Short
1st draft _____
revision _____
Extended
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Defining US: The American Experience
FCPS Teaching American History Grant
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
Subject: ______US History_____________________
Grade: ______7______________
Prepared by: ____Kayne Miller________________
School: ___Longfellow MS______
Title or Topic: ______History by Heroes_____________________________________________
Instructional Time: ______Academic year, but sample lesson is 1 week, 47 minute periods__
PART I.-CONTEXT
1. Essential Learning: (Big picture/concept to be learned.)
Concept is change. Students will select and become one of the presidents of the United States
between 1877 and the present. Each student will study one president. He/she will study short
biographies, inaugural address, political cartoons and editorials about the president, the
significant issues of the election that brought that president to office and the significant events that
required presidential actions during his administration. Students will anticipate the country’s
desire for change or continuity in presidential and midterm congressional elections. Students will
be called upon to speak for that president throughout the year and be accountable to the class and
the teacher for the reasonableness of the position taken. As each student is a different president,
students will bring individual perspectives but will come to group conclusions about the role of
political parties and the responses of the nation to national and international events. Students will
hypothesize about why this nation chose the leaders we did, and evaluate the consequences of
those choices.
2. Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL): (Identify by number and descriptor.)
STANDARD USII.3b
The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War by
b) Explaining the reasons for the increase in immigration, growth of cities, new inventions, and
challenges arising from expansion.
STANDARD USII.3c
The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War by
c) describing racial segregation, the rise of “Jim Crow,” and other constraints faced by African
Americans in the post-Reconstruction South.
STANDARD USII.3d
The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life changed after the Civil War by
d) Explaining the rise of big business, the growth of industry, and life on American farms.
3. Fairfax County Program of Studies (POS): (Identify by number and descriptor.)
 7.1.4 Students will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of industrialization on the United
States from the late 1800s into the early 1900s.
 7.1.5 Students will be able to describe the effects of immigration (migration) and urbanization
on the United States.
4. National History Standard (Historical Thinking Standard)
5.

Chronological Thinking

Distinguish between past, present, and future.

Historical Comprehension

Identify the authors or source of historical documents or narratives

Consider multiple perspectives.

Explain causes in analyzing historical actions.

Identify causes of a problem or dilemma.

Evaluate the consequences of a decision.
Learning Strategy(s) Objectives:

Recall and build on what I have already learned about the topic.

Make Predictions
-Make logical guesses about what will happen.
-Anticipate information to come.
-Predict choices and consequences.

Make Inferences
Read or listen between the lines to understand implied meaning.

Use Resources
-Use reference materials and the Internet.

Summarize
-Create a mental, oral or written summary of information.

Group/Classify
-Relate or classify ideas according to attributes.

Use/Create Graphic Organizers
-Use or create a visual representation (such as Venn diagrams, timelines, and charts) or important
relationships between ideas.

