Virginia SOL VS.7.g
The Standard
evaluating the experiences and contributions of Indigenous people and enslaved and free Blacks and their allies during the war including, but not limited to Elizabeth Van Lew and Mary Bowser.
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how Indigenous people, enslaved and free Black people, and allies took part in the Civil War. They use evidence to judge contributions, risks, and limits faced by people such as Mary Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students accurately describe Bowser’s intelligence work and Van Lew’s Union spy network. They compare people’s experiences without treating Black or Indigenous communities as having one shared role or viewpoint.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume all Black people were enslaved or that all Indigenous nations supported the same side. They may also overlook how race, gender, and legal status created different risks for Bowser and Van Lew.
How to Assess It
- Give students brief source cards about Bowser, Van Lew, and one Indigenous or Black participant. Ask them to name one contribution, one risk, and the evidence supporting each claim.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Students arrange role cards and source excerpts on a chart labeled experience, contribution, risk, and evidence.
Write a response to this prompt: How did a person’s legal status or identity shape wartime choices and risks?
Play a clue-card matching game connecting Civil War participants with their actions, challenges, and supporting evidence.
Students search Virginia’s historical marker database for a Black or Indigenous Civil War figure and report one verified contribution.
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