Unit 4:
Reconstruction:
The Nation Reunited
Fifth Grade Social Studies
MERIT
In this unit, students will learn how the United States reunited
after the Civil War. Students will understand how beliefs and ideals
of the North and South influenced changes to laws and the
Constitution. The students examine the work of the Freedman’s Bureau
to understand how individuals, groups, and institutions can affect
society. Finally, by thinking about conflict and change and
production, distribution, and consumption, students will learn the
effects of the Civil War on the daily life and the economy of the
North and South.
Standards
Learning Standards:
SS5H1 The student will explain the causes, major events, and
consequences of the Civil War.
e. Describe the effects of war on the North and South.
SS5H2 The student will analyze the effects of Reconstruction on
American life.
a. Describe the purpose of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.
b. Explain the work of the Freedmen’s Bureau.
c. Explain how slavery was replaced by sharecropping and how
African- Americans were
prevented from exercising their newly won rights; include
a discussion of Jim Crow laws and
customs.
SS5CG1 The student will explain how a citizen’s rights are protected
under the U.S. Constitution.
c. Explain the concept of due process of law and describe how
the Constitution protects a
citizen’s rights by due process.
d. Describe how the Constitution protects a citizen’s rights by
due process.
SS5CG2 The student will explain the process by which amendments to
the U.S. Constitution are
made.
a. Explain the amendment process outlined in the Constitution.
b. Describe the purpose for the amendment process.
SS5CG3 The student will explain how amendments to the U. S.
Constitution have maintained a
representative democracy.
b. Explain how voting rights were protected by the 15th, 19th,
23rd, 24th, and 26th
amendments.
SS5E2 The student will describe the functions of four major sectors
in the U.S. economy.
a. Describe the household function in providing resources and
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consuming goods and services.
SS5E3 The student will describe how consumers and businesses
interact in the United States economy across time.
a. Describe how competition, markets, and prices influence
people’s behavior.
b. Describe how people earn income by selling their labor to
businesses.
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Day 1
Day 2-3
Day 4
Launch Task:: View Reconstruction and Segregation
(Schlessinger Video Vol. 10)
Complete Questions as
assigned
Vocabulary: Complete a Frayer Model for each
vocabulary term
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Objective: Students will explain the causes, major
events, and consequences of the Civil War and describe the
effects of the war on the North and the South.
Day 5-6
Andrew Johnson and plans for Reconstruction
Objective: Students will analyze the effects of
Reconstruction on American life
Day 7
Reconstruction Amendments
Objective: Students will describe the purpose of the
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
Day 8
Freedman’s Bureau
Objective: Students will explain the work of the
Freedmen’s Bureau
Day 9-10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Sharecropping
Objective: Students will explain how slavery was
replaced by sharecropping and how African- Americans
were prevented from exercising their newly won rights;
include a discussion of Jim Crow laws and customs
Due Process of the Law
Objective: Students will explain the concept of due
process of law and describe how the Constitution
protects a citizen’s rights by due process
Amending the Constitution
Objective: Students will explain the process by which
amendments to the U.S. Constitution are made.
Amendments to the Constitution
Objective: Student will explain how amendments to
the U. S. Constitution have maintained a
representative democracy
Factors that Influence Economic Behavior
Objective Students will describe how competition,
markets, and prices influence people’s behavior and how
people earn income by selling their labor to businesses
Day 15
Supply and Demand
Objective: students will describe the household function
in providing resources and consuming goods and services
Day 16-17
Day 18
Review
Unit 4 Exam
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Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Viewing Guide
Summary:
The end of the Civil War marked the end of slavery and the Confederacy but
the beginning of the monumental challenges of how to readmit the southern
states into the Union, and how to ensure the liberty of over three million
newly freed African Americans. Policies for reconstructing the South would
be fought over bitterly in Congress and would shape American race relations
for the next century.
The essential debate pitted advocates of leniency towards the southern
states against Congressional Republicans who wanted to impose more stringent
rules for their readmission to the Union. After the assassination of
President Lincoln, President Johnson expressed the condition that southern
ratification of the 13th Amendment would be all that was needed for
readmission to the Union. While all southern states agreed to these terms,
they proceeded to elect many former Confederate officials to Congress, and
to institute new restrictions known as Black Codes on former slaves. A
bitter political fight was underway. Against President Johnson’s wishes,
Congress refused to seat the former Confederate leaders and passed the
Reconstruction Act of 1867, which included military rule and ratification of
the far-reaching 14th Amendment.
By 1871, all former Confederate states had been readmitted to the Union with
progressive democratic governments under Republican leadership and voting
participation by freedmen. But southern resentment led to the formation of
the Ku Klux Klan, which used terrorist tactics to try to win back
political control. Also, lacking in land and capital, many freedmen were
relegated to participation in the sharecropping system, a way of life not
much better than slavery itself.
Soon the nation grew weary of the political battles and racial tension of
the time and after the disputed election of 1876, President Hayes removed
troops from the South, effectively ending Radical Reconstruction. The
southern white establishment regained control, and the Jim Crow South,
legitimized by Plessey vs. Ferguson, helped create two separate, but unequal
societies.
Although Reconstruction can be viewed as a bitter failure, it can also be
seen as a time of Constitutional reform due to passage of the Reconstruction
Amendments, acts that laid the legal foundation for the Civil Rights
movement of the 20th century.
Time Line
1865 — President Lincoln is assassinated.
1865 — The 13th Amendment is ratified.
1866 — Over President Johnson’s veto, the Civil Rights Act is passed.
1867 — The Reconstruction Acts are passed.
1868 — President Johnson’s impeachment trial begins; he is narrowly
acquitted.
1868 — The 14th Amendment is ratified.
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1868 —
1870 —
1870 —
1876 —
1877 —
over.
1896 —
Former Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant is elected president.
The Force Acts are passed.
The 15th Amendment is ratified.
Rutherford B. Hayes is elected president.
Military occupation of the South is ended; Radical Reconstruction is
The U.S. Supreme Court decides the Plessey vs. Ferguson case.
Opinion Questions to consider:
• What were the circumstances surrounding the assassination of
President Lincoln? Why do you think he was killed and how history was
changed as a result of his death?
• Define the terms “segregation” and “discrimination,” and to then
discuss the social, economic and political effects of these
practices. Describe some examples from history that you know of, when
people were discriminated against.
• What is impeachment?
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Vocabulary
Students should create a Frayer Model* on each term.
Reconstruction — A set of policies designed to rebuild the South and
to bring the southern states
back into the Union under terms and
conditions set by Congress.
The Civil War — A major war in the United States between 1861 and
1865 in which northern states battled southern states that were
attempting to leave the Union.
Ford’s Theater — The Washington, D.C. playhouse where President
Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865.
13th Amendment — The first of the Reconstruction Amendments,
abolishing slavery.
Black Codes — unwritten rules implemented right after the Civil War
to keep ex-slaves under strict white control.
14th Amendment — The second of the Reconstruction Amendments,
granting equal rights of citizenship and legal equality to all.
The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 — A series of measures that Congress
established as conditions for southern states to follow in order to
be readmitted to the Union.
impeachment — An action by Congress to try a president accused of
high crimes and misdemeanors.
