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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Newspaper

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of the Civil War while conducting research using a variety of resources. The information is used to create a source for a class project. They create a class newspaper that becomes a summary of some...
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Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Civil War Revisited

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students move beyond the generals and battles approach to the Civil War and explore, instead, the issues, ideals, and outcomes of the great conflict that left a president dead, a region destitute, and a nation in shambles.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Could the Civil War Been Avoided Through Compromise?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students determine whether the American Civil War could have been avoided. In this Civil War instructional activity, students examine primary and secondary sources to prepare to participate in a classroom debate that requires them to...
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Lesson Plan
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National Park Service

Lesson 6: Researching Contemporary Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While many believe slavery ended after the American Civil War, it continues today in various forms. Using a WebQuest research project, class members investigate how the institution of slavery lives on in the modern world. Activities also...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freed Slaves

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students are given the identify of a newly freed slave at the end of the Civil War. Students participate in a discussion to explore some of the difficulties and decision making freed slaves had to consider. Students present their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: The Ideology of Slavery

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the development of racial stereotyping beginning with the antebellum years. They research how blackface minstrel songs reinforced the antebellum mindset of African-Americans. Secondly, students investigate "Uncle Tom's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Criminal or Hero

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

John Brown

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How did the raid on Harper's Ferry contribute to the start of the Civil War? Curated for high school historians, the activity explains John Brown's contribution to the start of the Civil War by using violence to demand an end to slavery....
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

United States Colored Troops

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The debate over slavery contributed to the Civil War, but it didn't stop African Americans from joining the military. Academics complete a series of worksheets, read original letters, and analyze a photo of an African American soldier to...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Did Southern Free Men of Color Fight for the Ideals of the South?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Much of history is distasteful. Primary sources often reveal attitudes acceptable at the time that no longer are. But to understand controversial historical events, historians must examine primary sources that represent a wide variety of...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Maryland During the Secession Crisis

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
While many think the United States was neatly divided between Northern and Southern states during the Civil War, border states like Maryland are more complicated. Using hands-on activities to measure distance and primary sources,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom and Dignity Project

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore slavery and the civil war. In groups, 11th graders discuss and slavery and identify reasons for its beginning. In groups, they role-play a character for a talk show. Students determine what slavery was like in...
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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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners 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 Emancipation...
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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
Students 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
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
Center for History Education

Slavery and Civil Disobedience: Christiana Riot of 1851

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
When is it a moral obligation to disobey the law or to fight back? Using primary sources that document the "Christiana Riot" of 1851, learners consider these questions. The firsthand accounts tell the story of the riot, which happened...
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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
Learners 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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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
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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