Student Page

The Civil War

The Mission

Whatever happened to the “40 acres and a mule” that African-Americans were promised by the federal government after the Civil War ?  How much would those acres be worth today?  Was that false government promise just a simple “white lie,” or did it have more serious social repercussions than anyone could have predicted?

As a historian researching the African-American experience after the Civil War, your task(s) is to uncover the “real” truth.  Through your research (using war archives, newspapers, journals, etc.), personal interviews, and data collection, you are to uncover the facts about African-American life (both social and economic) and explain how the social and economic poverty of the post Civil War era impacts African-American society of today.

After compiling your research, you will present your information using one of the following mediums:

•  Research paper (including pictorial documentation),

• References and other pertinent citations.

• A historical collage which depicts the chronology of events along with an explanation of each item displayed.

• Videotape – An oral recitation of the research and facts uncovered with an explanation of their social implications.

• Time- line, which illustrates the chronology and sequence of events that you selected for your research, along with a written caption which explains of each entry.

The Process

The following are suggestions for steps to take to complete your project.  While working on this assignment, ask yourself, “What information and/or materials will I need to collect and include in my documentation to best summarize the history of the African-American in the United States.”

1. Select a partner for your research team.

2. Assign roles to each team member, such as information recorder, reporter, presenter, etc. .

3. Conduct a preliminary "cyberhunt" (web search) to look for reference sources (both Internet, text based, video or audio).

4. As a group, compile (collect), discuss and write survey questions to ask family members or community elders about their experiences.

5. Meet as a team to discuss survey responses to use in your research.

6. Individually, conduct Internet searches based on the reference sources gathered from the group’s Internet research.

7. Plan time for weekly group meetings (in school or after school hours).

8. Compile information, eliminating all unimportant or unnecessary information. 

9. Make an outline in preparation for final project.      

10. Determine what method the team will use to present their project to the class.

Scaffolding Lessons

Use K-W-L to assess student’s prior knowledge of African-American history and the Civil War

Use mapping and graphic organizers to compare and contrast the social status of African-Americans over the past 150 years

Conduct research, using African-American elders to compile survey questions that relate to social and economic progress in the black community

Take notes gleaned from personal interviews

Locate reference and resource materials

Communicate findings in the form of a research paper, collage, time line or video

Present your final product to the class