iaaas socialscience grade7 q4unit

SOCIAL SCIENCE 7th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

THEME: Culture, Dignity, and IdentityCONCEPT: Africa, US, and the WorldAfrican Americans in early America; contributions and challenges in the development of the Atlantic world.

CONTENT TOPIC: Investigating and researching the contributions and challenges faced by Africans and African Americans in the development of the Atlantic world through fiction and nonfiction texts.

UNIT TITLE: The Promises of Reconstruction

Unit Description: Freedom comes to enslaved African Americans after the Civil War and along with it are many hopes and promises of a better life. African Americans, former slaves and those already free anticipated changes in their family lives, education, religious freedom, and most importantly changes in their working conditions. Reconstruction of the South would also empower African Americans to enter both State and Federal positions, primarily as legislators. This unit of study will allow learners to explore these promises. Students will analyze primary source documents to determine the political, economic, and social effects of Reconstruction.

Length of Unit: 5 WeeksEnduring Understandings

1. History: Knowledge of the past helps us understand the world and make better decisions about the future.

2. Identity: Individual interactions, including conflict, negotiation, and compromise, create and structure communities in various ways.

3. Civics: People have differing views about the meaning and significance of citizenship.

Essential Questions

Guiding Essential Questions:I) How do culture and identity influence who we are?II) How do time, culture and history influence works of arts and/or the

advancement of science and technology?III) What can I do to positively impact my community?

Common Core Standards

Reading RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and

secondary sources. RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to

history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Writing WHST.6-8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of

historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. WHST.6-8.2b Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions,

concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

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http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/WHST/6-8/2/b/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/WHST/6-8/2/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/6-8/3/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/6-8/1/


WHST.6-8.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently

Speaking and Listening SL.7.1b Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals

and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. SL.7.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused,

coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Cognitive Skills Thinking skills Reasoning about concrete items versus abstract ideas Analyzing/evaluating arguments Developing a logical argument Inductive reasoning: using specific examples/observations and forming a

more general principal Deductive reasoning: use stated general premise to reason about specific

examples Appreciation: recognition of the value of something Responding to novelty: ability to react appropriately in a novel situation Self-reflection: ability to think about oneself in relation to the material

Assessments(F) Formative Explorer Logs

Book Club(S) Summative Model African American Congress

Text/Resources

Plantations in Ruins: Primary SourcesAll Have Suffered by Kate Stonehttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/plantation/ps_stone.htmlWere You Ever a Colored Boy?http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/schools/ps_lichen.html

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet

Digital History – Reconstruction background readinghttp://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/index.html

The Freedmen Bureau – The History Channelhttp://www.history.com/topics/freedmens-bureau

Sherman’s Field Order 15 – Video Meeting With 20 African Americans

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http://www.history.com/topics/freedmens-bureau

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/index.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/schools/ps_lichen.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/plantation/ps_stone.html

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/7/4/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/7/1/b/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/WHST/6-8/6/

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/WHST/6-8/2/d/


http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Order1How the Federal Government Suppressed the Movement to Aid Freepeoplehttp://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/summer/slave-pension.html

The Truth Behind 40 Acres and a Mulehttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/the-truth-behind-40-acres-and-a-mule/

Speech by Thaddeus Stevens on HR 29 1867http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/recon/stevens.htm

HR 29http://www.mc.cc.md.us/Departments/hpolscrv/hr29_1867.txt

The Freedmen’s Bureauhttp://freedmensbureau.com/

The Freedmen’s Bureau – PBS Summaryhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_freed.html

Night Ridershttp://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=3008

Ku Klux Klanhttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_kkk.html

Discussion Starter Questions & Explore logs and PBLhttp://schools.nyc.gov/documents/teachandlearn/project_basedfinal.pdf

Reconstruction Politicianshttp://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-285189

Model African American Congress Activity Procedures LOChttp://loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/reconstruction/procedure.html

Learning Activities

Point of View ChartCreate a group class bulletin boardBook Club ActivitiesLog metacognition and connections in Explore LogsCharacter Analysis ChartNewspaper Article

Week 1 Point of View:Teacher will begin this week with a refresher on the importance of understanding

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http://loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/reconstruction/procedure.html

http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-285189

http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/teachandlearn/project_basedfinal.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_kkk.html

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=3008

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=3008

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_freed.html

http://freedmensbureau.com/

http://www.mc.cc.md.us/Departments/hpolscrv/hr29_1867.txt

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/recon/stevens.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/the-truth-behind-40-acres-and-a-mule/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/the-truth-behind-40-acres-and-a-mule/

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/summer/slave-pension.html

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Order1


Point of View/Perspective.Review the causes and outcomes of the Civil War. Remind students that the war destroyed homes, land, and that it disrupted the way of life for many Southern families. Provide the students with the opportunity to read excerpts from Kate Stone’s diary and complete the chart based on Kate’s diary. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/plantation/ps_stone.html.

Next, exposed them to the point of the newly freed African Americans. Provide the students with the opportunity to read excerpts from Were You Ever A Colored Boy? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/schools/ps_lichen.html and complete the chart based the reading. (Handout 1 POV Chart)

Hold class discussion based on these two perspectives. Allow students to create a bulletin board in the classroom that will add to over the five weeks of the course. The Theme of the Bulletin board should be the unit Essential Question: “What does it Mean to Be Free?”LEARNING STRATEGY – Explorer LogsHow to use the Explorer Logs:

Explorer Logs are a type of social studies notebook. In this notebook or log, students can write their reflections, thoughts, questions and interpretations on what they are learning. They can also use the explorer logs for drawing, outlining and planning for their projects. Introduce Explorer Logs by purchasing “special” cloth bound notebooks and distribute one to each student. You can use plain 5” x 8” notebooks and allow students to cover the notebooks with pictures or images that relate to the word explorer. As an option, students can also create electronic Explorer Logs or E-logs.