Cooperate
-Work with others to complete tasks, build confidence, and give and receive feedback.
6. Connection to TAH grant:
Content: (explain) US History 1877 to the present
Pedagogy: (explain) Teaching through heroes. Each student selected an American president,
beginning with R.B. Hayes. Each will become that president. Each is expected to read/learn their
inaugural goals, editorial criticisms, biographical legacies, and be able to evaluate his presidential
decisions and their consequences. Students may be called upon during any discussion to predict how
their president would respond to any given historical situation. Hypotheses will not be limited to
events that already happened. Students are also invited to challenge a presidential hypothesis based
on class and individual research. The class will be taught US history, 1877 to the present, through
the lens of presidential administrations with a focus on the symbiotic concepts of continuity and
change.
CONTINUED
PART II
Assessment:
Formative Assessment: - Students will be given these questions to answer. Students may work
with a partner or alone.
1. How did the Credit Mobilier scandal impact the Republican nominee for President in 1876?
(Hint: it has to do with those accused in the scandal and those running for President.)
2. What is the connection between the scandals of the Grant administration and the 1878
Congressional election that changed the party in power in the Congress?
3. What is the connection between:
 the argument over whether or not to use silver as either legal tender (currency) or to back
the dollar and
 The state of the economy?
Bonus: How/why did the failure of the Jay Cooke firm spark the panic of 1873?
Suggested Scoring Guide for Formative Assessment:
1.
How did the Credit Mobilier scandal impact the Republican nominee for President in 1876? (Hint: it has
to do with those accused in the scandal and those running for President.)
Answers could/should include but not be limited to:
Going into the Republican Convention, the anticipated nominee was Blaine from Maine. He’d been associated, but not
convicted, in the Credit Mobilier scandal.
2.
What is the connection between the scandals of the Grant administration and the 1878 Congressional
election that changed the party in power in the Congress?
Answers could/should include, but not be limited to:
Grant was a Republican. There were numerous scandals such as:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Credit Mobilier Scandal that involved accusations of congressional bribes to avoid punishment for
mismanagement of government subsidies to the Union Pacific Railroad.
Sanborn Contracts Scandal which exposed the deal the Treasury Secretary (Richardson) made with a tax
collector to allow the agen to keep half of the delinquent taxes he collected.
Whiskey Ring Scandal, an investigation exposed 110 proven cases of persons defrauding the government
of tax revenue
Belknap Scandal that involved accusations of War Department officials taking bribes from people who
wanted to procure a trading post.
And the disputed election of 1876 in which the Democrat won the popular election, but the Republican was
awarded the electoral votes by a bipartisan committee.
The Democrats won a majority in both the House and the Senate. (Won majority in House in 1874 election, 1878
won the Senate.)
3.
What is the connection between:
a.
the argument over whether or not to use silver as either legal tender (currency) or to back the dollar and
b.
The state of the economy?
Answers should/could include, but not be limited to:
 Use of silver increased money in circulation.
 More money in circulation stimulated a depressed economy, too much money in circulation caused inflation and
decreased the value of the dollar.
Bonus:
Bonus: How/why did the failure of the Jay Cooke firm spark the panic of 1873?
Answers should/could include, but not be limited to:
Jay Cooke was the government’s agent in financing railroad construction. When railroad construction was booming
(transcontinental RR) investors poured money into it. Once railroads were overbuilt, too much competition for freight traffic,
investors rushed to sell stocks, stock value fell lower, banks (who’d also invested) started calling loans, but people didn’t
have the money (they’d invested also). Businesses (who’d also invested) couldn’t pay their loans (from expanding) so they
fired workers. Workers couldn’t buy as much. Farmers who’d borrowed money to expand their operations during War boom
times, weren’t making much money, couldn’t pay debts to the banks (money had increased in value because there was less of
it out there).
Summative Assessment:
In class choose 2 of the 6 questions below to answer and choose a 3rd to complete for homework.
