Dr. Van Hoy's Public History Class, St. Mary's University

from Apr. 28, 1865

Lincoln Assassination, April 28th, 1865

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Full Title

El Nuevo Mundo: Lincoln Assassination, April 28th, 1865
Description

El Nuevo Mundo [The New World], was a Spanish tri-weekly newspaper dedicated to the interest of Republicanism in the Americas; copies were circulated throughout California, Mexico, Central America, and South America. In this issue, the newspaper included an illustration and an account from an eyewitness of the assassination of Lincoln in the Ford Theatre. Taking place two weeks after the assassination, El Nuevo Mundo reporters attended a Mexican Patriotic Club meeting in Virginia, Nevada. The President of the club gave a speech, expressing a thirst for justice and the fall of the Confederacy. The Society of Patriotic Women of Virginia City was also in attendance at the meeting in junction with the men of the Mexican Patriotic Club, whose president also gave a speech in front of the entire body. In a slightly altered manner, she spoke of not merely a hopeful defeat of the Confederates, but of return to union.
Transcription

“The Lady Harris, who was in the box with the president, gives the following account: The assassin entered in the box, and Major Rathburn [Henry Rathbone] got up and asked the intruder what business had him there. Without answering he ran inside, and placed the gun to the head of the president, fired, and in that instant he jumped onto the balustrade of the box and made a threatening motion with a dagger he carried, pointed at the face or chest of Mr. Lincoln… Major Rathburn [Rathbone] jumped forward to protect the president, grabbed the assassin by the end of his frock and was stabbed in the arm. The assassin then jumped onto the stage and fled – Dispatch of the associated press”
Source

Newsbank
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Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission.
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El Nuevo Mundo. "El Nuevo Mundo: Lincoln Assassination, April 28th, 1865 ". El Nuevo Mundo. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1090

Creator

El Nuevo Mundo
Publisher

El Nuevo Mundo
Date

April 28, 1865
Material

newspaper
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from Apr. 28, 1865

El Nuevo Mundo: Lincoln Assassination, April 28th, 1865

Description

El Nuevo Mundo [The New World], was a Spanish tri-weekly newspaper dedicated to the interest of Republicanism in the Americas; copies were circulated throughout California, Mexico, Central America, and South America. In this issue, the newspaper included an illustration and an account from an eyewitness of the assassination of Lincoln in the Ford Theatre. Taking place two weeks after the assassination, El Nuevo Mundo reporters attended a Mexican Patriotic Club meeting in Virginia, Nevada. The President of the club gave a speech, expressing a thirst for justice and the fall of the Confederacy. The Society of Patriotic Women of Virginia City was also in attendance at the meeting in junction with the men of the Mexican Patriotic Club, whose president also gave a speech in front of the entire body. In a slightly altered manner, she spoke of not merely a hopeful defeat of the Confederates, but of return to union.
Source

Newsbank
Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission.
Creator

El Nuevo Mundo
Publisher

El Nuevo Mundo
Date

April 28, 1865
Material

newspaper

from May. 14, 1867

Ball of Union Lodge No. 3 of Texas

Full Title

A Letter to the Editor: Ball of Union Lodge No. 3 of Texas I.O.G.T.
Description

This letter to the editors of San Antonio Express describes a military ball at Union Lodge No. 3 of Texas, I.O.G.T. during the summer of 1867. At the ball - which was held in honor of Sergeant William Cole's recent promotion - a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln was adorned with a wreath of flowers just over two years after his assassination.
Source

San Antonio Express
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n/a
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Anonymous. "A Letter to the Editor: Ball of Union Lodge No. 3 of Texas I.O.G.T.". San Antonio Express. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1088

Creator

Anonymous
Publisher

San Antonio Express
Date

May 14, 1867
Material

newspaper
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from May. 14, 1867

A Letter to the Editor: Ball of Union Lodge No. 3 of Texas I.O.G.T.

