Introduction
Though the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery, it was still a pivotal moment in our history. This Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln, not only changed the goals of the Civil War but was also an important milestone leading to the abolition of slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1st, 1863, declaring the freedom of slaves in any state that was still in rebellion against the Union. Since this Proclamation was a military measure it was limited in many ways, most importantly the freedom of the slaves depended on the Union becoming victorious over the Confederacy. This Proclamation also announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, allowing many to fight for their own freedom and liberty. This measure helped the Union to gain hundreds of thousands of black soldiers and sailors to fight on their side increasing not only their size and strength but also their moral force. The response from the public in regards to the Emancipation Proclamation was varied and one way opinions were conveyed was through the printing of political cartoons.
Task
For this WebQuest you will travel back in history to January 1st, 1863, you're a reporter so you travel around the country, visiting states in both the Union and the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln has just issued the Emancipation Proclamation and you have heard different opinions about it. You must first read the Emancipation Proclamation yourself so that you have an understanding of what it declares, a good reporter always takes notes, so you will be summarizing, and noting important information as you read. Next, you are going to observe three different political cartoons. It is your job to review the political cartoons; writing down different observations you see in the cartoon and considering what perspective the cartoon may be coming from. While you are analyzing these three sources you will want to keep in mind the different beliefs and opinions of people from this time and the developments that this Proclamation is making and how it's affecting them. After diligently taking notes you will compare and contrast the three political cartoons. Lastly, you will be writing an opinion article to be published in our class newspaper about the Emancipation Proclamation from the perspective of the cartoon in which you feel you most relate to. You need to reflect on all of the information and insight gained from your observations, comparisons and contrasts in order to clearly convey the point of view of the cartoon you've chosen through your opinion. When choosing the cartoon you relate your opinion most closely to, think about how you would have felt while this was going on, your personality or other traits, beliefs, values, or cultural background.
Process
Activity 1)
You're ready to start your research, reporter!! It's time to take a look at the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1st, 1863!
Emancipation Proclomation - javascript:nicTemp();
That is an original copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, and I know that can be hard to read, so you can take a look at the website below for an accurate transcript of what's written.
While you are reading through the Proclamation you're going to want to have your pen and paper ready (also known as your activity packet). I want you to take notes while you are reading and summarize the Emancipation Proclamation in your own words. This does not have to be a complete paragraph if you do not want, you can just write down notes, as long as you are summarizing the information accurately in your own words. I would also like you to answer the three questions right below your summary just to make sure you catch important parts of the Proclamation, I know that the wording can get difficult and it is important that you understand this document because it is causing quite the stir politically.
Transcript of Emancipation Proclamation (1863) - javascript:nicTemp();
Activity 2)
As you may deduct, not everyone has the same opinion about the Emancipation Proclamation as Abraham Lincoln does. One way that political views or opinions about certain topics are conveyed is through Political Cartoons. Often times the cartoons represent a large majority of people who share a similar view point. We are going to be taking a look at three different political cartoons. I want you to use the PICTURE strategy as you analyze the cartoons.
To review PICTURE strategy stands for:
P - People?
I - Items?
C - Captions?
T - Tone?
U - Underlying Purpose?
R - References?
E - Exactly what's going on?
I would also like you to write any additional observations or comments.
Be sure to ask yourself questions as you look through each cartoon, some examples would be: What stands out in the picture? Where is my eye drawn to? Is something unrealistically emphasized? - maybe to create a point? Are there any symbols that I recognize? Who is this cartoon intended for? What points of views would support/agree with this cartoon?
Please make sure you view all three political cartoons and do a thorough job observing and analyzing each one, you will need these notes for your next task! Record notes as you view the cartoons.
Political Cartoon 1:
Emancipation. And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves � shall be free! (Undated)
By J.L. Magee
Political Cartoon 2:
President Lincoln, writing the Proclamation of Freedom. January 1st, 1863 (1863)
By David Gilmour Blythe
Political Cartoon 3:
Writing the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
By Adalbert John Volck
Activity 3)
Now you are going to be compare and contrast the three political cartoons above. You may want to even pull up all three photographs at once and look at them side by side as you are reviewing the notes you wrote from Activity Two. I want you to compare and contrast all of the observations and understandings from your notes about each picture, make sure you are thinking about symbols, words, exaggerations,objects, people, purposes, intended audiences, and tone.
As you complete your Venn diagram, consider if you are beginning to see any themes from the political cartoons? Are you recognizing any cartoons that you personally agree with more than another? Can you see certain biases in the political cartoons? What perspective do you think they are coming from?
