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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Kansas Nebraska Act

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the essential repeal of the Missouri Compromise, which had established which states could be slave and which would be free for thirty years, with the rancorous passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. See who supported it and why,...
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Activity
The History Place

The History Place: The Dred Scott Decision

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from The History Place provides an account of the history of Dred Scott, an African-American slave, who took his suit for his freedom to the Supreme Court. The information is somewhat brief, but worthwhile.
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Unit Plan
C-SPAN

American Writers: Harriet Beecher Stowe

For Students 9th - 10th
An informational site on Harriet Beecher Stowe. Includes general information about her life, works, and writings, including Uncle Tom's Cabin. Also includes links to other sites.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Border Ruffians

For Students 5th - 8th
Because of the terms of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a election would be held to determine whether Kansas would be a slave or free state. Read about the fraudulent votes cast by the so-called border ruffians from Missouri, and see how Kansas...
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Sack of Lawrence

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about how the destruction of Lawrence, Kansas, seat of the Free-Soiler government by border ruffians inflamed attitudes in the North toward the actions of the slave-holders.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: u.s. Presidents Abraham Lincoln

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: The 13th Amendment

For Students 9th - 10th
An original 13th amendment restricting lawyers from serving in government that was supposedly ratified in 1819 and removed from the U.S. Constitution during the Civil War.
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Political Divisions

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart details the growing political divisions in the United States in the decade before the Civil War. It includes information on the election of 1856, the Dred Scott Decision, the Lincoln...
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: African Heritage: Fighting for Freedom

For Students Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart aims to help students understand the role the Underground Railroad played in leading people out of slavery in the United States, particularly before the Civil War.
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Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Harriet Tubman

For Students 9th - 10th
Features a summary of the life of Harriet Tubman, an American bondwoman who escaped from slavery in the South to become a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War.
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Study Guide
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Compromise of 1850

For Students 11th - 12th
This Khan Academy resource provides a table of contents with notes for The Compromise of 1850.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Sojourner Truth

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares biographical content about the abolitionist named Sojourner Truth. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
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Lesson Plan
US Mint

U.s. Mint: One Cent Program: Lincoln 2.0 [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th
In this four-part lesson, students identify and analyze the challenges that Abe Lincoln faced during his Presidency, including keeping the Union intact.
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Race and Identity in Antebellum America

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This unit features authors of Antebellum America and how they portray the American identity through their literature. Click on the tabs to explore the various resources available to enhance this unit.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: A Fatal Contradiction Webisode 5

For Students 9th - 10th
Webisode 5 - A Fatal Contradiction. The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of the u.s. What Is Freedom? Webisode 7

For Students 9th - 10th
Webisode 7 - What is Freedom? ..The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
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Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: The Kansas Nebraska Act

For Students 9th - 10th
An outstanding, interactive copy of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the legislation that repealed the Missouri Compromise. Historical context included, as well as links to larger images, a typed transcript, and a downloadable PDF file.
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Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Wake Up, America!

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource covers the changing of America due to the Industrial Revolution which brought in not only new technology but also opened the door to reform movements. From the series by Joy Hakim, "A History of Us." Includes a teacher's...
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: An Enslaved Person's Life, Making of African American Identity

For Students 9th - 10th
Various photographs of slaves from the pre-Civil War era, an autobiographical narrative of slavery, and three accounts recorded in the 1930s of the lives and conditions of former slaves are included in this large set of information...
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Sojourner Truth

For Students 9th - 10th
Easy to read biography of anti-slavery activist, abolitionist and feminist, Sojourner Truth. Article covers her early life as a slave, her Civil War years, and her famous speeches.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Odyssey: Reconstruction and Its Aftermath

For Students 9th - 10th
From the Library of Congress, this resource documents the course of post-Civil War, post-slavery life for black Americans. Topics include education, constitutional amendments, voting rights and the many challenges African Americans faced...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Gathering Storm

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at how the Northerners perceived the conflict between North and South, a conflict between people who were for freedom and and those who were for slavery.
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Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Emancipation Proclamation Facts

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides an overview and ten facts about Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, a war measure freeing the slaves in states still in rebellion against the Union.
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Activity
Chase Young, PhD

Dr. Chase Young, Ph D: Reader's Theater Script: Alison Hart's Gabriel's Horses [Pdf]

For Students 5th - 8th
A reader's theater adaptation of Alison Hart's historical fiction book, Gabriel's Horses, is provided on this script. Nine character roles are needed in this performance.

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