Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Maryland: A Middle Ground?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Is Maryland in or out? Using primary source documents that examine the state's geopolitical location, learners discuss whether the Old Line State is Northern or Southern to its core. The resource includes numerous documents and...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Pre-1861: Disunion

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Nat Turner, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln all played a key role in the run-up to the bloody American Civil War. Using a PowerPoint, timeline activity, and essay prompt, young historians consider the roles of these men and more to...
Primary
Cornell College

Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court Decision

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Dred Scott was a harbinger of the Civil War. An enslaved man claimed freedom because his owner had taken him into free territory. Not only did the Supreme Court rule that Dred Scott and his wife were to remain enslaved, but it also ruled...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Red Badge of Courage: ReQuest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage provides the text for a reading comprehension activity that asks class members to develop questions based on the novel.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

African American Life After the Civil War - Sharecropping

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
What is the sharecropping system? What role did it play in the post-Civil War economy of the South? Who were the sharecroppers? Who employed them? How were they paid? To answer these questions, kids examine a series of sharecropper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes of the Civil War: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850 and Kansas Nebraska Act

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
How did the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act contribute to the growing tensions that led to the Civil war? To better understand the events that led to the Civil War, young historians engage in a...
Lesson Plan
Small Planet Communications

Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discuss political, social, and personal issues relating to the Civil War from various perspectives using internet sources. Students write various selections from Civil War characters' point of view.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Gettysburg Address

For Students 9th - 10th
An exhibition showcasing key documents linked to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Included are drafts of the address, transcriptions of the address in English and 28 other languages, Lincoln's invitation to Gettysburg, the only...
Handout
Forum Romanum

Outlines of Roman History: Reforms of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus

For Students 9th - 10th
This chapter in William Morey's 1901 text discusses the land reforms of the Gracchi brothers. Find out how well they worked and the problems they caused.
Handout
Forum Romanum

Outlines of Roman History: Times of Marius and Sulla: Rise of Marius

For Students 9th - 10th
In this section of a chapter in William Morey's 1901 textbook, you will find out about Marius and his reorganization of the Roman army.
Handout
Forum Romanum

Outlines of Roman History: Civil War Between Antony and Octavius

For Students 9th - 10th
This passage in William Morey's 1901 textbook explains the hostility between Antony and Octavius and Octavius' triumph.
Handout
Forum Romanum

Outlines of Roman History: Flavian Emperors: Disputed Succession

For Students 9th - 10th
In this passage from William Morey's 1901 textbook, you read about the influence of the military in choosing four emperors in one year.
Website
Cornell University

Cornell University: Library: Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection of photographs from the Civil War is divided into seven different themes. Along with each picture, there is a lengthy description, the name of the photographer, and the date taken.
Website
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Armies of the Confederate States in the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive list of the armies of the Confederacy. Click on the link to find who made up each army and the primary commander. From "The Photographic History of the Civil War."
Handout
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Election of 1864

For Students 9th - 10th
The re-election of Abraham Lincoln in 1864 was not a done deal. Read about the peace explorations, the Republican and Democratic conventions, the campaigns, and eventual "landslide" for Lincoln. From "The Civil War and Reconstruction" by...
Handout
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Propaganda in the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
Propaganda was practiced by both the Union and Confederacy. Read the many ways propaganda was used both officially and unofficially. From "The Civil War and Reconstruction" by Randall and Donald.
Website
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Battle of Stones River

For Students 9th - 10th
A source for several articles about the Battle of Stones River. You can find a description of the battle, a battlefield map, as well as the official Orders of Battle of both the Union and Confederate armies.
Website
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: The Siege of Vicksburg (May 18 July 4, 1863)

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the siege of Vicksburg from both the Union and Confederate points of view, the plight of the citizens, and official orders of battle.
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Prints and Photographs: About the Civil War Photographs

For Students 9th - 10th
Collection of digitized prints of the library's holding of Civil War photographs. Includes information on how the photographs were taken, as well as an interesting look at photo manipulation.
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: National Bank Acts of 1863 and 1864

For Students 9th - 10th
This essay describes the purposes and effects of the National Bank Acts of 1863 and 1864.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: America's Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of Reconstruction provided by the University of Houston. Provides images and the political climate that occurred during this part of American History.
Primary
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Mc Dowell's Advance to Bull Run

For Students 9th - 10th
Details written by James B. Fry, an adjutant to McDowell, describe McDowell's advance and the Union Army's attack and subsequent retreat at the First Battle of Bull Run. From "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" by Ned Bradford.
Primary
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Lee's Last Orders

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the last orders of Robert E. Lee to the Confederate troops, relating the surrender of the South and thanking them for their service.
Website
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Battle of Chancellorsville

For Students 9th - 10th
Loads of information! Read a short description of the actual Battle and a piece that was written by Maj. Gen. Couch after the War, and much more. Includes the official descriptions and descriptions of the battle from various sources.