Encourage students to write in their Explorer Logs every day. The writing should occur immediately after the lesson or project work-time. Some questions to inspire reflection and metacognition are:

What surprised you about what you learned today? Why? What one thing stays in your mind about what you learned today? Why? Do you have a burning question about something you learned today? Write

about the question. Did anything confuse you? Did your new learning conflict with or disagree with something you already

knew? Do you feel strongly about something you learned today?

Begin first Explorer Log Entry with the reading text - Understanding Reconstruction – from Digital History. (Handout 2: Understanding Reconstruction)

Discuss specific items with students and write written notes in response to their log entries.

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Learning Strategy – Student Directed BOOK CLUBIntroduce the novel Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet and start an in class book club. The social aspect and autonomy of book clubs appeal to middle school students and provide motivation as well as opportunities to expand knowledge. Divide students into groups of no more than five students. The book club will meet five times to discuss the book. Each student is responsible for leading the discussion of a portion of the book. As discussion leader the student will develop questions based on his/her understanding of the topic. Provide students with a list of question starters and preview the question list prior to each session. Students may share their questions with the other discussion leaders before the meeting to ensure that they have covered the key points in the novel. Allowing students the autonomy to lead the discussion with the teacher as monitor. The book club can meet twice a week. Mondays are great because they give students the weekend to read. Then on Thursdays as they whet the appetite for more weekend reading.

Provide students with book club materials. (Handouts 3-6)Week 2 Freedom and Family –Question: Why were so many African

American families separated before the end of slavery? Provide students with the opportunity to write how a person may feel having freedom from slavery, but not be able to locate their family members. Use Pascal’s desire to find his older brothers by asking every man he encounters about his family background.

Provide students the background reading (Handout 7 Freedom and Family) Students can add to their Explorer Logs based on the reading.

Have a whole group discussion to query students on the impact of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Ask: How did the Freedmen’s Bureau improve the lives of newly freed African Americans? Ask students to explain what they know about the Freedmen’s Bureau from reading the novel. List their responses on the board. Provide students with handout on the Freedmen’s Bureau. (Handout 8: Freedmen’s Bureau) Allow students to respond in their Explorer Logs. Read and write responses in their logs.

Activity: Design a recruiting poster encouraging African Americans to seek assistance from the Freedmen’s Bureau. (Handout 9: Poster Rubric)

Allow students to hold book club meetings and write their

Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles

Informational texts will be available in a variety of formats including audio, visual and tactilely.

Tasks will have components that allow for students to use visual, oral and tactile as well as kinesthetic skills to express knowledge gained.

Students will be able to take ownership of tasks through the use of “Choice Boards” and “Learning Centers.”

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changed definitions for freedom on the class bulletin board.

Weeks 3-4 Forty Acres and a Mule – Primary Source AnalysisProvide students with the Primary Sources and use the Gilder Lehrman Strategy for Primary Source analysis.Show students video on the meeting leading to the issuance of General Sherman’s Field Order No. 15http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Order1

The Sherman Letter (Handout 10: Special Field Order No. 15 and Handout 10-A: Strategy)Proposed legislation by Sherman and Stevens (Handout 11: H.R 29 and Handout 11-A: Strategy)

Terrorism and the Night Riders/KuKlux KlanQuestion: Why do you think southern local and state officials allowed terrorism to exist without punishing the participants? Why did Southern whites want to intimidate African Americans?

Reading TextKu Klux Klan – PBS (Handout 12)Night Riders –(Handout 14)

Activity: Write a newspaper article describing the impact of terrorism on schools, farms, homes, and social interactions during reconstruction. (Handout 13: Newspaper Rubric)

Allow students to hold book club meetings and write their changed definitions for freedom on the class bulletin board.

Supply the material with the varied amount of print, varied text structures and extensive graphic support based on students’ instructional levels.

Use videos to enhance comprehension through auditory and visual modes.

Allow brief, cooperative brainstorming to activate prior knowledge and make predictions.

Adjust the complexity, abstractness, type of response necessary, and connections required between topics based on readiness and learning profile.

Establish clear criteria for success.

Use wait time before taking student answers.

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http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Order1


If appropriate, give students a chance to talk to partners or write down their answers before responding.

Provide clear guidelines for group functioning that are taught in advance of group work and consistently reinforced.

Weeks 4 – 5 Reconstruction PoliticiansReading text – African American: Reconstruction and After http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-285189Use the Explorer Log and respond to student writing.Model African American CongressConduct a model African American Congress, a public meeting to discuss and look for solutions to problems facing African Americans. You may preside over the congress or appoint a student to do so.To conduct the congress:1. Construct an agenda consisting of the problems under

study.2. For each problem, allow each group studying the problem

to give a five-minute report.3. A brief class discussion of each problem should follow

reports on that problem.4. After all problems have been reported and discussed,

conduct a general discussion in which the class decides on recommendations to include in a report of the model congress.

Debriefing DiscussionConduct a debriefing discussion in which students consider such questions as:

What search strategies were most effective? Did you find some types of documents more helpful

than others? More difficult to interpret? What surprised you about the documents you found?

Why?

Provide extensive, consistent models of literacy, modeling reflection in think-alouds with stress on active reading

Provide concrete examples, organizers, and demonstrations

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http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/article-285189


Did you have enough information to assess the credibility or reliability of the documents?Why or why not?

What other problem(s) did you identify through your research? How were these problems related to the original problem your group studied?

What evidence of prejudice or racism did you find in the documents? Did any of the examples surprise you? Why or why not?

