educators with an
instruction set that meets Georgia Performance Standard guidelines in content and
methodology.
Specifically it has been developed by the Northeast Georgia History Center to address content
in the Social Studies category of the GPS, along with GPS initiative to teach using Primary
Sources and Technology. The Educator Resource Manual also includes hands-on engagement
activities to integrate content and methodology in the classroom while promoting critical
thinking skills and comparative analysis.
Each section of this Manual – 4th Grade: US History to 1860, 5th Grade: US History since 1860,
8th Grade: Georgia Studies - will have an assortment of Primary Sources, Hands-on Activities,
Suggested Reading Lists, and Digital/Online Resources that can be combined as a cohesive
Lesson Plan for practical classroom use.
While the Educator Resource Manual can be used as a stand-alone tool for use by Educators in
the classroom it can also be used in conjunction with a field trip to the Northeast Georgia
History Center or outreach by the Northeast Georgia History Center to the classroom via an inperson presentation or a digital presentation via online technology.
Whichever use made of this manual by an Educator - be it stand-alone in the classroom, field
trip, or outreach – the Northeast Georgia History Center, as part of its mission to the
community, is dedicated to providing practical resources to help our Teachers meet their
educational goals.
In the Classroom - Teaching with Primary Sources
Use the method outlined here for teaching the Primary Sources found in a given section of the
Manual - 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 8th Grade.
Overview
A primary source is direct evidence of the nature of a time, place, or event. It must have been
produced by participants in the event, situation, or time period being investigated or by
witnesses to it. Examples of primary sources are physical evidence (almost anything created
and/or used by a human), records (information created during the time period under
investigation), and accounts (statements by people who participated in or saw a particular event
or situation).
Contextualization – Sourcing – Corroboration
Contextualization is the process whereby primary sources are placed into the temporal and
conditional context within which they occurred. Sourcing is the examination of the origin of a
text or other primary source. Sourcing is done in order to recognize that historical documents
are interpretations of events. Corroboration is the process of comparing multiple sources of
information in order to determine the reliability or potential bias of a source.
Practice
1: Decide what you are looking at
 A Primary Source can be many things; a letter, a diary entry, a photograph, a painting, a
newspaper article, a poem, a piece of music, a novel, a receipt, a deed of ownership, or
many other records.
Determine what you’re actually examining.
2: Determine the purpose and audience
 Was the primary source created for public use or private use, e.g. newspaper or diary?
Was it created to inform or entertain, e.g. textbook or novel? Was the audience expected
to be entertained, enlightened, informed, e.g. were they watching a performance, listening
to a sermon, checking records for tax purposes?
Establish the use of the primary source and who was using it.
3: Look for bias
 Is the primary source based on opinion or fact, e.g. “I don’t know how spinning machines
in factories work, so the spinning wheel I use at home is better?” or “in a day factory
spinning machines can produce 10 times as much thread as a home-based spinning
wheel?”.
Is there a personal agenda in the primary source, e.g. “I’ll make a lot of money selling the
land once the Native American Tribe agrees to the terms of this treaty”.
4: Examine closely the source itself
 Means really looking at all the details of the material carefully and creatively finding and
interpreting clues to the reality portrayed interpreting details based on intended purpose
and audience. Train the mind and eyes to see what’s actually in a Primary Source.
5: Find more information
 Finding more information based on a primary source can be driven by the “w” questions
of basic journalism and investigation; who, what, when, where, why. If the surrounding
text, caption, or attribution of a primary source leaves one of these questions unanswered,
there’s an opportunity for research. Research can also provide context of “how” the
primary source came to be.
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
 Examine your actions in dealing with the primary source materials using the same criteria
you’ve applied in your research; do I have the skills or knowledge to determine what I’m
looking at, what is my research purpose, do I have a personal bias in how I interpret the
source?
7: Compare a variety of sources
 Compare the primary source being researched with other sources from the same time or
event. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences in what they tell you; this
will determine if there’s a cohesive, verifiable story that can be told. If in a particular
situation there is only one source, acknowledge that in any conclusions you wish to draw.
From: Examining the Evidence: Seven Strategies for Teaching with Primary Sources - Hilary
Mac Austin & Kathleen Thompson
Section 1 – 4th Grade - US History to 1860
SS4H1 - The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed in North
America.
b. Describe how Native Americans used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.
Activity – Pottery making – Food storage was crucial to any Native American population, as
community and society stability increases with the ability to be well fed. The Cherokee of the
Southeast used materials found in their environment to make pots to help secure the food
supply. Below you will find an activity to illustrate this practice, along with associated web
links.
NativeTech: MAKING NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY OF THE EASTERN FORESTS
www.nativetech.org/pottery/making.htm
PINCHING THE BASE
1. To start, pinch your thumbs into the center of a ball of clay. Squeeze
your thumb on the Inside with your fingers on the outside of the pot.
Continue squeezing and rotating the pot until the walls of the vessel are
about 1/4 in. thick. Fix any cracks which form by firmly pinching
together the void and smoothing it over.
