The target group for both the quiz and the game would be 9th or 10th grade history. Ideally, this quiz would fit into the discussion of the Civil War during a US History course. While draft dodging is considered dishonorable, it was a significant part of US history during this era – so much so that there were entire systems set up for people to avoid being drafted. As for the Gettysburg Address, it is one of the most iconic speeches in US history. It is always an important piece to discuss during US History, and activities like this give it a bit more of an interactive feel.
Context: Slavery of both Africans and African Americans within the United States existed from the creation of our country in 1776 until the 13th Amendment of the Constitution in 1865. Slavery played a pivotal role in the founding of the United States, with the majority of our founding fathers even benefitting from slave labor during their time. While the constitution was written to suggest that everyone deserved basic civil liberties, the actions of politicians during this period of time suggested that they believed otherwise.
Context: Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln is often known as “The Great Emancipator” due to relatively progressive stance (for the time) against slavery. However, despite this, Lincoln’s stance on slavery was not necessarily one based entirely on the grounds of morality. From the beginning, Lincoln ran on a platform of prevention for the spread of slavery, but it took many years for him to finally recommend emancipation as a means of ending slavery. Lincoln argued that someone should not be enslaved simply for having a darker complexion or a lesser intellect, but did not explicitly argue that people from African descent were equal to those of European descent. While Lincoln certainly played a major role in emancipation, it is not entirely clear whether he justified his decision as a political narrative, or if he felt strongly against the unequal treatment of African Americans.
Context: The Emancipation Proclamation effectively changed the focus of the Civil War from that of preserving the Union to that of ending slavery. On January 1, 1863 Abraham Lincoln gave The Emancipation Proclamation which served multiple purposes: The first was to emancipate any slaves from territories that were liberated by the Union, and the other was to reduce the potential for European intervention in the war on behalf of the Confederacy. Shortly following the Civil War, the 13th Amendment would be made to The Constitution. However, despite the end of slavery becoming a reality, slaves were not allowed to be citizens of the United States, they could not vote, and they were still subject to many instances of segregation based off of nothing more than their complexion.
Context: This map shows the progression of the Civil War from the years 1861-1864. In particular, it shows the progression of the Union further South as they began to get a greater foothold against the Confederacy.
Questions for Students: 1. Why would the Emancipation Proclamation reduce the potential for European intervention in the Civil War?
2. What other political advantages could come out of ending slavery within the United States?
3. Why would the Confederacy (in Southern regions) be more attached to slavery compared to the Union?
Instructional Goals and Sample Answers: The learner will analyze the text, the map, and the provided images as context clues to answer the provided questions.
1. The Emancipation Proclamation could reduce European intervention by establishing a different motive for war within the Union. Rather than the war being a simple disagreement where either side could potentially be incorrect, the slavery narrative allowed the Union a definitive motive that was aimed at ending something that made the United States look like hypocrites to the rest of the world, given the wording of our constitution.
2. A few advantages could come out of it. The party that freed the slaves, assuming they could pass voting right acts could have a new source of voters. Another advantage would be that the United States could appear more noble on the world stage, which could benefit foreign policy. Finally, as it was stated above, it allowed for a more “1 on 1” war between the Union and the Confederacy – one of the things that helped ensure Union victory during the Civil War.
3. Slavery was more appealing to those in Southern climates because there was more farming occurring in those areas. In particular, the South is known for fruit growing and cotton plantations. These were huge industries that would be made exponentially more expensive and difficult if slave labor was abolished. The colder Northern climates were more focused on technology and big industries that did not require/ did not benefit heavily from slave labor making it less of a necessity.
Context: Vaccinations have been around for over 200 years. With as severe as polio was in the United States, and around the world, it was estimated that Polio had an approval rating of well over 90% during the peak of the virus. However, over time, the public’s opinion of vaccines has declined significantly.
Icebreaker Activity: Describe any symbols found in this photo. What do these symbols mean? What were they used for?
Response: “Wellbee” is a symbol, as he is the mascot of the polio vaccine. He was clearly meant to advertise the vaccine and make it seem more appealing to certain demographics, particularly children.
Context: Vaccinations are often administered in the form of “shots.” Despite the sanitary conditions of hospitals, along with research to suggest that they’re safe, many people have a phobia of needles.
Icebreaker: Come up with a list of questions about this image, or why vaccines are administered via needles.
Response: 1. Why have vaccines been limited to needles in modern contexts when they were available orally during the polio era? 2. Are vaccines directly related to peoples’ fear of needles? 3. Are these phobias mutually exclusive? 4. When did vaccines begin to be administered through needles?
Like most viruses, Polio had many symptoms. In this case, this child was subject to paralysis of some sort. In this image, you see the child learning to walk with canes again, while he legs are being supported by braces. For many, surviving Polio was a blessing. Many would lose their ability to breath, forcing them into iron lungs (see featured image) and other major symptoms that would heavily diminish one’s quality of life.
Icebreaker: Analyze the image. Write down things that surprise you in this image.
Response: I was surprised how brutal this image was. Obviously you hear about how bad Polio was, but it’s scary to think that viruses have no interest in discriminating. They affect everyone, whether that’s child, adult, elderly, or anything in between. How bad that ends up being is really dependent on their immune system, but it is scary that this could potentially happen to anyone. It makes you thankful for vaccines that save us from things like this.
Picture 1: This man is clearly dressed well – implying wealth. His clothes are clean, pressed, and are not tattered.
Picture 2: FDR – His face clearly showing concern for his country. This image quite possibly captures him shortly before he makes life changing decisions for many Americans.
Picture 3: The clean appearance of FDR likely conveyed to Americans that he was a leader. A beacon of hope for those who struggled so much during this time period.
Picture 1: The child’s hair is dirty, implying that he has no access to clean conditions. His head is pointed toward the ground in anguish, despite his young age.
Picture 2: A mother’s face. Full of concern and fear for what lies ahead for her children. This is quite possibly the most famous photo from this time period.
Picture 3: This child cries on his mother’s shoulder. Likely hungry, and scared. He is very thin, implying he’s hungry. Certainly something no child should ever have to go through.
