Curated OER
Election of 1860
Young scholars determine how the presidential election of 1860 led to the American Civil War. In this election of 1860 lesson, students discover details regarding the election and hold their own mock debate and election. Young scholars...
Classroom Law Project
How do we hire a President?
What are the job requirements for the office of president of the United States? What attributes should a candidate possess? Are the qualities needed to govern the same as those needed to win? What can an analysis of the management style...
Curated OER
Choosing the Best Candidate
Who would win an election between Napoleon and Julius Caesar? Group your class up to analyze and discuss which of their given choices would make the best presidential candidate, given specific criteria. The potential candidate list...
Center for History Education
Did Southern Free Men of Color Fight for the Ideals of the South?
Much of history is distasteful. Primary sources often reveal attitudes acceptable at the time that no longer are. But to understand controversial historical events, historians must examine primary sources that represent a wide variety of...
Curated OER
Emancipation Proclamation
Students examine the Emancipation Proclamation. In this Emancipation Proclamation instructional activity, students examine the document and respond to 6 questions regarding it.
Stanford University
Fort Sumter
The headlines screamed what everyone knew was coming: War! While Fort Sumter was considered the first battle of the Civil War, the engagement played differently in newspapers at the time. Using coverage from Northern and Southern...
University of California
The Civil War: Secession of the South
Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...
Curated OER
Statehouse: Fact or Fiction
Fourth graders determine whether or not statements about the Ohio statehouse are true or false. They examine the stories behind the myths about it. including one about the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.
Curated OER
Debates Over Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Eighth graders study the concept of Habeas Corpus. In this Civil War lesson, 8th graders research the reasons for and against suspending the writ of habeas corpus. Students analyze various documents.
Curated OER
Presidential Election 2004: Five Presidents' Calls for War
Students examine five president's reasons for entering into a war. Using the text, they answer questions and discuss their answers with the class. They also examine President Bush's reasons for going to war in Iraq and how that...
Curated OER
Could the Civil War Been Avoided Through Compromise?
Students determine whether the American Civil War could have been avoided. In this Civil War instructional activity, students examine primary and secondary sources to prepare to participate in a classroom debate that requires them to...
Curated OER
Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
Young scholars examine the transcripts of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates and create a platform for each candidate in the 1858 Senate race. They utilize the candidates' arguments to explore the historical and political impact.
Curated OER
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Students investigate the community in which Lincoln and his family lived and explore how the citizens felt about him. The national issues that inspired Lincoln to act decisively in politics and that propelled him to the White House are...
West Virginia Department of Education
A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia
Ever wondered why there is a West Virginia but not an East Virginia? The resource answers questions like this one and more as it takes an in-depth and detailed look at the history of West Virginia and how it became a state. Several...
Curated OER
Red, Undecided, and Blue
Students analyze voter preferences in past elections, and then write letters to a presidential candidate, recommending winning strategies drawn from their research.
Curated OER
A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
Students explore the debates over American slavery and the power of the American federal government for the first half of the 19th century and how the regional economies and political events produced a widening split between the states.
Classroom Law Project
Should we believe everything we read? Becoming a discerning consumer of media
Class members investigate the role media should play in a healthy democracy. As part of this study, groups analyze political advertising, use FactCheck to assess not only the veracity of but the persuasions techniques used in candidates'...
Curated OER
Counting On Freedom
Students examine the poem and artistic masterpiece The Quadroon Girl and use this knowledge to practice mathematical concepts such as: more than, less than, counting, and majority.
Curated OER
A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
Students trace the development of sectionalism in the United States. They explore slavery, freedom and the Constitution. Students identify influential opponents and defenders of American slavery. They explain different solutions to...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Newscast on the Battles of the Ironclad Ships
Fifth graders create multi-media newscasts based on their knowledge of Civil War battles of the ironclad ships.
Curated OER
Civil War and Beyond
Sixth graders play a game. In this Civil War lesson, 6th graders discuss the beginnings of the Civil War and define vocabulary words associated with the war such as abolitionist and Emancipation Proclamation. Students play a game of...
Curated OER
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
High schoolers examine the impeachment proceedings of Andrew Johnson. In this U.S. Constitution instructional activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on the details of Andrew Johnson's impeachment and...
Curated OER
America's Wars
Pupils classify information regarding American involvement in wars. In this classification lesson, students examine the causes of the war in which the United States has been involved, and classify them as mainly political, social,...
Curated OER
Illustration of the Destruction of a Rebel Salt Factory on the Florida Coast
Students view an illustration of the destruction of a salt factory. They analyze the photograph to learn more about the salt works. Students discuss what they have learned.