Acquisition Lesson Plan · Web viewHistory Cold Case #1824 Did a “Corrupt Bargain”...

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History Cold Case #1824 Did a “Corrupt Bargain” Occur? 1

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Page 1: Acquisition Lesson Plan · Web viewHistory Cold Case #1824 Did a “Corrupt Bargain” Occur? February 11, 2012 Teaching American History Grant Freedom Project Research Lesson Plan:

History Cold Case #1824

Did a “Corrupt Bargain” Occur?

February 11, 2012

Teaching American History Grant Freedom Project

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Research Lesson Plan: Election of 1824 –Was there a “corrupt bargain?”Author(s): Fran O’MalleyTargeted Grade Level: 4-12

Essential Question: Did a “Corrupt Bargain” Occur?

Formative Assessment Prompts: Instructional Chunk #1: what Constitutional procedures are in place for electing Presidents of the

United States?

Instructional Chunk #2: what was the “corrupt bargain” in American history? Instructional Chunk #3: why might there be competing historical accounts or narratives?

Standard Addressed: Grade 4-5 Options

[H1] Students will study historical events and persons within a given time frame in order to …identify related cause-effect factors.

[H2b] Students will examine historical materials relating to a particular region, society, or theme…and analyze change over time.

[H3] Students will explain why historical accounts of the same event sometimes differ and relate this explanation to the evidence presented or the point-of-view of the author.

Grades 6-8 Options [H1] Examine historical materials relating to a particular region, society, or theme, and analyze

change over time; and make logical inferences concerning cause and effect. [H2] Examine historical documents, artifacts, and other materials, and analyze them in terms of

credibility, as well as the purpose, perspective, or point of view for which they were constructed.

Grades 9-12 Options

[H2] Students will examine and analyze primary and secondary sources in order to differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations.

[H1] Students will compare competing historical narratives, by contrasting different historians' choice of questions, use and choice of sources, perspectives, beliefs, and points of view, in order to demonstrate how these factors contribute to different interpretations.

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Problematic Prior Knowledge (PPL) Addressed The people elect the president of the United States. there is a “given past” eyewitnesses tell us truthfully what happened The Secretary of State is the President’s advisor on issues involving the states.

Activating Strategies: Strategy 1: analyze hypothetical election data.

Key Vocabulary to preview

Plurality Cold case Disposition Secretary of State

Teaching Strategies: data analysis document analysis

Graphic Organizer(s) Used: T-chart.

Materials Needed: Class copies of Handouts 1, 2, 3. Poster paper. Markers.

Differentiation Strategies: Paired reading.

Instructional Plan: Introduction: Ask students if they have ever heard of the term “cold case.” [they may mention the TV show] Ask if anyone can explain what a cold case is. Tell them that it refers to a crime or an accident that has not yet been solved to the full and is not the subject of a recent criminal investigation. Suggest that history is filled with “cold cases,” one of which you are going to see if they can close today. Ask them to think of themselves as investigators. At the end of the lesson, they will be asked to fill out a brief “Cold Case” report in which they close, or keep open, the “history cold case” and explain their findings.

Consider having the student do a Frayer Model around the term “cold case.”

But before the investigation begins, you have to lay some groundwork. 3

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Instructional Chunk #1: Data/Document Analysis Procedures

1. Project Figure 1 on the overhead.

Previously Held OfficePresident A Vice-presidentPresident B Secretary of StatePresident C Secretary of StatePresident D Secretary of State

Figure 1

2. Ask the students…o What pattern or trend emerges from the data? (Office of Secretary of State appears to be

the stepping stone to the Presidency)

3. Project Figure 2 on the overhead

Qualifications

Candidate A Talented Secretary of State

Candidate B Speaker of the House of Representatives

Candidate C Treasurer

Candidate D Military Hero

Figure 24. Ask the students…

Which candidate seems most qualified to be President of the United States? Why? Which candidate seems least qualified to be President of the United States? Why?

5. Project Figure 3 (below). Tell students that these are the results of a hypothetical, presidential election. Ask them to look over the results.

Candidate Popular Results Electoral Results

A 108, 740 84

B 47,136 37

C 46,618 41

D 153, 544 99

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6. Ask students… Which candidate received the most popular votes? Which candidate received the most electoral votes? Which candidate became President of the United States? Was the result surprising in light of who you thought was most and least qualified?

7. Project or distribute copies of Figure 4: Amendment XII (below)

Amendment Twelve, United States Constitution (1804)

“if no person have such a majority [of electoral votes], then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President…”

Figure 4

8. Ask students to read the excerpt from Amendment XII.9. Tell them that there are 3 important provisions of this Amendment. Ask them to identify the three.

