Lesson 5: Day 1 - Democratic Practices

Google Doc for this Lesson

Objective (SWBAT): analyze and synthesize primary and secondary evidence (church minutes, Colored Convention minutes, rules of order from the Social, Civil & Statistical Association, and Newman’s Faith in the Ballot) to identify three democratic practices used in the Black Metropolis (e.g., church ballots/trustee elections, convention motions/officer elections, formal rules/constitutions in beneficial societies), explain how those practices functioned as political claims to citizenship, and write one sentence connecting this history to a modern parallel.

Time: 50 minutes

Format: 3 small groups (each with one source packet) do a timed close read and produce 3 takeaways + 1 quoted line on chart paper → 30–35 minute group work + gallery-share micro-presentations (6–8 minutes) → 5–6 minute whole-class synthesis/discussion → 4–5 minute individual written exit ticket (one-sentence claim + citation).

0–5 min — Hook & Framing (Whole class)

Project or read aloud this 2-line idea from Newman: “In community organizations, educational institutions, and autonomous churches, free blacks practiced politics in ways that both shaped their daily lives and echoed the practice of democracy in the broader civic culture.” Ask: Why might a community create its own elections or conventions if the wider state excludes them? (Two quick pairs, one quick share.)

Cite: Newman, Faith in the Ballot. Commonplace

5–7 min — Grouping & Directions

• Form 3 mixed groups (3–4 students each). 

• Assign each group one source packet: 

• • A = Church voting / Mother Bethel;

  •  B = Colored conventions; 

  • C = Rules of order / beneficial societies.

• Give each student the “3 takeaways + 1 quote” handout.

7–22 min — Group close-reading & pull-takeaways (15 min)

Task (15 min total) — Within groups, students do one short role rotation:

• Reader (4 min): reads the short packet aloud and underlines 2 evidence lines.
  
  

• Recorder (4 min): writes 3 short takeaways on chart paper (each takeaway = 8–12 words max).
  
  

• Quoter (4 min): picks a 10–15 word quote to put in the quote box and records source citation (line or paragraph #).
  
  

• Reporter (3 min): prepares a 30–45 second summary to share.
  
  

Prompts for groups (keep on their handout):

1. What procedure or practice do you see? (e.g., ballot marbles, trustee elections, formal motions, petitions)
   
   

2. Who participates? Who runs the meeting (officers/judges)?
   
   

3. What argument does the source make about why this process matters?
   
   

4. Pick the strongest short quote/evidence line.
   
   

(Teacher circulates, nudging for evidence citation; push higher-level students to name the rhetorical move: ethos, logos, pathos.)

22–34 min — Gallery share / micro-presentations (12 min)

Each group: 

• 45–60 second report + show chart paper (3 groups = ~6 min). 

• After each report, the class gives one quick applause + one clarifying question (total 6 minutes). 

• Encourage students to note similarities across groups.

34–42 min — Synthesis mini-discussion (8 min)

Teacher leads 4 rapid synth prompts (call on volunteers; keep answers to ~30 sec each):

1. Where do you see the same democratic elements across the church, conventions, and societies? (e.g., ballots, officers, minutes, required majorities).
   
   

2. How did these local democratic forms make a political claim about Black citizenship? (point students to Purvis / Appeal idea in Newman).
   
   

3. Why might white authorities take notice of disciplined procedures inside Black institutions?
   
   

4. What do these practices tell us about power even when formal voting rights are denied?
   
   

42–48 min — Exit application activity (individual; 6 minutes)

Exit ticket (short written): On the handout write one clear sentence answering:
“Even while disenfranchised, how did Black Philadelphians use democratic procedures to claim political worth?”
Require: include one piece of evidence (short quote or paraphrase + citation: Newman para # or Colored Convention minutes page/line).

(Collect handouts or have students upload to your LMS.)

48–50 min — Closing (2 min)

Teacher closes with the unit message: Practicing democracy inside a community is both practical governance and a public claim — it trains leaders, organizes collective action, and provides proof of self-government to challenge exclusion.