American Battlefield Trust
Southern Secession and Abraham Lincoln’s Presidential Election
President Abraham Lincoln: a true humanitarian or a savvy politician? The lesson focuses on Abraham Lincoln's presidency and the secession of the southern states. Academics interpret how Lincoln's presidential platform promoting African...
Facing History and Ourselves
Defining Freedom
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second lesson in the Reconstruction Era series examines...
Facing History and Ourselves
Violence and Backlash
Revolution and counterrevolution. Protest and counter-protest. Collaborators and bystanders. The focus of the fifth resource in the Reconstruction Era and Fragility of Democracy series is on the political violence that followed Radical...
Curated OER
The Price of War
Fifth graders, in groups, research major battles fought during the Civil War and complete an activity sheet. They choose one particular battle and create a timeline and graph using the statistics researched.
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War
Students research information on the causes of the Civil War. They rank their top three reasons and individuals responsible for the war and then use that information to write a position paper.
Curated OER
American Literature and the Civil War
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes fourteen lessons from the American Literature, The Civil War and Its Aftermath: 1845-1880 series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading...
Curated OER
"Gettysburg": Soldier Motivation in 1863
Eleventh graders watch and discuss various clips from the movie "Gettysburg". Using the video, they identify the main motivation for the Union and Confederate soldiers. They describe how soldiers motivation changed from 1861 and 1863.
Curated OER
Sgt. Humiston, Where are You?
Learners become familiar with the events of the Civil War. For this identification lesson, students use deductive reasoning to understand how the deceased soldier was identified. Learners view primary documents for...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address
Your young historians will be intrigued to read and analyze Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, which discusses the president's take on the causes of the Civil War and connections between the North and the South.
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Journalist’s Report: The Better Vision for Black Americans
After reading a series of primary source documents detailing the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, class members craft newspaper columns assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each man's vision, and present their...
Reading Through History
Patriots and Loyalists
Patriots versus Loyalists, a huge divide during the Revolutionary War in what would become the United States of America. An informative resource includes both direct instruction about the two groups and a quiz pupils take after reading...
Curated OER
Life as a Refugee
Lesson 1 from a Refugees and Human Rights unit is based on the UNHCR video “Working with Refugees.” Pupils gain an understanding of the role the United Nations plays in protecting and assisting refugees worldwide and have an opportunity...
Curated OER
Reconstruction
Students explain how the Civil War and Reconstruction both solved and created problems for our nation. They study how Reconstruction caused a further decline in relations between the North & South and how racism has been and is...
Curated OER
Japanese-American Relocation
Consider the causes and effects that led to the internment and relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII. Learners read the story "Baseball Saved Us" and selected chapters from Farewell to Manzanar. Then, they view a slide-show, and...
Curated OER
Industrialization Spreads: From Britain to the World
Looking for that perfect slide show, the one that makes your day so much easier? If you're teaching a unit on the spread of Industrialization, its causes, effects, and key players, then look no further. This is a text-driven presentation...
Curated OER
Major Events Leading to the American Revolution
Students explore the causes of the American Revolution. In this taxation without representation lesson plan, students analyze political cartoons in order to gain an understanding of the efforts of the colonists to resolve conflict with...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln, the 1860 Election, and the Future of the American Union and Slavery
Students examine Abraham Lincoln's political views about slavery. In this American Civil War instructional activity, students determine how Lincoln's beliefs led to the restriction of slavery in American territories. Student also analyze...
Curated OER
Constitutional Issues: Civil Liberties During War
Young scholars discuss democratic ideals and constitutional principles. They decide which side of the issue they are on dealing with the placement of Japanese-Americans in camps during World War II. They examine primary source documents...
Curated OER
What Would Pink Say
Students create Venn diagrams of similarities and differences between two main characters in Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco.
Curated OER
Women's Roles in Post World War II
Students discuss the role of women before, during, and after World War II. In this equality lesson, students plan how to make the workforce more equal among men and women after World War II. They research World War II and its effects on...
DocsTeach
A Petition for the Cotton Gin
While almost forgotten today, the cotton gin could be seen as one of the causes of the Civil War. The innovation led to more cotton production, which in turn undermined political power balances in the 1800s. Individuals unpack the...
Civil War Trust
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address may have been four score and seven years ago, but its message is still as relevant today. Young historians explore the context of the famous speech, as well as its central theme and argument, before discussing the...
Curated OER
My Brother, My Enemy
Pupils visit the West Virginia Museum, with the goal of creating and publishing a newsletter that demonstrates learning. Students complete vocabulary activities, and are given web site resources to this end. Pupils choose from 5...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion Unit
Eighth graders investigate the importance of Westward Expansion in the history of the United States in this unit of lessons.