2. Place the base in a hollow in the ground, or in a bowl shaped
vessel which can be rotated easily by the potter as the pot is built up.
ROLLING, BRUSHING, ADDING AND JOINING THE COILS
3. Pots of many Native Americans were built up from coils or ropes
of clay.
The coils ore rolled between the palms of the hands or rolled
against a flat surface in a back and forth and center to ends
direction. Coils range from 1/2 to 1 inch in thickness.
4. To be joined properly, the coils should be roughened using a
moistened stiff brush. This helps seal out any air when the walls
are squeezed together, and helps keep the coil moist while it is
being added to the pot.
5. Add a coil one foot or longer, around the inside rim of the pot
being held in its support.
6. The coils must be firmly joined to the pot or cracks will appear
when the pot dries.
Attach the coil to the pot using your thumb to press downward against the coil on the inside of
the pot. At the same time pull upward with your fingers on the outside of the pot. This will
actually weld the coils together. If the coils are not well joined cracks will appear as the pottery
dries.
PADDLING, SMOOTHING AND SCRAPING THE POT
7. Join coils in a spiral direction until a
rough form of the pat is made, or until the
addition of more moist coils will cause the
pot to slump under the weight. If the pot
dents when it is tapped, let it dry until it
feels like leather, and does not dent easily.
When the pot is leather-hard, the pot is
paddled with a cord-wrapped stick. Paddle
the pot to its final form using a smoothed
cobble on the inside of the pottery wall for
support. Paddling helps compress and
strengthen the clay and decorates the outside of the pot with cord marks.
8. A smooth, flat scraping tool may be used on the pot to compress
cracks or smooth the pot for more decoration.
Research Resource
Online:
www.nativetech.org/pottery/making.htm
SS4H4 - The student will explain the causes, events, and results of the American Revolution.
c. Describe the major events of the American Revolution and explain the factors leading to
American victory and British defeat; include the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Saratoga,
and Yorktown.
Activity with Primary Source – Crossing the Delaware
General George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River with the Continental Army to
successfully attack British forces at Trenton saved the faltering War for Independence. The
famous painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” is how most Americans know of the
event. Below you will find an activity to investigate a primary source of information about
Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware River, along with associated web links.
Use these methods to examine the painting and a photo of modern historians recreating the
crossing:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and
audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the
interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Washington Crossing the Delaware,
1851 painting by Emanuel Gottlieb
Leutze.
Modern historians crossing the
Delaware River using an accurate
reproduction of the Durham boats
used by General Washington.
Research Resource
Online:
Original Painting:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Emanuel_Leutze_%28American%2C_Sc
hw%C3%A4bisch_Gm%C3%BCnd_1816%E2%80%931868_Washington%2C_D.C.%29__Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Reenactment Photo:
http://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/12/16/american-epic-nine-amazing-facts-aboutwashington-crossing-the-delaware/
d. Describe key individuals in the American Revolution with emphasis on King George III,
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, Patrick Henry,
and John Adams.
Primary Source – Benedict Arnold’s Letter to the Inhabitants of North America
Benedict Arnold's letter To the Inhabitants of America (1780)
"To the Inhabitants of America" is an open letter written by former
Continental Army Major General Benedict Arnold not long after
his defection to the British side in the American War for
Independence. His leaving the Patriot cause was stunning news to
the people of the new United States, as Arnold had been the best
field general in the Continental Army, and was thought of
especially highly by George Washington. To explain and justify his
siding with Great Britain, Arnold wrote an open letter dated
October 7, 1780 that was published on October 11 in New York by
the Royal Gazette. This letter outlined what Arnold saw as the
corruption, lies, and tyranny of the Second Continental Congress
and the Patriot leadership.
Arnold said in the letter that he supported the war of independence
to get a redress of grievances. But he argued that once Great Britain granted the redress, there
was no reason to continue the war. So he encouraged Americans to reject the Articles of
Confederation and return to the British Empire.
Arnold also objected to America's alliance with the French. He thought France was too weak to
establish America's independence. He depicted Catholic France as “the enemy of the Protestant
faith” and accused France of speaking of liberty while holding its people in bondage.
In his argument, Arnold made a plea to the “common sense” of this action. His choice of words
alluded to Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, which had been circulating in America
since 1776.
Use these methods to examine Arnold’s letter:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Link to Arnold’s Letter:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold%27s_letter_To_the_Inhabitants_of_America
Primary Source – Washington’s Farewell Address
"The Address of General Washington To The People of The United States on his declining of
the Presidency of the United States" (1796), popularly called “Washington’s Farewell Address”
In 1792, George Washington was prepared to retire as
the first President of the United States. To that end,
Washington, with James Madison, wrote a farewell
address to the public of the United States of America.
Faced with the unanimous objections of his Cabinet,
however, Washington agreed to stand for another term.
Finally, in 1796, Washington refused a third term.
Dusting off his previous address, Washington and
Alexander Hamilton rewrote the address.