Description

This letter to the editors of San Antonio Express describes a military ball at Union Lodge No. 3 of Texas, I.O.G.T. during the summer of 1867. At the ball - which was held in honor of Sergeant William Cole's recent promotion - a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln was adorned with a wreath of flowers just over two years after his assassination.
Source

San Antonio Express
Rights

n/a
Creator

Anonymous
Publisher

San Antonio Express
Date

May 14, 1867
Material

newspaper

from Jan. 31, 1866

Joseph S. Caulk to Andrew Johnson and Edwin M. Stanton

Full Title

Joseph S. Caulk to Andrew Johnson and Edwin M. Stanton
Description

Joseph S. Caulk, a veteran of Company K of the 24th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Infantry, wrote to President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton seeking permission to march while armed to honor the deceased President Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1866. Caulk, a bricklayer from Delaware, enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 44 on March 28, 1865, shortly before the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Transcription

Wilmington Jan 31th 1866
Sir
Mr President or Secatary of Ware by Permishin i take the liberty to ask you to be so kind as to gave us the Returnd Soldears of the State of Delawear a permit to turn under armes on the 12th of Februeary to Silabrat of our Well belovid Mr Aberham Lincoln birth day our opposers has Sead the collard pepel Wor going to rase but person With comon Sence Wold know better yours With respect Write to
Joseph S. Caulk W. 7. St No 214
Wilmington, Del–
Source

Shared by Jonathan White, associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University. Joseph S. Caulk to Andrew Johnson and Edwin M. Stanton, January 31, 1866, in RG 107 (Records of the Office of the Secretary of War), microfilm M494 (Letters Received by the Secretary of War From the President, Executive Departments, and War Department Bureaus, 1862-1870), reel 84.
Rights

This item is in the public domain may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.
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Joseph S. Caulk. "Joseph S. Caulk to Andrew Johnson and Edwin M. Stanton". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1087

Creator

Joseph S. Caulk
Date

January 31, 1866
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from Jan. 31, 1866

Joseph S. Caulk to Andrew Johnson and Edwin M. Stanton

Description

Joseph S. Caulk, a veteran of Company K of the 24th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Infantry, wrote to President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton seeking permission to march while armed to honor the deceased President Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 1866. Caulk, a bricklayer from Delaware, enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 44 on March 28, 1865, shortly before the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Source

Shared by Jonathan White, associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University. Joseph S. Caulk to Andrew Johnson and Edwin M. Stanton, January 31, 1866, in RG 107 (Records of the Office of the Secretary of War), microfilm M494 (Letters Received by the Secretary of War From the President, Executive Departments, and War Department Bureaus, 1862-1870), reel 84.
Rights

This item is in the public domain may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.
Creator

Joseph S. Caulk
Date

January 31, 1866

from Apr. 23, 1865

Patriotic Club of Mexico

Full Title

Patriotic Club of Mexico
Description

On April 23, 1865, the Patriotic Club of Mexico called a special meeting of it's members in the mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. Latinos across the West who had supported Lincoln and the Union cause were shocked, and they gathered to reflect on the assassination and it's international impact. Meetings were often organized around "juntas patrioticas", patriotic assemblies of Latinos formed in the aftermath of the 1862 French invasion of Mexico. This is an excerpt from a speech given by Rafael H. Gonzalez, a member of the club, who shares his lament for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and uncertainty about the nation's future.
Transcription

Mr. Gonzalez requested the floor and said:
Gentlemen: An unexpected event has come to fill with grief the hearts of every son of America. Abraham Lincoln has become a victim of assassination! On the night of April 14, he was assassinated by the hand of the villainous John Wilkes Booth. May the curse of all the Americas fall on this Cain for this evil of taking from the world this great citizen, the Northern Star, and the guardian angel of all the Americas. To dare call tyrants, all the accomplices of this assassination, of a man who sacrificed his existence for the liberty of 4 million human beings. Do you call this tyranny? Sons of America! The parricidal hand of an assassin has taken Abraham Lincoln, that immortal man of America who freed the miserable slaves. That great man had the glory, before he expired, to see the surrender of Richmond, capital of the Rebel states, and Lee, general of those forces.