Answers must be in paragraph form: a proper topic sentence, properly formatted sentences complete
with supporting details (evidence) free of extraneous/irrelevant information. Each paragraph will not be
less than 5 sentences nor longer than 10.
1. Hayes and civil service reform/political corruption. What was the connection between political
corruption and President Hayes goals to reform the civil service system? What did he believe
needed to change? What changed?
2. Labor unrest and unions. Explain the causes for the labor unrest of the period, and the
relationship to the rise of unions. What was the perceived government position regarding the
role of labor unions?
3. Immigration reform. What were the major changes in immigration law during the Hayes
administration and what prompted those changes?
4. Currency and the economy. What changes in American currency were proposed during the
Hayes administration and who supported those changes? What was the position of this
administration and why? By the end of his term, with regard to currency and the economy, what
had changed and what stayed the same?
5. International relations and expansion. Following Reconstruction, during the Hayes years, what
changes were made in the geography of the United States and how did that affect our
relationships with other countries?
6. Hayes and the rise of business. What was the relationship between the Hayes administration and
big business? (Was he more supportive of industry or worker? What policies or programs did
he support that would help you answer this question?)
1. Instructional Strategies:
Day 1
Opener: What is the difference between a hero and a celebrity? (This opener is intended to capture the
students attention and begin distinguishing between celebrity and hero and focusing on the qualities of
hero. This focus will then be redirected to leadership roles and the possible connections between heroes
and leaders.
Teacher presentation: Leadership qualities. Pre-Jefferson philosopher determined that leadership could
be evaluated in a mathematical equation:
M = Morality
B = Benevolence
A = Ability
S = Self Love
I = Interest
M = (B + S) x A = BA + SA
Therefore BA = M – SA = M – I
And B = M – I
A
Question:
What does this mean? – Students ponder and conclude.
Class discussion that follows will be student directed. The teacher will wrap the discussion with by
pointing to presidents as leaders and questioning why they were chosen?
_______________________________
Student exercise to enhance understanding: (Lincoln has been used because he will not be one of the
presidents that the students study. Students will begin studying administrations with the Hayes
administration.)
1863 - President Abraham Lincoln announces his reconstruction plan. It
offers general amnesty to all white southerners who take an oath of future
loyalty and accept wartime measures abolishing slavery. Whenever 10%
of the number of 1860 voters takes the loyalty oath in any state, those
loyal citizens can then establish a state government. In early 1864 the
governments of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee are reconstructed
under Lincoln's "Ten Percent Plan." Radical Republicans are shocked at
the policy's leniency, so Congress refuses to recognize the governments or
seat their elected federal representatives.
This information shows Lincoln is Benevolent (his B is high), we know
his Interest in reconstructing the Union is high because he took the nation
to war to keep the country together, so (I is high), and as president of the
United States we assume he has the Ability to accomplish his goals (but
Congress disagrees and acts accordingly, what does this say about
Lincoln's Ability?). So...... the known variables are B, I, and A (although
we are not certain how high the Ability is). Given the known variables,
what can we determine about M, and S by using each of the equations on
the board (and posted on blackboard). Can you decide if Lincoln is a
moral man, or ascertain a level of morality (high, medium, or low) and
does it change if the known variables change?
Some questions for thought:
1. Is his (Lincoln’s) Interest higher than his Benevolence?
2. Is his Morality tempered by his Ability?
3. Why does Self love play a role?
Day 2
Handout – Events of Pre-Hayes years. (This is read and discussed to become familiar with the national
picture and political environment that led to the selection of Rutherford B. Hayes as president. Students
are asked to research any event that is not clearly or thoroughly presented. Students are encouraged to
write and pose questions for clarification and class discussion.)
Hayes Events
Pre-Hayes Events
1873
Demonetization of Silver
