Center for History Education
The Freedmen's Bureau: Success or Failure?
What is freedom? The United States grappled with the question at the end of the Civil War after four million enslaved people were freed. Using circulars and images from the Reconstruction period, individuals examine how successful the...
K12 Reader
Slavery in the Constitution
Your young historians will read excerpts from three parts of the United States Constitution—Article One, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment—and discuss how they each address the issue of slavery.
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Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction
Young scholars study Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years. They examine the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime. They investigate the complex issues of how Congress took on the role of...
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Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the period of time from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. They analyze and interpret political cartoons and editorials, conduct research on famous civil rights places, and complete...
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The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Realism
Students research the Civil War and make connections between the war and the interpretation of the war in the novel The Red Badge of Courage to help them understand realism. In this Civil War recounting lesson, students complete several...
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Politics during the Civil War
Students investigate the politics of the Civil War. They use a graphic organizer in order to help sort the information. The use of key questions help to create starting points for class discussion or student essay responses.
Facing History and Ourselves
A Contested History
Memories of and interpretations of history change—that's the key takeaway from a lesson plan that has young historians compare the story of the Reconstruction Era as told by the historians of the Dunning School to the view of scholars...
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Living History - Civil War
Eighth graders, after researching antebellum North Carolina and the role of North Carolina in the Civil War, write, edit, publish, and produce their own plays.
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Was Reconstruction a Revolution?
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Reconstruction lesson, students research details pertaining to Congress's role in Reconstruction. Students use the provided worksheets to...
West Virginia Department of Education
An Act Worthy of Reward
John Brown is considered by many to be a martyr for abolition and civil rights. The resource covers an important event in West Virginian history, the raid by John Brown, as a standalone that discusses Brown's last words and his reaction...
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Diamonds Are Forever Fueling Civil Wars
Students explore the failures of the UN embargo on conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone. They participate in a trading game to explore the international trading system and the ways in which it rewards and punishes countries.
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The Embodied Presidency
Eighth graders examine the issue of slavery. In this Civil War lesson, 8th graders participate in a debate. Students evaluate the impact of slavery and war on the country.
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What Happened to Slaves When their Owners Died?
Learners analyze last and testaments of former slaveowners to identify and explain economic, social and cultural differences between the North and the South leading up to the Civil War.
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Is Seeing Believing?
Pupils study different photographers who started the concept of battlefield photography. In this media lesson students explore how to "read" a photograph and relate the use of photography during the Civil War to current use...
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Reconstruction and "All Men Are Created Equal"
Students examine the time after the Civil War known as Reconstruction. In groups, they role play a Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Reconstruction in which some members are senators and others are witnesses. They share their ideas on how...
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The Great "What If" Question. How might American history have been different had Lincoln lived?
Eleventh graders study the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. In this American History lesson, 11th graders analyze documents related to Reconstruction. Students participate in a debate on Reconstruction.
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Treasure in the Trash
Students decode archaeological artifacts in order to recreate an event, using discarded objects as a model for real-life artifacts. They apply this model to reconstructing historical or literary events from artifacts they create.
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Resistance to African American Education During and After the Civil War
Students research a web site of primary documents to determine the level of support among whites in for the education of African Americans during Reconstruction.
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The Exploration of the Writer, His Louisiana History And the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman By Ernest J. Faines
Students identify the significance of the author's experiences on his written work; describe the hardships faced by slaves and plantation owners once the caves were set free; explain the role of the Seceses and why they were a threat to...
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Bridges for All
Pupils describe how the brave word of one female Quaker served as a lifeline for fugitives before the Civil War. In this research instructional activity, students research several examples of the philanthropic work of individuals and...
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Election of 1860
Students 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. Students also write an...
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To Be or Not to Be: A Marriage of Civil War Descendants
Young scholars examine primary documents related to the burning of Chambersburg during the Civil Way. In this Civil War era history lesson, students study numerous primary documents relating to the burning of the town of Chambersburg....
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Portraits of History
Eighth graders research the Post-Revolution to Pre-Civil War era by investigating the life and contributions of a notable person. They create silhouettes which are framed with timeline. Also, they add the research information to the...
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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...