An Acquaintance with Darkness, a Civil War

A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines the factors that led John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Lincoln. Also involves comparing and contrasting Lincoln's and Andrew...

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal moment in American history, but what were the immediate effects throughout the newly unified country? A document-based question focuses on the consequences of the first assassination of...

Middle schoolers explore the history of the African-American troops that served during the American Civil War. After reading primary source documents that detail the controversies about permitting freemen and former slaves to serve,...

Using primary and secondary sources, such as letters and diaries from soldiers and civilians, learners consider why people fought in the American Civil War. A role-playing Historical Mingle activity, as well as discussion questions and...

Students research the life of John Wilkes Booth. In this Lincoln assassination lesson plan, students read diary excerpts and newspaper articles about Booth's final hours and compose essays regarding their findings.

True to its titles, this engaging and appealing presentation brings the 1860's into close focus with a number of images and statistics that would delight any Civil War buff. A few graphs allow for pupil input, such as listing the...

Did Lincoln know that victory for the Union was imminent? According to this video, which discusses the end of the Civil War (including a great anecdote about a historic coincidence between the beginning and end of the war), many...

Complete with territory maps, photos, and interesting anecdotes, this video covers the major events of American History, roughly from 1754 to 1865. Plymouth and Jamestown are mentioned in the beginning of the video, but the speaker...

Discuss the differences between the North and the South and how those differences led to the Civil War. Middle schoolers examine and analyze a famous speech or writing by President Lincoln in order to better understand the speaker's...

Young historians consider the cause and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation. They use handouts, response sheets, and class discussion to build an opinion about the subject after viewing the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln:...