Technically speaking, it was not an address, or a
speech, but an open letter to the public published in
almost all American newspapers. Though both
Madison and Hamilton had a hand in editing the
composition, the sentiments, ideas, and advice in the
“Address” are Washington’s own – distilled from over
40 years of experience in public service.
Originally published in Daved Claypole's American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796,
the letter was almost immediately reprinted in newspapers across the country and later in a
pamphlet form.
Use these methods to examine Washington’s Address:
Contextualization, Sourcing,
Corroboration, Compare and
Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking
at
2: Determine the purpose and
audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source
itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in
the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Link to Washington’s Address:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Washington%27s_Farewell_Address
Research Resources:
Online:
The National Archives - http://docsteach.org/
George Washington papers at The Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html
Book:
George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots – by Dave R. Palmer
Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor - Willard Sterne Randall
SS4H5 - The student will analyze the challenges faced by the new nation.
d. Identify and explain the rights in the Bill of Rights, describe how the Bill of Rights places
limits on the power of government, and explain the reasons for its inclusion in the Constitution
in 1791.
Primary Source –VA Declaration of Rights, Original Bill of Rights, Ratified Bill of Rights
Though modern Americans regard the Bill of Rights as an indispensable part of the United
States Constitution they were not included in the Constitution as ratified by the states. Popular
demand, however, made the passage of a Bill of Rights the first action of Congress after the
Constitution went into effect. The Virginia Declaration of Rights formed the basis for the US
Bill of Rights, which originally had 12 amendments, only 10 of which were ratified in 1791.
Virginia Declaration of Rights - 1776
United States Bill of Rights – 1791
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Virginia_Declaration https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_Sta
_of_Rights
tes_Bill_of_Rights
Use these methods to examine the VA Declaration of Rights, Original Bill of Rights, Ratified
Bill of Rights:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Research Resources:
Online:
Virginia Declaration of Rights http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/virginia_declaration_of_rights.html
United States Bill of Rights - https://www.congress.gov/content/conan/pdf/GPO-CONANREV-2014-10-1.pdf
Book:
Son of Thunder: Patrick Henry and the American Republic - Henry Mayer
Founding Myths – Ray Raphael
Section 2 – 5th Grade - US History since 1860
SS5H1 - The student will explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the Civil War.
b. Discuss how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased tensions between the North and
South.
Primary Source – United States and Confederate States Constitutions
The ideals and principles of a nation, and the way its government operates, are put forth in its
Constitution. Though the United States Constitution makes references to the institution of
slavery, it nowhere uses the term slave or slavery and does not recognize owning humans as
property as being a right; the Confederate Constitution does clearly use the words slave and
slavery as well as recognizes owning humans as a right, and specifies a state’s right on the
issue.
Use these methods to discuss the issues of slavery and the right of a state to regulate the
institution according to the United States and Confederate States Constitutions:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
United States Constitution on Slavery
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CONAN-REV-2014/pdf/GPO-CONAN-REV-2014-6.pdf
"Article. I.
Section. 2.
…Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be
included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined
by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of
Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.
Section. 9.
The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think
proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight
hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten
dollars for each Person.
Article. IV.
…No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into
another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such
Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or
Labour may be due.
Article. V.
…Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight
hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of
the first Article…”
Confederate States Constitution on Slavery
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_csa.asp
“Article I Section 9(1) The importation of negroes of the African race from any foreign country,
other than the slaveholding States or Territories of the United States of America, is hereby
forbidden; and Congress is required to pass such laws as shall effectually prevent the same.
Article I Section 9(2) Congress shall also have power to prohibit the introduction of slaves from
any State not a member of, or Territory not belonging to, this Confederacy.
Article I Section 9(4) No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the
right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.
Article IV Section 2(1) The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and
immunities of citizens in the several States; and shall have the right of transit and sojourn in any
State of this Confederacy, with their slaves and other property; and the right of property in said
slaves shall not be thereby impaired.
Article IV Section 3(3) The Confederate States may acquire new territory; and Congress shall
have power to legislate and provide governments for the inhabitants of all territory belonging to
the Confederate States, lying without the limits of the several states; and may permit them, at
such times, and in such manner as it may by law provide, to form states to be admitted into the
Confederacy. In all such territory, the institution of negro slavery as it now exists in the
Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected by Congress, and by the territorial
government: and the inhabitants of the several Confederate States and Territories, shall have the
right to take to such territory any slaves lawfully held by them in any of the states or territories
of the Confederate states.”
Research Resources:
Books:
The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: The "Great Truth" about the "Lost Cause" James W. Loewen, Edward H. Sebesta
Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Fight – David Williams
e. Describe the effects of war on the North and South.
Primary Source – George Shaw enlistment role
A major effect of the Civil War was the movement of large
numbers of the enslaved population of the southern states that
made up the Confederacy to areas controlled by United States
military forces, with the United States Navy covering the most
widely dispersed geographic area. As the US Navy had no policy
of exclusion or segregation regarding African Americans,
formerly enslaved and free born black men alike could, and did, join the Navy in large numbers
– ultimately approximately 20,000 did so, making up around 20% of the total number of sailors
who served in the US Navy during the Civil War. George Shaw, a Hall County GA native, was
one of the 417 enslaved me from Georgia who joined the US Navy.
