In this activity, students will be exposed to some of the far-reaching options African Americans pursued in the face of the dimming economic reality in the years following the Civil War. After analyzing three options, students engage in a discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of a particular choice given the context and constraints and consider other possible options not covered in the documents but one that they think could have been viable in history.

First, have students read the three documents: 1) A Call for the Colored National Labor Union Convention; 2) Excerpts from “Resolution Adopted by Negro Convention Montgomery, Alabama; and 3) 150,000 Exiles Enrolled for Liberia. For each document, students should determine, “What does the author think African Americans should do in order to secure economic opportunity? And then consider, “What are the benefits and drawbacks of this option?”

Once students have engaged with the three sources, organize a discussion in which they will consider different perspectives on how African Americans could take action to secure their economic future.

*Before beginning the discussion with students, ensure you have established classroom expectations for behavior grounded in respect and empathy for all. Remind students of these expectations, particularly for sharing opinions with which others may not agree. In particular, it is important for students not to blame African Americans for the difficult circumstances they faced in working to achieve economic independence after the war and to keep in mind the systemic barriers and the government’s role in failing to support the rights of African Americans which contributed greatly to their limited opportunities.  

1. Prepare

Assign students in equal numbers to each of the three options.

2. Present

Ask each group of students to summarize and then articulate the benefits and drawbacks of pursuing their assigned action. 

3. Discuss

After discussing the three options described in the sources, ask students to come up with an option not covered in the documents but that they think would have been viable in history. Allow time for students to independently think about an answer. Encourage them to use concrete information from the previous documents, as well as their knowledge of history, in support of their opinions. You can ask them to write down their answer and reason for their choice. If time permits, have students share and discuss these options.