Lesson 5: Day 3 - 1838 Civil Rights Organizing

Google Doc for This Lesson

Objective (SWBAT):

Identify organizing strategies used by Black leaders  (memorials, reports, appeals) and explain how data and moral arguments were combined to influence voters.
Time: 50 minutes
Format: Partner fact-finding activity (25–30 min) + Individual journal (20 min)

As a Class, read the top paragraphs of  the 1838 Reports Page. 

Briefing (5 min):

Teacher orients students to the sources.

• Memorials

• 1. Pittsburgh Memorial

• Reports

• 1. Register of Trades

  2. Page 1 of the Appeal of the 40,000

  3. pages 26 and 27 of the Report on the Present State 

Activity 1: Fact-Finding (25–30 min, partners)

• Partners answer 12–16 targeted questions, using the fact finding worksheet, quoting evidence for factual Qs and explaining for interpretive Qs

• Circulate and push partners to cite lines or sentences.
  

Activity 2: Journal Writing (15–20 min, individual)

1. • Prompt: If you had to write one page to persuade a 1838 white voter to vote “no” on adding “white” to the constitution, what 3 pieces of evidence from the census and memorial would you use and why? (Students must cite at least two specific data points or quotes.)
     
     

• Optional extension: students write a 90-second “street pitch” to read aloud.