Divided We Fall:

Cause of the Civil War

 

Day 1: Research

Student Syllabus for the Trial

Day 2: The Trial

Day 3: The Trial Continues

Day 4: Review

War Crimes On Trial: Co-operative Learning

Objectives:

• TSWBAT describe causes of the civil war
• TSWBAT explain how historical events led to the inevitability of Civil War
• TSWBAT identify main characters in US History 1850-1860
• TSWBAT argue who should be considered responsible for the war
• TSWBAT compose a letter from an historical perspective

Day 1: Research Role in trial

Focus:  Do you think Osama bin Laden should be put on trial? Why? Discuss answers. Explain that today we will look at who historians might say should be responsible for causing the Civil War.

Lesson:  EXPLAIN TRIAL PROCEDURE FOR NEXT FEW DAYS. (SEE STUDENT HANDOUT) Walk step by step through assignment sheet. Make sure everyone is clear about responsibilities for the next few day. Place students in groups (alleged, prosecutor and defense are a team, Jury members are a team. ) Break into groups, students conduct research on provided worksheets. Teacher carefully monitors. Check in sheets toward the end of the hour for "quiz" credit.

Closure: how well did your group work together? What resources helped you in your research the best? Tell me something you learned that you hadn’t known before today.

 

Day 2: THE TRIAL

Housekeeping: Presidential Poem Quiz

Focus:  IA/ ABK Brainstorm a list of things the students expect to learn in the trial today. RRL: We are going to try to keep the trial as close to real as possible. This is important if you ever have to serve on a jury.   LL: As you know, we are having our trial. Remember you need to take good notes. I want you to look for key facts discussed during the interrogations. I want you to know why that person was on the stand, and how they defend themselves.

Lesson: Conduct trial.  Teacher acts as chief justice. Each of the accused is asked how they plea. Prosecution questions 2 min. Defense interrogates 2 min. Prosecution has 1-min rebuttal. Then closing statements from each. Students listen attentively, taking notes, completing table (name, points of defense, prosecution)

Closure.  Debriefing: What did we learn? What events led to the civil war? Who was involved in starting the war? Do we think the trial was helpful?

 

Day 3: The Trial Continues

Focus: Tell me how (names of those tried on Friday, varies from class to class) helped cause the Civil War. Discuss responses. What has the trial made you think about? Today we’re continuing the trial. Remind students to take notes.

Lesson:  Housekeeping Instruct on letter writing. Address, Date, Greeting and Closure. Due Wednesday. Tomorrow, review. Test Wednesday.  Continue with trial, similar to Friday.

Closure: Have debriefing following trial (i.e. point out essential facts) Why were these people important? What did we learn? Was it effective?

 

Day 4: Tying it all together: REVIEW

Housekeeping: Test and Letter—Tomorrow

Focus: What sports do you participate in? How do you get ready?   Compare sports practice, warm up… to studying for test.    Today, we’re going to review what we have learned to make sure we all know what is expected of us.

Lesson: Baseball review  Baseball: 3 teams. 1 rep from each team goes to the front. The team that is furthest behind selects question value (1 base-home run). The team that gets the answer right advances that many spaces. Teams score points for runs. As with baseball, three strikes and you’re out—the team looses all points.   Play through all questions on the attached list.

Closure:   Tell me one thing that you think is so important that your classmates should know about it for tomorrow. Remind test and letter.                       

STUDENT HANDOUT

War Crimes: On Trial

            Most trials of war criminals involve the winner placing judgment on the loser in a rather biased fashion. Our trial will be a little different. We will look at war criminals from all sides of the conflict searching to make those responsible for the war pay for their crimes. Seven accused criminals will be brought before a jury of their peers to answer for allegedly causing the war. The alleged will face a prosecution team of four and will receive a legal defender. The trial will follow standard court procedure to the best of its ability.

            The suspected criminals are as follows

1. John Brown. For leading an attack on Harper’s Ferry and sparking conflict in Kansas.
2. Abraham Lincoln. For being elected without a single Southern vote, resulting in the secession of the Confederacy.
3. Jefferson Davis. We can’t put the entire Confederacy on trial, but someone must be held responsible for secession, a cause of the war.
4. Supreme Court Justice Roger Tawney. For ruling that slaves were property in the Dred Scott case.
5. General Beauregarde. Fired the first shots on the United States Fort at Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina.
6. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Lincoln called her, "The little women who caused the great war." Her controversial book brought to light many problems the nation was not ready to face.
7. James Buchanan. For failure to take action in the face of such conflict.

The Schedule:

            Thursday: Build your case.

• Suspects and their defense attorney will work together to research the situation, coach testimony and prepare a closing statement of 1 minute.
• The team of prosecutors will spend the day preparing their case, closing statements and line of questioning.
• Members of the jury and officials of the court will familiarize themselves with events of the time period.

Friday: The Trial

• Judge/bailiff introduce suspects and read their charge.
• Each suspect is placed on the stand, questioned by their defense attorney, a representative of the prosecution team, and then redirected by the defense.
• Members of the jury take notes and listen well to both sides of the argument. .
• Defense attorneys receive 1 minute closing statement. Prosecution receives a 3 minute closing statement.

           

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Points will be awarded for active participation on both days. Points will be deducted for disorderly conduct in the courtroom. You will be tested on all the material covered in the trial on Tuesday, Feb 25. It would be in your best interest to pay close attention to trial testimony.

In addition to your daily duties, as specified in the schedule, every person will be responsible for a 3 paragraph letter based on your role in the trial (due Tuesday Feb. 25). You will pretend to write a friend shortly after the Civil War ends, describing the outcome of the trial and your role in it. The alleged may write about how they were unjustly accused, while jury members may write about how they reached a difficult verdict. This letter, in addition to the participation points will count as ½ of a test grade, so do your best!

Key Tips about Courtroom Etiquette:

The prosecution must prove that the suspect is guilty, beyond any doubt. A defense lawyer tries to prove the suspect is innocent. A closing statement summarizes why the jury should vote your way. Lawyers may object testimony for two reasons:

1. hearsay, testifying to something you didn’t actually see, but you heard about from someone else.
2. leading the witness. When the attorney asks a question that tells the witness what he/she should say. (Example: You were at the park yesterday, weren’t you?)

 

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