This lesson asks students to analyze Last Seen ads to develop a claim (thesis statement) about the historical trends and patterns they observe in formerly enslaved people’s efforts to reunite with loved ones based on evidence gathered from comparing Last Seen advertisements. This lesson fits into a unit on Reconstruction and life in the post-bellum South. It also allows students to make broader connections between historical familial separation and current events.

Grades 9-12

Adam Green

Texas

Advanced Placement U.S. History