On February 12, Congress enacted the Fourth Coinage Act, which demonetized silver—i.e., the federal
government no longer accepted silver as legal tender for public and private debts. That left gold and
greenbacks (paper currency not redeemable in gold or silver) as the circulating media of exchange.
Opponents who advocated inflationary expansion of the money supply in order to help credit-burdened
farmers labeled the act the “Crime of ’73.”
Credit Mobilier Scandal
The New York Sun first reported the Credit Mobilier scandal in September 1872. Managers of Credit
Mobilier, the holding company for the federally subsidized Union Pacific Railroad, were accused of
siphoning off huge amounts of public money for personal gain. Trying to cover up their misdeeds and
gain leniency in Congress, the corporation’s officers gave key congressmen bribes in the form of
discounted stock and bonds. The story did not seem to have much impact on the presidential and
congressional elections of 1872. However, when Congress reconvened in 1873, an official House
investigation was headed by Congressman Luke Poland of Vermont. Congressmen Oakes Ames,
Republican of Massachusetts, and James Brooks, Democrat of New York, were formally censured by
the House for their part in the scandal. Several other elected officials were implicated, including House
Speaker James Blaine, but not punished. Most argued that they had merely accepted a gift, not a bribe.
Economic Depression Begins
Although the economic depression of 1873-1878 had several underlying causes, it was the failure of the
financial firm Jay Cooke and Company on September 18, 1873, which sparked the initial panic on Wall
Street.
“Redeemer” Government in Texas
Beginning in 1869, Southern states began to replaced biracial Republican governments elected under
Congressional Reconstruction with white-only Democratic ones. Such a “Redeemer” government was
elected in Texas in 1873.
1874
Inflation Bill Veto
Many congressmen thought the answer to the economic depression was to expand the money supply
with more greenbacks. In the winter of 1873-1874, 60 inflation bills were introduced into Congress. On
April 14, 1874, Congress passed an inflation bill that would have increased the nation’s money supply
by $100 million. President Ulysses S. Grant vetoed the bill on April 21, believing that any short-term
benefit would be far outweighed by the long-term damage done to the national economy by the inflation
the policy would generate. Grant’s veto of the inflation bill helped swing the pendulum back toward
“hard-money” politicians, who in 1875 passed the Specie Resumption Act (see below).
Sanborn Contracts Scandal
In the spring of 1874, the Sanborn Contracts scandal broke in the press, provoking an investigation by
the House Ways and Means Committee. The committee found that when Treasury Secretary William
Richardson appointed John Sanborn to collect delinquent taxes, he allowed the agent to keep half of the
collected revenue as his fee. In less than two years, Sanborn earned at least $200,000 ($21 million in
2002 dollars). Secretary Richardson denied all knowledge of the scheme, and insisted that he had
considered the contracts and related documents to be routine office materials that he could safely ignore.
Richardson was forced to resign.
Whiskey Ring Scandal
Soon after his appointment as treasury secretary in June 1874, Benjamin Bristow learned that a Whiskey
Ring was defrauding the government out of millions of dollars in annual revenue. He ordered an
immediate and thorough investigation, which eventually resulted in 238 indictments and 110
convictions. Originally supportive of the investigation, President Ulysses S. Grant became displeased
when his personal secretary, Orville Babcock, was implicated. In late February 1876, Babcock was
found not guilty, a verdict helped in part by the president’s favorable testimony. Both Babcock and
Bristow soon resigned from their respective positions. Bristow became an unsuccessful candidate for the
Republican presidential nomination in 1876.
Congressional Elections
Democrats won control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since before the Civil
War. Democratic, white-only “Redeemer” state governments were elected in Arkansas and Alabama.
1875
Specie Resumption Act
The capture of the House of Representatives by the Democrats in the 1874 elections provoked the
Republican majority in the outgoing Congress to pass the Specie Resumption Act on January 14, 1875.
The law stipulated that beginning in January 1879 the federal government would redeem (legally
exchange) greenbacks with gold. That meant the United States would return to the gold standard. The
four-year span before implementation was to allow time for the U.S. Treasury to build up an adequate
