Primary
History Tools

History Tools: Abraham Lincoln on Equality and Free Labor (1854) [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Excerpt from an 1854 speech in which Lincoln praised the ideal of equality and the principle of "free labor". Spelling has been modernized and paragraph numbers added.
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
In this lesson, 8th graders look at how slavery contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War, at Abraham Lincoln's efforts to save the Union, and at what impact the Emancipation Proclamation had on the North's view of the war. Includes...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Lincoln Douglas Debates

For Students 9th - 10th
Historic debates, both in substance and form, were held between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in the Illinois Senate race in 1858. Read about the debates, where tht two men stood on the issue of slavery, and its place in the...
Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: A War to End Slavery Webisode 6

For Students 9th - 10th
A wonderful, interactive site covering many aspects of the Civil War. See photographs, primary sources, and find interesting tidbits about the war. Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction Election of 1860 and Lincoln

For Teachers 5th
[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.
Website
The Newberry Library

Newberry Library and Chicago History Museum: Lincoln at 200

For Students 9th - 10th
This is resource provides information which allows users to examine key aspects of Lincoln's life and legacy, such as the circumstances of his birth, his views on slavery, and his assassination.
Unit Plan
The Newberry Library

Newberry Library: Lincoln, the North, and the Question of Emancipation

For Students 9th - 10th
This learning module explores Lincoln's arguments against slavery as well as public feelings and concerns about emancipation as expressed through art and literature of the day.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Speech on Slavery

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Speech on Slavery" by Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Peace Democrats, Copperheads, and Draft Riots

For Students 9th - 10th
Abraham Lincoln did not have universal backing in the conduct of the Civil War. Read about the opposition, mainly from the Democrats, who opposed emancipation of the slaves and waging a war to reunited the country.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: A War to End Slavery: John Wilkes Booth and Assassination of Lincoln

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Race and Identity in Antebellum America

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This unit features authors of Antebellum America and how they portray the American identity through their literature. Click on the tabs to explore the various resources available to enhance this unit.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Lincoln Douglas Debates

For Students 9th - 10th
Discussion of the Lincoln Douglas Debates, a series of seven public debates held in 1858 between Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen Douglas as they contested the Illinois Senate seat.
Website
McGill University

Mc Gill University: Collection of Lincolniana

For Students 9th - 10th
Click Enter to find a world of Lincolniana! Start with the Virtual Exhibit that offers collections of manuscripts on Lincoln, the Man, the Civil War, Slavery & Emancipation, Assassination & Death, Trial & Execution of the...
Website
Other

Wwhp: American Anti Slavery Society

For Students 9th - 10th
A good review of the evolution of the support for the abolition of slavery from the first anti-slavery organization formed by the Quakers to the support for Abraham Lincoln as president. Focus is on the American Anti-Slavery Society and...
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

C3 Teachers: Inquiries: Emancipation

For Teachers 11th
A learning module on the emancipation of African American slaves after the Civil War. It includes several supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Students will...
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like Historians: Emancipation Proclamation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read primary source documents to solve a problem surrounding a historical question. This document-based inquiry lesson allows students consider whether Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, or the...
Website
US National Archives

Nara: The Emancipation Proclamation

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Emancipation Proclamation

For Students 5th - 8th
The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 really didn't free a single slave. Read about why that was true, but also find out why Abraham Lincoln felt is was absolutely necessary to make a stand on ending slavery when he did, and how the...
Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: A Fatal Contradiction Webisode 5

For Students 9th - 10th
Webisode 5 - A Fatal Contradiction. 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.
Website
Harp Week

The End of Slavery: The Creation of the 13th Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
What a wonderful resource for researching the attempts to solve the issue of slavery prior to the Civil War, and the eventual ratification of the 13th Amendment. Find a timeline of legislation limiting the spread of slavery from 1787...
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Slavery and the Making of America: Freedom & Emancipation

For Students 9th - 10th
Using primary documents, oral histories and other historical resources, learn about the African American reaction to emancipation and to events from the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service

For Students 9th - 10th
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Writing in u.s. History: The Emancipation Proclamation

For Students 9th - 10th
Assess how the Emancipation Proclamation expanded ideas of freedom and liberty, looking at the antislavery debate that led to the proclamation, the influences on Lincoln's decision, and the provisions of the document. In this interactive...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Lincoln vs. Douglas [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
The Licoln-Douglas debates pitted two great speakers who were espousing different courses for the country in regard to the issue of slavery. Read a snopsis of their seven debates and see what four major issues they debated. [pdf]