Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Sacred Beliefs
At the beginning of the Civil War people in both the North and the South held firm beliefs about the reasons for the war. Some wanted to preserve the Union, others to end slavery. In the South the question was about states' rights and...
![Tom richey.net: The Crisis of the Union (1850 1860) [Ppt] PPT](https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Tom richey.net: The Crisis of the Union (1850 1860) [Ppt] PPT")
Tom Richey
Tom richey.net: The Crisis of the Union (1850 1860) [Ppt]
Presents key ideas for examining the events and issues that led to the American Civil War.
Curated OER
National Park Service: The Significance of the Dred Scott Trial
In this article from "The Old Courthouse" by Donald Dosch the facts of the Dred Scott decision are laid out. Read why the outcome of the case fanned the embers of the coming Civil War.
US Department of State
Bureau of International Information Programs: History Outline: Sectionalism
Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 11. Columbians
This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. This article looks at the different approaches among Columbians to the...
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Biographical profile of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the first African American woman to publish a short story and also an influential abolitionist, suffragist, and reformer.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe
This collection uses primary sources to explore Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Charlotte Forten Grimke
Brief biography of Charlotte Forten Grimke, an African American teacher and writer of Civil War period.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Trailblazing Surgeon Mary Walker Still One of a Kind
Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) was an American abolitionist, prisoner of war, and surgeon. She received the highest medal one can receive in the military, the Medal of Honor, for her role as a surgeon during the Civil War. In this...
Digital History
Digital History: Civil War in Kansas [Pdf]
The Compromise of 1850 did not solve all the slavery issues in the territories, which was not surprising. Read about the Kansas-Nebraska Act, put forth by Sen. Stephan Douglas, who proposed that the issue be decided by popular...
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Harriet Tubman
This article overviews Harriet Tubman's involvement with the Underground Railroad, her service in the military during the Civil War, and her fight as an activist for African-American and women's rights.
Library of Congress
Loc: African American Odyssey: Free Blacks in Antebellum Period
A site that chronicles through documents the accomplishments of African-Americans, both slave and free, from colonial times through the Civil War.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Mary Edwards Walker
Mary Edwards Walker is the only U.S. woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor. She was a women's rights advocate, abolitionist, spy, and the first female U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War.
Read Works
Read Works: Famous African Americans Sojourner Truth
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares biographical content about the abolitionist named Sojourner Truth. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
Read Works
Read Works: John Brown's Antislavery Raid
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief history of John Brown, an American abolitionist. A paired passage, a lower level passage with related content, and a question sheet are available to help students...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Frederick Douglass
As a leader in the abolitionist movement Frederick Douglass (1817-1895 CE) was a most inspirational man. This site provides much interesting information including an account of his escape from slavery and his newspaper THE NORTH STAR.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Abolitionist author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, rose to fame in 1851 with the publication of her best-selling book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which highlighted the evils of slavery.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 9. John Jay Ii
This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. In the decades before the Civil War, Columbia produced only two graduates who...
C-SPAN
C Span American Writers: Uncle Tom's Cabin
This summary of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe includes the full text work as well as links to related websites.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: A Fatal Contradiction Webisode 5
Webisode 5 - A Fatal Contradiction. The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
PBS
Pbs: Cet: Africans in America: The Raid on Harper's Ferry
PBS' four-part series, "Africans in America," highlights the antislavery movement, including a focus on John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry. Content includes a description of the event, as well as the after-effects including the news of...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: American Masters Collection: Louisa May Alcott
This is a collection of two video lessons about Louisa May Alcott and her works especially "Little Women."
PBS
Africans in America: John Brown
PBS Online provides a brief biography of John Brown and the way his life affected the abolitionist movement and contributed to the start of the U.S. Civil War.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Brief biography of famous Civil War writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. Includes list of additional titles about author.