Mexicans! Let us cry for the loss of this virtuous citizen, martyr for the liberty of America. Let us cry because he has become the victim of an assassin. His teachings engraved upon the hearts of the people shall never disappear, and his name shall eternally live in history alongside Washington and Franklin. Now succeeded by Andrew Johnson as president, and this first magistrate that will direct the destiny of this country, we hope he follows the same path with his administration that his predecessor, and with the help of Grant, Sheridan, Sherman, and other members of the Republican party, mobilize the movement they uphold, and soon they will realize the peace the people desire.
Rights

TY - NEWS N1 - Provider: NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers, SQN: 11ED162540E86FE8 TI - Club Patriotico Mejicano De Virginia City, Estado De Nevada PY - 1865/04/28 JF - Voz del Nuevo Mundo JA - El Nuevo Mundo SP - 1 CP - San Francisco, California ER -
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Club Patriotico Mejicano. "Patriotic Club of Mexico". Voz del Nuevo Mundo. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1086

Creator

Club Patriotico Mejicano
Publisher

Voz del Nuevo Mundo
Date

Friday April 28, 1865
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from Apr. 23, 1865

Patriotic Club of Mexico

Description

On April 23, 1865, the Patriotic Club of Mexico called a special meeting of it's members in the mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. Latinos across the West who had supported Lincoln and the Union cause were shocked, and they gathered to reflect on the assassination and it's international impact. Meetings were often organized around "juntas patrioticas", patriotic assemblies of Latinos formed in the aftermath of the 1862 French invasion of Mexico. This is an excerpt from a speech given by Rafael H. Gonzalez, a member of the club, who shares his lament for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and uncertainty about the nation's future.
Rights

TY - NEWS N1 - Provider: NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers, SQN: 11ED162540E86FE8 TI - Club Patriotico Mejicano De Virginia City, Estado De Nevada PY - 1865/04/28 JF - Voz del Nuevo Mundo JA - El Nuevo Mundo SP - 1 CP - San Francisco, California ER -
Creator

Club Patriotico Mejicano
Publisher

Voz del Nuevo Mundo
Date

April 23, 1865

from Jul. 1, 1867

Elihu Burritt on Abraham Lincoln

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Elihu Burritt on Abraham Lincoln
Description

Lincoln's consul (diplomatic official) in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Elihu Burritt, offered his commentary on Lincoln's assassination in a larger work in 1867.
Source

NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers, San Antonio Express
Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission.
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Elihu Burritt. "Elihu Burritt on Abraham Lincoln ". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1085

Creator

Elihu Burritt
Date

July 1, 1867
Material

Newspaper, Database
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from Jul. 1, 1867

Elihu Burritt on Abraham Lincoln

Description

Lincoln's consul (diplomatic official) in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Elihu Burritt, offered his commentary on Lincoln's assassination in a larger work in 1867.
Source

NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers, San Antonio Express
Rights

Use of this item for research, teaching, and private study is permitted with proper citation and attribution. Reproduction of this item for publication, broadcast, or commercial use requires written permission.
Creator

Elihu Burritt
Date

July 1, 1867
Material

Newspaper, Database

from Apr. 15, 1865

Letter to Mother

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Full Title

Letter from John T. Ford to his Mother
Description

John T. Ford, owner of Ford's Theatre, wrote a letter to his mother, in Richmond, Va., the day of President Abraham Lincoln's death, apparently unaware of the news that the president had been murdered in his theatre. Ford expresses gratitude for his wife's health and the growth of his children. Coincidentally, he states that his daughter's birthday is April 15, and that his birthday is April 16. After hearing of the assassination, Ford took a train to Baltimore and was then arrested, questioned about the attack and imprisoned for a month. Ford denied any involvement in the conspiracy despite the fact that he had been a friend of John Wilkes Booth. Ownership of the theatre returned to Ford after the investigation and he attempted to reopen for performances. Many threatened to burn the theatre down and Ford eventually sold the building to the federal government. He continued to own and operate theatres in Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.
Transcription

