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A Field Trip Through South Carolina's Past, Using the State House - Post-site Activity/Teacher Led

Grade Level: 8
Content Area:
History
Time to Complete:
4 to 5 days
Title of Lesson: A Field Trip Through South Carolina's Past, Using the State House

South Carolina State Standards Addressed:

8-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the settlement of South Carolina and the United States by Native Americans, Europeans and Africans.
8-1.4 Explain the growth of the African American population during the Colonial period and the significance of African Americans in the developing culture (e.g. Gullah) and economy of South Carolina, including the origin of African American slaves, the growth of the slave trade, the impact of population imbalance between African and European Americans, the Stono Rebellion and subsequent laws to control the slave population.
8-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the American Revolution - the beginnings of the new American nation and South Carolina's part in the development of the nation.
8-2.1 Explain the interests and roles of South Carolinians in the events leading to the American Revolution, including the state's reactions to the Stamp Act and the Tea Act; the role of Christopher Gadsden and the Sons of Liberty; and the role of the four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence - Edward Rutledge, Henry Middleton, Thomas Lynch Jr. and Thomas Heyward Jr.
8-2.3 Summarize the course and key conflicts of the American Revolution in South Carolina and its effects on the state, including the attacks on Charleston; the Battle of Camden, the partisan warfare of Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens and Francis Marion; the Battle of Cowpens; and the Battle of Kings Mountain.
8-2.5 Explain the economic and political tensions between the people of the Upcountry and the Lowcountry of South Carolina; including the economic struggles of both groups following the American Revolution, their disagreement over representation in the General Assembly and the location of the new capital city, and the transformation of the state's economy that was caused by the production of cotton.
8-3 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the American Civil War - its causes and effects and the major events that occurred during that time.
8-3.1 Explain the importance of agriculture in antebellum South Carolina, including plantation life, slavery and the impact of the cotton gin.
8-3.2 Explain the impact of key events leading to South Carolina's secession from the Union, including the nullification crisis and John C. Calhoun, the Missouri Compromise, the Tariff of 1832, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and subsequent armed conflict, the Dred Scott decision, the growth of the abolitionist movement and the election of 1860.
8-3.5 Compare the military strategies of the North and the South with regard to specific events and geographic locations in South Carolina, including the capture of Port Royal, the Union blockade of Charleston and Sherman's march through the state.
8-3.6 Compare the effects of the Civil War on daily life in South Carolina, including the experiences of plantation owners, women, Confederate and Union soldiers, African Americans and children.
8-4 The student demonstrate an understanding of the impact of Reconstruction on the people and government of South Carolina.
8-4.1 Explain the purposes of Reconstruction with attention to the economic, social, political and geographic problems facing the South, including reconstruction of towns, factories, farms and transportation systems; the effects of emancipation; racial tension; tension between the social classes, and disagreement over voting rights.
8-4.2 Summarize Reconstruction in South Carolina and its effects on daily life in South Carolina, including the experiences of plantation owners, small farmers, freedmen, women and northern immigrants.
8-4.3 Summarize the events and the process that led to the ratification of South Carolina's constitution of 1868, including African American representation in the constitutional convention; the major provisions of the constitution; and the political and social changes that allowed African Americans, Northerners, "carpetbaggers", and "scalawags" to play a part in South Carolina state government.
8-4.4 Explain how events during Reconstruction improved opportunities for African Americans, but created a backlash that, by the end of reconstruction, negated the gains that African Americans had made, including philanthropy of northern aid societies, the assistance provided by the federal government such as the Freedman's Bureau, and their advancement in politics and education.
8-4.5 Summarize the successes and failures that occurred in South Carolina during Reconstruction, including the bribery of legislators, corruption in political parties, the development of public education and growing violence during the election of 1876.
8-5 The students will demonstrate an understanding of major social, political and economic developments that took place in the United States during the second half of the 19th century.
8-5.1 Summarize the political, economic and social conditions in South Carolina following the end of Reconstruction, including the leadership of Wade Hampton and the so-called Bourbons or Redeemers, agricultural depression and struggling industrial development, the impact of the temperance and suffrage movements, the development of the 1895 constitution, and the evolution of race relations and Jim Crow laws.
8-5.2 Compare key aspects of the Populist movement in South Carolina, including the economic and political roots of Populism, the leadership of Benjamin Tillman, conflicts between the Tillmanites and the Conservatives, the founding of land-grant colleges, and the increased racial conflicts and lynching.
8-5.5 Summarize the human, agricultural and economic costs of natural disasters and wars that occurred in South Carolina or involved South Carolinians in the late 19th century, including the Charleston earthquake of 1886, the hurricane of 1893, and the Spanish-American War.
8-6 The student will demonstrate an understanding of South Carolina's development during the early 20th century.
8-6.1 Summarize the progressive reform movement in South Carolina, including the motivation of progressives: child labor laws; Prohibition; improvements to roads, hospitals, and libraries; tax reforms; changes to local government systems; and the roles significant state governors and women's groups.
8-6.4 Explain the causes and effects of changes in South Carolina's culture during the 1920s, including Prohibition, the boll weevil, the rise of mass media, increases in tourism and recreation, the revival of the Ku Klux Klan and the Southern Literary Renaissance.
8-6.5 Explain the effects of the Great Depression and the lasting impact of the New Deal programs on South Carolina including the Rural Electrification Act, the Civilian Conservation Corps, Work Progress Administration and Public Works Administration building projects, the Social Security Act and the Santee Cooper electricity project.
8-7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of South Carolina's economic revitalization during World War II and the latter 20th century.
8-7.1 Summarize the significant aspects of the economic growth experienced by South Carolina during and following World War II, including the contributions of Governor Strom Thurmond in promoting economic growth; the creation of the State Development Board and the technical education system; the benefits of a good road system, a sea port and the Savannah River site; and the scarcity of labor unions.
8-7.3 Explain how the increased industrialization and mechanization, the reduction in cotton production and the emigration of African Americans both resulted from and contributed to agricultural decline in South Carolina.
8-7.4 Explain the factors that influenced the economic opportunities of African American South Carolinians during the latter 20th century, including racial discrimination, the Briggs v. Elliot case, the integration of public facilities and the civil rights movement, agricultural decline and statewide educational improvement.

Assessment/Extension Activity:

The following activity was designed to assess and reinforce the material covered in the field trip to the State House and the State House grounds.

A. Individually, or in collaborative pairs, the students will make short oral presentations describing how the event or leader which was the focus of the pre-site activity has been memorialized in the State House and State House grounds.
  Students' presentations should answer questions, such as:
Does the memorial help develop a better understanding of the historical event/leader?
Does the memorial offer a biased or objective presentation of the subject, why?
Cold the memorial be improved?
B. In collaborative pairs or as a class, the students will identify an important event or leader who has not been memorialized in the State House or the State House grounds.  Students may wish to try to design their own memorial.  Their completed projects should include:
A statement that indicates the importance of the event or leader to the state's history.  Why should this event/leader be memorialized on the State House grounds, or in the State House?
A written description of how the memorial will reflect the importance of the event or leader.
A statement that explains how the memorial will contribute to the development of public memory.
A design for the memorial (graphic, image); a plan where the memorial should be located in the State House or on the State House grounds.


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