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Read Kansas! Middle School - M-11 Dispute Over Slavery in Kansas Territory

This lesson can apply to Kansas or United States history. It focuses on the dispute over slavery in Kansas Territory. The students will use two pieces of persuasive writing from the period (primary sources) to understand the views of proslavery and antislavery settlers. By comparing and contrasting to gain information, the students will write a persuasive ending to the antislavery document. The lesson is designed to take two class periods but can be adjusted to meet individual class schedules. Select each image to see a PDF with the front and back of each card.

M-11 Dispute Over Slavery in Kansas Territory
mp3 audio

M-11 Dispute Over  Slavery in Kansas Territory
mp3 audio

Lesson plan

Kansas History, Geography, and Social Studies Standards:

Standard #3: Societies are shaped by beliefs, ideas, and diversity

  • 3.1: The student will recognize and evaluate significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas of the many diverse peoples and groups and their impact on individuals, communities, states, and nations.
  • 3.2:  The student will draw conclusions about significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas, analyzing the origins and context under which these competing ideals were reached and the multiple perspectives from which they come.

Kansas College and Career Ready Standards:

  • RH.6-8.6:  The student identifies aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
  • WHST.6-8.1(a-e):  The student writes arguments focused on discipline-specific content.