Curated OER
Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan
Students explore Lincoln's Reconstruction plan. In this Reconstruction lesson, students examine Lincoln's speeches and writings on bringing the country back together following the war.
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Curated OER
Writing Exercises: Science and Technology II
All revolutions in science and technology have both pros and cons. Kids examine the advent of the green revolution, nuclear growth, use, and the countries that are considered nuclear powers. They'll construct three responses to each of...
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.
Curated OER
Rallying to the Cause
Students study the role of volunteering during the Civil War, the Reconstruction, and today. In this volunteerism lesson, students work with a partner to read biographies of volunteers while looking for their Core Democratic Values. They...
Curated OER
With Liberty and Justice for All
Students examine the role of Supreme Court justices. In this judicial branch lesson, students consider the civil rights and civil liberties as they investigate Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia State Board...
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.
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction
Students 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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Politics during the Civil War
High schoolers 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 activity 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 today...
Teach With Movies
Learning Guide To: Gone with the Wind
The film version of Gone with the Wind is the focus of this learning guide that asks viewers to consider some of the issues that the Southern states faced prior to and during the Civil War.
Curated OER
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.
Core Knowledge Foundation
A History of the United States
This 262-page Core Knowledge teacher guide presents an overview of the two-volume History of the United States program designed for middle schoolers. The guide includes information about the learning strategies used, a pacing guide, the...
Humanities Texas
A President's Vision: Abraham Lincoln
Invite your learners to take a close look at Abraham Lincoln's presidency through analysis worksheets of several images and primary documents, presented on an educational poster entirely dedicated to this great United States...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Chapter 8: Reconstruction
In this Reconstruction worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages regarding Reconstruction plans and respond to 44 short answer questions.
Curated OER
U.S. History Worksheet #75
Get the facts straight when it comes to the Reconstruction Era! In this United States history worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions about the nation following the Civil...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
What Happened to Slaves When their Owners Died?
Young scholars 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.