Last updated: June 4, 2023
Lesson Plan
The Lost Cause: Slave Narratives in Western North Carolina (Grades 9-12) Lesson 3 of 3 Carl Sandburg Home NHS
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- North Carolina World History and American History
WH.B.2
WH.C&G.1
AH.B.1.3
AH.B.1.7
AH.C&G.1.3
English Language Development
ELD-SS.9-12.Explain.Interpretive
ELD-SS.9-12.Explain.Expressive - Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
What is the Lost Cause narrative?
How has it impacted Civil War narratives locally and nationally?
Objective
I can explain the lost cause and how it impacted Civil War narratives.
Background
This is the 3rd of 3 lessons that help students learn about the nuances of romanticized myth and incomplete histories in western North Carolina (WNC). This lesson enables high school students to analyze the Lost Cause narrative that rose after the Civil War. Students will use primary and secondary sources to study the foundations of the Lost Cause revisionist history, from racism to regionalism. Students will develop analytical skills to study history that still divides the American people.
Preparation
Prepare for this lesson by accessing the Materials tab for the PowerPoint Presentation and student questionaire.
Materials
Worksheet for students to complete
Download The Lost Cause DB Quest Worksheet
Use PowerPoint Presentation for interactive student discussion
Download The Lost Cause PowerPoint
Lesson Hook/Preview
(Activating Strategy)
Opener discussion questions
-
What do you know about the Civil War history of Henderson County?
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What do you know about the Reconstruction (post-Civil War) history of Henderson County?
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Have you ever wondered about the people who lived in the Sandburg house before Carl Sandburg?
Procedure
(Teaching Strategy)
Students will read documents and respond to discussion questions along the way. Group discussion should be encouraged throughout the process.
(Summarizing Strategy)
Quickly review documents and responses, clearing up misinformation and confusion along the way
Vocabulary
Lost Cause – A mythical interpretation of the United States Civil War casting Confederate states and veterans as honorable victims that fought to protect homes and fell to the overwhelming supplies and manpower of the United States. In this tale, enslavers are described as benevolent, Confederates were honorable, Slavery was not the cause of the war, Reconstruction was corrupt, and the northern US is often vilified as the aggressor.
Revisionist History--The revision of the historical record can reflect new discoveries of fact, evidence, and interpretation, which then results in revised history.
Inclusive History – History that seeks to include the experiences and records of individuals from many different demographics. Inclusive histories often seek to bring long-ignored histories to light, such as African American history, Women’s history and more, by looking at events through the experiences of diverse groups.
Christopher Gustavus Memminger--First owner of the home and property that is now the Carl Sandburg Home NHS. He was a secessionist who participated in the formation of the Confederate States government. He was the principal author of the Provisional Constitution (1861) as well as the founder of the Confederate financial system. As the first Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury, Memminger was the main author of the economic policies of Jefferson Davis's administration.
White Supremacy--The belief that White people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups, in particular Back or Jewish people.
Freedom Seekers – People attempting to escape a lifetime of captivity in enslavement. To refer to a freedom seeker as a “fugitive” invokes unintended social connotations, implying that escaping human trafficking and seeking freedom was a criminal act rather than a human right.