The American Civil War: Why Did the North Win

After engaging learners in a set of wonderful lessons of the Civil War, test their knowledge with a Civil-War-themed Jeopardy game. Included here are 25 Civil War questions related to battles, key people, events, and slavery. 

Many consider the 1862 siege at Vicksburg to be the turning point of the American Civil War. Learn more about the necessity of Vicksburg for both the Confederacy and the Union — and the importance of its conquest on July 4, 1862 — with a...

Take a birds-eye view of the Civil War with an instructive video about the Battle of Shiloh. Paced over the four-day period in which Confederate troops were forced into retreat, the video presents both a strategic and tactical glimpse of...

One small miscommunication can be extremely costly on the battlefield. The Battle of Chickamauga is a historical example of how the best-laid strategy can be destroyed with a single mistake — in this case, Major General Rosecrans'...

Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...

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...

Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...

North and South: two opposite directions and two opposite economic and social systems in time of the Civil War. Pupils peruse census websites and primary source photographs to understand what life was like for the everyday person before...

Step into one of the most iconic battlefields of the American Civil War with an educational interactive resource. Young historians learn about key moments, locations, soldiers, and turning points in the battle with a clickable map and...

North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first lesson plan in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict. Analysis...