Use these methods to discuss the effect of the Civil War on a specific person, George Shaw, as
representative of a large part of the population:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and
Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
“George Shaw
Place of Birth: Hall Co., Georgia
Age: 19 Complexion: Negro
Occupation: Laborer Height: 5' 8"
Place of Enlistment: Cairo Date of Enlistment: Oct 6, 1864
Term of Enlistment: 3 Rating: 2nd Class Boy
Detailed Muster Records of George Shaw
Dec 31, 1864 USS Tyler – top right
Mar 31, 1865 USS Tyler
Jul 1, 1865
USS Tyler
Aug 12, 1865 USS General Lyon – center right
Mar 31, 1866 USS Oneota – bottom right
Dec 31, 1865 USS Oneota
Oct 1, 1865
USS Grampus – no known image”
Activity - Displacement
Another effect was the fast paced advance of technology in the navies both North and South
during the war. The construction of iron armored, or “ironclad”, ships was one of the far
reaching developments that posed specific engineering challenges for the US and CS navies, i.e.
balancing weight and design so the ironclad would float.
Why Does An Ironclad (Or Anything) Float?
If an ironclad is made of millions of pounds of wood and iron, how does it float? It should sink,
shouldn’t it? Not if you follow Archimedes’ Principles of Displacement and Floatation.
Archimedes, a Greek mathematician and inventor who lived over 2,225 years ago, was going to
take a bath one day. When he got into his bathtub he noticed the water level rose, and when he
got out the water level lowered.
From this Archimedes realized that when anything is wholly or partially put into/immersed in
water (or any fluid) it is held up/buoyed by a force (the buoyant force) equal to the weight of
the water or fluid it pushes out of the way/displaces – this is his Principle of Displacement.
He also realized that any floating object (like an ironclad ship) displaces or moves out of the
way its own weight of water/fluid – this is his Principle of Floatation.
What all this means is that something heavy will float if it’s shaped right.
Consider a 1-ton block of solid iron; that’s 2,000 pounds of iron. Iron is eight times denser than
water, so it displaces only 1/8 ton of water; or 2,000 pounds ÷ 8 = 125 pounds – but it needs to
displace 2,000 pounds, so it sinks. Suppose the same iron block is reshaped to have more
surface area, like a bowl shape. It still weighs 1 ton but it displaces more water than when it was
a block - and when it’s shaped to displace 2,000 pounds, it floats.
So, when any ship (iron or wood) displaces a weight of water equal to its own weight, it floats.
ACTIVITY: Conduct your own Buoyancy Experiment
Equipment:
1. Bucket
2. Water source to fill the bucket.
3. Air tight jar to fill with various size rocks.
Directions:
1. Fill bucket with water.
2. Place rocks in the water one at a time. Notice they do not float.
3. Take the empty jar with its lid closed tight and place it in the water. Notice that it does
float.
4. Take the rocks out of the water and place the smallest rock in the jar. Close the lid and
place the jar back in the bucket. Notice that it floats.
5. Continue to place more rocks in the jar one at a time seeing if the jar still floats.
If you can fill jar with enough rocks you will eventually sink the jar. Why?
Explanation:
Everything in or on water pushes water aside - this is called displacement.
The smallest rock sank. When it sank, it displaced some water. The water level went up slightly
when this happened. If we could weigh the rock and the amount of displaced water, we would
see that the rock weighs more than the water therefore it sank to the bottom of the bucket.
Next, let’s say we weighed our jar with the smallest rock inside and the water they both
displaced. Our jar with the smallest rock floated therefore it weighed the same as the water it
displaced. The more rocks we add to the jar, the more water is being displaced. As long as the
jar and the displaced water weighs the same, the jar will float. Once the jar is heavier than the
water it is displacing, the jar will sink. Notice the water level moves up when the jar is heavy
enough to sink because the jar is displacing the water in the bucket.
Further Comments:
Want more to think about? So far we have talked about weight, but what about shape and
material? Experiment with different materials and shapes to learn more about buoyancy and
displacement in the next activity!
ACTIVITY: Buoyancy of Varied Shapes and Materials
Equipment:
1. Bucket
2. Clay and aluminum foil
3. Up to 10 Pennies or paperclips
Directions:
1. Fill the bucket with water.
2. Roll the clay into a ball then place it in the water. Notice the ball sinks.
3. Now shape the clay into a rounded cup and place it in the water with its rounded side in
the water. Notice the clay floats though it is the same amount of clay used when it was a
ball.
4. Place pennies, one at a time, onto your clay “vessel” and see if the vessel can hold all ten
pennies without sinking.
5. Now take a sheet of aluminum foil (about a foot) and place the ten pennies in the middle
of the sheet. Wrap the foil in a ball with the pennies inside and place it in the bucket.