What issues generated the most disagreement among African Americans? Why do you think this was so?

What evidence did you find of the effects of slavery? Of Reconstruction?

Allow students to hold book club meetings and write their changed definitions for freedom on the class bulletin board.

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Handout 1

Name: ____________________________________ Date: __________________ Period: _________

Reconstruction: POVPBS – Reconstruction-- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/plantation/ps_stone.html

Plantations in Ruins: Primary Sources: All Have Suffered by Kate StoneDirections: Read both diary entries and place in the table key actions done by Kate and her family.

Before the Civil War – PrivilegeMay 23, 1861

After the Civil War – ExistenceSeptember 22, 1867

How has her life and attitude changed as a result of the Civil War?

Use three adjectives to describe Kate Stone.

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/plantation/ps_stone.html


PBS – Reconstruction http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/schools/ps_lichen.html

Access to Learning: Primary Sources - Were you ever a Colored Boy?

Directions: Read the following passage and complete the table.

Walking to School Interaction with Teacher Interaction with textbook

Why did the young man have difficulties getting to school and interacting?

What difficulty did he have with the view presented in the text?

PREDICT: How did he overcome these problems?

State by State

Directions: Use the maps on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/states/index.html

Witten Summary. Determine how the following states in rebellion emerged at the end of Reconstruction. Include the economics (farm value, industry, products) and the role of the freedmen in your explanation.

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/states/index.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/schools/ps_lichen.html


States: Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, Florida.

Handout 2

Understanding ReconstructionSource: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/introduction.html

Reconstruction, one of the most turbulent and controversial eras in American history, began during the Civil War and ended in 1877. It witnessed America's first experiment in interracial democracy. Just as the fate of slavery was central to the meaning of the Civil War, so the divisive politics of Reconstruction turned on the status the former slaves would assume in the reunited nation. Reconstruction remains relevant today because the issues central to it -- the role of the federal government in protecting citizens' rights, and the possibility of economic and racial justice -- are still unresolved.

Northern victory in the Civil War decided the fate of the Union and of slavery, but posed numerous problems. How should the nation be reunited? What system of labor should replace slavery? What would be the status of the former slaves?

Central to Reconstruction was the effort of former slaves to breathe full meaning into their newly acquired freedom, and to claim their rights as citizens. Rather than passive victims of the actions of others, African Americans were active agents in shaping Reconstruction.

After rejecting the Reconstruction plan of President Andrew Johnson, the Republican Congress enacted laws and Constitutional amendments that empowered the federal government to enforce the principle of equal rights, and gave black Southerners the right to vote and hold office. The new Southern governments confronted violent opposition from the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups. In time, the North abandoned its commitment to protect the rights of the former slaves, Reconstruction came to an end, and white supremacy was restored throughout the South.

For much of this century, Reconstruction was widely viewed as an era of corruption and misgovernment, supposedly caused by allowing blacks to take part in politics. This interpretation helped to justify the South's system of racial segregation and denying the vote to blacks, which survived into the 1960s. Today, as a result of extensive new research and profound changes in American race relations, historians view Reconstruction far more favorably, as a time of genuine progress for former slaves and the South as a whole.

For all Americans, Reconstruction was a time of fundamental social, economic, and political change. The

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http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/introduction.html


overthrow of Reconstruction left to future generations the troublesome problem of racial justice.

Handout 3

Discussion Starter Question PromptsAsking questions is the foundation of good inquiry; however, students often need a great deal of guidance to ask questions that lead them to high-quality inquiry. Teachers may use a number of strategies to build on students’ natural proclivity to wonder and help them ask good questions. The questions should flow easily from the ideas stirred up by the Connect experience.

Question Starters and PromptsTo prompt factual and interpretive questions:Who/What/When/Where?Why does…?How can…?Who says…? What do others say…?What caused. . . ? What is the effect of. . . ?What was the point of view of. . . ?What evidence supports. . . ?What else. . .?Why did. . .?

Help students write predictive questions:What would happen if. . . ?What would have happened if. . . ?What might be the effect of. . . ?What if. . . ?

Guide students to write focus questions that arenarrowed from the broad idea by the following factors:Subtopic: What aspect of the topic has led to the greatest controversy?Geography: Why was the situation different in this place?Chronology: What factors made this decade the most exciting one in 20th century America?

In all cases, students should evaluate their own questions critically before starting their investigation:- Can the questions be answered with a simple factual answer or a “yes/no?”- Do the questions lead to the heart of the subject and answers to the unit’s essential question?- Are the questions intriguing in themselves, leading students beyond collecting what others have thought to developing their own interpretations and conclusions?- Do the students care about finding out the answers?

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Source: http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/teachandlearn/project_basedfinal.pdf

Handout 4

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule Character List

Name Age and Physical Description

Personality and Responsibilities

Quote by the Character

Pascal

Gideon

Nelly

Mr. Freedman

Gladness

Lucille Bibbs

Miss Anderson

Miss Harris

Milk man

Freedmens Bureau Man

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http://schools.nyc.gov/documents/teachandlearn/project_basedfinal.pdf


Handout 5

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Handout 6

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Handout 7

Reconstruction- The Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to the End of SlaverySource: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section2/section2_intro.html

Confederate defeat and the end of slavery brought far-reaching changes in the lives of all Southerners. The destruction of slavery led inevitably to conflict between blacks seeking to breathe substantive meaning into their freedom by asserting their independence from white control, and whites seeking to retain as much as possible of the old order.

The meaning of freedom itself became a point of conflict in the Reconstruction South. Former slaves relished the opportunity to flaunt their liberation from the innumerable regulations of slavery.Immediately after the Civil War, they sought to give meaning to freedom by reuniting families separated under slavery, establishing their own churches and schools, seeking economic autonomy, and demanding equal civil and political rights.

