University of California
The Civil War: Effects of the Civil War
Imagine being on the front line of the Civil War —from the front porch of your own house. Scholars use visual evidence from primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of the Civil War on all Americans. They examine the research...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
The Civil War at Home
To conclude a study of the 4 C's (cause, course, consequences, and characters) of the Civil War, young historians examine personal letters that reveal the effects of the war on those at home.
Middle Tennessee State University
A House Divided: The Civil War Home Front in Tennessee
To broaden their understanding of both the short term and long terms effects of the Civil War, class groups examine primary source materials and then assume the role of a family member and draft a letter to a soldier describing life at...
Curated OER
American Civil War: Conflicting Newspaper Reports
Learners examine the happenings at the Battle of Antietam from all sides. In this American Civil War activity, students analyze newspapers accounts from different perspectives regarding the battle and then write their own accounts of the...
Curated OER
Women in the Civil War: Ladies, Contraband and Spies
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American Civil War lesson, students research diaries, letters, and photographs of women involved in the war.
Curated OER
Decision Making: Who Was Right?
Help your class explore the question "Is it ever right to disobey a law?" With a strong base of knowledge about the Civil War, anti-slavery movement, and Underground Railroad, your class explores civil disobedience in Marshall, Michigan...
Tennessee State Museum
An Emancipation Proclamation Map Lesson
Did the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves during the Civil War? Why was it written, and what were its immediate and long-term effects? After reading primary source materials, constructing political maps representing information...
Curated OER
Lincoln and His Generals
Students explore Abraham Lincoln's role as Commander in Chief. In this American Civil War lesson, students listen to an instructor-delivered lecture on Lincoln's leadership and then analyze 8 pirmary documents to determine what Lincoln's...
National Gallery of Art
The First African American Regiment
Young historians examine a memorial sculpture of the first African American regiment in the Civil War, and then compare how the experiences of the regiment are portrayed in letters and poetry, as well as in the motion picture, Glory.
Curated OER
Reconstruction and the Long Shadow of the Civil War
Eighth graders are introduced to the efforts of Reconstruction after the Civil War. In groups, they develop their own plan for Reconstruction and provide a mission statement which they share with the class. They must defend any...
Curated OER
Roswell and the Civil War
Students consider the impact of the American Civil War on Georgia. In this Georgia history lesson, students discover Roswell's contributions to the Confederate effort and then create children's books that illustrate the destruction of...
Curated OER
Mapping the Civil War
Students identify the locations of pivotal American Civil War battles. In this map skills lesson, students label Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and the Battle for Atlanta on an outline map. The map is not included.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Walden and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
According to Henry David Thoreau, every citizen must object to unjust laws. The teacher's guide to Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" begins with a detailed essay synopsis to help readers understand Thoreau's rationale in the challenging...
Curated OER
Ladies, Contraband, and Spies: Women in the Civil War
Students use primary sources - diaries, letters, and photographs - to explore the experiences of women in the Civil War. By looking at a series of document galleries, the perspectives of slave women, plantation mistresses, female spies,...
Curated OER
The War of 1812
A good addition to a unit on the War of 1812, this slideshow details causes, specific battles, political contexts, and several campaigns of the war. Maps and pictures with broad topics allow teachers to bring their own discussion topics...
Curated OER
Active Viewing: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided
Young historians consider the cause and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation. They use handouts, response sheets, and class discussion to build an opinion about the subject after viewing the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln:...
Curated OER
War, What is it Good for?
Eighth graders examine aspects of the American Civil War related to West Virginia. In this research skills lesson, 8th graders collaborate to research Civil War topics and create electronic portfolios that feature their findings.
Curated OER
Battlefield Walks
Students create a picture of a Civil War battle using Google Earth. In this Civil War lesson, students pick a battlefield and research it with a partner. They find the location on Google Earth and use colors and overlays to show...
Curated OER
Hoosier Soldiers at Vicksburg
Eighth graders examine the role of Indiana soldiers at the Battle of Vicksburg. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders listen to a lecture about the involvement of Indiana soldiers in the battle and then analyze letters written...
Curated OER
The Freedom to Fight
Learners study the African American troop experiences in the Civil War. In this American history lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources regarding the experiences and contributions of African American soldiers who served...
Curated OER
Brutal British
Students read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
Polk Country Schools
The Death of Abraham Lincoln DBQ
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal moment in American history, but what were the immediate effects throughout the newly unified country? A document-based question focuses on the consequences of the first assassination of...
Curated OER
Civil Rights and Casualties of Wartime
Do your historians fully grasp the consequences of being at war? Help them connect past with present through this group research activity, which has students analysing repercussions suffered by citizens of countries in conflict. Students...
Curated OER
Looking at the Civil War through the lens of local history." Teaching
Students research life in Plymouth during the Civil War. Using the internet and other resources, students examine the historical effects of the Civil War. In groups, they publish a newspaper explaining the events of the day.