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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Sam Houston: A Study in Leadership

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Learners read a short excerpt from a speech by Sam Houston and answer corresponding questions as well as engage in additional activities, including writing a persuasive essay and discussing topics in small groups. The resource helps lay...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Maryland During the Secession Crisis

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
While many think the United States was neatly divided between Northern and Southern states during the Civil War, border states like Maryland are more complicated. Using hands-on activities to measure distance and primary sources,...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Lincoln and the Republicans: The Cause of the War?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In today's political rhetoric, many forget the pivotal role the Republican Party played in the causes of the Civil War. The party's formation was the final straw for Southerners who saw the enslavement of people of African descent a...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Southern Secession and Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential Election

For Teachers 6th - 8th
President Abraham Lincoln: a true humanitarian or a savvy politician? The lesson focuses on Abraham Lincoln's presidency and the secession of the southern states. Academics interpret how Lincoln's presidential platform promoting African...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

What Would the Ladies Think? An Alabama Secession Story

For Teachers 6th
Alabama voted to secede from the Union preceding the Civil War. What did women think of the decision? The lesson uses letters and newspaper articles to explain women's views on the secession and how they participated in the celebration...
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Lesson Plan
West Virginia Department of Education

A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Ever wondered why there is a West Virginia but not an East Virginia? The resource answers questions like this one and more as it takes an in-depth and detailed look at the history of West Virginia and how it became a state. Several...
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Lesson Plan
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University of California

The Civil War: Secession of the South

For Students 8th Standards
Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama's Secession in 1861: Embraced with Joy and Great Confidence. Why?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...
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PPT
Curated OER

1850s: Road to Secession

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Detailing the political and social events leading up to the Civil War, this presentation provides students with maps, political cartoons, and photographs to put this time period into historical context. The Presidential Elections of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Images of Secession

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Analyze political cartoons and historical events. Middle schoolers utilize primary resources to increase their comprehension of the topic of secession. They utilize graphic organizers to take notes, compare, and analyze political...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Secession: A Southern Perspective

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders determine how secession impacted South Carolina as well as the United States. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders examine selected primary and secondary sources in order to study the state's sovereignty and the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty and Secession

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and discuss background material on several key decisions that played a role in the Civil War including the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dredd Scott Decision. They create a timeline and write an essay.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United We Stand

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students recreate and simulate the secession of the South during the Civil War by having their class secede from the school. They write an essay comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences of everyday life before and after...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: Girding for War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arrest of the Maryland Legislature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this Civil War history worksheet, students read and discuss a selection regarding the arrest of the Maryland legislature.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Southerner’s Reaction to the Republicans

For Teachers 8th - 12th
In this Civil War worksheet, students write a letter to the editor of a local Southern newspaper in 1960. The letter should feature Republican platform statements regarding the issue of secession.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan for History: The Inauguration Speech of President Jefferson Davis

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explain Davis's views on Southern Secession.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders read and analyze primary sources. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maryland During the Secession Crisis

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify the problems Maryland encountered during the secession crisis. They analyze census data and through an examination of the resolutions made by Maryland's Southern Rights Convention of 1861.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Secession Crisis: In Two Virginia Communities

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are divided into groups and are assigned newspaper articles from the year 1861. The articles are from either Republican or Democratic parties discussing the Virginia secession. They complete worksheets and have a whole class...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty, and Secession

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine sequence of national events that resulted in the Civil War by using primary sources, and creating timelines and maps.