David L. Hollander
8th grade U.S. history teacher
Kennedy Junior High School
Naperville District 203

TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES – LESSON REFLECTION

For reference, I have reprinted the executive summary of the lesson design below, as support for this reflection. It would not need to be included in the final document, assuming the lesson proposal/design was included in its complete form.

REFLECTION
There is much in this lesson about which I am pleased. The design is sound in the aggregate. I would not modify the existing structure very much; however, there were some surprising outcomes and additional follow-up time will be needed. I feel confident I can conclude that the students demonstrated a clearer understanding of Lincoln’s view on slavery and better appreciate the challenge of slavery to his presidency and to the policy directions of the Civil War.
Structurally, I allotted 150 minutes for the work. While doable, this is probably the minimum time commitment. Like any worthy activity, it could expand easily into whatever time you set aside. Also, the use of the PROP test of reliability was not really necessary, since all of the documents were ascribed to Abraham Lincoln, and most in his own hand, students never questioned the reliability of the sources. I also experimented with how the students would meet the documents. In one class the students received all the documents at once and I communicated an expectation of a jigsaw (individual experts communicating to the group after studying one of the documents). It was obvious this was not a good approach, and I modified this before the next class met. Instead of receiving all documents at once, each group took one document at a time and studied it together. This approach allowed for more collaboration and limited frustration. They were somewhat limited in the time they had to consider each document. This could be moderated by including a homework expectation that the documents be further analyzed online at the Library of Congress website (www.loc.gov).
The lesson focus was appropriate and manageable. All groups in all classes were able to come to a conclusion about the answer to the fundamental question (Was Abraham Lincoln an Abolitionist?), as well as use evidence and creativity to present that answer. I extended the lesson in all classes to a Socratic discussion, since there was disagreement in the small groups about whether Lincoln was or was not an abolitionist. These discussions were very energetic and focused strongly on his texts, but had unanticipated effects as well.
The realization that many historians conclude that Lincoln was not an abolitionist led some students to the opposite extreme in their view of him than that which they previously held. When before Lincoln was held in the highest regard, students swung strongly to the other side, questioning his lack of moral courage and going so far as to ask why we even care to remember him.
Naturally, this is both exciting and concerning. I say “exciting” because students experienced an interactive dynamic too often absent in a history classroom. This dynamic grew out of a personal commitment on the part of the students to get to the “truth”. Conversely, this was concerning because Lincoln was not an extreme figure by almost any measurement. I will follow-up with the discussion to allow for a potential moderating of their viewpoints.
In sum, this lesson generated many positive outcomes. These students would likely embrace another opportunity to dig through primary sources for answers to vexing historical questions.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF LESSON DESIGN

A. Lesson Plan Title: Was Abraham Lincoln an Abolitionist?

B. Lesson Overview: The purpose of this lesson is to engage the students in the complex questions of slavery and abolition in the 1850s and 1860s. Students will encounter the stories of ardent abolitionists like Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, Elijah Lovejoy, John Brown, and William Lloyd Garrison, using these stories to carefully define the term “abolitionist”. Then, using the primary documents available on the Library of Congress–American Memory site, students will investigate the position of Abraham Lincoln, made clearer through his own writings, on the subject of abolition.

C. Goal of the Lesson: The goal of the lesson is to provide students with the opportunity to examine primary source documents, extract meaning from them on a topic, and to then take and defend a position on an historical question.

D. Objective: After completing the lesson, students should be able to:

a. Define the term “abolitionist”
b. Summarize the stories of significant abolitionists
c. Efficiently navigate the Library of Congress–American Memory website
d. Satisfactorily analyze Lincoln’s writings for evidence of abolitionism
e. Establish a position on Lincoln’s abolitionism
f. Present a case for or against Lincoln’s abolitionism

E. Investigative Questions:

a. What criteria would need to be present for someone to be rightly called an abolitionist?
b. Did Abraham Lincoln, in his writings, express his commitment to the identified criteria?
c. Was Abraham Lincoln an abolitionist?