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Lesson Plan
The Dirksen Congressional Center

Congress Link: Lesson Plans

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.
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Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: James Buchanan

For Students 9th - 10th
The initial source for links to all aspects of the Buchanan presidency, including information on his cabinet, domestic policy and foreign policy. From the Miller Center.
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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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Handout
US Department of State

Bureau of International Information Programs: History Outline: Sectionalism

For Students 9th - 10th
Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.
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Primary
PBS

Pbs Online News Hour: Does Anybody Care?

For Students 9th - 10th
An October 1996 Online NewsHour program considers the possible impact of "negative" campaign ads. A good debate on this issue.
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Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: It Ain't Where You Start, It's What You Got, and Where You End

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This year's federal elections will involve electing a president, all members of the House of Representatives, and one-third of the Senate. Barring some international crisis, economic issues appear likely to dominate the debates. In past...
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Handout
American Battlefield Trust

American Battlefield Trust: Civil War: Trigger Events of the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
A list with descriptions of the major events that led up to the outbreak of the Civil War.
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Website
Other

Republican Party: Our History

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the first few paragraphs of this article to find out about the formation of the Republican Party in 1854 and how it affected the political scene in the last part of the 1850s.
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Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: James Buchanan: A Life in Brief

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief look at James Buchanan as president and the controversies he faced. From the Miller Center.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: The Mask of Lincoln: Stephen A. Douglas

For Students 9th - 10th
A captioned portrait of Stephen Douglas encapsulates his political career and reputation in a few short paragraphs.