Most white Southerners reacted to defeat and emancipation with dismay. Many families had suffered the loss of loved ones and the destruction of property. Some thought of leaving the South altogether, or retreated into nostalgia for the Old South and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.In 1865 and 1866 many white Southerners joined memorial associations that established Confederate cemeteries and monuments throughout the region. Others, unwilling to accept a new relationship to former slaves, resorted to violent opposition to the new world being created around them.

Building the Black Community: The FamilyReuniting families separated under slavery, and solidifying existing family relations, were essential to the black definition of freedom. The family stood as the main pillar of the postwar black community.Most slaves had lived in family units, although they faced the constant threat of separation from loved ones by sale. Freedpeople made remarkable efforts to locate loved ones - a Northern reporter in 1865 encountered a former slave who had walked more than 600 miles searching for his wife and children, from whom he had been sold away during slavery.

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http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section2/section2_intro.html


Slave marriages had no legal standing; now tens of thousands of freedpeople registered their unions before the army, Freedmen's Bureau, and local governments.Even as an enslaved people, African-Americans maintained strong family ties. After emancipation, African-Americans struggled to reunite families that had been disrupted by sale and many couples legalized their marriages. Family and kinship ties, together with the church, remained the foundation of the black community.

Handout 8The Freedmen’s Bureau 1865-1872

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was created by Congress in March 1865 to assist for one year in the transition from slavery to freedom in the South. The Bureau was given "the supervision and management of all abandoned lands, and the control of all subjects relating to refugees and freedmen, under such rules and regulations as may be presented by the head of the Bureau and approved by the President."

The bureau was run by the War Department, and its first and most important commissioner was General O.O. Howard, a Civil War hero sympathetic to blacks. The Bureau's task was to help the Southern blacks and whites make the transition from slavery to freedom.Their responsibilities included introducing a system of free labor, overseeing some 3,000 schools for freedpersons, settling disputes and enforcing contracts between the usually white landowners and their black labor force, and securing justice for blacks in state courts. The Bureau was renewed by a Congressional bill in 1866 but was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, who thought it was unconstitutional. Johnson was opposed to having the federal government secure black rights. Congress passed the bill over his veto. Southern whites were basically opposed to blacks having any rights at all, and the Bureau lacked military force to back up its authority as the army had been quickly disbanded and most of the soldiers assigned to the Western frontier. The Bureau was able to accomplish some of its goals, especially in the field of education. It established a number of colleges and training schools for blacks, including

Howard University (named for General Howard) and Hampton Institute.Howard believed that the mission of the Bureau was a temporary one, wanting to avoid black dependency on the federal agency. He firmly believed that African Americans should obtain all their rights as quickly as possible, but failed to see that because of Southern white hostility long-term support was necessary for them to do so. The Bureau also failed to bring together whites and blacks in the South because it lacked the means to do so. It needed support from Southern and Northern politicians and received little help from either. Its staff was cut significantly by 1869 and it ceased operations in 1872.

-- Richard Wormser

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Handout 9Rubric Made Using:

RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org )

Making A Poster: Final Exam --Poster

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 10 9 8 7

Content - Accuracy At least 7 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.

5-6 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.

3-4 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.

Less than 3 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.

Required Elements The poster includes all required elements as well as additional information.

All required elements are included on the poster.

All but 1 of the required elements are included on the poster.

Several required elements were missing.

Knowledge Gained Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.

Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.

Student can accurately answer about 75% of questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.

Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the poster.

Use of Class Time Used time well during Used time well during Used some of the time Did not use class time

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each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.

each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.

well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others.

to focus on the project OR often distracted others.

Graphics -Clarity Graphics are all in focus and the content easily viewed and identified from 6 ft. away.

Most graphics are in focus and the content easily viewed and identified from 6 ft. away.

Most graphics are in focus and the content is easily viewed and identified from 4 ft. away.

Many graphics are not clear or are too small.

Graphics - Originality

Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display.

One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display.

The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others.

No graphics made by the student are included.

Graphics - Relevance

All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.

All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.

All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.

Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.

Attractiveness The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness.

The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy.

The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.

Mechanics Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the poster.

There is 1 error in capitalization or punctuation.

There are 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.

There are more than 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.

Grammar There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster.

There is 1 grammatical mistake on the poster.

There are 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.

There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.

Copyright © 2000-2007 Advanced Learning Technologies in Education Consortia ALTEC

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To view information about the Privacy Policies and the Terms of Use, please go to the following web address: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=TermsOfUse

Handout 10

General Sherman’s Field Order No. 15

Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/40acres/ps_so15.html

In the Field, Savannah, Georgia, January 16th, 1865.

Special Field Orders, No. 15.

I. The islands from Charleston, south, the abandoned rice fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. Johns river, Florida, are reserved and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the President of the United States.

II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. Augustine and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their chosen or accustomed vocations -- but on the islands, and in the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person whatever, unless military officers and soldiers detailed for duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole and exclusive management of affairs will be left to the freed people themselves, subject only to the United States military authority and the acts of Congress. By the laws of war, and orders of the President of the United States, the negro is free and must be dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to conscription or forced military service, save by the written orders of the highest military authority of the Department, under such regulations as the President or Congress may prescribe. Domestic servants, blacksmiths, carpenters and other mechanics, will be free to select their own work and residence, but the young and able-bodied negroes must be encouraged to enlist as soldiers in the service of the United States, to contribute their share towards maintaining their own freedom, and securing their rights as citizens of the United States.