Notice the ball sinks.
6. Take the ball and pennies out and get a new sheet of foil, the same length. Shape the foil
so it has a flat surface and blocks the water from entering the flat surface.
7. Place the pennies on the flat surface. Notice that the same amount of foil and pennies
float this time.
8. Experiment with various shapes and sizes of foil and clay!
Explanation:
A ship will float as long as it weighs less than the water it pushes away, or displaces Like the
clay ball and tin foil, there must be air that lowers the weight of the ship so that it floats. When
the clay and foil with pennies sink to the bottom it is because there is no air to make the weigh
less. When the clay and foil are shaped so they can contain air, they float because they weigh
less than the water they are displacing!
Further Comments:
So, we learned that shape and weight affect an object’s ability to float. An ironclad can float
because of its shape allows it to contain air making it weigh less than the water it displaces.
Research Resources:
Online
George Shaw record http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors-detail.htm?sailorId=SHA0019
Books
Slaves, Sailors, Citizens: African Americans in the Union Navy – Steven J. Ramold
Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy - Barbara Tomblin
Bluejackets: Uniforms of the United States Navy in the Civil War Period, 1852-1865 - Ron
Field
The Best Station of Them All: The Savannah Squadron, 1861 – 1865 – Maurice Melton, PhD
SS5H2 - The student will analyze the effects of Reconstruction on American life.
b. Explain the work of the Freedmen’s Bureau.
Primary Source – Contract from 1866,
Wilkes County GA
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and
Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as
simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a
U.S. federal government agency
established in 1865 to aid freedmen
(freed slaves) in the South during the
Reconstruction era of the United States,
which attempted to change the US states
that had made up the former
Bureau agent stands between armed groups in this 1868
Confederacy from a slave society model A
illustration from Harper's Weekly
into a free labor model. One of their
major duties was instructing the formerly enslaved people on how to negotiate legal contracts
for their labor with former slave owners and others.
Use these methods to discuss how formerly enslaved persons negotiated labor, goods, and
services in exchange for payment using, using this primary document as your resource:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Contract filed by Freedman’s Bureau in GA, 1866
Link to Original Contract - http://freedmensbureau.com/georgia/contracts/georgiacontract.htm
“Bureau R. F. & A. L.
Office Asst. Comr. State Office
Augusta, Ga. - March 13, 1866
State of Georgia - Wilkes County
This agreement entered into this the 9th day of January 1866 between Clark Anderson & Co. of
the State of Mississippi, County of (blank) of the first part and the Freedmen whose names are
annexed of the State and County aforesaid of the second part. Witnesseth that the said Clark
Anderson & Co. agrees to furnish to the Freed Laborers whose names are annexed quarters, fuel
and healthey rations. Medical attendance and supplies in case of sickness, and the amount set
opposite their respective names per month during the continuation of this contract paying one
third of the wages each month, and the amount in full at the end of the year before the final
disposal of the crop which is to be raised by them on said Clark Anderson & Co. Plantation in
the County of (blank) and State aforesaid. The said Clark Anderson & Co. further agree to give
the female laborers one half day in each week to do their washing &c.
The Laborers on their part agree to work faithfully and diligently on the Plantation of the said
Clark Anderson & Co. for six days in the week and to do all necessary work usually done on a
plantation on the Sabbath, during this year 1866 commencing with this date and ending 1st
January 1867, that we will be respectful and obedient to said Clark Anderson & Co. or their
agents, and that we will in all respects endeavor to promote their interests, and we further bind
ourselves to treat with humanity and kindness the stock entrusted to our care and will be
responsible for such stock as die through out inhumanity or carelessness and we further agree to
deduct for time lost by our own fault one dollar per day during the Spring and two dollars
during cotton picking season, also that the Father & Mother should pay for board of children,
also for lost time by protracted sickness and we further agree to have deducted from our
respective wages the expense of medical attendance and supplies during sickness.”
Activity – Write a Contract
Discussion Section
1 – Discuss what a contract is
a. ask students what they think a contract is
b. give definition of contract
2 – Discuss that this was the first time these two groups (former enslaved African Americans
and former slave owners) had ever had to negotiate by law
a. by law a slave was property not a person and therefore had no right to negotiate
b. the 13th and 14th amendments said by law a slave was a person with equality under law and
thus could negotiate for their services
3 – Discuss what recourse the freed African Americans had to law, what recourse whites had to
law
a. whites were overwhelmingly in the majority as law enforcement officials and lawyers and
interpreted disputes in favor of whites while ignoring African American appeals
4 – Discuss how the Federal Govt. helped or hindered the African American in developing his
freedom of labor
a. the 13th & 14th amendments outlawed slavery and provided for equal protection under law
which helped the African American
b. Federal officials routinely turned a blind eye to violations of African American civil rights
which hindered them
5 – Discuss what terms were negotiated for goods and services in return for wages
a. as a result of 4 years of war white property owners were not as well off economically as
before and often had to find means other than money to offer in payment for goods and
services, i.e. a share of the crops, lodging, a plot of land
b. African Americans wanted working conditions different from what had been experienced in
slavery, i.e. shorter hours, shorter work week, no overseers or drivers
Hands-on
1 – View or hand out original period contract, read it with students
2 – Hand out paper and pencils, have students in groups or individually write up a contract for
working on a farm saying what they will do and what they expect in return
3 – As time allows go over contracts and negotiate terms, have students sign as workers and
teachers sign as employers
4 – Students keep a copy of contract, as does teacher, as did freedman and employer
Research Resources:
Online
Freedman’s Bureau Basic History - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedmen%27s_Bureau
Freedman’s Bureau Online - http://freedmensbureau.com/
Books
Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery – Leon F. Litwack
Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877 – Eric Foner
SS5H6 - The student will explain the reasons for America’s involvement in World War II.
