Curriculum Resources
On this page you will find resources and lesson ideas for a variety of educational levels based on the content of the sources and the essential question:
How did Abraham Lincoln percieve his role as President within the bounds of the Constituion?
Elementry Level:
Lincoln's Hats
Lesson Objective: To understand the different roles ("hats") that Lincoln had while President.
Materials: For this lesson, you will need the images in the file attached, either cut out or projected on a smart board. You will also need tape for the hats if you are using print outs.
Procedure: Place the image of Lincoln on the center of the board or wall. Begin by asking the class if they recognize the image of Abraham Lincoln and what they may know about him. Explain that today, they will be learning about some of the important things Lincoln did while President. If needed, provide a short background on Lincoln, including the Civil War and Slavery.
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After students understand who the image represents, place the 4 hats (use tape if necessary, or bring them up on the screen) next to Lincoln on the board. As you bring up each hat, ask the students what they think the words on the hat mean. Be sure to clarify each hat before moving onto the next one. Be general at this stage, not specific to Lincoln.
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Once all the hats are on the board, choose 1 of the hats and place it on Lincoln's head. As you do so, read the corresponding quotation from a Lincoln document below:
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Commander-in-Chief: "I appeal to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate, and aid this effort to maintain the honor, the integrity, and existence of our national Union" - Abraham Lincoln, Presidential Proclamation (April 15, 1861)
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Freed the Slaves: "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." - Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)
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Economy Leader: "The prudent, penniless beginner in the world, labors for wages awhile, saves a surplus with which to buy tools or land for himself; then labors on his own account another while, and at length hires another new beginner to help him." - Abraham Lincoln, Annual Message (December 3, 1861)
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Judge: "the President was thereby authorized at any time thereafter, by proclamation, to extend to persons who may have participated in the existing rebellion, ... pardon and amnesty" - Abraham Lincoln, Presidential Proclamation (December 8, 1863)
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For each hat, ask the students what they think Lincoln meant by the words and how they think it relates to the hat. Be sure to help students with difficult vocabulary in the quotes.
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Once all the hats have been presented on Lincoln, ask each student to come to the board and choose the hat that they think is the most important for the President to wear and explain, briefly, why.
Middle School:
Word Clouds
Lesson Objective: To understand the different powers that Lincoln used while President and their relation to the Constitution.
Materials: For this lesson, you will need paper and pencils for the students to create their words clouds, access to laptops or ipads for students.
Procedure: Begin by placeing students in small groups (3-4) and reviewing with students the procedure for a word cloud. Ask they to put the word "President" in the center of their sheet. As a group, they should create a word cloud around "President" of words that represent what they see as the powers of the president.
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After students have completed their clouds, give each group an electronic device and instruct them to visit: http://www.shmoop.com/constitution/summary.html for a translated version of the Constition. their job is to go through each of their powers and decide if the Constituion really allows for that power. Students should cross off the powers that are not in the Constitution.
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Once all groups are finished, have students review the documents and sources on this site for 20-30 minutes and create a word cloud with "Lincoln" at the center and the powers he used in office around it. Ask them to again go through and decide if the powers associated with Lincoln's presidency can be found in the Constitution. Once they have completed their research, ask each group to decide if the Founding Fathers would have thought Lincoln was a good President. Each group should share their response with the class with explaination for discussion.
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High School:
Document Analysis
Lesson Objective: To analyze the documents provided in order to answer the essential question.
Materials: For this lesson, you will need paper and pencils, access to laptops or ipads for students, and copies of the document analysis handout attached for each document on the site (13).
Procedure: Begin by asking students to review the documents and resources on this website using the document analysis chart. This can be done in small groups for standard level classes or individually for advanced classes. Each document should have a section on the handout.
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After students have completed their charts, have standard level students group to share their thoughts on the essential question. Groups should share their answers with the class for discussion. For advanced groups, as the students to write an essay using the documents in response to the essential question as a prompt. After essays are written, discuss possible answers with the class as a whole.
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