Negroes so enlisted will be organized into companies, battalions and regiments, under the orders of the United States military authorities, and will be paid, fed and clothed according to law. The bounties paid on enlistment may, with the consent of the recruit, go to assist his family and settlement in procuring agricultural

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/atwar/es_aaregiments.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/16_lincoln/index.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/40acres/ps_so15.html

http://www.altec.org/


implements, seed, tools, boots, clothing, and other articles necessary for their livelihood.

III. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads of families, shall desire to settle on land, and shall have selected for that purpose an island or a locality clearly defined, within the limits above designated, the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations will himself, or by such subordinate officer as he may appoint, give them a license to settle such island or district, and afford them such assistance as he can to enable them to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement. The three parties named will subdivide the land, under the supervision of the Inspector, among themselves and such others as may choose to settle near them, so that each family shall have a plot of not more than (40) forty acres of tillable ground, and when it borders on some water channel, with not more than 800 feet water front, in the possession of which land the military authorities will afford them protection, until such time as they can protect themselves, or until Congress shall regulate their title. The Quartermaster may, on the requisition of the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, place at the disposal of the Inspector, one or more of the captured steamers, to ply between the settlements and one or more of the commercial points heretofore named in orders, to afford the settlers the opportunity to supply their necessary wants, and to sell the products of their land and labor.

IV. Whenever a negro has enlisted in the military service of the United States, he may locate his family in any one of the settlements at pleasure, and acquire a homestead, and all other rights and privileges of a settler, as though present in person. In like manner, negroes may settle their families and engage on board the gunboats, or in fishing, or in the navigation of the inland waters, without losing any claim to land or other advantages derived from this system. But no one, unless an actual settler as above defined, or unless absent on Government service, will be entitled to claim any right to land or property in any settlement by virtue of these orders.

V. In order to carry out this system of settlement, a general officer will be detailed as Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, whose duty it shall be to visit the settlements, to regulate their police and general management, and who will furnish personally to each head of a family, subject to the approval of the President of the United States, a possessory title in writing, giving as near as possible the description of boundaries; and who shall adjust all claims or conflicts that may arise under the same, subject to the like approval, treating such titles altogether as possessory. The

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same general officer will also be charged with the enlistment and organization of the negro recruits, and protecting their interests while absent from their settlements; and will be governed by the rules and regulations prescribed by the War Department for such purposes.

VI. Brigadier General R. Saxton is hereby appointed Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, and will at once enter on the performance of his duties. No change is intended or desired in the settlement now on Beaufort [Port Royal] Island, nor will any rights to property heretofore acquired be affected thereby.

By Order of Major General W. T. Sherman

Special Field Orders, No. 15, Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, 16 Jan. 1865. Orders & Circulars, ser. 44, Adjutant General's Office, Record Group 94, National Archives.

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Handout 10a

Directions: Read the text. As you read write the key words that you know the meaning of on the lines to the right. Write a minimum of seven words that would help explain the document excerpt. If there are words that you do not know underline them.

Original Text – Special Field Orders, No. 15.

I. The islands from Charleston, south, the abandoned rice fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. Johns river, Florida, are reserved and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the President of the United States.

KEY WORDS

1. ______________________________________

2. _______________________________________

3. _______________________________________

4. ________________________________________

5. _______________________________________

6. ________________________________________

7. ________________________________________

Write a summary using the key words you selected.

SUMMARY:

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IN YOUR OWN WORDS:


Original Text – Special Field Order No. 15

II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. Augustine and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their chosen or accustomed vocations -- but on the islands, and in the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person whatever, unless military officers and soldiers detailed for duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole and exclusive management of affairs will be left to the freed people themselves, subject only to the United States military authority and the acts of Congress.

KEY TERM:

1. ________________________________

2. ________________________________

3. ________________________________

4. ________________________________

5. ________________________________

6. ________________________________

7. ________________________________


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SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:


Original Text – Special Field Order 15

By the laws of war, and orders of the President of the United States, the negro is free and must be dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to conscription or forced military service, save by the written orders of the highest military authority of the Department, under such regulations as the President or Congress may prescribe. Domestic servants, blacksmiths, carpenters and other mechanics, will be free to select their own work and residence, but the young and able-bodied negroes must be encouraged to enlist as soldiers in the service of the United States, to contribute their share towards maintaining their own freedom, and securing

KEY TERMS

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/atwar/es_aaregiments.html


their rights as citizens of the United States.


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



Negroes so enlisted will be organized into companies, battalions and regiments, under the orders of the United States military authorities, and will be paid, fed and clothed according to law. The bounties paid on enlistment may, with the consent of the recruit, go to assist his family and settlement in procuring agricultural implements, seed, tools, boots, clothing, and other articles necessary for their livelihood.

KEY TERMS

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________


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SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



III. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads of families, shall desire to settle on land, and shall have selected for that purpose an island or a locality clearly defined, within the limits above designated, the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations will himself, or by such subordinate officer as he may appoint, give them a license to settle such island or district, and afford them such assistance as he can to enable them to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement. The three parties named will subdivide the land, under the supervision of the Inspector, among themselves and such others as may choose to settle near

KEY TERMS

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________

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them, so that each family shall have a plot of not more than (40) forty acres of tillable ground, and when it borders on some water channel, with not more than 800 feet water front, in the possession of which land the military authorities will afford them protection, until such time as they can protect themselves, or until Congress shall regulate their title.


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



The Quartermaster may, on the requisition of the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, place at the disposal of the Inspector, one or more of the captured steamers, to ply between the settlements and one or more of the commercial points heretofore named in orders, to afford the settlers the opportunity to supply their necessary wants, and to sell the products of their land and labor.