15th Amendment — The third of the Reconstruction Amendments giving
the right to vote to formerly enslaved people.
Freedmen’s Bureau — An agency set up by Congress to help formerly
enslaved Africans during Reconstruction, especially in terms of
education.
Ku Klux Klan — An organization set up to restore white control in the
South through the use of terror and violence.
The Force Acts — Along with the Ku Klux Klan Act, laws passed by
Congress in 1870 and 1871 to protect African Americans from the Klan
and ensure their right to vote.
segregation — Separation of a group from others. In many places in
America, certain laws kept blacks segregated from whites.
sharecropping — A system of tenant farming in the South after
Reconstruction that kept ex-slaves working the land and tied to the
land, under impoverished conditions.
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Jim Crow laws — In U.S. race relations, laws enacted in the South to
make segregation a fact, named after a minstrel show character.
Plessey vs. Ferguson — an 1896 case in which the Supreme Court upheld
the notion of “separate but equal.”
Amnesty--- the act of an authority (as a government) by which pardon
is granted to a large group
of individuals.
Bribery--- the act or practice of giving or taking a bribe--**Bribe:
money or favor given or promised to a person in a position of trust
to influence his judgment or conduct.
Carpetbaggers--- a Northerner in the South after the Civil War
seeking private gain under the
reconstruction governments.
Impeach--- to charge with a crime or misdemeanor; specify: to charge
(a public official) before a
competent tribunal with misconduct in office--**Impeachment
Radical---of, relating to, or constituting a political group
associated with views, practices, and policies of extreme change; 3.
advocating extreme measures to retain or restore
a political state of affairs.
Ratify--- to approve and sanction formally
Scalawags---a white Southerner acting in support of the
reconstruction governments after the Civil War often for private
gain.
Traitor--- one who betrays another’s trust or is false to an
obligation or duty
Treason--- the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the
government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance; the
betrayal of a trust
Veto---a power of one department or branch of a government to forbid
or prohibit finally or provisionally the carrying out of projects
attempted by another department; esp.: a power vested in a chief
executive to prevent permanently or temporarily the enactment of
measures passed by a legislature.
Andrew Johnson--- (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was the 17th
President of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. As Abraham
Lincoln's vice president, Johnson became president when Lincoln was
assassinated.
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
Reconstruction
Definition
Characteristics
Example
The Civil War
Definition
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Illustration
Illustration
Example
Ford’s Theatre
Illustration
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Definition
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Example
13th Amendment
Definition
Characteristics
Example
Black Codes
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Illustration
Example
14th Amendment
Illustration
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
The Reconstruction Act
of 1867
Definition
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Example
impeachment
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Illustration
Example
15th Amendment
Illustration
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
Freedman’s Bureau
Definition
Characteristics
Example
Ku Klux Klan
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Illustration
Example
The Force Acts
Illustration
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
segregation
Definition
Illustration
Example
Characteristics
Illustration
sharecropping
Definition
Characteristics
Example
Jim Crow Laws
Illustration
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
Plessey v. Ferguson
Definition
Characteristics
Example
amnesty
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Illustration
Example
bribery
Illustration
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
carpetbaggers
Definition
Characteristics
Example
radical
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Illustration
Example
ratify
Illustration
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Definition
Characteristics
Example
scalawags
Definition
Characteristics
Example
traitor
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Illustration
Example
treason
Illustration
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Definition
Example
impeach
Characteristics
Illustration
Definition
Characteristics
Example
due process
Definition
Characteristics
Illustration
Example
Andrew Johnson
Illustration
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Date:
Essential Question:
Learning Standard:
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth,
a
famous
actor
and
Confederate
sympathizer, fatally shot President
Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford's
Theatre
in
Washington,
D.C.
The
attack came only five days after
Confederate General Robert E. Lee
surrendered
his
massive
army
at
Appomattox Court House, Virginia,
effectively ending the American Civil
War.
Abraham Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes
Booth, was a Maryland native born in
1838 who remained in the North during
the Civil War despite his Confederate
sympathies. As the conflict entered
its final stages, he and several
associates hatched a plot to kidnap
the president and take him to
Richmond, the Confederate capital.
However, on March 20, 1865, the day
of the planned kidnapping, Lincoln
failed to appear at the spot where
Booth and his six fellow conspirators
lay in wait. Two weeks later,
Richmond fell to Union forces. In
April, with Confederate armies near
collapse across the South, Booth came
up with a desperate plan to save the
Confederacy.
Learning that Lincoln was to attend
Laura Keene's acclaimed performance
of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's
Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April
14, Booth—himself a well-known actor
at the time—masterminded the
simultaneous assassination of
Lincoln, Vice President Andrew
Johnson and Secretary of State
William H. Seward. By murdering the
president and two of his possible
successors, Booth and his coconspirators hoped to throw the U.S.
government into disarray
At 10:15, Booth slipped into the box
and fired his .44-caliber single-shot
derringer into the back of Lincoln's
head. After stabbing Rathbone, who
immediately rushed at him, in the
shoulder, Booth leapt onto the stage
and shouted, "Sic semper tyrannis!"
("Thus ever to tyrants!"–the Virginia
state motto). At first, the crowd
interpreted the unfolding drama as
part of the production, but a scream
from the first lady told them
otherwise. Although Booth broke his
leg in the fall, he managed to leave
the theater and escape from
Washington on horseback.
A 23-year-old doctor named Charles
Leale was in the audience and
hastened to the presidential box
immediately upon hearing the shot and
Mary Lincoln’s scream. He found the
president slumped in his chair,
paralyzed and struggling to breathe.
Several soldiers carried Lincoln to a
house across the street and placed
him on a bed. When the surgeon
general arrived at the house, he
concluded that Lincoln could not be
saved and would die during the night.
Vice President Andrew Johnson,
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Lincoln occupied a private box above
the stage with his wife Mary, a young
army officer named Henry Rathbone and
Rathbone’s fiancée, Clara Harris, the
daughter of New York Senator Ira
Harris. The Lincolns arrived late for
the comedy, but the president was
reportedly in a fine mood and laughed
heartily during the production.
members of Lincoln's cabinet and
several of the president's closest
friends stood vigil by Lincoln's
bedside until he was officially
pronounced dead at 7:22 a.m. The
first lady lay on a bed in an
adjoining room with her eldest son
Robert at her side, overwhelmed with
shock and grief.
The president's body was placed in a temporary coffin, draped with a flag
and escorted by armed cavalry to the White House, where surgeons conducted a
thorough autopsy. Edward Curtis, an Army surgeon in attendance, later
described the scene, recounting that a bullet clattered into a waiting basin
during the doctors’ removal of Lincoln’s brain. He wrote that the team
stopped to stare at the offending weapon, “the cause of such mighty changes
in the world's history as we may perhaps never realize.” During the autopsy,
Mary Lincoln sent the surgeons a note requesting that they clip a lock of
Lincoln's hair for her.
News of the president's death traveled quickly and by the end of the day
flags across the country flew at half-mast, businesses were closed and
people who had recently rejoiced at the end of the Civil War now reeled from
Lincoln's shocking assassination.
