An essay that looks at other, more complex reasons for the outbreak of the Civil War, beyond the traditionally accepted ones related to the Northern industrial economy versus the Southern agricultural one.

A tutorial that looks at the main causes of the American Civil War. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.

A timeline from the 17th to the 19th century showing the evolution of the slavery issue in the United States, leading eventually to the Civil War.

Animated map tells the story of the events that led up to the first shots of the Civil War fired at Fort Sumter. [7:31]

University-level syllabus, reading suggestions, lecture notes, and quizzes for a course of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

An exhibition that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. While slavery caused the war, the war was not begun to free the slaves, but to determine whether the Confederate States of America would be allowed to break...

In this course Professor David Blight explores the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War, from the 1840s to 1877 through twenty-seven video lectures. The primary goal of the course is to understand the multiple...

Information with lesson plan for grades 9-12 about Abraham Lincoln's presidency focuses on the decisions and political actions he had to make throughout the Civil War.

Through a comprehensive powerpoint presentation, students will learn details of the five main causes of the Civil War in the United States.

After the Dred Scott decision by the US Supreme Court, the friction between the North and South over slavery escalated, and the North began to fear that they might not be able to prevent slavery from spreading into their states. The Dred...

A list with descriptions of the major events that led up to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Here is a summary of the factors that led to the Civil War. You can also link to pages with photos on battles, forts, communication, hospitals, and more.

The sidebar of this site reads "Understand the War Through People Then and Now." That is the mission of the site, and when you click on each word or phrase, you open up a world of information about the Civil War. Compiled resources help...

A wonderful resource using primary and secondary source materials to explore many facets of the Civil War from the war itself to its impact on the home front. Includes video and text downloads.

Twenty-seven university-level lectures on the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War. Available in audio, video, or text format.

CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...

Presents a list of 38 causes of the Civil War. This is broken up into timelines for 1793-1846 and 1846-1861, with some links to more information. Includes a 3-minute video about the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Examine the causes of the Civil War using primary source documents. This lesson plan gives background on the Civil War, includes a timeline, and a bibliography for further reading. Primary source documents include music, newspapers,...

This is a collection of 29 Grade-Leveled texts (6-12)on the topic The Civil War. The American Civil War lasted for only 5 years but divided the country along bitter lines as the North fought to keep southern states from seceding from the...

[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about some of the causes of the American Civil War. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

This sample task contains a set of primary and authentic sources about how the differences between the North and South deepened the feelings of sectionalism leading up to the Civil War.

Throughout the years since the end of the Civil War, historians have been weighing in on the causes of that terrible time in the history of the United States. Interpretations have changed over the generations. Read the questions that...

In this 21st Century roleplay lesson, learners use what they know about causes of the Civil War to have an educated discussion with another class. By utilizing Skype, students and teachers collaborate with one another in an engaging...

Covers many aspects of the Civil War, without too much text for Grade 5 students. Includes links to additional information and a few learning activities. (Note: Some links may no longer be working.)