IV. Whenever a negro has enlisted in the military service of the United States, he may locate his family in any one of the settlements at pleasure, and acquire a homestead, and all other rights and privileges of a settler, as though present in person.

KEY TERMS

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________

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In like manner, negroes may settle their families and engage on board the gunboats, or in fishing, or in the navigation of the inland waters, without losing any claim to land or other advantages derived from this system. But no one, unless an actual settler as above defined, or unless absent on Government service, will be entitled to claim any right to land or property in any settlement by virtue of these orders.


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



V. In order to carry out this system of settlement, a general officer will be detailed as Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, whose duty it shall be to visit the settlements, to regulate their police and general management, and who will furnish personally to each head of a family, subject to the approval of the President of the United States, a possessory title in writing, giving as near as possible the description of boundaries; and who shall adjust all claims or conflicts that

KEY TERMS

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________

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may arise under the same, subject to the like approval, treating such titles altogether as possessory. The same general officer will also be charged with the enlistment and organization of the negro recruits, and protecting their interests while absent from their settlements; and will be governed by the rules and regulations prescribed by the War Department for such purposes.


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



VI. Brigadier General R. Saxton is hereby appointed Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, and will at once enter on the performance of his duties. No change is intended or desired in the settlement now on Beaufort [Port Royal] Island, nor will any rights to property heretofore acquired be affected thereby.

KEY TERMS

1. _____________________________

2. _____________________________

3. _____________________________

4. _____________________________

5. _____________________________

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By Order of Major General W. T. Sherman 6. _____________________________

7. _____________________________


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

Handout 11

H.R. 29Source: http://www.mc.cc.md.us/Departments/hpolscrv/hr29_1867.txt

REPARATIONS BILL FOR THE AFRICAN SLAVES IN THE UNITED STATES

THE FIRST SESSION FORTIETH CONGRESS

March 11, 1867Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania

H.R. 29

Whereas it is due to justice, as an example to future times, that some future punishment should be inflicted on the people who constituted the "confederate States of America." both because they, declaring on unjust war against the United States for the purpose of destroying republican liberty and permanently establishing slavery, as well as, for the cruel and barbarous manner in which they conducted said war, in violation of all the laws of civilized warfare, and also to compel them to make some compensation for the damages and expenditures caused by the said war: Therefore,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That all the public lands belonging to the ten States that formed the government of the so-called ..confederate States of America shall be forfeited by said States and become forthwith vested in the United States.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted. That the President shall forthwith proceed to cause the seizure of such of the property belonging to the belligerent enemy as is deemed forfeited by the act of July 17, A. D. 1862, and hold

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http://www.mc.cc.md.us/Departments/hpolscrv/hr29_1867.txt


and appropriate the same as enemy's property, and to proceed to condemnation with that already seized.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That in lieu of the proceeding to condemn the property thus seized enemy's property. as is provided by the act of July A. D. 1862, two commissions or more, as by him may be deemed necessary. shall be appointed by the President for each of the said "confederate States,"to consist of three persons each, one of whom shall be an officer of the late or present Army, and two shall be civilians, neither of whom shall be citizens of the State for which he shall be appointed; that the said commissions shall proceed adjudicate and Condemn the property foresaid, under such forms and proceedings is shall be prescribed by the Attorney General of the United States, whereupon the title to said property shall become vested in the United States.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted. That out of the lands thus seized and confiscated the slaves who have been liberated by the operations of the war and the amendment to the constitution or otherwise, who resided in said "confederate States" on the 4th day of March, A. D. 1861, or since, shall have distributed to them as follows, namely: to each male person who is the head of a family, forty acres; to each adult male, whether the head of a family or not, forty acres, to each widow who is the head of a family, forty acres-to be held by them in fee-simple, but to be inalienable for the next ten years after they become seized thereof. For the purpose of distributing and allotting said land the Secretary of War shall appoint as many commissions in each State as he shall deem necessary, to consist of three members each, two of whom at least shall not be citizens of the State for which he is appointed. Each of said commissioners shall receive a salary of $3,000 annuaIly and all his necessary expenses. Each commission shall be allowed one clerk, whose salary shall be $2,000 per annum. The title to the homestead aforesaid shall be vested in trustees for the use of the liberated persons aforesaid. Trustees shall be appointed by the Secretary of War, and shall receive such salary as he shall direct, not exceeding $3,000 per annum. At the end of ten years the, absolute title to said homesteads shall be conveyed to said owners or to the heirs of such as are then dead.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That out of the balance of the property thus seized and confiscated there shall be raised, in the manner hereinafter provided, a sum equal to fifty dollars, for each homestead, to be applied by the trustees hereinafter mentioned toward the erection of buildings on the said homesteads for the use of said slaves; and the further sum of $500,000,000, which shall be appropriated as follows, to wit: $200,000,000 shall be invested in United States six per cent, securities; and the interest thereof shall be semi-annually added to the pensions allowed by law to pensioners who have become so by reason of the late war; $300,000,000, or so much thereof as may Be need, shall be appropriated to pay damages done to loyal citizens by the civil or military Operations of the goverenment lately called the "confederate States of America."

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Handout 11a


Original Text – H.R. 29 REPARATIONS BILL FOR THE AFRICAN SLAVES IN THE UNITED STATES

Whereas it is due to justice, as an example to future times, that some future punishment should be inflicted on the people who constituted the "confederate States of America." both because they, declaring on unjust war against the United States for the purpose of destroying republican liberty and permanently establishing slavery, as well as, for the cruel and barbarous manner in which they conducted said war, in violation of all the laws of civilized warfare, and also to compel them to make some compensation for the damages and expenditures caused by the said war:

KEY WORDS

8. ______________________________________

9. _______________________________________

10. _______________________________________

11. ________________________________________

12. _______________________________________

13. ___________________________________

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_____

14. ________________________________________


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



Therefore,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That all the public lands belonging to the ten States that formed the government of the so-called ..confederate States of America shall be forfeited by said States and become forthwith vested in the United States.