The president’s corpse was taken to the White House, and on April 18 it was
carried to the Capitol rotunda to lay in state on a catafalque. On April 21,
Lincoln's body was boarded onto a train that conveyed it to Springfield,
Illinois, where he had lived before becoming president. Tens of thousands of
Americans lined the railroad route and paid their respects to their fallen
leader during the train's solemn progression through the North. Lincoln and
his son, Willie, who died in the White House of typhoid fever in 1862, were
interred on May 4, 1865, at Oak Ridge Cemetery, near Springfield.
As the nation mourned, Union soldiers were hot on the trail of John Wilkes
Booth, who many in the audience had immediately recognized. After fleeing
the capital, he and an accomplice, David Herold, made their way across the
Anacostia River and headed toward southern Maryland. The pair stopped at the
home of Samuel Mudd, a doctor who treated Booth's leg. (Mudd’s actions
earned him a life sentence that was later commuted). They then sought refuge
from Thomas A. Jones, a Confederate agent, before securing a boat to row
across the Potomac to Virginia.
On April 26, Union troops surrounded the Virginia farmhouse where Booth and
Herold were hiding out and set fire to it, hoping to flush the fugitives
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out. Herold surrendered but Booth remained inside. As the blaze intensified,
a sergeant shot Booth in the neck, allegedly because the assassin had raised
his gun as if to shoot. Carried out of the building alive, he lingered for
three hours before gazing at his hands and uttering his last words:
"Useless, useless.”
Four of Booth’s co-conspirators were convicted for their part in the
assassination and executed by hanging on July 7, 1865. They included David
Herold and Mary Surratt, the first woman put to death by the federal
government, whose boarding house had served as a meeting place for the
would-be kidnappers
Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Andrew Johnson
17th President of the United
States
In office
4, 1869
April 15, 1865 – March
Vice President Vacant
Preceded by Abraham Lincoln
Succeeded by Ulysses S. Grant
With the Assassination of Lincoln, the Presidency fell upon an oldfashioned southern Jacksonian Democrat of pronounced states' rights
views. Although an honest and honorable man, Andrew Johnson was one
of the most unfortunate of Presidents. Arrayed against him were the
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Radical Republicans in Congress, brilliantly led and ruthless in
their tactics. Johnson was no match for them.
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1808, Johnson grew up in poverty.
He was apprenticed to a tailor as a boy, but ran away. He opened a
tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee, married Eliza McCardle, and
participated in debates at the local academy.
Entering politics, he became an adept stump speaker, championing the
common man and vilifying the plantation aristocracy. As a Member of
the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 1840's and '50's,
he advocated a homestead bill to provide a free farm for the poor
man.
During the secession crisis, Johnson remained in the Senate even when
Tennessee seceded, which made him a hero in the North and a traitor
in the eyes of most Southerners. In 1862 President Lincoln appointed
him Military Governor of Tennessee, and Johnson used the state as a
laboratory for reconstruction. In 1864 the Republicans, contending
that their National Union Party was for all loyal men, nominated
Johnson, a Southerner and a Democrat, for Vice President.
After Lincoln's death, President Johnson proceeded to reconstruct the
former Confederate States while Congress was not in session in 1865.
He pardoned all who would take an oath of allegiance, but required
leaders and men of wealth to obtain special Presidential pardons.
By the time Congress met in December 1865, most southern states were
reconstructed, slavery was being abolished, but "black codes" to
regulate the freedmen were beginning to appear.
Radical Republicans in Congress moved vigorously to change Johnson's
program. They gained the support of northerners who were dismayed to
see Southerners keeping many prewar leaders and imposing many prewar
restrictions upon Negroes.
The Radicals' first step was to refuse to seat any Senator or
Representative from the old Confederacy. Next they passed measures
dealing with the former slaves. Johnson vetoed the legislation. The
Radicals mustered enough votes in Congress to pass legislation over
his veto--the first time that Congress had overridden a President on
an important bill. They passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which
established Negroes as American citizens and forbade discrimination
against them.
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A few months later Congress submitted to the states the Fourteenth
Amendment, which specified that no state should "deprive any person
of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."
All the former Confederate States except Tennessee refused to ratify
the amendment; further, there were two bloody race riots in the
South. Speaking in the Middle West, Johnson faced hostile audiences.
The Radical Republicans won an overwhelming victory in Congressional
elections that fall.
In March 1867, the Radicals effected their own plan of
Reconstruction, again placing southern states under military rule.
They passed laws placing restrictions upon the President. When
Johnson allegedly violated one of these, the Tenure of Office Act, by
dismissing Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, the House voted eleven
articles of impeachment against him. He was tried by the Senate in
the spring of 1868 and acquitted by one vote.
In 1875, Tennessee returned Johnson to the Senate. He died a few
months later.
Visit http://www.history.com/topics/abraham-lincolnassassination/videos#lincoln-the-diary-of-john-wilkes-booth to learn
more on John Wilkes Booth.
Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Reconstruction Plans:
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Lincoln’s
Reconstruction Plan
Johnson’s
Reconstruction Plan
Congressional
Reconstruction
Even before the war
ended, President Lincoln
began the task of
restoration. Motivated
by a desire to build a
strong Republican party
in the South and to end
the bitterness
engendered by war, he
issued a proclamation of
amnesty and
reconstruction for those
areas of the Confederacy
occupied by Union
armies. It offered
pardon, with certain
exceptions, to any
Confederate who would
swear to support the
Constitution and the
Union. Once a group in
any conquered state
equal in number to one
tenth of that state's
total vote in the
presidential election of
1860 took the prescribed
oath and organized a
government that
abolished slavery, he
would grant that
government executive
recognition.
Andrew Johnson, at first
pleased the radicals by
publicly attacking the
planter aristocracy and
insisting that the
rebellion must be
punished. His amnesty
proclamation was more
severe than Lincoln's;
it disenfranchised all
former military and
civil officers of the
Confederacy and all
those who owned property
made their estates
liable to confiscation.
The obvious intent was
to shift political
control in the South
from the old planter
aristocracy to the small
farmers and artisans,
and it promised to
accomplish a revolution
in Southern society.
On Mar. 2, 1867,
Congress enacted the
Reconstruction Act,
which, supplemented
later by three related
acts, divided the South
(except Tennessee) into
five military districts
in which the authority
of the army commander
was supreme. Johnson
continued to oppose
congressional policy,
and when he insisted on
the removal of the
radical Secretary of
War, Edwin M. Stanton,
in defiance of the
Tenure of Office Act,
the House impeached him
(Feb., 1868). The
radicals in the Senate
fell one vote short of
convicting him (May),
but by this time
Johnson's program had
been effectively
scuttled.
Congress passed the
Wade-Davis Bill, which
required 50% of a
state's male voters to
take an "ironclad" oath
that they had never
voluntarily supported
the Confederacy.
Lincoln's pocket veto
kept the Wade-Davis Bill
from becoming law, and
he implemented his own
plan. By the end of the
war it had been tried,
not too successfully, in
Louisiana, Arkansas,
Tennessee, and Virginia.
