Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Furnace of the Civil War
The eyes of an American History teacher (or Civil War buff) will open wide with this series of maps, which detail the campaigns and battles of the Civil War. Meant to supplement chapter 21 of The American Pageant, this presentation would...
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War
Seventh graders identify and discuss the causes of the Civil War. They define the vocabulary terms-Civil War, economy, plantations, abolitionist, secede, and slave; read and discuss reading passages about the Civil War, and answer...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Convict Leasing in Alabama: a System That Re-Enslaved Blacks After the Civil War
The post-Civil War convict leasing program, rarely covered in textbooks, is the focus of a lesson that asks class members to use information drawn from primary source documents to assess the program. While the focus is on Alabama's...
National Gallery of Art
The First African American Regiment
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.
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Girding for War
Though too short to be an adequate presentation, the solitary map in these slides would be a good visual aid to a lecture about Southern secession before and during the Civil War. The color coded states on the map make a good timeline...
Curated OER
The Cycles in the Civil War
Students investigate the various causes of the U.S. Civil War. They view photos on the Smithsonian website, write about what it would have been like to be in the Civil War, complete a graphic organizer, and analyze a timeline.
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War
Seventh graders determine how the American Civil War began. In this American Civil War instructional activity, 7th graders listen to a SMART Board-supported lecture about the causes of the war and watch a United Streaming video on the...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Twenty-Three Political Paralysis in the Gilded Age
Detailing the Presidential elections of 1876, 1884, and 1892, this slideshow focuses on the final years of the 19th century in the United States. Additionally, slides include information on the changes in Southern plantations and growth...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The South and the Slavery Controversy
The unseemly world of American slavery is on display in these slides, which include informational images about slavery in the South. From maps about cotton production to graphs about slave-owning families, these images will make a...
Curated OER
Black American Soldiers in the Civil War
Eighth graders explore the actions needed to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. In this US History instructional activity, 8th graders analyze documents pertinent to the Congressional Medal of Honor. Students examine the process...
Curated OER
Recruiting a Few Good Citizens
Students write persuasive speeches to recruit soldiers for a Civil War company. In this Civil War U.S. history and writing lesson plan, students work in groups to create a recruiting poster and write a speech to persuade soldiers to join...
Curated OER
Weapons Of War: The Monitor
Learners investigate the building of the first warships of the Civil War. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students compare and contrast two battleships of the era using a graphic organizer. They also compose a journal...
Curated OER
When Johnny Went Marching Off...
Eighth graders explore Civil War campaigns. In this Civil War activity, 8th graders collaborate and conduct research to create presentations that focus on specific Union or Confederate generals and battles. Students take on the roles of...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Ordeal of Reconstruction
With a map on the military reconstruction in the post-Civil War South, and an interesting graphic comparing the size of Alaska to the continental United States, this presentation could be a good (albeit short) supplement to a class...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Drifting Toward Disunion
A series of maps take viewers through the Antebellum period in American history. Focusing on the elections of Buchanan and Lincoln, as well as the Southern opposition to secession, the slideshow would make a good companion to a lecture...
Curated OER
Music, Slavery, and the Civil War
Pupils explore the role of the spiritual played during the period of slavery and the Civil War. They listen to and analyze various forms of spirituals They gain an awareness of how music reflects cultures and social issues.
Curated OER
How We Got to Kansas-Nebraska
Students explore the causes of the Civil War. In this lesson on slavery students use primary sources to examine the evolution of the issue of slavery and in the American political system. Students will then write a follow-up essay that...
Curated OER
Bridges for All
Students describe how the brave word of one female Quaker served as a lifeline for fugitives before the Civil War. In this research instructional activity, students research several examples of the philanthropic work of individuals and...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism
Use this series of bright, informative maps to illustrate important events of America's infancy. Detailing the Missouri Compromise, the Battle of New Orleans, and the Presidential Election of 1812, this presentation would be a good...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Great West and the Agriculture Revolution
What comes to mind when you think of the 1860's - other than the Civil War? Paired with The American Pageant textbook (or not), this series of images completes a lecture on the mid-19th century. Cattle trails, Indian wars, and explosions...
Curated OER
When Johnny Went Marching Off...
Eighth graders decide whether to join the Union or Confederate army. Then decide under which General you serve and in which battles you fight. Finally students create civilwar documents in assigned roles.
Curated OER
Lesson Three: Poem Pieces
Students read and analyze stanzas of Civil War poem, The Flags of Michigan, to get perspective on what life was like and how Americans viewed Civil War, rewrite stanzas in modern language, and share new versions of poem with classmates.
Constitution Facts
U.S. Constitution Crossword Puzzles: Intermediate #1
All of the details of American history fall into place with a clever crossword puzzle. Nearly 100 clues prompt middle and high schoolers to fit the correct answers to topics including the American Revolution, the Civil War, and...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Renewing the Sectional Struggle
A panorama of the mid-19th century in America, this series of images present several issues that were prevalent before the Civil War. Territorial and social conflicts were heated during this time, and one map in particular shows a...