Lesson Plan: What’s Your Excuse?

Overview

The main purpose of this lesson is for students to use primary sources to compare and contrast the significant differences between the voting experiences of people over 200 years ago with people today. They will be surprised to learn that for a certain segment of the population, voting was required, and not voting was punishable. They will participate in a listening activity first, gathering information about voting requirements of the time. Then, working in pairs or small groups, students will examine an election excuse submitted by an individual to a local court in 1793, and learn why that person did not participate in an election. The class will come together to discuss each excuse and determine whether it was a valid excuse based on requirements at the time. Students will discuss differences between election participation and expectations of that time vs. today.

Essential Question: In addition to differences in voting experiences, what can the exploration of election excuses from over 200 years ago tell us about the cultural, economic, personal life experiences and perspectives of a variety of people, and how does that compare to today?

Grade Level(s): middle school or high school government/civics

Time Needed: 30-45 minutes

Objectives

Learning Objectives or Topic:

• Students will use primary sources to identify and analyze evidence and place it in a broader context.
• Students will investigate how voting rights have changed and expanded over time.
• Students will work together to use evidence to draw conclusions and make generalizations.

Resources