Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Teaching History: Beyond the Textbook: Causing the Civil War
An essay that looks at other, more complex reasons for the outbreak of the Civil War, beyond the traditionally accepted ones related to the Northern industrial economy versus the Southern agricultural one.
The Newberry Library
Newberry Library: Slavery, Civil War, and the "New Birth of Freedom"
Newberry Library presents primary source materials from which students learn about the arguments made for abolition before the Civil War, how the appeals against slavery were framed, and what freedom would mean for the South and the...
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 12.columbia and the Civil War
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 focuses on President Charles King who became one of the city's...
US National Archives
Docsteach: What Else Was Happening During the Civil War Era?
The years leading up to, during, and following the Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) are most often remembered for the tension between North and South, the question of slavery, President Lincoln, and social and political changes...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Lesson 2: People and Places in the North and South
Lesson explores the causes of the Civil War and the basic disagreements between North and South through the use of primary source documents, photographs, and census information. Includes two detailed student activities and resources for...
Books in the Classroom
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: Civil War in Children's Literature
This page from Carol Hurst's Children's Literature offers book reviews and planning help for an upper elementary unit on the Civil War. Includes information on books for teachers, books for students, easy-purchase links, and links to...
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery the Civil War Era
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 centers on Columbia University during the Civil War. Not all...
Library of Congress
Loc: American Memory: Reconstruction and Rights
Historical documents give evidence to the question of rights in the South following the Civil War. Historical narratives and government reports tell of giving the male slaves the right to vote and hold office while denying these rights...
Library of Congress
Loc: Learning Page: Pre Civil War African American Slavery
Get an overview of slavery in the South, but also see physical evidence in photographs and historical narratives from slaves of the time.
US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: End of Slavery in the United States: 13th Amendment
Online exhibit of primary source documents related to the 13th Amendment after the Civil War and the end to slavery.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Reconstruction Era
Describes what the South was like after the Civil War ended. Many places were in ruins and people were desperately poor with many being homeless. Social structures had collapsed now that slaves had been freed. The Reconstruction era...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1844 1877: Reconstruction: Life After Slavery
Discusses what life was like for African Americans who were freed from slavery after the Civil War. Includes questions for students.
Read Works
Read Works: Lincoln and the 13th Amendment to End Slavery
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief history of the official end to slavery in America, the 13th Amendment. A paired passage is part of this module, along with a lower level passage with related...
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Forever Free: The 1870s: William H. Holland
Read a brief bio on William H. Holland, a man born into slavery who not only fought in the Civil War but also involved in politics and working to advance African Americans during the Reconstruction. Read about some of his work as a Texas...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of the u.s. What Is Freedom? Webisode 7
Webisode 7 - What is Freedom? ..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.
Other
Alabama.gov: Reconstruction
Learn facts about life in the state of Alabama after the Civil War.
US National Archives
Nara: The Emancipation Proclamation
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides an elaborate overview of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Content includes detailed background information behind the document, photos of the original...
Other
University of Delaware: Abraham Lincoln: A Bicentennial Celebration
Commemorating Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, this exhibition provides several documents and photographs remembering the President's life. Resources cover his political career, slavery, the civil war and his assassination.
US National Archives
Our Documents: Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
Image of handwritten copy of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, accompanied by an explanation of the speech's purpose, impact, and role in American history.
The History Cat
The History Cat: African Americans After the War
Provides a discussion of what life was like for African Americans after slavery ended, focusing on the Freedman's Bureau, Freedman schools, and the Ku Klux Klan.
US National Archives
Our Documents: The Kansas Nebraska Act
An outstanding, interactive copy of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the legislation that repealed the Missouri Compromise. Historical context included, as well as links to larger images, a typed transcript, and a downloadable PDF file.
PBS
Pbs: Angelina and Sarah Grimke
A biography of the Grimke sisters, women who were before their time in so many ways and who fought for equality of the sexes.
Columbia University
Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 7. Columbia Faculty
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 discusses the connection between Columbia's faculty to slavery....
Other
Sos Children's Villages: Our Africa History
Our Africa is a project that allows the children of Africa to film their lives and their country the way they see them. This section explains the painful past of Africa and what is needed for a stable future. Included are videos about...