Point 1: a candidate has to receive a majority of electoral votes to win a Presidential election, Point 2: if a candidate does not receive a majority of electoral college votes, the House of

Representatives elects the President; Point 3: only the candidates receiving the 3 highest number of popular votes is eligible for

consideration in the House election. 10. Ask students…

Why was this section of the Twelfth Amendment so relevant in the election of 1824? How many electoral votes were needed to win the election of 1824 (count all the votes, divide

by two and add one)? 131 Which candidate received a majority of electoral college votes? (no one. Candidate D received a

“plurality” of popular votes but not a “majority” i.e. 50% + 1. Consider having the students add up the total votes in Column 3, Figure 3 then dividing the total by 2. This will prove that no one received a majority of electoral votes. Total votes cast was 261. A majority would have been 131. Candidate D only received 99 electoral votes).

Once the general election results were known, who was given authority under the Constitution to choose the President in 1824? House of Representatives

Review the backgrounds (Figure 2) of the four candidates for the Presidency in 1824. Did any of the candidates seem to be at an advantage now that the House of Representatives would choose the next President? (Henry Clay – Speaker of the House who was elected to be Speaker by the majority of congressmen in the House and who wields considerable influence in that body…where the next president will be elected!!!)

Under the Twelfth Amendment, who was disqualified from running in the House election and why? (Henry Clay – Speaker of the House)

Despite his “Constitutional” elimination from the race in 1824, was there any way in which Henry Clay could benefit politically from the situation in which he found himself? (he could use his influence in the House to get one candidate elected)

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Instructional Chunk #2: The Story Behind the Data

Procedures1. Tell the students that the data was not hypothetical. It is data from early Presidential elections in U.S.

history. Election of 1824. Project Figure 5 (below).

President Year He Was First Elected

Federal Office Held Before Elected

1st George Washington 17882nd John Adams 1796 Washington’s Vice-President3rd Thomas Jefferson 1800 Washington’s Secretary of State

Adam’s Vice-President4th James Madison 1808 Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State5th James Monroe 1816 James Madison’s Secretary of State

Figure 5: Prior Offices Held by Early US Presidents

Candidate Section ExperienceJohn Quincy Adams New England President Monroe’s talented Secretary of

State Henry Clay West Speaker of the House of RepresentativesWilliam Crawford Southeast President Monroe’s Secretary of the TreasuryAndrew Jackson Southwest Hero of the battle of New Orleans

Figure 6: Candidate in Presidential Election of 1824

Candidate Popular Votes Received Electoral Votes Received John Quincy Adams 108,740 84

Henry Clay 47,136 37William Crawford 46,618 41Andrew Jackson 153,544 99

Figure 7: Results of Election of 1824

2. Mini Lecture : Project Figure 7 as you explain the followingAs was the case in the Presidential election of 1820, the Republican Party faced on serious challenge. The disloyalty of the Federalists during the War of 1812, as highlighted by their perceived threats at the Hartford Convention, brought about the dissolution of the Republicans’ rival party.

Nevertheless, within the Republican Party a number of people wanted to become President. Four individuals ran serious campaigns and received support from within the different sections of the country that they represented.

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By the time the House of Representatives met to make its decision, one man suffered a physical setback. William Crawford suffered a serious stroke that left him a paralytic wreck, unable to walk normally or speak distinctly. The race came down to a choice between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams.

As a result of placing fourth in the electoral vote, Henry Clay was eliminated BUT, as Speaker of the House that would now choose the President, Clay’s influence was viewed as pivotal.

3. Discussion: ask the students… “If you had been Henry Clay, how might you have used your influence to benefit from the situation in which you now found yourself?”

4. Mini-Lecture: share the following information with the students:

After a lengthy private conference with John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay (Adams’ former opponent), threw his powerful support to Adams. The House of Representatives elected Adams to the Presidency on February 9, 1825. Three days later, President-elect Adams formally offered the position of Secretary of State to (you guessed it) - Henry Clay. The supporters of Andrew Jackson (who had received more popular and electoral votes than Adams in the general election) were both suspicious and angry. They accused Adams and Clay of entering into a “corrupt bargain” through which Adams had “purchased” the Presidency from Henry Clay. Jackson, they claimed, had been cheated out of the Presidency!

5. Debrief: ask the students… Explain the “corrupt bargain” that allegedly took place during the Election of 1824. Is it fair to say that Andrew Jackson was cheated out of the Presidency in 1824? What important political effects do you think the “corrupt bargain” might have had on

American political history?

Instructional Chunk #3: Was there a “corrupt bargain?” Examining Evidence.