Dear Mother

I came to Richmond
hoping to see you and Frances - I
was glad to learn that she had
gone to Baltimore - I go home
Monday morning
I left all well, Edith has been in
bad health for nearly one year
but she is now quite well.
We have our six children, Annie
is taller than her mother - Charlie
is a very bright handsome boy nearly
13 years old. He is studying hard
and a fine scholar. George is
my [?] he is next to Charlie and
a dear good boy. Lizzie and Fannie
are two of the prettiest and sweetest
little girls in Baltimore.
John Lee is the youngest. He
is Martha's boy. He [masters?] her
everyway, and she has spoiled
him completely. She says Johnnie
is the prettiest
Martha is well and happy only
like Edith anxious about
you. They send their love
to all. Lucy-Jane, [?]
their brother and all
I Send you twenty dollars for
yourself and twenty dollars for
Jane as I fear she wants it. Send
it to her
Mrs. Stark has kindly promised to
send this. When I write again
I will direct to her care
Let me hear from you soon direct
to the enclosed direction - use
the envelope withing this letter and
have it put in the Richmond Postoffice
with the love of all, I am
affectionately yours
J. T. Ford
Richmond Va April 15th 1865

Today is Saturday Annie's birthday fifteen
years old. Tomorrow I am 36.
Source

Box 4, John Thompson Ford Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Rights

This item is in the public domain and may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.
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John T. Ford. "Letter from John T. Ford to his Mother". Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed May 2, 2025. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/1078

Creator

John T. Ford
Date

April 15, 1865
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from Apr. 15, 1865

Letter from John T. Ford to his Mother

Description

John T. Ford, owner of Ford's Theatre, wrote a letter to his mother, in Richmond, Va., the day of President Abraham Lincoln's death, apparently unaware of the news that the president had been murdered in his theatre. Ford expresses gratitude for his wife's health and the growth of his children. Coincidentally, he states that his daughter's birthday is April 15, and that his birthday is April 16. After hearing of the assassination, Ford took a train to Baltimore and was then arrested, questioned about the attack and imprisoned for a month. Ford denied any involvement in the conspiracy despite the fact that he had been a friend of John Wilkes Booth. Ownership of the theatre returned to Ford after the investigation and he attempted to reopen for performances. Many threatened to burn the theatre down and Ford eventually sold the building to the federal government. He continued to own and operate theatres in Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.
Source

Box 4, John Thompson Ford Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Rights

This item is in the public domain and may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.
Creator

John T. Ford
Date

April 15, 1865

Introduction

One of history’s enduring questions is, “How do we remember or commemorate an event.” Textbooks give the necessary background, but the examination of primary source documents and artifacts humanizes the experience for students. These items were held and used by someone connect to the event. Some were intimates of Lincoln, like Clara Barton. Some connect to the event in a professional way, like the Philadelphia police officer. Some stand at the edges of the story with only a penny and passing train as proof they were there. By analyzing these objects, students will gain an insight into the experience and grief of those who were there in April 1865.

This lesson could serve as an introductory or concluding lesson on the Lincoln Assassination. It also can be a stand-alone lesson exploring both primary sources as well as research. Either way, this lesson asks the students to be historians rather than consumers of history. It gives them a task (analyze a primary source) and asks them to make sense of it within a general historical framework and the larger context of how these individuals connect to the assassination and the Civil War.

Guiding Questions

How can artifacts tell us more than secondary sources?
How does one analyze physical artifacts?

Objectives

Understand how to analyze artifacts and documents
Know how a primary source connects to a historically significant event
Model collaborative work habits
Analyze a primary source document connected to the death of Abraham Lincoln
Connect individual responses to the Lincoln assassination to the larger national event
Work collaboratively while analyzing the object

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Artifact Analysis
Lesson Activity Two: Group Sharing
Lesson Activity Three: In-Depth Research
Lesson Activity Four: Final Reports

Read More »

Lesson Activity One: Artifact Analysis
(10 minutes) Divide participants into groups of three. Each small group receives one of the following objects from the Remembering Lincoln Website:

Clara Barton’s Diary and the Written Document Analysis Worksheet from the National Archives
Philadelphia Police Ribbon and the Artifact Analysis Worksheet from the National Archives (I would normally use the PDF version, but the NA website is being wonky)
Funeral Train Pennies and the Artifact Analysis Worksheet

Lesson Activity Two: Group Sharing
(6 minutes) After small group work, each small group reports back the findings of their analysis to the class as a whole. Each group has 2 minutes.

