A lesson plan that addresses the "complex series of events" leading to the Civil War. Through this lesson, students will "gain an appreciation of everyday life in the North and South, changes occurring, and some of the major social and...

A wonderful resource using primary and secondary source materials to explore many facets of the Civil War from the war itself to its impact on the home front. Includes video and text downloads.

Here is some brief information on the "Little Giant", also known as Stephen Douglas, and his senatorial career. The information is divided into three short pages.

Essay defines the Christian Right and explores its cultural significance in American society, including why and how it emerged, religious and political goals, and who is included. Section for guiding students in discussion, scholar...

In this lesson, 11th graders examine the events and political philosophy that laid the foundations of the American government, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They also look at what role religion played in shaping American...

This site presents a simple map detailing the divided nation during the U.S. Civil war.

A sample lesson plan covering the sectionalism and problems facing the nation in its debate on slavery in the 1850s.

Several lesson plans covering a range of topics from the 1830s through 1860. These plans will give your learners experience using primary sources.

Washington retired in 1797, firmly declining to serve for more than eight years as the nation's head. His vice president, John Adams of Massachusetts, was elected the new president. Even before he entered the presidency, Adams had...

Comprehensive article on the events leading up to the Civil War. The Author separates myth from fact and provides a detailed account of this period in history. Links to further reading and primary source material.

By reading this section of a chapter on "Westward Expansion," students will be able to describe the terms of the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850, discuss why the Free-Soil Party objected to the westward expansion of slavery and...

GDP per capita is GDP (Gross National Product) divided by population. Since GDP is measured in a country's currency, in order to compare different countries' GDPs, we need to convert them to a common currency. One way to compare...

Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.

Steller sea lions are divided into two groups for conservation purposes. Those that live around Alaska and Russia are classified as endangered. Learn more about the Eumetopias jubatus, more commonly known as a Steller Sea Lion, in this...

Twenty tips for writers, slanted toward fiction, from the director of the National Writers' Workshop. Tips are divided into four areas: sentences and paragraphs, language, effects, and structure.

A very brief overview of the Civil War, the casualties, and the horrific social and economic effects across the nation. Included is a map that shows when each Southern state seceded from the Uniion.

This lesson helps young scholars study life in the United States in the years before the Civil War. Students will gain a better understanding of why people grew willing to fight to defend their way of life. Many of the documents young...

An interesting look at the Southern attempt to, at first defend the institution of slavery, and later, to become defiant about it. See how Southern intellectuals, religious leaders, and politicians strove to create a self-sufficiency in...

A concise review of the ways the issue of slavery split the country from the Missouri Compromise to eventual secession of the southern states.

A quick five question quiz over US history in the mid 1800s.

Palestinians inhabit an area east of the Mediterranean Sea and south of Lebanon. The Jordan River, Lakes Huleh and Tiberias, and the Dead Sea separate Palestine from Jordan. Christians refer to Palestine as "the Holy Land." Today...

Read about a book published in 1864 that contended that there was a conspiracy to spread slavery into the western territories. See that the accusations included in the book could not be authenicated, but the ideas presented showed the...

The Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858 exemplified the rift in the nation concerning the issue of slavery and who should be able to determine whether states were free or slave. Read about this war of ideas that moved from the stage in...

The Tigray are the largest ethnic group in the Ethiopian province of Tigray and in the Eritrean nation. The Tigray have not been as thoroughly studied as their culturally similar neighbors, the Amhara, with whom they share an "imperial"...