Influential African Americans of

WV

My Classroom

In a typical classroom at George

Washington High School, I would
have twenty-five EuropeanAmerican students and three
African-American students with 12
girls and 16 boys. United States
History is a 10th grade class.

The Standards to Meet

NCSS

WV CSOs:

V. Individuals, Groups, & Institutions: Learners can

SS.10.H.CL4.4: outline the course and outcome of

the Civil War (e.g., the role of African American
military units, the impact of the Emancipation
Proclamation, and social, political and economic
impact on the South following the Civil War).

b. give examples of and explain group and

institutional influences such as religious beliefs,
laws, and peer pressure, on people, events, and
elements of culture;
c. identify examples of institutions and describe
the interactions of people with institutions;

SS.10.H.CL4.5:evaluate effects of Reconstruction

on the nation (e.g., the roles of the Civil War
Amendments, Radical Republicans, etc.).

d. identify and describe examples of tensions

between and among individuals, groups, or
institutions, and how belonging to more than one
group can cause internal conflicts;

SS.10.H.CL4.6: summarize the progress and impact

made by various groups in society (including
African-Americans, women, immigrants, etc.)
during Reconstruction.

e. identify and describe examples of tensions

between and individuals beliefs and government
policies and laws;

SS.10.H.CL4.7: trace societal changes in the United

States brought about by the end of Reconstruction
(the Freedmens Bureau, educational reform,
political opportunity, new trends in legislation, Jim
Crow laws and the rise of antiAfrican American
factions).

g. show how groups and institutions work to meet

individual needs and promote the common good,
and identify examples of where they fail to do so.

The Reasons Why

Addressing the accomplishments of African
Americans since the American Civil War is important
to emphasize since before the war, that opportunity
did not exist for African Americans.
I want to focus on West Virginian African Americans
and the impacts of their accomplishments on all
West Virginians as well as on a national level.
I want to place emphasis on West Virginia because it
provides the relevancy I think the students will need
to stay engaged and speaking of our home state is a
great way to provide that relevancy to the minority
in my classroom. I want to give them something
relevant to them to be proud of.
This topic could be taught in a 10th grade U. S.
History class following the American Civil War since
that is when West Virginia became the 35th state.

Photo References:
Martin Delaney: https://www.google.com/search?
q=martin+delany&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS544US544&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiY7dmHg7
fPAhWHJh4KHR88D3sQ_AUICCgB#imgrc=0ueHYT3Pr9_GlM%3A
Booker T. Washington: http://www.wvculture.org/history/archives/blacks/booker.html
Hal Greer: https://www.google.com/search?
q=hal+greer&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS544US544&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinzMTTg7fPAhX
K2B4KHTcPARcQ_AUICSgC&biw=1093&bih=490#imgrc=32sSvhleB0HSyM%3A
Leon Sullivan: https://www.google.com/search?
q=leon+sullivan&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS544US544&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJiu_pg7fPA
hXEKh4KHUGxAoYQ_AUICygE&biw=1093&bih=490#imgrc=HQgHcQCnbUF2nM%3A
Henry Gates: https://www.google.com/search?
q=henry+gates&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS544US544&biw=1093&bih=490&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved
=0ahUKEwic-YOChLfPAhVElh4KHVk4BpwQ_AUICSgE#imgrc=WVQDRLlBjqxs_M%3A
Classroom: https://www.google.com/search?
q=high+school+classroom&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS544US544&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=490&source=lnms&tb
m=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIpKHHhLfPAhVCGx4KHV1YBHgQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=j_6qyqzvT2XHvM%3A
Virginia: https://www.google.com/search?
q=virginia+and+western+virginia&rlz=1C1OPRA_enUS544US544&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=490&source=ln
ms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN7NK6gbfPAhUEHx4KHWaxDEkQ_AUICCgD#tbm=isch&q=virginia+bef
ore+1863&imgrc=oSWwh4SEkloGfM%3A