KEY TERM:

8. ________________________________

9. ________________________________

10. ________________________________

11. ________________________________

12. ________________________________

13. ________________________________

14. ________________________________

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SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



SEC. 2. And be it further enacted. That the President shall forthwith proceed to cause the seizure of such of the property belonging to the belligerent enemy as is deemed forfeited by the act of July 17, A. D. 1862, and hold and appropriate the same as enemy's property, and to proceed to condemnation with that already seized.

KEY TERMS

8. _____________________________

9. _____________________________

10. _____________________________

11. _____________________________

12. _____________________________

13. _____________________________

14. _____________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

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SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That in lieu of the proceeding to condemn the property thus seized enemy's property. as is provided by the act of July A. D. 1862, two commissions or more, as by him may be deemed necessary. shall be appointed by the President for each of the said "confederate States, "to consist of three persons each, one of whom shall be an officer of the late or present Army, and two shall be civilians, neither of whom shall be citizens of the State for which he shall be appointed; that the said commissions shall proceed adjudicate and Condemn the property foresaid, under such forms and proceedings is shall be prescribed by the Attorney General of the United States,

KEY TERMS

8. _____________________________

9. _____________________________

10. _____________________________

11. _____________________________

12. _____________________________

13. _____________________________

14. _____________________________

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whereupon the title to said property shall become vested in the United States.


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



SEC. 4. And be it further enacted. That out of the lands thus seized and confiscated the slaves who have been liberated by the operations of the war and the amendment to the constitution or otherwise, who resided in said "confederate States" on the 4th day of March, A. D. 1861, or since, shall have distributed to them as follows, namely: to each male person who is the head of a family, forty acres; to each adult male, whether the head of a family or not, forty acres, to each widow who is the head of a family, forty acres-to be held by them in fee-simple, but to be inalienable for the next ten years after they become seized thereof.____________________________________________

KEY TERMS

8. _____________________________

9. _____________________________

10. _____________________________

11. _____________________________

12. _____________________________

13. _____________________________

14. _____________________________


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SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:



For the purpose of distributing and allotting said land the Secretary of War shall appoint as many commissions in each State as he shall deem necessary, to consist of three members each, two of whom at least shall not be citizens of the State for which he is appointed. Each of said commissioners shall receive a salary of $3,000 annuaIly and all his necessary expenses. Each commission shall be allowed one clerk, whose salary shall be $2,000 per annum. The title to the homestead aforesaid shall be vested in trustees for the use of the liberated persons aforesaid.

KEY TERMS

8. _____________________________

9. _____________________________

10. _____________________________

11. _____________________________

12. _____________________________

13. _____________________________

14. _____________________________

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Trustees shall be appointed by the Secretary of War, and shall receive such salary as he shall direct, not exceeding $3,000 per annum. At the end of ten years the, absolute title to said homesteads shall be conveyed to said owners or to the heirs of such as are then dead.

____________________________________________


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:


Original Text - H.R. 29 REPARATIONS BILL FOR THE AFRICAN SLAVES IN THE UNITED STATES

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That out of the balance of the property thus seized and confiscated there shall be raised, in the manner hereinafter provided, a sum equal to fifty dollars, for each homestead, to be applied by the trustees hereinafter mentioned toward the erection of buildings on the said homesteads for the use of said slaves; and the further sum of $500,000,000, which shall be appropriated as follows, to wit: $200,000,000 shall be invested in United States six per cent, securities; and the interest thereof shall be semi-annually added to the pensions allowed by law to pensioners who have become so by

KEY TERMS

8. _____________________________

9. _____________________________

10. _____________________________

11. _____________________________

12. _____________________________

13. _____________________________

14. _____________________________

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reason of the late war; $300,000,000, or so much thereof as may Be need, shall be appropriated to pay damages done to loyal citizens by the civil or military Operations of the goverenment lately called the "confederate States of America."


SUMMARY:

IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

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Handout 12

Ku Klux KlanSource: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_kkk.html

The Ku Klux Klan was formed as a social club by a group of Confederate Army veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in the winter of 1865-66. The group adopted the name Ku Klux Klan from the Greek word "kyklos," meaning circle, and the English word clan. In the summer of 1867, the Klan became the "Invisible Empire of the South" at a convention in Nashville, Tennessee attended by delegates from former Confederate states. The group was presided over General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who is believed to have been the first Grand Wizard -- the title for the head of the organization.

Lesser officers were given such names as Grand Dragon, Grand Titan, and Grand Cyclops. Dressed in robes and sheets, intended to prevent identification by the occupying federal troops (and supposedly designed to frighten blacks), the Klan quickly became a terrorist organization in service of the Democratic Party and white supremacy. Between 1869 and 1871 its goal was to destroy Congressional Reconstruction by murdering blacks -- and some whites -- who were either active in Republican politics or educating black children.The Klan burned churches and schools and drove thousands of people out of their homes. Because local law enforcement officials were unable or unwilling to stop the Klan, Congress passed the Force Bill in 1871, giving the federal government the power to prosecute the Klan. Dedicated prosecutors managed to win convictions and break up Klan activity. Although relatively few people were punished, federal action did put an end to most Klan activities.

William J. Simmons, a former Methodist preacher, organized a new Klan in Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1915 as a patriotic, Protestant fraternal society. This new Klan directed its activity against not just blacks, but immigrants, Jews, and Roman Catholics. The Ku Klux Klan grew rapidly from there and had more than two million members throughout the country by the mid-1920s. D.W. Griffith's film THE BIRTH OF A NATION, which glorified the Klan and denigrated blacks, was used as a recruiting tool.

