|
Overview
At one time in our country's history we stood divided
as a nation over the issue of slavery. It was Abraham
Lincoln's ideology and sense of purpose that helped
to unite our country and set us on a path toward realizing
the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
"All men are created equal" are words that
Abraham Lincoln took literally, from a moral and economic
standpoint. After all, as Lewis Lehrman argues, Lincoln
felt slavery was grounded in coercion. It was an involuntary
economic exchange of labor. In commercial terms, slavery
is theft. Lincoln himself proclaimed, "Slavery
differs from free labor as beast does from man."
For students to recognize Abraham Lincoln's qualities
as a statesman, orator, and president, they must examine
Lincoln's various viewpoints on slavery, equality, and
war. By exploring Lincoln's opposition to slavery over
the course of this two-day lesson, students will recognize
the challenges he faced and his determination and strategies
for overcoming them.
In this lesson, students will analyze primary sources
will enable students to formulate a vision of Abraham
Lincoln as not only an important historical figure,
but as "A Man for All Seasons"-- a man of
his time and a man of ours.
Objectives
1. Students will identify various viewpoints and justifications
of slavery during the Civil War Era and categorize those
viewpoints as political, economic, or moral.
2. Students will interpret and explain Lincoln's opposition
to slavery by citing primary sources introduced in the
lesson.
3. Students will develop a persuasive argument through
the use of primary sources from which they can model
a debate.
4. Students will compare/contrast two separate documents
relating to Lincoln and slavery.
5. Students will be able to identify the pro- or anti-slavery
viewpoints of political cartoons and interpret their
meaning.
Day One
It may be helpful to distribute a list of defined terms,
groups, and individuals that will be under discussion.
Such a list might include: slavery, secession, the Missouri
Compromise, Bleeding Kansas, Democratic Party, Republican
Party, Whig Party, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas
Frederick Douglass, equality, natural rights, Jefferson
Davis, Union, Confederacy.
1. 3-5 Minutes: Appoint three team leaders for a cooperative
learning exercise in which teams will identify, interpret
and analyze the following positions taken by Lincoln
and the position taken by Lincoln's opposition both
in the North and the South:
Team 1: Lincoln's economic arguments against slavery
Team 2: Lincoln's moral arguments against slavery
Team 3: Lincoln's political arguements against slavery
2. 15-20 Minutes: Using relevant excerpts from Lincoln
speeches and writings, teams will discuss the position
their group has been assigned. The objective of these
discussions is to interpret, analyze and support with
primary source documents their group's respective position.
Teachers may include excerpts from the following speeches
to aid students' discussion:
Lincoln's
1854 speech at Peoria, IL
Lincoln's
1860 speech at Cooper Union, New York City
Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address
An extensive collection of Lincoln speeches and writings
can be found at Abraham
Lincoln Online.
3. 10-12 Minutes: Team leaders will each present an
encapsulated based on group input supporting Lincoln's
viewpoint. This may be used as a foundation for writing
a persuasive argument in essay form (as a possible homework
assignment).
4. 15-20 Minutes: Discuss the similarities and differences
students have identified in Lincoln's arguments against
slavery. Ask students: were Lincoln's reasons for opposing
slavery always consistent? Is consistency important
in this case?
Day Two
1. 15-20 Minutes: Team leaders will present their team's
combined conclusions from Day 1.
2. 15-30 Minutes: After all arguments have been introduced,
distribute copies of the Emancipation Proclamation to
the class. Explain that Lincoln decided to sign the
proclamation in 1863 largely for strategic reasons--he
wished to recruit freed slaves in Confederate states
that had already surrendered for service in the Union
Army. Ask students to consider this and discuss whether
or not Lincoln's many different arguments against slavery
made him a more or less effective president and commander
in chief. (For a good account of Lincoln's decision
to sign the Emancipation Proclamation, see James McPherson's
Battle
Cry of Freedom or Alan Guelzo's Lincoln's
Emancipation Proclamation.)
Extension Activity
Distribute handouts of political cartoons from the
era depicting pro- and anti-Lincoln positions. Have
students identify the position of the cartoon's artist,
which of Lincoln's position's the artist is attacking
or supporting, and how the artist visually portrays
these positions. As homework, students may be asked
to draw their own Lincoln political cartoon.
|