e. Describe the effects of rationing and the
changing role of women and AfricanAmericans; include “Rosie the Riveter” and
the Tuskegee Airmen.
Primary Source – Rosie the Riveter and
We Can Do It images
The “Home Front” of WWII was the name
given to all of the economic and production
activities of the US society and population at
large to support the country’s armed forces in
the field. This massive mobilization meant
African American "Rosie", Nashville TN 1943
that roles changed for many groups, such as
women. Though women had been brought into war-time production since the days of the
American War for Independence, they had returned to their accustomed daily life after a war
ended. World War II not only brought women into the workforce in far larger numbers than
ever, at the war’s end a great many stayed in the workforce outside the home.
Use the methods below to discuss the
changing role of women as illustrated in the
two primary source images, as well as to
explore how the images are often
misidentified in popular culture:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration,
Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post
cover featuring “Rosie the Riveter”, seen
across the entire nation. → → → → → →
Link to image in Research Resources below.
“We Can Do It!" by J. Howard Miller seen
only by Westinghouse employees in the
Midwest during a two-week period in
February 1943. → → → → → →→ →→ →
Link to image in Research Resources below.
Research Resources:
Online
Rosie the Riveter Information - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_Riveter
Rosie the Riveter image - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/RosieTheRiveter.jpg
We Can Do It image https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/We_Can_Do_It%21.jpg
Books
World War II for Kids – Richard Panchyk
World War II Days – David C. King
Section 3 - Georgia Studies - Lesson Plans/Classroom Activities
SS8H3 - The student will analyze the role of Georgia in the American Revolution.
b. Analyze the significance of people and events in Georgia on the Revolutionary War; include
Loyalists, patriots, Elijah Clarke, Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall,
George Walton, Battle of Kettle Creek, and siege of Savannah.
Primary Source - Elizabeth Johnston memoir, Recollections of a Georgia Loyalist
Elizabeth Johnston was
born in Georgia before the
American War for
Independence began and
was a young woman in her
teens during it. She was in
Savannah during its siege
and met her soon to be
husband there. She wrote a
memoir of her experiences
during the war in Georgia;
it is invaluable for giving
both a Loyalist perspective
and a woman’s perspective
on the effects of war.
Link to memoir online: https://archive.org/stream/recollectionsofg00john#page/n9/mode/2up
Use these methods to discuss the entries in Johnston’s memoir where she discusses the deaths
of family members and the nature of war in the “back-country”:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Excerpts from Recollections of a Georgia Loyalist – Elizabeth Johnston
“Dr. Lewis Johnston had two sons captains in the army: William Martin Johnston, captain in the
New York Volunteers, afterward numbered in the Third American Regiment, who saw much
active service and proved himself a brave officer, and Captain Andrew Johnston, who belonged
to the King’s Rangers, well known as Colonel Brown’s Corps. In 1780, when his regiment was
shut up by the enemy in the city of Augusta, a hundred and thirty miles from the city of
Savannah, and the men were in want of provisions, Colonel Brown asked who would venture
on a sortie, to bring in provisions. Andrew Johnston instantly said he’d go, provided he might
choose his men. He was so beloved that all his men would have gone had he wished. He took as
many as he wanted, went off, achieved most gallantly his object, but in returning, sad to relate,
received a shot in the back and was killed. He was much lamented, for not only was he a brave
officer but was most amiable in his disposition and exemplary in his character. [Pages 13-14]
Captain Johnston had two brothers, Andrew and John, killed during the war. Andrew was killed
while successfully leading a company who were taking provisions to Fort Johnston, which was
besieged by the rebels.
John was taken prisoner by the enemy and put to death in cold blood…in an ignominious
manner…[your grandfather] who was then not so good a Christian as he afterward became, took
it very much to heart, for Jack was his favorite brother. For some days he was absent during the
day on horseback, and returning one afternoon he said to me, “I expect some friends here tonight, and would like supper for them at 11 o’clock; tell the negroes to have food also for their
horses. I expect about twenty men.” I accordingly had supper provided, and at about eleven the
company rode up to the house, dismounted, and came in. Some of them were gentlemen I knew,
friends [of your grandfather], but others…were bad-looking men, not gentlemen. After supper
they remounted their horses, and [your grandfather] stopped a moment to put on his sword and
make ready his pistols, and to bid me good-bye. I asked him when he would be back. He
answered, “Bet, if I return at all I will be back in twenty-four hours.” I slept little that night, and
spent the next day in anxious prayer for his safe return.