reserve of gold and for the public to adjust to the policy.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
On March 1, the outgoing Republican Congress also enacted the Civil Rights Acts of 1875, long
advocated by Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, who died shortly before its passage. The law
banned racial segregation in all public accommodations regulated by law, such as hotels, theaters,
steamships, and railroads. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional in 1883.
“Redeemer” Government in Mississippi
A white-only, Democratic state government was elected in Mississippi.
1876
Belknap Scandal
In March, Congress began an investigation into allegations that merchants were bribing War Department
officials in order to gain preferential access to Indian trading posts. It was revealed that one of the
merchants had been sending cash payments to the wife of Secretary of War William Belknap. He
offered his resignation, which President Grant accepted. The House voted to impeach Belknap, even
though he had already left office. On August 1, 1876, a majority of senators voted for conviction, but the
tally was short of the necessary two-thirds.
Republican National Convention
On June 14-16, the Republican National Convention met in Cincinnati, Ohio. The frontrunner for the
presidential nomination was Congressman James G. Blaine of Maine, the House minority leader. Other
leading contenders were former treasury secretary Benjamin Bristow of Kentucky, Senator Oliver
Morton of Indiana, and Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York, along with favorite-son candidates
Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio and Governor John Hartranft of Pennsylvania. Anti-Blaine
delegates began shifting on the fifth ballot to Hayes, who won the presidential nomination on the
seventh ballot. Delegates then chose Congressman William Wheeler of New York as the vicepresidential nominee.
Democratic National Convention
On June 27-29, the Democratic National Convention met in St. Louis. Governor Samuel J. Tilden of
New York won the presidential nomination easily on the first ballot. The second-place vote getter,
Governor Thomas Hendricks of Indiana, was selected as the vice-presidential nominee. The Democratic
platform demanded repeal of the Specie Resumption Act (see above); condemned Grant administration
scandals; reaffirmed 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, while denouncing Congressional Reconstruction
as unjustly coercive and corrupt; and supported a tariff for revenue only, conservation of public lands,
and civil service reform.
Election Results
On November 7, 1876, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden edged out Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in the
popular vote, 51%-48%. However, both sides claimed victory in the Electoral College when the 19
electoral votes of three states—South Carolina (7), Florida (4), and Louisiana (8)—and one electoral
vote in Oregon were in dispute. Tilden’s 184 electoral votes were one short of the majority needed to
win the presidential election, while Hayes needed all 20 to capture the White House. In January 1877,
Congress established an Electoral Commission consisting of five senators, five representatives, and five
Supreme Court justices to decide the matter. In February, the Electoral Commission, in an 8-7 partisan
split, awarded Hayes all 20 votes. On March 5, 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn in as
president.
Continue review for homework.
Day 3
Students will work in groups of 4 to categorize events of pre-Hayes years. Students are given a large
sheet of newsprint and in groups of 4, asked to agree on 3 categories, create a Venn diagram and place
the events in the appropriate category(ies) then present and defend their choices. Students will be given
slips of paper with the “event” titles on them. (Teacher will enlarge and cut the titles into strips of paper
that can be moved around on the newsprint during group discussion and negotiation, and then glued
down with consensus.)
This exercise allows the students to demonstrate understanding of the events. The first time this
exercise is completed, the students are expected to have more superficial categories (ex: Scandals, Acts,
government actions) but as the students study future presidents and gain a deeper understanding of the
actions and reactions of presidents and the reasons for them, more sophisticated categories will emerge.
(Ex: Domestic policies, Foreign policies, Economic programs/policies.) As the students continue to
study, patterns will emerge and categories will begin to reflect a deeper understanding of prevailing
issues such as industry, defense, labor, expansion….)










