States Rights: 1798-1860

States Rights: 1798-1860
Mary Lincoln: Law, Politics and Govt

Skill: High School/College
Time Required: Two to three class periods


Standards Compliance
NCSS Strand 2
Time, Continuity, and Change
NCSS Strand 5
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
NCSS Strand 6
Power, Authority, and Governance
NCSS Strand 10
Civic Ideals and Practices
NCTE Standard 1
Students read fiction, nonfiction, classic, and contemporary works to acquire information for various purposes.
NCTE Standard 3
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
NCTE Standard 4
Students adjust the use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate with different audiences and purposes.
NCTE Standard 6
Students apply knowledge of language structure, convention, and media techniques to create, critique, and discuss texts.
NCTE Standard 7
Students conduct research by generating ideas, questions, and problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data.
NCTE Standard 8
Students use a variety of technology and information resources to gather, synthesize, and communicate knowledge.
NCTE Standard 12
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.
ISTE Standard 1
Basic operations and concepts
ISTE Standard 5
Technology research tools

Introduction:

Although the doctrine of States’ Rights is most frequently associated with its passionate defender John C. Calhoun and the South, it was first utilized during the early days of our nation’s history.  Although Mary Todd Lincoln was accused of favoring the South because her relatives were Confederate sympathizers, she stood firmly by her husband’s resolve to preserve the Union.  

Objectives:

The purpose of this lesson is to familiarize students in depth with a major concept that guided many debates during the first century of our nation’s history.  They will see the interplay of events and how the idea of States’ Rights, often referred to as “nullification,” grew and developed.   

Materials Required:

Access to the Internet Access to print reference materials

Procedures:


Students are to develop an annotated timeline specific to the concept of States’ Rights or Nullification.  Independent research may be done by individuals or in groups.  The teacher may prefer to assign specific examples of the utilization of the doctrine, one to a group, and then combine the results through class discussion.  In addition to the following examples of the doctrine, others may be added:

  • Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (1798)
  • Hartford Convention (1814)
  • Webster-Hayne Debates (1830)
  • Ordinance of Nullification (1832)
  • Jackson’s response to the Ordinance of Nullification (1832) 

The students will create a timeline specific to the utilization of the States’ Rights doctrine and will note how the ideas change and become more specific as time passes.

Extending the Lesson:


Ideas for extending the lesson are contained in the Procedures section.

Sources & Resources:


Websites:

http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/gahff/html/ff_171600_statesrights.htm 
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0836166.html
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/sc/ordnull/htm

http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/gahff/html/ff_185900_virginiaandk.htm
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/gahff/html/ff_086700_hartfordconv.htm
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/gahff/html/ff_190800_websterhayne.htm
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/proclamations/jack01.htm

Credits:

This lesson was created and developed by Bette Brooks, Kent State University.

^Top