Last updated: July 5, 2023
Lesson Plan
Freedom for All? (High School)
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for History and Social Sciences US I. T1.1, US I. T1.5, US I. T3.3, US I. 3.5
Essential Question
How can we define the ideas of freedom and equality?
Objective
Students will be able to:
1. Organize information and data from multiple primary sources. (skills)
2. Analyze the purpose and point of view of each source. (skills)
3. Examine the lives of enslaved Americans whose freedoms were limited by their circumstances. (content)
4. Analyze the roles of enslaved Americans as they demonstrate their own agency (content)
5. Assess the different forms of freedom and equality shown through Sabe and Rose Derby. (content)
Preparation
Students will have background knowledge on the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and other related concepts. Students will have an understanding of the slave system established in colonial America and New England.
Materials
Procedure
1. Do Now/Activator - Display the following prompt in a prominent location for students to see as they enter the classroom.
If Declaration of Independence declares that people have the right to be free and the U.S. Constitution is supposed to benefit "we the people," then how could enslaved Americans demonstrate freedom and equality while living in a state of oppression?
2. Divide class into small groups. Each group is given paper copies of primary sources and appoints a recorder and a speaker.
For each source, students answer:
- What do I notice? (Textual evidence/clues)
- What do I know? (Background knowledge)
- What can I infer?
3. (Whole class together) Each group reports to the entire class what they've learned from each document. As students report, others continue to take notes, offer additional input, or pose additional questions.
4. Teacher leads discussion on the time period in which Sabe and Rose lived. The class discusses how important historical events may have influenced the lives of Rose and Sabe. These events may include:
1775 - American Revolution begins with the Battles of Lexington and Concord
1776 - the Declaration of Independence
1783 - American Revolution ends with the Treaty of Paris
1783 - Slavery is declared incompatible with Massachusetts state Constitution
1789 - Bill of Rights is ratified
1790 - Census recorded with no slaves listed in Massachusetts
1808 - End of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
1776 - the Declaration of Independence
1783 - American Revolution ends with the Treaty of Paris
1783 - Slavery is declared incompatible with Massachusetts state Constitution
1789 - Bill of Rights is ratified
1790 - Census recorded with no slaves listed in Massachusetts
1808 - End of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
5. (Independent work) Students use their notes and the primary sources to complete the Guiding Questions worksheet.