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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1856-1865: Abolitionists and the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this abolition lesson, students watch "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and discuss the philanthropic acts they witnessed in the film. Students also complete an activity that requires them to determine...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman Warns "Kill the Snake Before It Kills You"

For Students 8th - 12th
Harriet Tubman developed a rich extended metaphor for slavery and the imperative for Lincoln to abolish it in this dictated letter from 1862. Young historians read the original document and interpret Tubman's allegory with a pair of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers determine how President Lincoln promoted emancipation. In this slavery lesson, students examine primary documents, including the U.S. Constitution, to reconstruct Lincoln's attempts to end slavery and deliver the...
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Lesson Plan
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

A Different Perspective on Slavery: Writing the History of African American Enslaved Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
New ReviewStudents examine the experiences of African-American women during the Civil War. Reading letters and autobiographies, they gain insight into how they dealt with slavery and losing their children. They create a model to evaluate the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders complete a short unit on slavery and the U.S. Civil War. They read and analyze the book, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," compose their own secret song, complete an Abraham Lincoln crossword puzzle, and dramatize a historical...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Emancipation Proclamation: Expanding The Goals Of The Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Should Juneteenth be recognized as a national holiday? To prepare to take a stance on this question, young historians first analyze the Emancipation Proclamation and compare it to Lincoln's first Inaugural Address. Scholars then read an...
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Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Debate on Slavery

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Young historians research the debate over slavery; some students take the pro-slavery side and others the anti-slavery side. They take the role of a character such as a plantation owner, a legislator, a free Black, a slave, or a northern...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery, Manumission, and Freedom: Free Blacks in Charleston before the Civil War

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the concept of slavery and manumission through a variety of activities. In this civil rights lesson, students gather information from primary sources, then analyze the politics and historical context of the time....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Life in the Pee Dee Before the Civil War

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the life of the African American in the Pee Dee region during slavery.  In this slavery lesson, 3rd graders explore primary and secondary documents related to the topic and create a timeline of when slavery first...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

History of the Americas: Causes of the Civil War

For Students 8th - 12th
In this American Civil War worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages about the causes of the war and then respond to 35 short answer questions about how the war began.
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Reconstruction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A State of Turmoil

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete a unit about the differences between the northern and southern states after the Revolutionary War. They view various online videos, conduct a debate about the issues that divided the nation, complete a Venn...
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Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Slavery as a Form of Racialized Social Control

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An engaging lesson delves into the effects of slavery on society. Young historians read text excerpts, complete handouts, and participate in group discussion to understand how slavery was a means to control society and establish a racial...
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Lesson Plan
NET Foundation for Television

1850-1874 The Kansas-Nebraska Act

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
How the Kansas-Nebraska Act created Bleeding Kansas is complicated—until scholars research and examine documents from the time. After completing activities that include mapping, photo, document analysis, and discussion, learners...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Antebellum Reform

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars investigate the Antebellum period in the United States in an engaging lesson. Groups analyze technological, religious, economic, and social changes occurring during the time period prior to the Civil War. Using their new...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Road to War Assessment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
In this American Civil War worksheet, students respond to 20 short answer, multiple choice, and true or false questions about the events that led to the outbreak of war.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Fannie Lou Hamer and the Civil Rights Movement in Rural Mississippi

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Good primary resources, offering different perspectives on important issues and events, are hard to find. A packet of 12 primary source images, videos, audio recordings, records, and newspaper articles related to the 1960s civil rights...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Active Viewing: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided

For Teachers 8th - 10th
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:...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery and the Legal Status of Free Blacks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the status of free blacks in Illinois and slavery in the U.S. They read and analyze primary source documents, answer and discuss questions, participate in a group discussion, and present the group's findings to the class.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Slavery: Word Search

For Students 4th - 5th
In this slavery word search, students identify terms relating to slavery and the Civil War era. A list of 21 words is given. An answer sheet is provided.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery In America During the Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars continue their examination of the Civil War. In groups, they use the internet and print sources to research the life of a slave. For each slave researched, they copy quotes and other information from primary and...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Pre-1861: Disunion

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Nat Turner, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln all played a key role in the run-up to the bloody American Civil War. Using a PowerPoint, timeline activity, and essay prompt, young historians consider the roles of these men and more to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Attitudes about Slavery and Women's Abolitionism as Seen through Antislavery Fairs

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students examine attitudes of children from the North growing up during the time of slavery. Using documents, they discover how abolitionists tried to change people's ideas of using slaves. They explore how women used antislavery fairs...

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