VIRGINIA INQUIRY COLLABORATIVE AND C3 TEACHERS African Americans Constructing Freedom How have African Americans created their own freedom following emancipation? African-American Church Congregation in Washington DC, 1870s Supporting Questions 1. How did African Americans take advantage of social, economic, and political opportunities after the Civil War? 2. How did African Americans use new legislation, their new found political, economic, and social capital to further secure their freedom and independence? 3. How have African Americans resisted white supremacy and what was the impact of African Americans’ resistance during the Reconstruction Era? THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. 1 VIRGINIA INQUIRY COLLABORATIVE AND C3 TEACHERS 11th Grade US History Reconstruction Inquiry How have African Americans created their own freedom following emancipation? Virginia Social Studies Standards VA SOL STANDARD VUS.7e: The student will apply social science skills to understand the Civil War and Reconstruction eras and their significance as major turning points in American history by evaluating and explaining the political and economic impact of the war and Reconstruction, including the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards: 17, 19, 20 Staging the Compelling Question Read the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, then complete the thinking routine “Color-Symbol-Image”. Supporting Question How did African Americans take advantage of social, economic, and political opportunities after the Civil War? Formative Performance Task Create a 3-way T-Chart that shows the political, social, and economic opportunities African Americans took advantage of post Civil War. Featured Sources Source A: Reconstruction Video Source B: Wm I. Johnson interview Source C: The Appeal Source D: Tolson Chapel Schools Source E: Cuffeytown Thirteen Summative Performance Task Supporting Question Supporting Question How did African Americans use new legislation and their newly found political, economic, and social capital to further secure their freedom and independence? How did African Americans resist white supremacy and what was the impact of African Americans’ agency and resistance during the Reconstruction Era? Formative Performance Task Formative Performance Task Create an annotated photo gallery of prominent African American politicians, business owners, organizations, and leaders. Make a claim and support it with evidence from the sources used today and previously. Featured Sources Featured Sources Source A: Radical Republicans in GA Source B: African Americans in Congress Source C: Black Virginia Legislators Source A: Greenwood & Tulsa Race Riots Video Source B: Election Day in Mississippi Source C: Mutual Aid Societies Source D: Black Churches ARGUMENT. Construct an argument (e.g., detailed outline, poster, essay, or multimedia presentation) that evaluates the need to study these events using specific claims and relevant evidence from sources while acknowledging competing views. EXTENSION. Make a Claim: Are there examples in modern times of African Americans having the determination to show resistance to those that try to limit freedom and equality? UNDERSTAND. African Americans continue to construct freedom for themselves today through political, social, and economic actions despite continued barriers of institutional, individual, and structural racism. Taking Informed Action ASSESS. Students make connections between the ways in which African Americans constructed freedom for themselves in the Reconstruction era and how people continue to do so today. ACT. Write a persuasive letter to a representative in government on a law, policy and/or practice related to African Americans and other marginalized people who might be disenfranchised in their rights and freedoms. *Featured sources are suggested and links are provided. It may be that these links are broken and we apologize in advance for the inconvenience. This inquiry was developed by ... THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-SHAREALIKE 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. 2 VIRGINIA INQUIRY COLLABORATIVE AND C3 TEACHERS Overview Inquiry Description This inquiry focuses on the ways in which African Americans have been able to construct their own freedom in the face of injustice