Twelve o’clock arrived, but no tidings of him. At last, about two o’clock, I heard the sound of
horses riding past the house, and saw [your grandfather] dismount and come in. He embraced
me and threw his sword and pistol on the table, both of which I could see had been used. I said
to him, “William, where have you been?” He replied, “Bet, never ask me where I have been or
what I have done, but we don’t owe the rebels anything for Jack.” [Pages 31-33]
Research Resources:
Library of Congress copy of Johnston’s memoir online at Archive.org https://archive.org/details/recollectionsofg00john
New Georgia Encyclopedia - http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/historyarchaeology/elizabeth-lichtenstein-johnston-1764-1848
Library of Congress, Revolutionary War: Southern Phase, 1778-1781 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeli
ne/amrev/south/
SS8H5 - The student will explain significant factors that affected the development of Georgia
as part of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840.
d. Analyze the events that led to the removal of Creeks and Cherokees; include the roles of
Alexander McGillivray, William McIntosh, Sequoyah, John Ross, Dahlonega Gold Rush,
Worcester v. Georgia, Andrew Jackson, John Marshall, and the Trail of Tears.
Primary Source – Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 passed by Congress in May of 1830 authorized the President
of the United States to negotiate with Native American tribes living within the borders of the
United States for their land. While the Act did not explicitly authorize the forced relocation of
people, it did create political, social, and economic pressures that would make removal
inevitable.
Link to Library of Congress online copy of Indian Removal Act - http://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=004/llsl004.db&recNum=458
Use these methods to discuss the Indian Removal Act and its effects:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
The Removal Act Text
“An Act to provide for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or
territories, and for their removal west of the river Mississippi.
Section 1
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in
Congress assembled, That it shall and may be lawful for the President of the United States to
cause so much of any territory belonging to the United States, west of the river Mississippi, not
included in any state or organized territory, and to which the Indian title has been extinguished,
as he may judge necessary, to be divided into a suitable number of districts, for the reception of
such tribes or nations of Indians as may choose to exchange the lands where they now reside,
and remove there; and to cause each of said districts to be so described by natural or artificial
marks, as to be easily distinguished from every other.
Section 2
And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to exchange any or
all of such districts, so to be laid off and described, with any tribe or nation within the limits of
any of the states or territories, and with which the United States have existing treaties, for the
whole or any part or portion of the territory claimed and occupied by such tribe or nation,
within the bounds of any one or more of the states or territories, where the land claimed and
occupied by the Indians, is owned by the United States, or the United States are bound to the
state within which it lies to extinguish the Indian claim thereto.
Section 3
And be it further enacted, That in the making of any such exchange or exchanges, it shall and
may be lawful for the President solemnly to assure the tribe or nation with which the exchange
is made, that the United States will forever secure and guaranty to them, and their heirs or
successors, the country so exchanged with them; and if they prefer it, that the United States will
cause a patent or grant to be made and executed to them for the same: Provided always, That
such lands shall revert to the United States, if the Indians become extinct, or abandon the same.
Section 4
And be it further enacted, That if, upon any of the lands now occupied by the Indians, and to be
exchanged for, there should be such improvements as add value to the land claimed by any
individual or individuals of such tribes or nations, it shall and may be lawful for the President to
cause such value to be ascertained by appraisement or otherwise, and to cause such ascertained
value to be paid to the person or persons rightfully claiming such improvements. And upon the
payment of such valuation, the improvements so valued and paid for, shall pass to the United
States, and possession shall not afterwards be permitted to any of the same tribe.
Section 5
And be it further enacted, That upon the making of any such exchange as is contemplated by
this act, it shall and may be lawful for the President to cause such aid and assistance to be
furnished to the emigrants as may be necessary and proper to enable them to remove to, and
settle in, the country for which they may have exchanged; and also, to give them such aid and
assistance as may be necessary for their support and subsistence for the first year after their
removal.
Section 6
And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to cause such tribe or
nation to be protected, at their new residence, against all interruption or disturbance from any
other tribe or nation of Indians, or from any other person or persons whatever.
Section 7
And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to have the same
superintendence and care over any tribe or nation in the country to which they may remove, as
contemplated by this act, that he is now authorized to have over them at their present places of
residence.”
Research Resources:
Source and information from Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html
Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American
Land Grab - Steve Inskeep
The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears – Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green
SS8H6 - The student will analyze the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Georgia.
a. Explain the importance of key issues and events that led to the Civil War; include slavery,
states’ rights, nullification, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850 and the Georgia
Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott case, election of 1860, the debate over secession in
Georgia, and the role of Alexander Stephens.
