Pretend you can send a letter back in time. Students will write a letter to President Abraham Lincoln. In the letter, one paragraph will describe how the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments changed the United States. Another paragraph will explain how the Freedmen’s Bureau affected the lives of African Americans. Inform President Lincoln that the campaign to free slaves had been successful, and sharecropping has replaced slavery. However, explain how African Americans rights are still limited due to Jim Crow laws. Students will use a checklist to ensure they have included all the needed information.