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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Civil War and Reconstruction

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Library of Congress provides overviews of the South and North during the Civil War include soldiers' stories from both sides. There are primary documents on these topics as well as Freedmen and the Reconstruction.
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Sheg: Document Based History: Read Like a Historian: Civil War Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] In the Civil War and Reconstruction unit, young scholars engage in contentious historiographic debates about the period: Was Lincoln a racist? Was Reconstruction a success or failure? Was John Brown a...
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Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Northern Draft Riots During the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection of primary sources explore northern draft riots that occurred during the Civil War.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, the Civil War & Reconstruction Fort Sumter: First Shots

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Handout
CommonLit

Common Lit: Text Sets: The Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a collection of 29 Grade-Leveled texts (6-12)on the topic The Civil War. The American Civil War lasted for only 5 years but divided the country along bitter lines as the North fought to keep southern states from seceding from the...
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Unit Plan
Bullock Texas State History Museum

Bullock Museum: Chapter Eight: Civil War to Centennial [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 8th
A teacher guide designed to support a visit to the Bullock Museum, but can be used on its own using available resources. Includes information, discussion questions, activities, and worksheets. This module looks at Texas from the time of...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction Gettysburg

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Battle of Gettysburg and President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction Election of 1860 and Lincoln

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Underground Railroad. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction the Emancipation Proclamation

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Emancipation Proclamation. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Handout
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Election of 1864

For Students 9th - 10th
The re-election of Abraham Lincoln in 1864 was not a done deal. Read about the peace explorations, the Republican and Democratic conventions, the campaigns, and eventual "landslide" for Lincoln. From "The Civil War and Reconstruction" by...
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Unit Plan
Tom Richey

Tom Richey: The Civil War and Reconstruction (1861 1877)

For Students 9th - 10th
The election of 1860 sparked the secession of the southern states. This group of states formed the Confederacy while the northern states to be named the Union. This unit will examine in detail the events which then led to the Civil War...
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Handout
Other

Texas Historical Commission: Texas in the Civil War [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A comprehensive 36-page history of the Civil War in Texas. Includes numerous images, maps, primary documents, profiles of leading figures, a timeline, and information about battles. Specific topics are addressed, such as the cotton...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction Slavery in the Territories

For Students 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Congressional disagreements about slavery in the territories before the Civil War. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Article
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: Impact of Dred Scott: The Road to Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
After the Dred Scott decision by the US Supreme Court, the friction between the North and South over slavery escalated, and the North began to fear that they might not be able to prevent slavery from spreading into their states. The Dred...
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Civil War and New Patterns of American Politics

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview of the new political patterns which developed as a result of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
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Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Secession and Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a unit on the Civil War and Reconstruction, this section provides an overview of the formation of the Confederacy and subsequent secession of states in the South.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction Background to the Civil War

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the advantages of each side during the Civil War. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Reconstruction

For Students 7th - 8th Standards
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each text is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see the...
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Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Docsteach: What Else Was Happening During the Civil War Era?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The years leading up to, during, and following the Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) are most often remembered for the tension between North and South, the question of slavery, President Lincoln, and social and political changes...
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Handout
Alabama Humanities Foundation

Encyclopedia of Alabama: Alabama and the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
Encyclopedia entries of the significant people, places, and events that occurred in Alabama during the Civil War and the period immediately following, including the Battle of Mobile Bay and Confederate naval operations in the state.
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Handout
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Black Codes in the Former Confederate States

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the black codes in various states enacted as a result of Johnson's lenient Reconstruction plans. From "Trial by Fire, A People's History of the Civil War and Reconstruction" by Paige Smith.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Learning Page: The North During the Civil War

For Students 3rd - 8th
This is a brief summary of how the Civil War affected the Northern states. It has just a small mention of the North's industrial nature, but you can link to first-person accounts of what it was like to live in the North during Southern...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Odyssey: Reconstruction and Its Aftermath

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of a virtual exhibit by the Library of Congress, this site details the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on the newly freed slaves. It contains photographs of artwork and a map from the period.

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