Lesson Activity Three: In-Depth Research
(15 minutes) Then each participant in the class will select one of the objects to do more in-depth research (all three objects need to be researched). Teacher note: The first question for each object asks for a factual response. The other two ask for more reflective/abstract response. Assign one guiding question per student in a manner which fits your class best. For the best discussion, however, all three questions should be researched.

Use the following guiding questions for the Remembering Lincoln artifacts. If your research leads to a question you’d rather explore, check with the teacher to determine which question it could be switched out for.

Diary

Who was Clara Barton? Write a six sentence biography on the note card provided.
Barton writes she wanted to offer her services to the Surgeon General. What does that indicate about her status in the community? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.
In several places, she writes about her sense of the reaction of community as a whole but in very few places about her personal reaction to Lincoln’s assassination. Why do you think that is? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.

Ribbon

What do you think the role of a local police officer was for the funeral train? Research “What does a police officer do?” and select 4-6 tasks that officer might have been asked to do during the parade. Why did you select those tasks? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.
Do you think the police officer’s role as a public servant in a time of national loss affected how they themselves mourned the loss of their president? How? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.
Why do you think this ribbon was passed down to descendants? What makes it worth keeping? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.

Pennies

How much was a penny worth in 1865? What could a penny have purchased in 1865? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.
Why do you think they chose this act as a way to remember the funeral train? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.
Do you think this penny was passed down to descendants? If yes, why? What makes it worth keeping? Write a 4-6 sentence response on the note card provided.

Lesson Activity Four: Final Reports (14 minutes) Each student reports his/her findings. Collect all of the note cards at the end of the class period.

(For those who did additional research) Did anything from another primary or secondary source help interpret the artifact better? Did something in another source contradict the artifact?
Are there new questions raised from either your research reflection?
We have these three perspectives of the assassination and funeral trail, what other perspectives might there be? What artifacts might represent those perspectives? Place a list of perspectives on the Kraft paper.

Assessment:
Assess the students by examining their note cards, grading their two minute presentations and their participation in the group discussion. In addition to these formative assessments, you can give students the chance to process what they’ve learned as a short response on paper, as a Google Docs or as a blog.

Extension/Differentiation:

If there is a concern that time may be an issue, have the answers to the fact-based question for each artifact (Barton biography, role of a police officer, a penny’s value in 1865) available to each student and have students move on to the more reflective questions.
Use the artifact as the springboard for research using other primary and secondary sources
Have students assume the role of the owner of the diary, ribbon or penny and write a letter to a friend describing their experience as a mourner of Lincoln.
Students would play the role of an archaeologist or anthropologist, who has discovered the artifact and is presenting their findings at a conference. (In this scenario, the student would be required to be able to answer questions in role, so they’d need to be prepared and feel they’ve thoroughly researched their artifact.)
The lesson could be extended to discuss how we commemorate as a community (see Contemporary Connections)

Materials

Written Document Analysis Worksheet (.pdf)

External Resources

Grade Level

6 to 8
Timeframe

1 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

Collaboration, Material Analysis, Synthesis and Research

Teacher Information

Dave McIntire

The Independent School, Wichita, KS

7, 8

History

Suggest an edit or object

Introduction

This lesson can serve as an introduction to the Lincoln Assassination or as a standalone lesson on the analysis of a primary source document. The lesson asks students to create a timeline of events surrounding the assassination using Mary Henry’s diary entries alone. Students will use the diary to build a framework of the timeline and then look critically at the entries to intuit where information is missing or seems incorrect, or if there is a bias on the part of Miss Henry. The final step in the process to brainstorm other sources (other voices) historians might look to in order verify facts, fill in gaps and balance perspective and potential bias.

Eyewitness accounts of an event are often the best lens through which to view it. Mary Henry (1834-1903) was the daughter of the Superintendent of the Smithsonian Institution and lived in the Smithsonian Castle during the Civil War. From her vantage point in the Castle, she could see the border state of Maryland, as well as Confederate Virginia. Her diary gives a glimpse into the goings-on of Washington, D.C., society and the Union capital during the years of the Civil War. Her diary entries about the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath not only afford the vantage point of one, personal experience, but also a first person recollection of newspaper and other eyewitness accounts. Historians shouldn’t view Mary Henry’s account as the sum of all knowledge on the assassination, but it is an excellent starting point from which to explore the events in Washington, D.C., in April 1865.

