Antebellum Reformers Coalition Summit
- Rosie Jayde Uyola
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
ESSENTIAL QUESTION (Aim):
To what extent could different antebellum reformers (abolitionists, women’s rights activists, and transcendentalists) overcome their ideological differences to form a unified political coalition?
Domain Vocabulary:
Antebellum: The time period in the United States before the Civil War (roughly 1820–1860).
Coalition: A group of people or organizations working together to achieve a common goal.
Abolitionist: A person who wanted to end slavery immediately.
Transcendentalism: A philosophy that emphasized the importance of nature and individual conscience over religious rules or laws.
Descriptive Comment: A statement that simply restates facts (Recall/DOK 1).
Analytical Comment: A statement that connects ideas, evaluates evidence, or proposes a new perspective (Strategic Thinking/DOK 3-4).
Learning Target:
I can evaluate the goals and methods of antebellum reformers by participating in a role-play summit to determine strategic political allies.
Do Now: Imagine you want to change something big in society today (like climate change or poverty). Would you rather work with people who agree with you 100% but are a small group, or a large group of people who only agree with you 50%? Explain why you would choose purity or popularity. (5 - 8 sentences minimum) |
Announcement of Rules
The Mission
The year is 1845. The United States is in the midst of the Second Great Awakening and a Market Revolution. You are a prominent reformer.
You have been invited to a Summit to find allies. Your goal is to interview specific types of reformers (Abolitionists, Transcendentalists, Women's Rights Activists, etc.) and determine who is a strategic match for your cause. You are not just socializing; you are building a political coalition.
ROUND 1
Desk | Stationary / Seat A | Interviewer / Seat B |
1 | William Lloyd Garrison (Abolitionist) | Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Women's Rights) |
2 | Frederick Douglass (Abolitionist) | Lucretia Mott (Women's Rights) |
3 | Theodore Weld (Abolitionist) | Angelina Grimké (Women's Rights) |
4 | David Walker (Abolitionist) | Sarah Grimké (Women's Rights) |
5 | Sojourner Truth (Abolitionist) | Lucy Stone (Women's Rights) |
6 | Harriet Tubman (Abolitionist) | Margaret Fuller (Women's Rights) |
7 | Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist) | Charles G. Finney (Religious/Social) |
8 | Henry David Thoreau (Transcendentalist) | Lyman Beecher (Religious/Social) |
9 | George Ripley (Transcendentalist) | Dorothea Dix (Religious/Social) |
10 | Robert Owen (Transcendentalist) | Horace Mann (Religious/Social) |
11 | Mother Ann Lee (Transcendentalist) | Joseph Smith (Religious/Social) |
12 | John Humphrey Noyes (Transcendentalist) | Brigham Young (Religious/Social) |
Round 1 - Seat A |
Round 1 - Seat B |
Transition to Round 2 |
ROUND 2
Desk | Stationary / Seat A | Interviewer / Seat B |
1 | William Lloyd Garrison (Abolitionist) | Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist) |
2 | Frederick Douglass (Abolitionist) | Henry David Thoreau (Transcendentalist) |
3 | Theodore Weld (Abolitionist) | George Ripley (Transcendentalist) |
4 | David Walker (Abolitionist) | Robert Owen (Transcendentalist) |
5 | Sojourner Truth (Abolitionist) | Mother Ann Lee (Transcendentalist) |
6 | Harriet Tubman (Abolitionist) | John Humphrey Noyes (Transcendentalist) |
7 | Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Women's Rights) | Charles G. Finney (Religious/Social) |
8 | Lucretia Mott (Women's Rights) | Lyman Beecher (Religious/Social) |
9 | Angelina Grimké (Women's Rights) | Dorothea Dix (Religious/Social) |
10 | Sarah Grimké (Women's Rights) | Horace Mann (Religious/Social) |
11 | Lucy Stone (Women's Rights) | Joseph Smith (Religious/Social) |
12 | Margaret Fuller (Women's Rights) | Brigham Young (Religious/Social) |
Round 2 - Seat A |
Round 2 - Seat B |
Transition to Round 3 |
ROUND 3
Desk | Stationary / Seat A | Interviewer / Seat B |
1 | William Lloyd Garrison (Abolitionist) | Charles G. Finney (Religious/Social) |
2 | Frederick Douglass (Abolitionist) | Lyman Beecher (Religious/Social) |
3 | Theodore Weld (Abolitionist) | Dorothea Dix (Religious/Social) |
4 | David Walker (Abolitionist) | Horace Mann (Religious/Social) |
5 | Sojourner Truth (Abolitionist) | Joseph Smith (Religious/Social) |
6 | Harriet Tubman (Abolitionist) | Brigham Young (Religious/Social) |
7 | Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Women's Rights) | Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist) |
8 | Lucretia Mott (Women's Rights) | Henry David Thoreau (Transcendentalist) |
9 | Angelina Grimké (Women's Rights) | George Ripley (Transcendentalist) |
10 | Sarah Grimké (Women's Rights) | Robert Owen (Transcendentalist) |
11 | Lucy Stone (Women's Rights) | Mother Ann Lee (Transcendentalist) |
12 | Margaret Fuller (Women's Rights) | John Humphrey Noyes (Transcendentalist) |
Round 3 - Seat A |
Round 3 - Seat B |
Post Summit Reflection (2 pages) |
Announcement of Coalitions |
Exit Ticket: What did you learn about the differing goals (what they wanted to achieve) and methods (how they tried to achieve it) of Antebellum reformers by trying to find a political ally today? (2 - 3 sentences). How would you improve this historical simulation project for next year? What would you change? BE SPECIFIC (2 - 3 sentences). |
Sentence Starter: "I learned that even though reformers often had different goals, they could still work together if they shared methods such as..."
