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]

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

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

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...

[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 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...

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

Provides information on the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the consequences of its passing. From "The Civil War and Reconstruction" by Randall and McDonald.

A collection that uses primary sources to explore the American Abolitionist Movement.

This well-researched extensive essay by Peter Stam looks at the issue of the number of African Americans serving in the Confederate Army as soldiers. By examining information from many historians, some of whom turn out to be unreliable,...

Selected (11) reading passages (grades 7-11) to pair with the autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Fredrick Douglass. Frederick Douglass recounts his experiences as a slave in Maryland, and his treatment at the...

Lee communicates the cutoff of supplies and the events which followed it, causing his surrender.

Analyze the Civil War through a multitude of primary source documents. This comprehensive site chronicles the Civil War in Virginia from its roots to the battles, and finally the consequences of this divisive war. Read letters and...

Presents key ideas for examining the events and issues that led to the American Civil War.

A collection uses primary sources to explore the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

African American slaves are known to have fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, which many people may not realize. Why they would fight on the side of slavery, and the evidence that they did, are discussed in this section of...

If teaching a unit about the history of popular music in America, this PBS web site supporting their four-part TV broadcast of a few years ago would make a great resource. Includes lesson plans and oral histories too.

Explains how the idea of African Americans fighting in large numbers for the Confederate cause is a wrong one that has been propagated by untrained historians who used unreliable sources.

Discusses the research by historians to try to determine the extent to which African Americans fought for the Confederate cause. They examined letters, service records, anecdotes, photographs, pension records, etc. but were unable to say...

A scholarly biography of a Confederate General who fought against the Union in the area of Texas and utilized the various Indian nations to help in his cause.

The military-industrial complex thrived in the North during the Civil War, but read about how inflation affected the ordinary worker. See how the role of women expanded to fill in for men who were away fighting. Women also had an impact...

Discusses the difficulties involved in developing a true picture of how many African Americans actively supported the Confederate cause.