Demonetizaton of Silver:
Credit Mobilier Scandal:
Economic Depression 1873-1878:
Inflation Bill Veto:
Sanborn Contracts Scandal:
Whiskey Ring Scandal:
Specie Resumption Act:
Civil Rights Act of 1875:
“Redeemer” governments:
Belknap Scandal:
Students will explain their grouping choices. Classmates will question and challenge accordingly.
Discussion: speculate why Hayes was the country’s (or at least Congress’s) choice for president.
Homework:
Students will be given a list of the events of the Hayes administration to read and plan to categorize
according to the standards:
1. Can these events fit into the same categories (as the pre-Hayes events)?
2. How would you alter your categories?
3. Considering the events of the Pre-Hayes years and the events of the Hayes years:
a. What changed?
b. What stayed the same?
c. What still needs to change?
Rutherford Hayes: Featured Events
U.S. and China Signs Treaty
The United States and China sign a treaty which repeals a section of the 1868 Burlingame treaty. The
move gives the United States the power to "regulate, limit or suspend" but not completely prohibit
Chinese immigration. The treaty also includes a clause banning the opium trade. In return, the United
States grants China trading privileges.
March 20, 1877
At a cabinet meeting, Hayes agrees to send a commission to Louisiana to report on the conditions in the
southern state. In reality, he plans to use the action to sanction his decision to allow Democrat Francis T.
Nicholls to take over the states by removing federal aid from federally appointed governor Stephen B.
Packard. Meanwhile, Hayes's cabinet includes staunch liberal Republican William Evarts as secretary of
state and a former Confederate as postmaster general; the nomination of the latter appeases Southern
Democrats as part of the Compromise of 1877. Hayes also appoints American diplomat and reform
advocator Carl Schurz as secretary of the interior to head the Indian Bureau. During his four years as
secretary, Schurz works to instill honesty and justice in government relations with Native Americans.
This approach appeals to Hayes's own attention to civil service reform. Forcible Indian removals
continue throughout Hayes's term, however.
April 24, 1877
As in South Carolina, Hayes officially withdraws soldiers from Louisiana. Governor Packard has no
choice but to submit, declaring, "One by one, the Republican state governments of the South have been
forced to succumb to force, fraud or policy." Hayes's withdrawal of troops from the South marks the end
of Reconstruction. At the same time, Hayes will also oversee the appropriation of federal funds for
internal improvements in the South.
June 1, 1877
With Mexican-Texas border incursions continuing, Hayes sends troops to patrol the nearly lawless
Mexican border and cross it if necessary to pursue bandits. Mexican president Diaz protests and sends
troops to the border as well. Ultimately, economic concerns motivate both parties to work towards a
settlement.
June 22, 1877
Following John Jay's investigation of the New York Customhouse, Hayes issues an Executive Order that
forbids the involvement of federal employees in political activities. The President takes such action in
the hope that it will curtail corruption; the Executive Order stipulates that those in office can no longer
be dismissed for political reasons. Congress rejects additional proposals. These events testify to Hayes's
interest in civil service reform.
July 16, 1877
Following pay cuts, the first major interstate strike -- the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 -- begins on the
Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) line at Camden Junction, Maryland; additional strikes will follow, lasting a
month. Lacking organization, the strikes frequently degenerate into mob activity. Hayes sends federal
troops to protect mail and quell the riots that take place in numerous cities, angering many workers. The
strike will lead to anti-Chinese attacks in San Francisco during the fall.
September 6, 1877
Hayes challenges the political power of New York Senator Roscoe Conkling when the President
announces he will replace Collector of the Port of New York Chester A. Arthur, as well as naval officer
Alonzo Cornell, during the reorganization of the New York Customhouse. Though Arthur has overseen
improvement in the Customhouse, he also uses it to further Conkling's political interests. Incensed by
Hayes's decision, Conkling, Hayes's opponent for the Republican presidential ticket in 1876, blocks
Hayes's nomination of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., for the position.
January 1, 1878
Founded in 1869 by Uriah S. Stephens, a tailor in Philadelphia, the Knights of Labor is established as a
national organization. It is the first labor union to attempt to organize all workers and hopes to establish
a worker-owned factory system. With rapid growth in the 1880s, the Knight membership peaks in 1886
and then goes into rapid decline.
January 17, 1878
A U.S.-Samoan treaty is signed in Washington which gives the United States the right to establish a
naval and coaling station at the port of Pago Pago; it also pledges American assistance to Samoa if a
third country interferes with Samoan chiefs. The Senate ratifies the treaty on January 30.
February 28, 1878
Hayes vetoes the Bland-Allison Act, advocated by farmers and debtors, but Congress passes the measure
over his veto. The act calls for the resumption of silver coinage at a rate between $2 and $4 million per
month.
March 1, 1878
Hayes vetoes a bill which bans incoming vessels from carrying more than fifteen Chinese passengers.
