This is an expert of a free lesson plan developed by Karla Smith of Biloxi, Mississippi, about the Jefferson Davis Soldier Home – Beauvoir for students in grades 7 through 12, which can be accessed by clicking this link to Mississippi History Now, an online publication of the Mississippi Historical Society.
Overview
On December 10, 1903, the Jefferson Davis Soldier Home – Beauvoir opened in Biloxi, Mississippi. Over the course of fifty-four years, more than 1,800 residents called Beauvoir home. These residents included Confederate veterans, their wives, and widows. In 1957, control of the property was returned to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans after the last two residents were relocated to retirement homes. In 2014, the University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of History began a study tracing the lives of the veteran residents of the Jefferson Davis Soldier Home from the 1850s through the twentieth century. The Beauvoir Veteran Project has shown that Mississippi’s Confederate home was one of the few to welcome female residents, to have a female superintendent, and to have female members serve on its board of directors.
Curricular Connections
Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 3 and 5
Common Core Standards
RH.3; WHST.2, 4-6
Teaching Level
Grades 7 through 12
Materials/Equipment
- Mississippi History Now article, “Jefferson Davis Soldier Home – Beauvoir”
- Computer
- Internet access
- Generalizations Chart
- Projector
- Screen or board
Objectives
The student will:
- Determine generalizations and supporting details about an historical event.
- Compose a written assignment from a specific point of view.
Karla Smith is the Social Studies Department Chair at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jefferson Davis Campus. The full lesson plan with links to pertinent articles and resources can be accessed here.