Procedures1. Review: ask a volunteer to explain the details surrounding the alleged corrupt bargain of 1824.

2. Brainstorm: Ask students what might be useful sources or documents that might be analyzed to

determine whether a “corrupt bargain” actually occurred in the election of 1824. Post responses on the board. Lead a whole class analysis of the responses then try to get the class to consider ones they may have overlooked.

Consider having the students categorize [a T-chart will work nicely here] the sources into primary and secondary. Did one type appear more often? Why? This offers an opportunity to explore students thinking about whether primary sources are better than secondary sources.

3. Document Analysis: tell students that they are now going to examine some evidence relating to the “history cold case” involving the alleged “corrupt bargain.” Distribute file folders labeled “Investigative Files: History Cold Case” containing copies of Handout 1: Diary of John Quincy Adams.

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Read-Pair-Share: assign students a partner [Differentiation Tip: pair skilled readers with struggling readers. Have students read the passages on Handout 1 individually then, using “library voices,” share their thoughts with their partner. Ask them to focus their discussion around the following questions:

What kind of document did they examine? Why should this question be asked? Who wrote the document? Why should this question be asked? When was the document written? Why should this question be asked? Did this document suggest that Adams and Clay entered into a “corrupt bargain?”

Explain. What was not in the document that you might have hoped or expected to be there? Why

might it not be there?

Have students repeat Procedure 4 using the documents found on Handouts 2, 3, and 4.

4. T-Chart: have student work with their partners to complete T-Charts on which they list “Evidence Suggesting a Corrupt Bargain” and “Evidence Suggesting No Corrupt Bargain.”

Summarizing Question: Does the evidence you examined suggest that John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay entered into a “corrupt bargain” to win the Presidential Election of 1824? Explain.

5. Debrief: ask the students… What is an eyewitness account? Which, if any of the documents that you analyzed, are “eyewitness” accounts? Were the eyewitness accounts truthful? Did the eyewitness accounts settle the dispute over what “really” happened in the

election of 1824 i.e. with regards to whether there actually was a “corrupt bargain?”

6. Exploring Effects: Project Handout #7. Describe the evolution of political parties in the United States up to 1824. Highlight the fact that the period from 1817-1825 was unique in that there was only one party supported by the people of the United States. This period in American history is known as the “Era of Good Feelings.” Although we may not know whether a “corrupt bargain occurred in 1824, we do know that it contributed to some very important developments (effects) including:

a. The birth of a new political party called the Democratic Party organized by supporters of Andrew Jackson who felt cheated out of the election of 1824.

b. The restoration of the 2 party political system in the United States.c. A very contentious campaign leading up to the presidential election of 1828.

Extension Activity: Campaigning for 1828 Election

Procedures1. Create Campaign Posters: Ask students to pretend that it is 1828 and the nation is gearing up for the

Presidential election.

Assign the students to play roles as campaigners for the major candidates in the election. Assign groups

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of students to the following teams:

Team A – Jackson supporter (running a positive campaign). Team B – Jackson supporter (running a negative campaign). Team C – Adams supporter (running a positive campaign). Team D – Adams supporter (running a negative campaign).

Distribute copies of Handout 6 – “Election of 1828: Campaign Information.” Have the students create campaign posters to rally support for their candidate. The posters may highlight the positive aspects of their candidate or the negative aspects of the opponent. Coach the students on media strategies. Modern media specialists suggest that there are three things that a

campaign has to do when presenting its candidate to the public:

Define your candidate (before the opponent does). What do you want voters to know about him or her?

Define your opponent (before the opponent does). What do you want voters to know about him or her?

Define the issues in the election. What is at stake when the voters cast their ballots?

2. Modeling: Hang the students’ posters around the room when they finish creating their posters. Point to any poster. Ask the students the following questions aligned with History Standard 2 (be sure to have them explain their answers):

What is the purpose of the poster? From whose perspective was it created? What is the point of view of the people who created the poster? Is the information on the poster credible? What are some facts embedded in the poster? What are some interpretations embedded in

the posters.

3. Check for Understanding/Summarizing Activity: Have students visit 1-2 more posters in

small groups to address the same questions at posters created by others. Or, put students in small groups and give each group a poster that they did not create. Have them analyze the poster using the same questions.

Summarizing Strategy: describe how you will get students to summarize what they have learned in this lesson. This involves summative summarizing.