Hayes then works to negotiate changes to the Burlingame Treaty with China in order to set limits on
Chinese immigration.
March 23, 1878
America recognizes the Diaz regime in Mexico in an effort to avoid greater conflict.
May 1878
House Democrats begin an investigation of the controversial presidential election of 1876, much to the
chagrin of Hayes, who fears that the investigation may be an attempt to replace him with Tilden.
November 1878
Following congressional midterm elections, the Democratic Party controls both houses of Congress for
the first time since the Civil War. Consequently, Hayes will have little sway in Congress.
January 1, 1879
Hayes allows the resumption of gold payments for Civil War greenbacks, paper money not backed by
specie, silver, or gold. This is a continuation of the Specie Act begun under President Grant. During the
Hayes administration, as the government's gold supply grows and the issuance of silver coins increases,
the economy begins to recover. By the spring of 1879, the government has retired all Civil War bonds.
February 3, 1879
After a political struggle between Hayes and Senator Conkling, the Senate approves Hayes's
appointments for the New York Customhouse. Though these fail to end inefficiency in the civil service
system, the country largely supports Hayes's commitment to reform.
April 29, 1879
Congress passes the Army Appropriations Bill. The law includes a "rider" which forbids the use of
federal troops at polls, which many regard as an attempt to nullify black voting rights. Hayes vetoes the
bill and the House sustains the veto. The rebuffed version is again vetoed, and many Republicans feel
the veto secures the election of 1880.
May 29, 1879
Hayes vetoes a version of the appropriations bill for the third time; a later bill excludes "certain judicial
expenses" forbidding the army to "police the polls"; Hayes will agree to this language.
June, 1879
The appropriations designated by Democrats exclude implementation of election law funds; Hayes
vetoes the bill.
March 8, 1880
In a speech to Congress, Hayes continues to support a Central American canal to unite the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. Following the trip to America by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps -- the builder of
the Suez Canal in Egypt -- Hayes states that "the policy of this country is a canal under American
control." A canal running through Panama will be completed in 1914.
June 7, 1880
The Republican National Convention meets in Chicago. Hayes had already pledged, in 1876, not to run
for a second term; by the time the convention begins, the party has split into two factions: James G.
Blaine's "Half-breeds" and Roscoe Conkling's "Stalwarts." The Stalwarts nominate Ulysses S. Grant
against the nominations of Blaine and John Sherman. After 36 ballots, Blaine unexpectedly lends his
support to James A. Garfield, the Speaker of the House, giving Garfield the presidential nomination. In
order to maintain party unity, Chester A. Arthur, a Stalwart, is nominated for vice president.
June 24, 1880
The Democratic National Convention meets in Ohio and nominates Winfield S. Hancock, a Union
commander, for President and William H. English for vice president.
November 2, 1880
James A. Garfield is elected President by a narrow popular margin (with only 48.5%) but with a
comfortable majority of electoral votes, 214-155.
November 17, 1880
The United States and China sign a treaty which repeals a section of the 1868 Burlingame treaty. The
move gives the United States the power to "regulate, limit or suspend" but not completely prohibit
Chinese immigration. The treaty also includes a clause banning the opium trade. In return, the United
States grants China trading privileges.
Day 4
Using the “events of the Hayes administration” and considering the events of the Pre-Hayes years,
prepare responses to the following questions:
1. Can these events fit into the same categories (as your “pre-Hayes” categories on your Venn
diagram)?
2. How would you alter your categories?
3. Considering the events of the Pre-Hayes years and the events of the Hayes years:
a. What changed?
b. What stayed the same?
c. What still needs to change?
Day 5
Formative Assessment – and preparation of questions for class discussion tomorrow.
Day 6
Class discussion for clarification and extension. Hand out summative assessment to be completed at
home.
2. Materials/Resources to be used: (see included above)
Textbook, Internet, encyclopedia, county procured databases.
3. Differentiation: (Include strategies for re-teaching and special populations such as GT, ESOL and
special education.) This unit is planned for high ability learners. Without extensive planning and
textbook alignment, it would be inappropriate for other populations. The concept of continuity and
change are easily adapted to the curriculum as planned in the pacing guide.
4. Attachments: (Include copies of assessments, rubrics, handouts that support this lesson.)
They are included in the daily lessons above.
5. Annotated Bibliography:
Events of the pre-Hayes years. Harper’s Weekly is a consistent, comprehensive, week-to-week chronological
record of what happened world-wide in the last half of the nineteenth century. Harpweek.com is the website that
indexed this periodical.
http://elections.harpweek.com/1876/Events-1876.htm
Events/Timeline of the Hayes administration, created by Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University
of Virginia.
http://www.americanpresident.org/history/rutherfordbhayes/keyevents/