This lesson focuses on the black soldiers of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Students use primary source materials from the National Archives for classroom research. Students analyze featured documents, engage in creative writing, present oral reports and conduct further research on the topic of the black Civil War experience. The lesson is designed to be cross-curricular and help the classroom teacher with history, government, and language arts instruction. A brief essay for historical background is included along with numerous examples of archival material and suggestions for classroom use. (EH)