Although the Klan still reverted to burning crosses, torturing and murdering those whom they opposed, the organization became a powerful political force in the 1920s. Many state public officials throughout the nation were members. Eventually the organization was weakened by disagreements among the leadership and because of public criticism of Klan violence. By 1944 the Ku Klux Klan had lost most of its influence and membership. It was revived during the Civil Rights era and continues today as a small organization that continues to stage demonstrations in favor of white supremacy and fundamentalist Christian theology.

- Richard Wormser

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Handout 13

Newspaper Article Editing Rubric

By Line: (Reporter’s Name):____________________________________

Place a check mark in the appropriate box if evidence of each item is found in the story. Include constructive comments in the space provided.

Story Includes: Self Peer Teacher (Optional)

HeadlineLeadWho?What?When?Where?Why?Summary or Final DetailClearly WrittenPersonal Opinion is left outAccurate InformationCorrect Spelling and Grammar

Peer Editor’s Comments:

Teacher’s Comments:

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Handout 14

Night Ridersaka: Nightridersaka: Whitecappersaka: White Cappers

The term “night riding” is frequently synonymous with “whitecapping” or “bald knobbing,” all terms denoting extralegal acts of violence targeting select groups and carried out by vigilantes under cover of night or disguise. Beginning in the 1900s, cotton farmers throughout Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Missouri were often the targets of night riders seeking to intimidate farmers into selling their crops at higher prices than offered by the big agricultural companies. However, many instances of night riding had racial overtones that hearkened back to the days of the post-Reconstruction Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

Cotton men of the state had formed the Arkansas Farmers Union in 1902 and were controlling the market, getting cotton at ridiculously low prices, when cotton prices fell to ten cents per pound. In Greene County, poorer farmers responded with a kind of viciousness unparalleled since the lawlessness of the KKK during the late nineteenth century. A group of masked, armed men rode horseback from town to town, burning wagons of cotton and intimidating farmers to force cotton growers to hold their cotton for a price of thirty-five to forty cents. On September 29, 1908, the violence against cotton growers escalated with an attack against a farmer near Mainwood, about fifteen miles from Paragould (Greene County). Newspapers also reported attacks by night riders in Marmaduke (Greene County), Bethel (Greene County), Walcott (Greene County), Lake City (Craighead County), and Jonesboro (Craighead County), as well as other small farming communities in or near Greene County.

Night rider violence escalated into 1909. The riders staged spectacular nighttime raids, destroyed cotton in the fields, killed livestock, burned barns and warehouses filled with cotton, dynamited farm machinery, and assaulted buyers. As a way of restraining the night riders, on September 27, 1908, during an emergency meeting of the Farmers District Union of Marmaduke at the Greene County Courthouse in Paragould, merchants were asked to temporarily refrain from buying cotton.

Other factors besides price control, such as class and race relations, pitted landowners against tenant farmers and squatters. An expansion of the plantation system in the Arkansas Delta between 1880 and 1920 was challenged by a violent campaign on the part of landless whites. Whitecappers struck in Cross and Poinsett counties in 1902, in Crittenden County in 1904, and periodically plagued Mississippi County from 1908 to 1921. Frequently, landless whites committed acts of violence against African Americans, who, due to the race-based wages of the era, were working on these plantations for much less than the average white person would

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earn. The aim of night riders was to drive off these black laborers and thus reduce the labor pool. Such acts of night riding and whitecapping occurred not only in agricultural areas but also in towns built upon industry. For example, in Black Rock (Lawrence County) in 1894, unemployed whites posted notices calling upon local mills and factories to discharge their black employees; these whitecappers remained sporadically active through the following years, attacking several African Americans in 1898.

Unlike people who perpetrated lynchings, night riders and whitecappers sometimes were arrested, had their identities made public, and were charged and convicted of their crimes. Federal judge Jacob Trieber convicted several whitecappers in 1904 in Helena (Phillips County). In 1909, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 112, which outlawed night riding. Although the law provided authorities with a new weapon, it by no means ended night-riding activities; indeed, in 1923, the law was used to charge the victims of night riding with that very crime in the aftermath of the Catcher Race Riot.

Eventually, cotton prices rose due to an expanding European market, though some scholars believe that the violence committed by night riders did help keep cotton at profitable levels from 1905 to 1914. Sharecropping and tenancy began to undergo a profound transition beginning in the 1930s as a result of New Deal programs, World War II, mechanization, and the use of chemicals. All of this reduced the need for human labor in bringing in the cotton crop, and night riding directed against cotton planters faded away. Though violence against African Americans continued in Arkansas throughout the twentieth century, the large campaigns of night riding, like lynching, proved less and less sustainable over time.

For additional information:Easley, Tina. “Night Riders History.” Greene County, Arkansas, and Crossover Counties in Northeastern Arkansas, 1833 to 2010. http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ar/county/greene/nightridershistory%20te.htm (accessed June 14, 2010).Hartman, Mary, and Ingenthron, Elmo. Bald Knobbers, Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 1996.Lancaster, Guy. “Nightriding and Racial Cleansing in the Arkansas River Valley.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 72 (Autumn 2013): 242–264.

Matkin-Rawn, Story L. “‘We Fight for the Rights of Our Race’: Black Arkansans in the Era of Jim Crow.” Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2009.Whayne, Jeannie M. “Law, Villains and Wickedness in High Places: Race and Class in the Elaine Riots.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 58 (Autumn 1999): 292–311.

Jeanie HornMarshall, Arkansas

Last Updated 11/13/2013

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iaaas socialscience grade7 q4unit

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