Congress, however,
refused to seat the
With Congress in
adjournment from April
to Dec., 1865, Johnson
put his plan into
operation. Under
provisional governors
appointed by him, the
Southern states held
conventions that voided
or repealed their
ordinances of secession,
abolished slavery, and
repudiated Confederate
debts. Their newly
elected legislatures
ratified the Thirteenth
Amendment guaranteeing
freedom for blacks. By
the end of 1865 every
ex-Confederate state
except Texas had
reestablished civil
government.
Under the terms of the
Reconstruction Acts, new
state constitutions were
written in the South. By
Aug., 1868, six states
(Arkansas, North
Carolina, South
Carolina, Louisiana,
Alabama, and Florida)
had been readmitted to
the Union, having
ratified the Fourteenth
Amendment as required by
the first Reconstruction
Act. The four remaining
unreconstructed states—
Virginia, Mississippi,
Texas, and Georgia—were
readmitted in 1870 after
ratifying the Fourteenth
Amendment as well as the
Fifteenth Amendment,
which guaranteed the
black man's right to
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Senators and
Representatives elected
from those states, and
by the time of Lincoln's
assassination the
President and Congress
were at a stalemate.
vote.
Using the Venn diagram compare the three plans for Reconstruction.
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Writing Activity: Write five paragraphs to discuss the three plans
for Reconstruction.
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Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Reconstruction Amendments
In 1787, most of the black people in America were slaves. A slave is someone
who is owned by someone else. Today, there are no legal slaves in America.
It was common in 1787. As time went by, more people thought that slavery was
wrong. Most of the people who wanted to end slavery were from the states in
the north. They were called abolitionists. Most of the people who wanted to
keep slavery were from the states in the south. Slavery was important in the
South. A lot of how the people in the south made money involved slaves.
Slaves were worth money. Slaves picked their crops, like cotton and tobacco.
The people in the North wanted to end slavery. They said it was an important
step for America. The people of the South were afraid of losing slavery.
They were afraid of losing business. They thought that having slavery was
important for each state choose on its own. When President Lincoln was
elected, the South got very angry. Lincoln had said he didn't like slavery.
Most of the Southern states decided to break away from the United States.
They created their own country. It was called the Confederate States of
America. The USA did not agree that the states of the CSA could break away.
The Civil War followed. The USA won that war. It was a terrible war. Many
people died. Many buildings were destroyed.
Something good did happen, though. Slavery ended. With the 13th Amendment,
slavery was made illegal. The 14th Amendment said that every person born in
the United States was a full citizen. Even former slaves were full citizens.
The 15th Amendment made sure that black people could vote.
These changes protected many freedoms. But it took a long time to change
peoples' minds. Many people still did not like black people. They thought
that white people were better. For 100 years, some laws reflected this
feeling. Today, these laws are also gone. Most people do not think that
anyone is better than someone else just because of their color.
13th Amendment
14th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment
was proposed on January
31, 1865, and ratified on
December 6, 1865.
Section 1. Neither slavery
nor involuntary servitude,
except as a punishment for
crime whereof the party
The Fourteenth Amendment
was proposed on June 13,
1866 and ratified on July
9, 1868.
Section
1.
All
persons
born or naturalized in the
United States, and subject
to
the
jurisdiction
15th Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment
was proposed on February
26, 1869, and ratified on
February 3, 1870.
Section 1. The right of
citizens of the United
States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by
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shall have been duly
convicted, shall exist
within the United States,
or any place subject to
their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall
have power to enforce this
article by appropriate
legislation.
thereof, are citizens of
the United States and of
the
State
wherein
they
reside.
No
State
shall
make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United
States;
nor
shall
any
State deprive any person
of
life,
liberty,
or
property,
without
due
process of law; nor deny
to any person within its
jurisdiction
the
equal
protection of the laws.
the United States or by
any State on account of
race, color, or previous
condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress
shall have power to
enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
What do you think these laws mean to citizens of the United States?
Write a paragraph in your own words to explain what you think each
amendment means.
th
13 Amendment
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
FREE
CITIZENS
VOTE
28
Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Freedmen’s Bureau
Summary
The U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, popularly
known as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established in 1865 by Congress
to help former black slaves and poor whites in the South in the
aftermath of the U.S. Civil War (1861-65). Some 4 million slaves
gained their freedom as a result of the Union victory in the war,
which left many communities in ruins and destroyed the South’s
plantation-based economy. The Freedmen’s Bureau provided food,
housing and medical aid, established schools and offered legal
assistance. It also attempted to settle former slaves on Confederate
lands confiscated or abandoned during the war. However, the bureau
was prevented from fully carrying out its programs due to a shortage
of funds and personnel, along with the politics of race and
Reconstruction. In 1872, Congress, in part under pressure from white
Southerners, shut down the bureau.
The Freedmen’s Bureau was established by an act of Congress on March
3, 1865, two months before Confederate General Robert Lee (1807-70)
surrendered to the Union’s Ulysses Grant (1822-85) at Appomattox
Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War. Intended as
a temporary agency to last the duration of the war and one year
afterward, the bureau was placed under the authority of the War
Department and the majority of its original employees were Civil War
soldiers.
Oliver Otis Howard (1830-1909), a Union general, was appointed
commissioner of the bureau in May 1865. Howard, a Maine native who
attended Bowdoin College and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,
reportedly had been planning to become a minister when the Civil War
broke out. During the war, Howard, nicknamed the "Christian General,"
fought in major battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg, and lost
an arm in the Battle of Fair Oaks in 1862.
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America’s Reconstruction era (1865-77) was a turbulent time, as the
nation struggled with how to rebuild the South and transition the 4
million newly freed blacks from slavery to a free-labor society.
"There was no tradition of government responsibility for a huge
refugee population and no bureaucracy to administer a large welfare,
employment and land reform program," according to "The Freedmen’s
Bureau and Reconstruction," edited by Paul Cimbala and Randall
Miller. "Congress and the army and the Freedmen’s Bureau were groping
in the dark. They created the precedents."
From the start, the Bureau faced resistance from a variety of
sources, including many white Southerners. Another leading opponent
was President Andrew Johnson (1808-75), who assumed office in April
1865 following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1809-65). When
Congress introduced a bill in February 1866 to extend the bureau’s
tenure and give it new legal powers, Johnson vetoed the proposed
legislation on the grounds that it interfered with states’ rights,
gave preference to one group of citizens over another and would
impose a huge financial burden on the federal government, among other
issues. In July of that same year, Congress overrode the president’s
veto and passed a revised version of the bill. However, Johnson
became embroiled in a bitter fight with the Radical Republicans in
Congress, who viewed the president’s Reconstruction policies as too
lenient, and the Freedmen’s Bureau suffered as a result. Johnson’s
actions, which included pardoning many former Confederates and
restoring their land, as well as removing bureau employees he
thought, were too sympathetic to blacks, served to undermine the
bureau’s authority.
The bureau’s mission was further muddled by the fact that even among
the agency’s supporters in Congress and its own personnel, there was
disagreement over what type of assistance the government should
provide and for how long.
The Freedmen’s Bureau was organized into districts covering the 11
former rebel states, the border states of Maryland, Kentucky and West
Virginia and Washington, D.C. Each district was headed by an
assistant commissioner. The bureau’s achievements varied from one
location to another and from one agent to the next. Over its course
of existence, the bureau was underfunded and understaffed, with just
900 agents at its peak. Bureau agents, who acted essentially as
social workers and were frequently the only federal representatives
in Southern communities, were subjected to ridicule and violence from
30
whites (including terror organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan) who
viewed the agents as interfering in local affairs by trying to assist
blacks. While some agents were corrupt or incompetent, others were
hardworking and brave and made significant contributions.