Please consider the questions above and take the time to write notes underneath your Venn diagram.
Activity 4)
The time has come, reporter! You have educated yourself on differing public opinions in regards to the Emancipation Proclamation and you have hopefully started to form an opinion of how you would have felt about it. Your last task is to write an Opinion Article that will be published in our class newspaper! I want you to really reflect on what you gathered from your observations, analysis, comparisons and contrasts in order to fully understand and portray the perspective of the political cartoon you relate to the most through your writing. The article has to be at least two complete paragraphs (meaning a minimum of 6 sentences for each paragraph). Use all of the insight you gained from reading the Emancipation Proclamation yourself and reviewing the different public opinions through primary sources.
Evaluation
Beginning Developing Very Good Exemplary
|
Activity 1 - Summarizing |
Summary was not accurate, the questions were not answered completely. | Summary was somewhat accurate, questions were responded to in full. |
Summary was accurate and all of the questions were responded to in full and correct. |
Summary was accurate and insightful, all of the questions were responded to correctly and in great detail. |
||
| Activity 2 - Observing and analyzing political cartoons |
Student only made observations on 1 or 2 political cartoons. Notes were vague and/or incomplete. |
Student made observations about all 3 political cartoons. Notes were taken but minimal detail. |
Student made observations about all 3 political cartoons. Very descriptive notes were taken. |
Student made observations about all 3 political cartoons. There were many, very descriptive notes were taken, with a lot of thought put in to the observations. |
| Activity 3 - Comparing and Contrasting using a VennDiagram |
Student only made c connections between two political cartoons. Little/incomplete information. |
Student made comparisons and contrasts between all 3 political cartoons, not very many were made, not very in depth. |
Student made comparisons and contrasts between all 3 political cartoons, well thought out and many different types of responses. |
Student made comparisons and contrasts between all 3 political cartoons, very detailed descriptions, in depth analysis is shown through diagram notes. |
| Activity 4 - Opinion Article - Opinion was clear |
Evidence and examples are hardly relevant AND/OR are not explained. | At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position. | Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position. |
All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's | ||
| Activity 4 - Opinion Article - Sentence Structure |
Most sentences are not well-constructed or varied. The length requirement is not met (0 to 5 sentences). | Most sentences are well constructed, but there is no variation is structure. The length requirement was almost met (6 or 7 sentences). | Most sentences are well-constructed and there is some varied sentence structure in the essay. The length requirement was met (8 sentences or more). | All sentences are well-constructed with varied structure. The length requirement is exceeded (over 9 sentences). | ||
| Activity 4 - Opinion Article - Spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation |
Author makes several errors in spelling, grammar, capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow. | Author makes a few errors in spelling grammar, capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow. | Author makes 1-2 errors in spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read. | Author makes no errors in spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read. |
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed your WebQuest and your task as a reporter has come to an end! I hope you enjoyed your journey visiting primary source documents from the 1860's! Analyzing documents and images, comparing and contrasting different opinions and considering perspectives are all things that help us learn about the past, but they are also skills we use today when gathering information.
Credits
Primary Sources:
Emancipation Proclamation and transcript -
Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863; Presidential Proclamations, 1791-1991; Record Group 11; General Records of the United States Government; National Archives.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=34&page=transcript
1st political cartoon -
Magee, J.L., publisher. �Emancipation. And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves, within designated states and parts of States are, and henceforward � shall be free!� Print. Undated. From The Library of Congress, The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/scsmbib:@field%28DOCID+@lit…
2nd political cartoon -
Blythe, David Gilmour, artist. �President Lincoln, writing the Proclamation of Freedom. January 1st, 1863.� Lithograph. 1863. FromTheLibraryofCongress,AmericanCartoonPrintsCollectionandPopularGraphicArtsCollec- tion. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2004665377/.
3rd political cartoon -
Volck, Adalbert John, artist. �Writing the Emancipation Proclamation.� Etching. 1863. From The Library of Congress, Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/cwnyhs:@field%28DOCID+@lit%…
All of the images used for each section of this web quest were found through google images -
Welcome page image - http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/civil/jb_civil_subj.html
Introduction image - http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/156443/draft-emancipation-p…
Task image - http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/civil-war-and-reconstructio…
Process image - http://simplycoolstuff.blogspot.com/2010/11/gettysburg-address-19-novem…
Evaluation Image � http://blog.amerifirst.com/amerifirst-blog/bid/84878/Your-First-Time-Ho…
Conclusion Image � http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/06/rfk-owned-emancipation-proclamation-u…