Summary: This multi-day, five-lesson unit on President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address enables students to understand, summarize, and analyze primary and secondary source material of historical significance. Lessons 1-3 invite students to “read like a detective”, draw logical inferences, and write succinct summaries of a portion of the Gettysburg Address. Lessons 4 and 5 invite students to synthesize their work in lessons 1-3 as they engage in larger contextual discussions and write an argumentative essay in response to one of three prompts.
Overarching Questions:
- CIVICS: Have the concepts of liberty, justice and/or equality changed during the time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
- CIVICS: How well does the government balance individual rights and the common good, including the need to maintain order, safety and a healthy environment, during this time period?
- CIVICS: Have individuals and groups influenced public policy during this time period? If so, how and what has been the impact?
NJ Student Learning Standards for Social Studies:
- 6.1.12.CivicsDP.4.b: Analyze how ideas found in key documents contributed to demanding equality for all (i.e., the Declaration of Independence, the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address).
Link to Lesson: The Gettysburg Address | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History