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DocsTeach
From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875: Eighteen Years of Change
What do a photo of Abraham Lincoln, a map for the Battle of Antietam, and the Dred Scott decision all have in common? Learners consider the broader question as they examine documents related to civil rights during the Civil War and...
Digital Public Library of America
Women in the Civil War
Vivandieres and cantinieres, nurses and soldiers, loyalists and unionists. A primary source set provides young historians an opportunity to investigate the many roles women played in the United States Civil War.
DocsTeach
To What Extent was Reconstruction a Revolution? (Part 1)
Some scholars consider the Civil War and Reconstruction a second American Revolution. Class members weigh in after examining primary sources, including a Congressional resolution calling for the Fifteenth Amendment and the credentials of...
Lehigh University
Glory (1989) - Should it be Shown in Class?
This is a fantastic activity that prompts learners to think like educators and consider the value of a historically based film beyond just the accuracy of information. Your young historians will work in groups to do a close reading and...
Digital Public Library of America
The Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Escaping Enslaved people attempting to escape didn't need a ticket to ride on the Underground Railroad. Here is a packet of primary sources that reveal the kind of courage and determination they did need to face the challenges to gain...
Digital Public Library of America
Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln
Frederic Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, although dissimilar in their backgrounds, were united in their views about slavery. A set of 14 primary sources permits scholars to examine the views of these two powerful men.
Teach With Movies
Learning Guide To: Gone with the Wind
The film version of Gone with the Wind is the focus of this learning guide that asks viewers to consider some of the issues that the Southern states faced prior to and during the Civil War.
Humanities Texas
A President's Vision: Abraham Lincoln
Invite your learners to take a close look at Abraham Lincoln's presidency through analysis worksheets of several images and primary documents, presented on an educational poster entirely dedicated to this great United States...
Digital Public Library of America
The Fifteenth Amendment
Fifteen primary sources provide a context for a study of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The packet captures the excitement for the changes promised by the amendment as well as the backlash against it.
National Woman's History Museum
Create your own Women’s History Museum
Celebrate Women's History with a museum display. Divide the class into seven groups and assign each a different historical topic/time period. Each group member researches a different woman of that time period and creates an exhibit that...
Read Works
Read Works: Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction Gettysburg
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction the Generals of the Civil War
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about four Civil War generals: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson, and William Tecumseh Sherman. A question sheet is available to help students build skills...
Read Works
Read Works: Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction Slavery in the Territories
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Congressional disagreements about slavery in the territories before the Civil War. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Slavery, the Civil War & Reconstruction Fort Sumter: First Shots
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction Election of 1860 and Lincoln
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Wall Street Speech, the Gilded and the Gritty: America, 1870 1912
A "bloody shirt" speech from Robert Ingersoll that emphasizes the virtue of Republican candidates and attacks Democrats as traitors during the Civil War.