During its years of operation, the Freedmen’s Bureau fed millions of
people, built hospitals and provided medical aid, negotiated labor
contracts for ex-slaves and settled labor disputes. It also helped
former slaves legalize marriages and locate lost relatives, and
assisted black veterans. The bureau also was instrumental in building
thousands of schools for blacks, and helped to found such colleges as
Howard University in Washington, D.C., Fisk University in Nashville,
Tennessee, and Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. The bureau
frequently worked in conjunction with the American Missionary
Association and other private charity organizations.
Additionally, the bureau tried, with little success, to promote land
redistribution. However, most of the confiscated or abandoned
Confederate land was eventually restored to the original owners, so
there was little opportunity for black land ownership, which was seen
as a means to success in society.
In the summer of 1872, Congress, responding in part to pressure from
white Southerners, dismantled the Freedmen’s Bureau. Since that time,
historians have debated the agency’s effectiveness. A lack of
funding, coupled with the politics of race and Reconstruction, meant
that the bureau was not able to carry out all of its initiatives, and
it failed to provide long-term protection for blacks or ensure any
real measure of racial equality. However, the bureau’s efforts did
signal the introduction of the federal government into issues of
social welfare and labor relations.
Topic: The Freedmen’s Bureau
Questions:
Notes
31
Summary:
Writing Activity:
Write a three paragraph essay to explain the role of the Freedmen’s
Bureau in Reconstruction.
32
Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Sharecropping:
Summary:
With the southern economy in disarray after the abolition of slavery
and the devastation of the Civil War, conflict arose between many
white landowners attempting to reestablish a labor force and freed
blacks seeking economic independence and autonomy. Many former slaves
expected the federal government to give them a certain amount of land
as compensation for all the work they had done during the slavery
era. Union General William T. Sherman had encouraged this expectation
in early 1865 by granting a number of freed men 40 acres each of the
abandoned land left in the wake of his army. During Reconstruction,
however, the conflict over labor resulted in the sharecropping
system, in which black families would rent small plots of land in
return for a portion of their crop, to be given to the landowner at
the end of each year.
33
During the final months of the Civil War, tens of thousands of freed
slaves left their plantations to follow General William T. Sherman's
victorious Union Army troops across Georgia and the Carolinas. In
January 1865, in an effort to address the issues caused by this
growing number of refugees, Sherman issued Special Field Order Number
15, a temporary plan granting each freed family 40 acres of land on
the islands and coastal region of Georgia. The Union Army also
donated some of its mules, unneeded for battle purposes, to the
former slaves.
When the war ended three months later, many freed African Americans
saw the "40 acres and a mule" policy as proof that they would finally
be able to work their own land after years of servitude. Owning land
was the key to economic independence and autonomy. Instead, as one of
the first acts of Reconstruction, President Andrew Johnson ordered
all land under federal control to be returned to its previous owners
in the summer of 1865. The Freedmen's Bureau, created to aid millions
of former slaves in the postwar era, had to inform the freedmen and
women that they could either sign labor contracts with planters or be
evicted from the land they had occupied. Those who refused or
resisted were eventually forced out by army troops.
In the early years of Reconstruction, most blacks in rural areas of
the South were left without land and forced to work as laborers on
large white-owned farms and plantations in order to earn a living.
Many clashed with former slave masters bent on reestablishing a ganglabor system similar to the one that prevailed under slavery. In an
effort to regulate the labor force and reassert white supremacy in
the postwar South, former Confederate state legislatures soon passed
restrictive legislation denying blacks legal equality and political
rights, and requiring them to sign yearly labor contracts.
These "black codes" provoked a fierce resistance among the freedmen
and undermined support in the North for President Johnson's
Reconstruction policies. A Republican victory in the Congressional
elections of 1866 led to the passage of the Reconstruction Acts in
1867, beginning a new phase of Reconstruction. During this period,
the passage of the 14th and 15th amendments granted African Americans
the right to vote, equality before the law and other rights of
citizenship.
Despite giving African Americans the rights of citizens, the federal
government (and the Republican-controlled state governments formed
during this phase of Reconstruction) took little concrete action to
34
help freed blacks in the quest to own their own land. Instead of
receiving wages for working an owner's land–and having to submit to
supervision and discipline–most freedmen preferred to rent land for a
fixed payment rather than receive wages. By the early 1870s, the
system known as sharecropping had come to dominate agriculture across
the cotton-planting South. Under this system, black families would
rent small plots of land, or shares, to work themselves; in return,
they would give a portion of their crop to the landowner at the end
of the year.
The sharecropping system also locked much of the South into a
reliance on cotton, just at the time when the price for cotton was
falling. In addition, while sharecropping gave African Americans
autonomy in their daily work and social lives, and freed them from
the gang-labor system that had dominated during the slavery era, it
often resulted in sharecroppers owing more to the landowner (for the
use of tools and other supplies, for example) than they were able to
repay. Some blacks managed to acquire enough money to move from
sharecropping to renting or owning land by the end of the 1860s, but
many more went into debt or were forced by poverty or the threat of
violence to sign unfair and exploitative sharecropping or labor
contracts that left them little hope of improving their situation.
Writing Activity: Explain why sharecropping was really not much
better than slavery for people that
participated in this type of farming.
Your essay should be five paragraphs in length.
35
Topic:
Sharecropping
Questions:
Notes
36
Summary:
Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Due Process
Due process can be explained as a series of safeguards within our
criminal justice system to ensure the guilty are found and the
innocent are released. Due process is the backbone of what we as a
nation consider justice and what constitutes a ‘fair trial', from
presumption of innocence to legal representation for defendants. This
way of thinking does not always translate into ‘real life', and is
even considered to be under threat from those within the system.
37
What is due process?
The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution
each contain a Due Process Clause.
Fifth Amendment:
If you are confused by what each line means, here are some
explanations to make the Fifth Amendment easier to understand:
“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise
infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand
jury”: No one can be put on trial for a serious crime, unless a grand
jury decide first that there is enough proof or evidence so that the
trial is needed. If there is enough evidence, an indictment is then
issued, which means that the person who is charged with the crime will
can put on trial for the crime.
“Except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the
militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger”:
People in the military can go to trial without a grand jury first
deciding that it is necessary. This is the case if the military person
commits a crime during a national emergency or a war.
“Nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put
in jeopardy of life or limb”: If someone is put on trial for a certain
crime and the trial ends, the person cannot be tried once more for the
same crime. If a person is convicted of a crime and then serves his or
her time in jail, or if the person is acquitted, he or she cannot be
put on trial a second time.
“Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against
himself”: The government does not have the power to make someone
testify against himself. That is why a trial uses evidence and
witnesses instead of the testimony of the accused person.
“Nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of
law”: The government cannot take away a person’s life, property, or
freedom without following certain steps that give the person a fair
chance. This is what is known as due process. Due Process helps
protect a person’s rights.
“Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just
compensation”: The government cannot take away a person’s property for
public use without somehow paying them back for it.
Fourteenth Amendment:
The 14th amendment is a very important amendment that defines what it
means to be a US citizen and protects certain rights of the people.
There are three important “clauses” in the 14th amendment, each of
which are still important today. A clause is a sentence in any part
of our constitution
Citizenship Clause – the citizenship clause gives individual born in the
38
United States, but especially at that time, African Americans the right to
citizenship. Before the 14th amendment, African Americans could not become
citizens and this limited the rights of those that were able to escape
slavery and become free. This clause allows all people born in the United
States to be US citizens. Although this right was established by the Civil
Rights of 1866, this amendment made the law permanent as many feared that
the law could be overturned and take away the citizenship of African
Americans. Later on, the Supreme Court protected this right for the
children of immigrants and the right of Native Americans to become citizens
also was protected later on. Once you have American citizenship, it cannot
be taken from you by Congress or other authorities, unless you lie to
government during the process to get US citizenship. Otherwise, everyone
that becomes an American citizen stays an American citizen, unless they give
it up themselves.
Due Process Clause – the due process clause protects the 1st amendment
rights of the people and prevents those rights from being taken away by any
government without “due process.”
Due process is a trial by jury for all
people accused of wrongdoing.
Although you may think the 1st amendment
already protects these rights, the 14th amendment specially enforces the
Bill of Rights on the states, to make sure that they can never limit the
rights of Americans without fairness.
There were also a number of rights
that are protected for those that are accused of a crime but have not been
proven to do anything wrong yet.
Equal Protection Clause – This part of the fourteenth amendment states that
there may be no discrimination against them by the law.
The federal
government enforces this protection on the states, ensuring that they do
not. Remember that the Bill of Rights protects some rights for Americans.
The equal protection clause extended this protection to the state
governments. This clause of the 14th amendment would later be used to end
discrimination and segregation in the South.
Due process deals with the administration of justice and thus the Due
Process Clause acts as a safeguard from arbitrary denial of life,
liberty, or property by the Government outside the sanction of law.
.
•Right to a fair and public trial conducted in a competent
manner
•Right to be present at the trial
•Right to an impartial jury
•Right to be heard in one's own defense
•Laws must be written so that a reasonable person can understand
what is criminal behavior
•Taxes may only be taken for public purposes
•Property may be taken by the government only for public
purposes
•Owners of taken property must be fairly compensated
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Bill's Bad Day
As he sits in his living room one afternoon, Bill encounters a string
of problems. His
teenage son is sent home from school, suspended for three days. There
is no note or reason given for the suspension.
The police knock at the door, wanting to search his house. They don't
have a warrant.
An Internal Revenue Service Agent appears, wanting to ask him
questions about his income tax deductions last year.
A social worker from the family protection service also arrives,
looking for Bill's eight-year-old daughter who does not attend
school. The social worker wants to remove the daughter from the home
and place her temporarily in shelter care. Bill's wife provides home
schooling to the daughter.
In the mail, Bill receives three letters. The first, from the state
government, informs him that the state is building a highway where
his house is located. It plans to take it and give Bill $100,000,
half of what Bill thinks it is worth. The second, from his employer,
the city government, notifies him that he is fired from his job, due
to a recent conviction for passing bad checks. Bill has never been
arrested for anything, let alone convicted. The third letter, from
the social security office, states that it is stopping the disability
benefits his wife has been receiving, without giving reasons.
He picks up the paper and reads about the case of a convicted
murderer, in which the jury is considering a death sentence.
Writing Activity: Have any of bill’s rights to due process been
denied in this scenario? Write a three
paragraph essay to explain what rights
Bill was denied and what gives a citizen these
rights.
40
41
Topic:
Due Process of Law
Questions:
Notes
Summary
Date:
Essential Question
42
Standards
How can the constitution be amended?
Summary:
Article Five of the United States Constitution describes the process
whereby the Constitution may be altered. Altering the Constitution
consists of proposing an amendment or amendments and subsequent
ratification.
Amendments may be proposed by either: two-thirds of both houses of
the United States Congress; or by a national convention assembled at
the request of the legislatures of at least two-thirds of the states.
To become part of the Constitution, amendments must then be ratified
either by approval of the legislatures of three-fourths of the
states; or state ratifying conventions held in three-fourths of the
states.
Congress has discretion as to which method of ratification should be
used.
Any amendment so ratified becomes a valid part of the Constitution,
provided that no state "shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in
the senate," without its consent.
The amendment process for the US Constitution is the means by which
the people can change the basic charter of their government. The
process itself is described in Article V, and seems very simple. In
the time since the Constitution’s adoption, however, it has been
amended only 27 times. When one considers that the first 10
amendments were enacted en masse as the Bill of Rights, this means
that the Constitution has really been successfully amended only 17
times, although thousands of amendments have been proposed.
Article V of the Constitution sets forth the amendment process in 143
words, all in a single sentence. An amendment may be proposed by
either house of the Congress. If it passes both houses by a twothirds majority, it’s put to the states for ratification. The
Congress can direct that the state legislatures vote on an amendment
or it may direct them to hold conventions of the people for the
purposes of ratification. If three-fourths of the states ratify the
amendment, it’s enacted and becomes an integral part of the
Constitution.
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by
the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention
called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures. None of the 27
amendments to the Constitution have been proposed by constitutional
convention. The Congress proposes an amendment in the form of a joint
resolution. Since the President does not have a constitutional role
43
in the amendment process, the joint resolution does not go to the
White House for signature or approval. The original document is
forwarded directly to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) for
processing and publication. The OFR adds legislative history notes to
the joint resolution and publishes it in slip law format.
The Archivist submits the proposed amendment to the States for their
consideration by sending a letter of notification to each Governor
along with the informational material prepared by the OFR. The
Governors then formally submit the amendment to their State
legislatures. In the past, some State legislatures have not waited to
receive official notice before taking action on a proposed amendment.
When a State ratifies a proposed amendment, it sends the Archivist an
original or certified copy of the State action, which is immediately
conveyed to the Director of the Federal Register. The OFR examines
ratification documents for facial legal sufficiency and an
authenticating signature. If the documents are found to be in good
order, the Director acknowledges receipt and maintains custody of
them. The OFR retains these documents until an amendment is adopted
or fails, and then transfers the records to the National Archives for
preservation.
A proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution as soon as it
is ratified by three-fourths of the States (38 of 50 States). When
the OFR verifies that it has received the required number of
authenticated ratification documents, it drafts a formal proclamation
for the Archivist to certify that the amendment is valid and has
become part of the Constitution. This certification is published in
the Federal Register and U.S. Statutes at Large and serves as
official notice to the Congress and to the Nation that the amendment
process has been completed.
In a few instances, States have sent official documents to NARA to
record the rejection of an amendment or the rescission of a prior
ratification. The Archivist does not make any substantive
determinations as to the validity of State ratification actions, but
it has been established that the Archivist's certification of the
facial legal sufficiency of ratification documents is final and
conclusive.
