Examining the Compromise of 1850 Lesson Plan
By Tori Austin

Overview

In this lesson, students will examine key legislation that led to the continuation of slavery and the Civil War. Designed for middle school American history students, the lesson examines the Compromise of 1850 and the differing opinions of the politicians in power.

Curriculum Standards

National Curriculum Standards

For a list of standards that this unit addresses, click here.

Time Required

• One class period to read and discuss the essay.
• One to three class periods to hypothesize and research foods.
• One class period for the International Food Festival.

Materials

• The "African Crops and Slave Cuisine" essay
• Internet Access

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

1. Using the Think-Write-Pair-Share discussion strategy below, have students answer the following questions:


• What do you think about when you hear the terms slavery, abolition, and compromise?
• How would the addition of new states affect Congress?
• Why would the issue of slavery create controversy in territories applying for statehood?


Think-Write-Pair-Share Discussion Strategy. Students:


• Listen while the teacher poses a question.
• Are given "wait-time" so each student can think of an appropriate response.
• Write their response to the questions.
• Are cued to pair with a neighbor to discuss their responses.
• Share their responses with the whole group.


2. Have students debrief with the entire class after they have paired and shared their ideas.



3. After the debriefing, distribute the graphic organizer for vocabulary development and have students review and build the terminology related to the topic.



4. Using maps and other resources, review with students the events prior to the debate that lead to the creation of the Compromise of 1850 (i.e., the Three-Fifths Compromise, Missouri Compromise of 1820, areas acquired as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and Mexican Cession).

Procedures

1. Structure teams of four or five students.



2. Assign each student on the team a different number from one to five.



3. Pose the following questions about the topics below to the teams and have them collaboratively generate their answers:


1. The Three-Fifths Compromise [http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/552/The_ThreeFifths_compromise] ended the Constitutional Convention debate surrounding how to determine a state's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives:


• What was the major issue that led to the debate?
• Why was the inclusion of slaves in the population count of a state a concern for northern and southern states?


2. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 [http://www.toptags.com/aama/events/mcomp.htm] settled a debate about admitting Missouri into the United States:


• What was the major issue that led to the debate?
• Why was the balance of free and slave states in the Senate such an important issue?


3. There were several areas that were acquired as part of the end of the War with Mexico:


• What issue do you think is going to arise again as these territories begin to apply for statehood?


4. The debate regarding slavery in the territories would lead, once again, to the need for a congressional compromise:
• What compromise would you develop to the controversy over slavery in 1850?
  
  (Be sure you have The Compromise of 1850 [http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/C/Compromi.asp] on the board for this question.)


4. Call out numbers at random and have all students with each number answer the questions based on their group's discussion.



5. Using the following quotes from Calhoun, Clay and Webster, have students decide if the person is pro-slavery or anti-slavery. Tell students that these three individuals played a large part in developing the compromises that were reached on slavery.


• John C. Calhoun: "The South asks for justice, simple justice, and less she ought not to take. She has no compromise to offer but the Constitution and no concession or surrender to make."



• Daniel Webster: "I wish to speak today, not as a Massachusetts man, not as a northern man, but as an American.... I speak today for the preservation of the Union. Hear me for my cause."



• Henry Clay: "I know no South, no North, no East, no West to which I owe any allegiance."


6. Instruct students to work in pairs, using their textbooks, web site material and additional supplemental materials, to complete the Compromise of 1850 Graphic Organizer [link to graphic organizer, below]. Make sure they detail the compromise, the features of the final compromise, the parties involved in the compromise, what each party gave up, and what each party gained.



7. Debrief with the graphic organizer to make sure that students understand the provisions of the compromise.

Review Questions

Ask students to answer the following:

• Why do you think Congress developed the Compromise of 1850?
• What was the reality of U.S. politics in 1850?
• How do the Compromise of 1850 and your own compromise differ?
• Which compromise could have permanently settled the issue of slavery?

Individual Activity

1. Have students read the statement made by President Fillmore and others that called the Compromise of 1850 "a final settlement" of the conflict between the North and the South.



2. Ask students to decide if the Compromise of 1850 could really serve as a "final settlement" and share why or why not they think so with the class.

Closure

1. Have students create a list, statement, or visual that represents the content of the lesson.



2. Then, ask them to review the content using the Stand and Share Strategy as follows:
• All students stand.
• One student shares an idea; all students with the same idea sit down.
• Continue until all students are seated.

This lesson was submitted by Tori Austin, an independent education consultant in Texas.

Compromise of 1850 Graphic Organizer

Compromise of 1850	Features of the final compromise	Parties involved in the compromise	What did each party gain?	What did each party give up?