Guiding Questions

How do primary source documents display information differently than secondary sources?
Why are primary sources important?
Why is brainstorming a useful activity for history?

Objectives

Analyze one primary source document, looking for details, missing data and bias
Model collaborative work habits through peer review
Facilitate a group discussion

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Transcript Close Reading
Lesson Activity Two: Timeline
Lesson Activity Three: Peer Review
Lesson Activity Four: Recreating the event
Lesson Activity Five: Assessment

Read More »

Lesson Activity One:
[Home work due at the beginning of the class period]:
One or more nights in advance, give students the transcript of the excerpts Mary Henry’s diary and ask them to read and mark accordingly:

Any piece of information Henry stated as a fact highlighted in yellow.
Any statement (could be a word or phrase) that expresses a personal opinion should be underlined in green.

Note: A sentence could have both a statement of fact as well as an opinion in it. Both should be marked.

Lesson Activity Two:
Students work in pairs to create a timeline using 8.5x14” paper. They will transfer only highlighted information (statements of fact from the diary) from Part 1 to their rough draft timeline. Explain to them that what they are doing is peer reviewing the other student’s analysis. Peer review is an essential tool for a historian. Peer reviews allows a historian to challenge their own argument against the work and understanding of other historians. (10 minutes)

Put a star on the timeline beside entries where both students agree.
Put student initials beside an entry from only one team member.

Lesson Activity Three:
The teams create cohort groups of 10-12 students (5-6 teams) to peer review the partner work and craft a final draft of their combined timelines. (20 minutes)

Assign one team in each group the task of leading the peer review. Divide time (3-4 minutes per team) so all teams have a chance to facilitate/scribe. The facilitator will read an entry from the Mary Henry diary. Both facilitator and scribe will work together to lead a large-group discussion on the whether or not the entry is fact.

Guiding questions for facilitators:

What shows you this entry is a fact?
- What is your support? (possible responses)
  - “Mary is reporting what she saw, and there appears to be no bias in that reporting.”
  - “Mary explains how she got that information—who her source is.”
  - “The fact seems to fit what we know already know about the assassination.”

Why do you question this entry as a fact?
- What is your support? (possible responses)
  - “Mary Henry uses language or makes claims that make her statement questionable.” (Give specific examples.)
  - “Mary Henry couldn’t have been in the room for that conversation and doesn’t report where she got the information.”
  - “The fact does not fit what we already know about the assassination.”

The large group votes on whether to include each “confirmed fact” on a new 8.5x14” timeline. The scribe will write the entry, if approved, and record the number of votes. If not approved, he/she will write it on a small sticky note (with the vote count) and place it above the timeline in the appropriate place. This process will continue until the group has voted on all diary entries from the rough draft.

Note:This could be done as a part of the whole-class activity, moving directly from the rough draft to the craft-paper timeline, but be sure you give all students the chance to lead.

Note: The vote count is an integral part of the process. The minority voice should have its objections be heard. There are often multiple lenses through which one event can be seen. The vote count allows students to see that historians aren’t always in agreement. In addition, when minority voices are captured, those voices may be more invested in the process. Finally, minority voices contribute to an open dialogue, which asks all participants to be open to new data and interpretations.

Lesson Activity Four:
In a whole-class setting, discuss (12 minutes):
Historians often must piece together numerous accounts of the same event in order to recreate the event accurately. Multiple perspectives and sources can give us a clearer account of what actually happened and help us to uncover what is may be turn out to be misinformation, gossip or bias. In the course of the whole-class discussion, have students write their responses to the questions below and place them where they seem to fit best in the timeline.

Brainstorm, based on what the group already knows about the assassination, what pieces of information are missing in the Mary Henry diary (Possible answers: Mary Surratt, Stanton’s investigation, Booth’s escape and manhunt…)
Where could we find this missing information? (Possible answers: from other eye witness accounts, official reports, newspapers...)
Where can you identify bias in Mary Henry’s writing?
Every diary has bias, but does that bias affect the diary’s credibility as a primary source?

