Lesson by Tim Bailey
Essay by Leigh Fought, Le Moyne College
Grade Level: 7–12
Number of Class Periods: 5
Primary Era: National Expansion and Reform, 1815–1860
About This Lesson Plan Unit
Over the course of five lessons, students will read, analyze, and gain a clear understanding of the speech Frederick Douglass delivered on July 5, 1852, in which he asked, “What, to the American Slave, Is Your 4th of July?” Through summary organizers, practice, and discussion, students will master the technique of identifying keywords, creating summaries of selections from the text, and, as an assessment in the final lesson, writing an argumentative essay.
Lesson Plan Authors: Tim Bailey
Historical Background Essay by: Leigh Fought, Le Moyne College
Additional Information About This Unit
Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.5: Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1.a: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content; Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), reasons, and evidence
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
How did Frederick Douglass describe the meaning of the Declaration of Independence for African Americans before the Civil War?
Where did Frederick Douglass place the blame for slavery in America and how did he make that argument?
Documents
Documents
Frederick Douglass, Oration, Delivered in Corinthian Hall, Rochester, by Frederick Douglass, July 5th, 1852.