The African American Experience in NC after Reconstruction

The documents included in this lesson come from The North Carolina Experience collection of Documenting the American South and specifically focus on African Americans and race relations in the early 20th century. The lesson juxtaposes accounts that relate to both the positive improvements of black society and arguments against advancement. Combined, these primary sources and the accompanying lesson plan could be used as a Document Based Question (DBQ) in an advanced US history or African American history course.

A lesson plan for grades 11–12 Social Studies

By Meghan Mcglinn

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Related pages

• Levine Museum of the New South: This museum shows the diverse history of the South since the Civil War, with a focus on Charlotte and the surrounding Carolina Piedmont.
• Interracial "harmony" and the Great Awakening: The students will be introduced to two episodes in 19th century American history, around the time of the Great Awakening, that show glimpses of some positive and negative consequences of interracial interaction in a religious context. The students will examine primary sources from the Documenting the American South collection to then be able to write a "sermon" from the perspective of a southern itinerant preacher during the Great Awakening arguing for or against religion as a cure for the social ill of racism and slavery.
• The Middle Passage According to Olaudah Equiano: Olaudah Equiano is perhaps one of the most well-known abolitionist writers and former slaves to live in America. His narrative has been digitized as a part of the Documenting the American South North American Slave Narratives collection. His vivid retelling of his trip onboard a slave ship bound for the New World illustrates the horrific and dehumanizing experience.

Related topics

• Learn more about African Americans, North Carolina, and social studies.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• learn more about the state of race relations in North Carolina after Reconstruction and in the early 20th century.
• learn about various perspectives related to race relations in North Carolina and evaluate major arguments of both sides.
• work with primary sources and read for bias and author’s context.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1-2 days

Technology resources

Internet access, computer lab (or print copies of documents)

Activities

This lesson involves five fairly long documents. In order to make the material more manageable for students, it is suggested that only excerpts are assigned.

Also, one option involves dividing the class into four groups and then assigning each group a particular document to read. Using the jigsaw method, students could then “teach” each other about the documents before completing comparisons or class discussions.

Have students read the following:

1. John Merrick: A Biographical Sketch by R. McCants Andrews. Suggested excerpt: Chapter 12 “The Larger Significance of North Carolina Mutual.” Also some sections of the introduction are useful since they provide background on Merrick and place the document in its historical context.
2. “The Negro in NC and the South” by Chief Justice Walter Clark. Suggested excerpts: this document is divided into many interesting themes, in particular “The Value of Negro Labor”, “Farm ownership”, “No Negro Problem” (notice the nativist views), and “Negro suffrage” all give clear indications of Clark’s perspective.
3. W.E.B. Du Bois’s brief biography (short introduction) and “The Upbuilding of Black Durham”. Suggested excerpt: all of pp 334-338.
4. “Natural Selection and the Race Problem” by Benjamin K. Hays. (Notice that this article was printed in a medical journal. Suggested excerpts: all, pp. 1-21, in particular on p. 2 he refers to Frederick Douglas (the colored apostle), Du Bois on pp 11-12, equality p. 17, and the “true” position for African Americans on p. 20-21.

While students read have them fill in the Perspectives on African American Advancement Chart. “Historic context” refers to the author’s position including his ethnicity, role in society, biography, etc. whereas “major points” are main arguments, bias, or points of view encountered in reading the text.

Assessment

Ask students to write about or discuss in class the differing perspectives regarding African American advancement, the major issues facing their population in the years after Reconstruction ended and the white views that attempted to hinder their progress.

Supplemental information

Related websites

• John Merrick: A Biographical Sketch by R. McCants Andrews
• The Negro in NC and the South by Chief Justice Walter Clark
• W.E.B. Du Bois’s brief biography
• The Upbuilding of Black Durham by W.E.B. Du Bois
• Natural Selection and the Race Problem by Benjamin K. Hays

Comments

This lesson is suitable for an advanced history class.