Note: If you teach multiple sections of the same class, consider either creating one timeline for all the sections or displaying the timelines for the other classes to see. Peer review is an invaluable tool to historians, and giving each class a glimpse into the work of their peers could show that different groups may see the same evidence differently.

Lesson Activity Five:
Exit Ticket: Give the students a note card and ask them to reflect on what they’ve learned about peer reviewing a primary source. Collect the ticket at the end of the hour. (3 minutes)

Assessment:
Assess the students by examining their highlighted homework and their work developing a rough draft of the timeline with their partners. The large-group timeline could also be used as formative assessment. Finally, assess group work during the whole-class discussion based on each students contributions and their exit tickets.

Extension/Differentiation
If students have limited experience with identifying facts and opinions, the homework assignment could be done in the class period prior to this lesson.

Create a glossary for both archaic language and high-Lexile words.

This lesson lends itself to a second-day discussion of both the assassination and the writing process. For example:

Give students other accounts of the assassination. Remembering Lincoln includes more than two dozen diaries, available digitally. Have the students piece together events of the assassination and Lincoln funeral train from selected entries on Remembering Lincoln.
Give students primary sources from a different historical event (e.g., the Boston Massacre) and have them peer-review the information to piece together a more accurate account of what happened.
Bring in a peer-reviewed historian to talk about the process of moving from research to publication.
Have students reflect on how their writing process could be strengthened through peer review via group discussion or written reflection.

Contemporary Connections: One of the most important tasks a citizen has is analyzing what leaders are saying determine accuracy and identify bias. This lesson could be a springboard into looking at accounts of any contemporary issue or current event. Is the source (both the author and medium) credible? Is the source accurate? What are other sources saying about the same event? Students might use Politifact and FactCheck to analyze statements by public leaders. Students might look at how different media outlets cover the same event. By looking at news coverage, students wrestle with how perspective and bias affect how an event is covered.

Grade Level

6 to 8
Timeframe

1 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

Primary Source Analysis, Peer Review

Teacher Information

Dave McIntire

The Independent School, Wichita, KS

7, 8

History

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National History Day: Taking a Stand

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Introduction

“News of the Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln” is designed to take place over the course of 3 class sessions. The lesson bridges units on the Civil War and Reconstruction. Through their analysis of primary sources, students learn that citizens expressed a range of reactions to the news of President Lincoln’s assassination.

Students use document analysis sheets to answer the guiding question by writing a claim about each document and supporting it with textual evidence. Working in pairs or groups, students then provide an accurate summary of one of the sources in the form of a brief newscast. Students practice several of Ford’s Theatre’s Podium Points as they polish their “newscast” presentation. Finally, students present their newscast to their peers.

Guiding Questions

How did people across the country react to Lincoln’s Assassination?
Did people respond differently in different parts of the country?
What skills make for a professional presentation?

Objectives

Students will use the document analysis sheets to answer the guiding question by writing a claim about each document and supporting it with textual evidence.
Students will provide an accurate summary of one of the sources in the form of a brief newscast.
Students will practice several of Ford’s Theatre’s Podium Points as they prepare a polished “newscast” presentation of a primary source.
Students will present their newscast to their peers.
Students will be able to read and analyze primary source texts.
Students will cite specific textual evidence to support their analysis of primary source texts.
Students will gain a better of understanding of the myriad of responses to President Lincoln’s assassination.
Students will be able to present a speech to a group of peers.

Standards

Procedure

Lesson Activity One: Reactions to Lincoln’s Assassination

Lesson Activity Two: Newscast Preparation

Lesson Activity Three: Newscast Presentations
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Lesson Activity One: Reactions to Lincoln’s Assassination

Instructor will play “The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln/ PBS America” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncbqfbou-lU) YouTube clip as an introduction to the lesson.

Instructor will present the Focus Activity; a brief reading about the assassination taken from a textbook (secondary source).

Adjustments, Differentiation
- Use the Think, Pair, Share strategy to have students consider the guiding question, “How did citizens in California react to the news of President Lincoln’s assassination? Did Unionists react differently than Confederate sympathizers? What about African Americans?”

