Lesson Plan - “Forever Free”

Build Background Knowledge

Before reading the article, have students take the five-question Prereading Quiz at junior.scholastic.com. The interactive quiz is self-scoring and will give an explanation after students answer each question. Then prepare students to take two-column notes as they watch the video “America’s Civil War.” Have them set up a narrower column on the left to record key dates, names, and concepts and a wider column on the right for details about each item. Play the video and then discuss which details are most important.

Preview Vocabulary

Use the online Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms assassinate, Civil War, decree, delegate, economy, emancipate, Emancipation Proclamation, federal, inauguration, orator, ratify, secede, and 13th Amendment. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to underline, highlight, or jot down the central idea of each section.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• What was the Emancipation Proclamation? How did it change the lives of millions? (Central Ideas)
The Emancipation Proclamation was a decree that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued on January 1, 1863. It declared enslaved people in the 11 Confederate states that had seceded from the Union to be “forever free.” As word of it spread, many Black people fled captivity. Many of those who escaped joined the Union war effort.

• Summarize the section “Torn Apart by War.” (Summarizing)
Before the U.S. was founded, slavery was common in the 13 Colonies. States in the North gradually ended the practice, leading to conflicts as the U.S. Constitution was drafted in 1787. Southern delegates had insisted that slavery be protected. Arguments over the issue continued as the U.S. expanded west. When Lincoln was elected in November 1860, many Southern leaders worried that the federal government would try to abolish slavery across the nation. South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, and 10 more states followed, forming the Confederate States of America. On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began when Confederate troops fired on Union-held Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina.

• How did President Abraham Lincoln wrestle with his beliefs? (Analyzing Individuals)
Lincoln was said to hate slavery. But wanting to keep the country together, he said at his inauguration that he had “no purpose” to interfere with it in the states where it existed. The president suffered criticism from abolitionists, who wanted to end the practice—but also from Northerners who thought the purpose of the war was to preserve the Union, not end slavery. Lincoln tried to end slavery in the border states and “offered to pay enslavers in those states to gradually free their people.” But he didn’t want to push too hard and have those states secede. After Lincoln came up with his plan to declare enslaved people in Confederate states free, he didn’t want people to think that he was “acting from weakness,” so he waited for a Union victory to announce the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

• How does the map “A Nation Divided” support the article? (Text Features)
The map shows where slavery was allowed in 1862. Most of the states that stayed in the Union did not allow slavery, but Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia (which joined the Union in 1863), Maryland, and Delaware did. Additionally, the map shows the locations of three major contraband camps, where many self-emancipated Black Americans took refuge. The map also shows where the Civil War started at Fort Sumter, along with the location of the Battle of Antietam—the Union victory that enabled Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

• How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect the Civil War? (Cause and Effect)
As news of it spread and Union troops pushed south, many self-emancipated Black Americans fled their way. The Emancipation Proclamation also allowed Black men to join the Union Army, and many did. By the time the Civil War ended, about one in 10 Union soldiers were Black. The steady loss of its enforced labor hurt the Confederacy’s economy and damaged its war effort. The tide gradually turned toward the Union. The Civil War effectively ended with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.

• How was slavery in the U.S. finally abolished? (Key Details)
Because the Emancipation Proclamation applied only to the Confederate states, slavery was technically still legal in the United States. Full abolition required a change to the Constitution. Congress passed the 13th Amendment in January 1865, and it was ratified by the states in December 1865. Only then was slavery officially abolished in the U.S.

• Choose an image to analyze from the article. What do you notice about it? How does it add to your understanding? (Visual Literacy)
Sample response: The image of the crowd celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation in Port Royal, South Carolina, supports the article by showing a scene that seems similar to the one described at the Tremont Temple in Boston, Massachusetts. I notice that some people are on a stage, perhaps making an announcement as others hold flags and musical instruments. Many of the men in the crowd are waving their hats in the air and a lot of the people seem to be talking to each other about the news. The image also supports the article by helping readers see what one of the contraband camps mentioned in the article was like.

Analyze Primary Sources

Guide students to complete the Skill Spotlight activity at the end of the article. Help them cite specific details from the decree in their responses. Use Think-Pair-Share to discuss responses. Then assign the Skill Builder Primary Source: The Life of Frederick Douglass to have students read an excerpt from the famous orator’s autobiography. After students answer the questions about it individually or in pairs, review responses as a class.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.