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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in World War II: Staging a Double V Campaign in the Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The feelings and attitudes of African-Americans during World War II are examined by high schoolers. After watching various clips from "The War," they answer comprehension questions for each section. In groups, they create their own...
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PPT
Curated OER

Background to the Conflict: Pre-Civil War Days

For Teachers 8th - 12th
The American Civil War was a complex test of a relatively young democracy in the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss the events and factors that led to the Civil War with a thorough slideshow presentation.
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Women's Lives Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

African-American Communities in the North Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Middle schoolers may be surprised to learn that before the American Civil War there were more slaves living in New York than there were in Kentucky! Young historians examine maps and census data to gather statistics about...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Black Soldiers in the Civil War

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Get hands on virtually with recruitment posters for African American soldiers during the Civil War with an interactive online resource. By highlighting key phrases in the posters using an Internet tool, learners discover how African...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
African Americans fought in the Civil War, and they were recruited by both the Union and the Confederacy! By comparing the wording of posters—one directed at freedmen and another to the owners of enslaved people—young historians discover...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

African American Soldiers and Civil Rights During WWI

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Young scholars analyze primary source documents and images to determine how African American soldiers were denied their civil rights during World War I.
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

African American Troops in the Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Middle schoolers explore the history of the African-American troops that served during the American Civil War. After reading primary source documents that detail the controversies about permitting freemen and former slaves to serve,...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: 19th Century African-American Writer and Reformer

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Although some African American abolitionists—such as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass—are well known, others, like Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, remain in the shadows of history. Harper was a poet and activist who played an...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Women in the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Vivandieres and cantinieres, nurses and soldiers, loyalists and unionists. A primary source set provides young historians an opportunity to investigate the many roles women played in the United States Civil War. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in the Civil War

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the role of African-Americans in the Civil War. After reading a poem, they analyze and identify the difficulties faced by African Americans. In pairs, they complete a worksheet based on the poem and information.
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Lesson Plan
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National Park Service

Civil War to Civil Rights: From Pea Ridge to Central High

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Explore how the Civil War impacted the Civil Rights Movement. Class members complete a series of projects for a unit that uses a layered curriculum approach to learning. 
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PPT
Curated OER

The American Civil War: A Nation Divided (1861-1865)

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Intended for use with atlases, this presentation details the causes and effects of the Civil War. It includes historical pictures of battles and discussion points about the technology which emerged during (and for) the war. The final...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Women Before and After the Civil War: Slavery and Freedom

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students listen to data on African American women in Texas before the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students compare and contrast the lives of slave and free women, and discuss case studies, locating areas on a map. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"In Defense of My Race and Country": African-American Soldiers on Why They Are Fighting

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Why would an African-American slave fight in the Civil War? Read and analyze primary source documents to understand the ex-slave perspective on fighting in the Union Army. Everything to complete this instructional activity is included.
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Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Art

The First African American Regiment

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young historians examine a memorial sculpture of the first African American regiment in the Civil War, and then compare how the experiences of the regiment are portrayed in letters and poetry, as well as in the motion picture, Glory. 
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Lesson Plan
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PBS

Civil War: Blacks on the Battlefield

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Civil War (1861-1865) Through Maps, Charts, Graphs, & Pictures

For Teachers 8th - 11th
True to its titles, this engaging and appealing presentation brings the 1860's into close focus with a number of images and statistics that would delight any Civil War buff. A few graphs allow for pupil input, such as listing the...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Atrocities of the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Beyond the glory of victory and the waving of flags, this presentation shows students a glimpse of the uglier side of war - specifically, the masscres and casualities of the Civil War. Students will learn about Nathan Bedford Forrest's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What This Cruel War Was Over: Slavery and the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can't travel to Richmond for your Civil War unit? This plan creates an authentic experience, using primary sources and the essential question: Over What Was the Civil War Fought? Historians examine the Appomattox Marker, the site of Gen....
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Worksheet
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Curated OER

Harriet Tubman: Civil War Spy

For Students 6th - 9th
Add engaging new material to Harriet Tubman and Civil War curricula with a crisply designed, two-page reading about the famous abolitionist. The text details a military raid she led against the Confederate army, informs readers about Tom...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe issues or problems facing African Americans following Reconstruction. They explain possible solutions to these problems suggested in the sources you find, and cite arguments for and against these solutions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson plan, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students research the role played and contributions made by African American soldiers during World War I. They discuss the evolution of civil rights in America's history, and the progress that has been made in the last 100 years.