In recent history, the signing of the certification has become a
ceremonial function attended by various dignitaries, which may
include the President. President Johnson signed the certifications
for the 24th and 25th Amendments as a witness, and President Nixon
similarly witnessed the certification of the 26th Amendment along
with three young scholars. On May 18, 1992, the Archivist performed
the duties of the certifying official for the first time to recognize
the ratification of the 27th Amendment, and the Director of the
Federal Register signed the certification as a witness.
44
Amending the
Constitution
Usual Method
Proposal
A
By two-thirds in both
houses of Congress
Ratification
C
By legislature in
three-fourths of the
states
Ratification
D
Proposal
B
By national convention
Called by Congress at
By ratifying
the request of twoconventions in threethirds of the state
fourths of the states
legislatures
(used only once)
(never used)
The 27 Amendments to the Constitution:
Amendments 1-10 are known as the Bill of Rights:
The Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution of the United States on
December 15, 1791.
James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution," may also be considered the
"Father of the Bill of Rights." In his campaign for a seat in the House of
Representatives under the new Constitution, he promised his voters that he
would energetically push for the adoption of a bill of rights. True to his
word, he took the lead in the First Congress in pressing for the desired
amendments.
On June 8, 1789, drawing from proposals made by the various state ratifying
conventions, Madison proposed to the Congress nine amendments to the
Constitution, containing nineteen specific provisions (many of which are now
contained in the Bill of Rights). Madison and members of a House committee
then went through the complex process of drafting a bill that would secure
the necessary two-thirds approval of both houses of Congress. The House and
the Senate modified some of Madison's proposals, eliminated others entirely,
and added some new ones as well.
As it finally emerged from Congress, the proposed Bill of Rights consisted
of twelve amendments and was offered to the states for ratification. The
first two proposed amendments were never ratified by the states. (One was
related to the size of the House of Representatives and the other two laws
regarding the compensation, or payment, for senators and representatives.)
On December 15, 1791, Virginia ratified the remaining ten amendments, and
the Bill of Rights officially became part of the Constitution.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates rejected a motion made
by George Mason, author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), to
45
preface the Constitution of the United States with a bill of rights. The
failure to mention basic rights soon became a major issue in the subsequent
debates over whether or not the proposed Constitution would be ratified, or
approved.
When the Constitutional Convention ended, delegates went back to their
respective states to hold their own ratifying conventions. Each state would
decide for itself whether or not to approve the new framework for the
American government.
The debate over the need for a bill of rights was sparked by a proposal made
by a dissenting minority in the Pennsylvania ratifying convention. Some
delegates believed that guarantees of certain basic rights and liberties
were missing from the proposed Constitution. They called for a number of
amendments that would secure a wide range of liberties, such as the free
exercise of religion, freedom of speech and press, and protection against
unreasonable searches and seizures. Majorities in the ratifying conventions
of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina and South Carolina also called for numerous amendments to the
proposed Constitution. Although the substance of these recommended
amendments differed from state to state, most contained provisions that
would limit the powers of the new federal (national) government and protect
the people from inconsistent and oppressive rule.
The Anti-Federalists (those who were opposed to ratifying the Constitution)
argued that the broad powers of the new federal government would threaten
the powers of the individual states and the liberties of the people.
However, the Federalists (those who supported ratification) argued that a
bill of rights was unnecessary. Alexander Hamilton, for example, maintained
that because the proposed federal government would possess only specifically
assigned and limited powers, it could not endanger the fundamental liberties
of the people. "Why," he asked, "declare that things shall not be done which
there is no power to do? Why, for instance, should it be said that the
liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by
which restrictions may be imposed?"
Nevertheless, the Federalists had to pledge their support for the addition
of a bill of rights to the Constitution once the new government began
operations. Otherwise they would risk endangering the Constitution's
ratification in certain key states and face the possibility of another
constitutional convention.
◦Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
◦Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms
46
A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free
State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be
infringed.
◦Amendment 3 - Quartering of Soldiers
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without
the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be
prescribed by law.
◦Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
◦Amendment 5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise
crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury,
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia,
actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any
infamous
except in
when in
person
◦Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have
been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature
and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses
against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
◦Amendment 7 - Trial by Jury in Civil Cases
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed
twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no
fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of
the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
◦Amendment 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor
cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
◦Amendment 9 - Construction of Constitution
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
◦Amendment 10 - Powers of the States and People
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people.
◦Amendment 11 - Judicial Limits
◦Amendment 12 - Choosing the President, Vice President
The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot
for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be
an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in
their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct
ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make
distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all
persons voted for as Vice-President and of the number of votes for
47
each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to
the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the
President of the Senate;
◦Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for
crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist
within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
◦Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to
the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the
State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according
to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in
each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at
any election for the choice of electors for President and VicePresident of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the
Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the
Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such
State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United
States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion,
or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in
the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the
whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector
of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military,
under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously
taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United
States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or
judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the
United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against
the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress
may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by
law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for
services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be
questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or
pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion
against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of
any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held
illegal and void.
The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation,
the provisions of this article.
◦Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied
or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race,
color, or previous condition of servitude. The Congress shall have
power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation
◦Amendment
◦Amendment
◦Amendment
◦Amendment
16
17
18
19
-
Status of Income Tax Clarified
Senators Elected by Popular Vote
Liquor Abolished
Women's Suffrage
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The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied
or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
◦Amendment
◦Amendment
◦Amendment
◦Amendment
20
21
22
23
-
Presidential, Congressional Terms
Amendment 18 Repealed
Presidential Term Limits
Presidential Vote for District of Columbia
The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States
shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of
electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of
Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be
entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least
populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the
States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election
of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State;
and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided
by the twelfth article of amendment.
◦Amendment 24 - Poll Taxes Barred
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or
other election for President or Vice President, for electors for
President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in
Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any
State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. The
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.
◦Amendment 25 - Presidential Disability and Succession
◦Amendment 26 - Voting Age Set to 18 Years
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of
age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of age.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate
legislation.
◦Amendment 27 - Limiting Changes to Congressional Pay
Writing Activity: Select three of the Amendments discussed and write
a paragraph on each amendment to explain how life would be different
if we did not have that right.
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50
Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Five Economic Factors that Influence People's Behavior
Individual sets of needs and desires drive people's purchasing
behaviors and decisions. From an economic perspective, you decide to
purchase certain products over others because of limited resources -because you can't afford everything, you must choose some things and
reject others. When you make a decision, you're seeking to increase
your feelings of pleasure or satisfaction. With all choices, you must
decide which alternative is going to give you that satisfaction and
which choice is worth sacrificing for it.
Income
Your income determines how much you can afford to allocate to
different needs and wants. Most of us need a place to live,
transportation and a certain amount of food. Economists refer to
these as basic needs, which tend to get first priority. Your income
is limited, whether it comes from traditional employment, selfemployment or a combination of these -- even if you're a billionaire.
Of course, someone who has a lower income will tend to spend a higher
percentage on basic needs because they have to. Households with
higher incomes can afford to allocate more of their incomes, as a
percentage and in absolute dollar terms, to discretionary purchases,
such as vacations, cars, second homes and island-sized yachts.