Students are to complete the “History Cold Case” investigation form (below)

Investigative ReportHistory Cold Case

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History Cold Case: “Corrupt Bargain”

Case First Opened: 1825

Case Disposition (circle one): Remains Open (“cold”) Case Closed

Date of Disposition:

Conclusion Explained:

Reasoning/Evidence:

Signature of Investigator:

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Handout 1Diary of John Quincy Adams

Document 1

Diary Entry 1 [Edward] Wyer [confidential informant] came also to the office [State Department], and told me that he had it from good authority that Mr. Clay was much disposed to support me, if he could at the same time be useful to himself…

I had conversation at dinner with Mr. Clay...John Quincy Adams (December 15, 1824)

Diary Entry 2 [conversation with R. P. Letcher, member of the House of Representatives of Kentucky, Clay’s state]: …The drift of all Letcher’s discourse was much the same as Wyer had told me, that Clay would willingly support me if he could thereby serve himself, and the substance of his meaning was, that if Clay’s friends could know that he would have a prominent share in the administration, that might induce him to vote for me…

John Quincy Adams (December 17, 1824)

Diary Entry 3Mr. Clay came at six, and spent the evening with me in

a long conversation explanatory of the present and prospective of the future.

John Quincy Adams (January 8, 1825)

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Handout 2Letter to Francis P. Blair

Document 2

The friends of [Jackson] have turned upon me, and with the most amiable unanimity agree to vituperate me…The knaves cannot comprehend how a man can be honest. They cannot conceive that I should have solemnly interrogated my conscience and asked it to tell me seriously what I ought to do. That is should have enjoined me not to establish the dangerous precedent of elevating, in this early stage of the Republic, a military chieftain, merely because he has won a great victory…

Mr. Adams, you know well, I should never have selected, if at liberty to draw from the whole mass of our citizens for a President. But there is no danger in his elevation now, or in time to come. Not so of his competitor, of whom I cannot believe that killing two thousand five hundred Englishmen at New Orleans qualifies for the various, difficult, and complicated duties of the Chief Magistracy.

Letter: Henry Clay to Francis P. Blair (January 29, 1825)

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Handout 3Letter to Francis P. Blair

Document 3

I observe what you kindly tell me about the future Cabinet. My dear sir, I want no office. When have I shown an avidity for office? In rejecting the mission to Russia and the Department of War under one administration? In rejecting the same Department, the mission to England, or any other foreign mission under the succeeding administration? If Mr. Adams is elected, I know not who will be his Cabinet. I know not whether I shall be offered a place in it or not. If there should be an offer, I shall decide upon it, when it may be made, according to my sense of duty…

Letter: Henry Clay to Francis P. Blair (February 4, 1825)

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Handouts 4Andrew Jackson on the Alleged “Corrupt Bargain”

Document 4To William Berkeley Lewis(private)

Senate ChamberJanry 24th. 1825

Dear MajorI wrote you in great haste the other day in which I gave you the rumors that were

in circulation of intrigue, union, and corruption, about the Pl. election – I am told it has this morning developed itself, & that Mr Clay has come out in open support of Mr Adams – This, for one, I am pleased with – It shews the want of principle in all concerned – and how easy certain men can abandon principle, unite with political enemies for self agrandisement. I have said I was pleased with this development; it will give the people a full view of our political weathercocks here, and how little confidence ought to be reposed in the professions of some great political characters…

Andrew Jackson

Document 5To William Berkeley Lewis

City of WashingtonFbry 14th. 1825

Dear MajorI am informed this day by Colo. R[ichard] M[entor] Johnston of the Senate that

Mr Clay has been offered the office of Sec of State, and that he will accept it Mr Clay told Colo. J the above – so you see the Judas of the West has closed the contract and will receive the thirty pieces of silver – his end will be the same. Was there ever witnessed such a bare faced corruption in any country before…

Andrew Jackson

Document 4“Clay voted for Adams and made him President and Adams made Clay secretary of state . . . Is this not proof as strong as holy writ of the understanding of corrupt coalition between them?”

Andrew Jackson, 1844

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Handout 5

Chronology of a Bargain

November 3, 1824: “general” presidential election takes place.

January 8, 1825: John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay have dinner together.

February 9, 1825: House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams president of the United States.

February 12, 1825: John Quincy Adams appoints Henry Clay to be his Secretary of State.

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Handout 6Political Party Development in the United States

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Handout 7Campaign Information – Election of 1828

Separate Handout

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Handout 8Summative Task

Investigative ReportHistory Cold Case

Directions: Now that you have completed your investigation of the History Cold Case, you must fill out the following report that explains your investigative conclusions. Is the case involving the alleged “corrupt bargain” still “cold,” or closed?

History Cold Case: _________________

Case First Opened: _________________

Case Disposition (circle one): Remains Open (“cold”) or Case Closed

Date of Your Disposition:

Disposition/Conclusion Explained:

Reasoning/Evidence:

Signature of Investigator: ____________________________________

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