Working independently or in pairs, students will use the document analysis sheets to answer the guiding question by writing a claim about each document and supporting it with textual evidence.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- The document set can be cut from six to four. Using documents A, B, C, and D provides students with a range of reactions to the assassination.
- Students could be assigned to analyze either documents A and B or C and D. After completing analysis of their assigned documents, they would pair with a student who completed the other set and exchange information.

Using the completed document analysis sheets, students cite at least one example of citizens mourning the death of President Lincoln and at least one example of citizens celebrating his death.

Students then answer the guiding question, “How did citizens in California react to the news of President Lincoln’s assassination?”

Adjustments, Differentiation
- Ticket Out the Door can be completed as homework if students need additional time to complete their response.

Lesson Activity Two: Newscast Preparation

Review student responses to Ticket Out the Door

Students can volunteer to read their responses. Reponses can be shared in pairs or small groups. If collected during the previous class session, the instructor can display several responses using the overhead projector.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- Instructor displays the Thrash Out slide from the Presentation/Handouts. Students use sentence frames to explain the position they took in their Ticket Out the Door response. Students first practice with a partner. Then, students show their position by standing in a designated portion of the classroom; one side for those students taking the position that citizens mourned the president’s death and the other side for those taking the position that citizens celebrated the death of the president.
- Each side has three minutes to designate a speaker. Each speaker has two minutes to convince the other side of the validity of their position using textual evidence taken from the primary source documents.

Newscasts
Instructor assigns each student to a group. Each group provides an accurate and brief (approximately 100 word) summary of their assigned source. Summaries will be presented in the next class session in the form of a newscast.

Review the elements of a newscast. Consider showing a clip of a current news report.
Review the rubric for the newscast reports with students.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- The instructor may choose to have students film their newscasts if the technology is available.

Practice Presenting Newscasts (Oratory Skills)
Instructor will play clips from “Ford’s Theatre Oratory Tips and Tricks” (http://www.fords.org/home/education/school-programs/oratory-tips-and-tricks) showing physical and verbal oratory skills.

Each group will evaluate their newscast for strengths and weaknesses based on the Oratory Tips and Tricks clips. Each group will identify one physical goal and one verbal goal for their newscast.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- Instructor may ask all students to focus on the goals of diction, volume, posture, and eye contact as these areas are assessed in the newscast rubric.
- Instructor may weight one of the areas more choose different areas of focus depending on the needs of the students.

Lesson Activity Three: Newscast Presentations

Instructor will play clip from “Ford’s Theatre Oratory Tips and Tricks” showing warm and cool feedback.

Students practice presenting their newscast within their small group. Students use the Warm and Cool Feedback sentences frames to help one prepare to deliver their newscasts.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- Instructor reads a sample newscast and then leads discussion using the tips from the Warm and Cool Feedback clip and the newscast rubric.

Newscast Presentations

Students present their newscast to their peers.
Students in the audience practice using the Warm and Cool Feedback sentence frames to write comments to their peers.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- Newscasts could be presented in small groups instead of to the whole class.

Students complete a written reflection.

Which activity was the most useful in developing your knowledge of history? (document analysis, Ticket Out the Door, Thrash Out/Take a Stand, newscast summary) Explain why.
Which activity was the most useful in developing your historical thinking skills? (document analysis, Ticket Out the Door, Thrash Out/Take a Stand, newscast summary) Explain why.
Which activity was the most useful in developing your literacy skills; reading, writing, listening and speaking? (document analysis, Ticket Out the Door, Thrash Out/Take a Stand, newscast summary, Podium Points, Warm and Cool Feedback) Explain why.

Adjustments, Differentiation
- The reflection could be completed orally.

Materials

Presentation/Handouts (.pdf)

External Resources

Grade Level

6 to 8
Timeframe

2 to 3 classes (45 min/period)
Class Subject

History
Skills

Analysis, Analyzing narrative, Collegial Sharing/ Information Sharing, Critical Reading, Evaluate, History, Oratory, Presentation, Primary Sources, Reading Nonfiction, Reporting/ Journalism, Writing

Teacher Information

Karen Richey

Toby Johnson Middle School

7, 8

History

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