Primary Source – “Cornerstone” Speech of Alexander Stephens
Before the Civil War Alexander Stephens
of Georgia was seen as a moderate who
opposed secession. Once Georgia seceded
and joined the Confederacy, however,
Stephens threw his lot in with his native
state and became Vice President of the
CSA. In that capacity he gave a speech in
Savannah, Georgia on March 21, 1861
identifying Slavery as the “immediate”
cause of the war, and explained the
Confederacy’s view of “the negro”.
Left: Alexander Stephens
Use these methods to discuss Alexander Stephens’ “Cornerstone” Speech:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
Excerpts from “Cornerstone” speech
Link to full speech - http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/
“But not to be tedious in enumerating the numerous changes for the better, allow me to allude to
one other though last, not least. The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating
questions relating to our peculiar institution African slavery as it exists amongst us the proper
status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture
and present revolution. Jefferson in his forecast, had anticipated this, as the “rock upon which
the old Union would split.” He was right. What was conjecture with him, is now a realized fact.
But whether he fully comprehended the great truth upon which that rock stood and stands, may
be doubted. The prevailing ideas entertained by him and most of the leading statesmen at the
time of the formation of the old constitution, were that the enslavement of the African was in
violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and
politically…”
“Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its
corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery
subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new
government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical,
philosophical, and moral truth. This truth has been slow in the process of its development, like
all other truths in the various departments of science. It has been so even amongst us. Many
who hear me, perhaps, can recollect well, that this truth was not generally admitted, even within
their day. The errors of the past generation still clung to many as late as twenty years ago.
Those at the North, who still cling to these errors, with a zeal above knowledge, we justly
denominate fanatics. All fanaticism springs from an aberration of the mind from a defect in
reasoning. It is a species of insanity. One of the most striking characteristics of insanity, in
many instances, is forming correct conclusions from fancied or erroneous premises; so with the
anti-slavery fanatics. Their conclusions are right if their premises were. They assume that the
negro is equal, and hence conclude that he is entitled to equal privileges and rights with the
white man. If their premises were correct, their conclusions would be logical and just but their
premise being wrong, their whole argument fails...”
“…May we not, therefore, look with confidence to the ultimate universal acknowledgment of
the truths upon which our system rests? It is the first government ever instituted upon the
principles in strict conformity to nature, and the ordination of Providence, in furnishing the
materials of human society. Many governments have been founded upon the principle of the
subordination and serfdom of certain classes of the same race; such were and are in violation of
the laws of nature. Our system commits no such violation of nature’s laws. With us, all of the
white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the
negro. Subordination is his place. He, by nature, or by the curse against Canaan, is fitted for that
condition which he occupies in our system. The architect, in the construction of buildings, lays
the foundation with the proper material-the granite; then comes the brick or the marble. The
substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we
know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so. It is,
indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator.”
Research Resources:
Source: Henry Cleveland, Alexander H. Stephens, in Public and Private: With Letters and
Speeches, Before, During, and Since the War (Philadelphia, 1886), pp. 717-729.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/
Primary Source – Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address
In Abraham Lincoln’s Second
Inaugural Address, delivered March 4,
1865 in Washington DC, the cause of
the war and the role Slavery played is
also discussed. Lincoln’s assessment
of the cause – Slavery – is quite
similar to the assessment given 4
years earlier by his friend Alexander
Stephens.
Use these methods to discuss Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address:
Contextualization, Sourcing, Corroboration, Compare and Contrast
1: Decide what you are looking at
2: Determine the purpose and audience
3: Look for bias
4: Examine closely the source itself
5: Find more information
6: Consider your own role in the interaction
7: Compare a variety of sources
“Fellow-Countrymen:
At this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an
extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to
be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public
declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest
which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could
be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known
to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With
high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an
impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being
delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents
were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide
effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather
than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war
came.
One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the
Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful
interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen,
perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the
Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the
territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration
which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with
or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result
less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each
invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just
God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge
not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been
answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses;
for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If
we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of
God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills
to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those
by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes
which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we
pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue
until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall
be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with
the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgements of the
Lord are true and righteous altogether."
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see
the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for
him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may
achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Research Resources:
Library of Congress, 2nd Inaugural Address - http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pi022.html
The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through his Words - Ronald C. White, Jr.
General Online Research Resources
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalogue –
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collections/
Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill –
http://docsouth.unc.edu/
The National Archives, Teaching With Primary Documents –
http://docsteach.org/
Wikimedia Commons: Images from the Library of Congress
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_from_the_Library_of_Congress
Editorial Note
To the best of the Northeast Georgia History Center’s determination all images used in this
Education Resource Manual are in the Public Domain, are works of the United States
Government and therefore available for Public Use, or fall under Fair Use provisions of U.S.
Copyright Law.
To the best of the Northeast Georgia History Center’s determination all quoted texts used in this
Education Resource Manual are in the Public Domain, are works of the United States
Government and therefore available for Public Use, or fall under Fair Use provisions of U.S.
Copyright Law.
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