Wants
Once you've met your basic needs, your purchasing behavior is largely
driven by what you want or desire, assuming that you have enough
income to provide for some discretionary spending. New products on
the market and changes to your lifestyle can make you aware of new
wants. If you take a different job that requires more hours of work,
for example, you might find that you want more convenience when
preparing your meals. Less time for yourself might also mean that
you'll want to consider hiring a maid, provided you have the income.
Advances in technology can also drive the desire or even necessity
for some purchases.
Prices
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Supply and demand largely influence the market price of products and
services. When supply is low and demand is high, the price is likely
to rise. A product or service that has low demand but ample supply
tends to carry a lower price. Competition among companies that supply
the same product or service can influence the price. With less
competition, prices tend to be higher. And a higher price for one
product may prompt you to choose a lower-priced product that meets
the same need. For instance, you might choose a less expensive soy
milk over regular milk. Or you might choose to drive an electric car
or take the bus more often if the price of gasoline rises too high.
Or, if only one company in the world produces island-sized yachts and
it wants the equivalent of the gross national product of Jamaica for
it, you might want to settle for something smaller that floats. Say,
a houseboat.
Opportunity Costs
Since you have limited resources, including money and time, your
purchase behavior is also driven by opportunity costs. You can think
of opportunity costs as being the same as tradeoffs. For example, if
you spend a third of your income today on an island-sized yacht, you
may have nothing left to invest. If the investments that you did not
make double in value in the next year, the opportunity cost of your
fancy dinghy is equal to twice its price. Given an opportunity cost
that high, you might decide to pare back on your boating lust to
devote a few more dollars to investments.
What influences the
goods and services
that a cconsumer
buys?
Credit Market
The ability to get affordable credit might influence whether you
delay major purchases, such as a car or a house. High interest rates
tend to discourage borrowing, while low interest rates encourage it.
Easy access to money translates into more economic activity as
everyone lines up to buy more on credit. High interest rates do the
opposite -- everyone contracts their spending as the high cost of
borrowing raises the price of consumption.
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Date:
Essential Question
Standards
Supply and Demand:
One of the most basic concepts of economics is Supply and Demand.
These are really two separate things, but they are almost always
talked about together.
Supply is how much of something is available. For example, if you
have 9 baseball cards, then your supply of baseball cards is 9. If
you have 6 apples, then your supply of apples is 6.
Demand is how much of something people want. It sounds a little bit
harder to measure, but it really isn't. To measure demand, we can use
a very simple numbering system, just like the supply one. If 8 people
want baseball cards, then we can say that the demand for baseball
cards is 8. If 6 people want apples, then we can say that the demand
for apples is 6.
Here is the tricky part. The price of something will depend on the
supply and demand. Imagine there is a new video game that everyone is
talking about. Everyone wants to get it, but the store is running
out. Demand is high, but supply is low. Well you will start to worry
you won’t get one at all. You start feeling almost like you would do
anything to get it, right? Even pay more? People are willing to pay
more for things they want that are hard to get. In this case, the
store is going to charge more (or raise the price) because so many
people want something there isn’t a lot of.
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The same is true in reverse, if demand is low (nobody wants it), but
supply is high (there are a lot to sell) the store is going to lower
a price and hope people buy it because it’s a bargain!
Law of Supply and Demand
Demand
Supply
Price
When lots of people want
something, demand goes up,
supply decreases and the
price increases
When a few people want
something, demand goes down,
supply increases and the
price decreases
When there is a lot of
something, supply is high,
demand is low and the price
is low
When there is only a little
bit of something, supply is
low, the demand increases and
the price increases.
Mr. Singletary has twelve pieces of candy in his hand: four mini
Snickers bars, four mini Three Musketeers bars and four Mars bars.
There are 24 students in his class. Everyone in the class wants a
piece of the candy.
The supply is _________________. The demand is _______________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
Mr. Singletary has a big bag of M&M’s. There is more than enough for
everyone to get an M&M. There is still a demand for M&M’s but not as
many people want them as the candies from before.
The supply is _________________. The demand is _______________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
Nurse Self has a huge bag of dental floss. She is selling each
container of floss to students at TCUE. She has over 2000
containers, more than all of the students and teachers combined. It
seems however that nobody wants to buy their floss from Nurse Self.
The supply is __________________. The demand is ________________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
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There are 25 cans of soda in a vending machine. Each can of soda is
the same price. There are 75 thirsty students on line to buy a drink.
The supply is __________________. The demand is _________________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
Turtle’s cost $100 at the local pet store. There are 500 turtles for
sale this week. Five children came in looking to buy one turtle each.
The supply is __________________. The demand is __________________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
Tickets to the New Directions concert can be hard to get. Thousands
of teenagers want to see the concert, but there are only 1500 seats
in the theater.
The supply is ________________. The demand is ____________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
The new BMW is a fantastic car. They are going to make a lot for
people to buy, plus thousands of people have said they will pay the
$75, 000 cost of the new automobile.
The supply is _______________. The demand is _________________.
Therefore the price can be: ___________________________________.
Explain why:
Everybody wants an Xbox 360 but only a small number were made in the
first year it was released. Games Inc. has announced that they will
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have only ten to sell when the store opens on Monday morning at 10:00
and there is a limit of one per customer.
The supply is __________________. The demand is ____________________.
Therefore the price can be:
Low
High
In your opinion, what might people do to insure they get one of the
ten Xbox 360s for sale?
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Study Guide for Unit 4 Quiz
a change in the Constitution, with this change
citizens of the
United States rights are either extended or
expanded.
a set of unwritten rules that had the goal of
keep the black and white races separated,
these unwritten rules denied the freedmen
their rights.
an agency developed to assist the freedmen
with their new life; this agency began schools
in the South, gave medical care, clothing,
food and assisted with housing.
a set of written rules that had the goal of
keep the black and white races separated,
these written rules denied the freedmen their
rights.
the movement of goods from the producer to the
consumer, Federal Express, United Parcel
Service, and Wal-Mart trucking Are examples of
this service.
the rights that a person has because they are
a citizen of the United States; voting,
freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and
due process are part of these rights.
an organization began in Tennessee during
Reconstruction. threatening, intimidation,
violence, terrorism, and wearing
white sheets are characteristics of this
group.
this amendment separated the way the president
and the vicepresident are elected; the president and the
vice-president
are elected separated instead of together
the making of a good for the consumer to use,
Flowers Baking Co, U.S. Filter, Adidas, Levi’s
jeans, Betty Crocker, and Kraft are examples
of this group.
this amendment stated that Judicial power of
the United State, shall not be construed to
extend to any suit in law or equity
the consumer makes the decisions of what to
produce, what
price the good will be sold, and how much of
the product the producer will make.
This amendment abolished slavery in the United
States and
Is considered to be part of the Reconstruction
amendments
brought about because of the Civil War.
the use of goods
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


an amendment guaranteed this right , at one
time only white
men could exercise this right, then all men
over 21 could
exercise the right and finally women could
exercise this right
Write a paragraph of at least seven sentences to explain the task given
to the Freedmen’s
Bureau during Reconstruction.
Write three paragraphs of at least five sentences each to explain why the
Freedmen’s Bureau was not a success during Reconstruction.
Explain the importance of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the newly
freed former slaves in three paragraphs of at least five sentences each.
58