The History Cat
The History Cat: The Underground Railroad
A detailed look at how the Underground Railroad worked, some of the activists working against slavery, and some of the unique ways slaves managed to escape. Also discusses the economy that existed around the practice of slave tracking...
Digital History
Digital History: Civil War in Kansas [Pdf]
The Compromise of 1850 did not solve all the slavery issues in the territories, which was not surprising. Read about the Kansas-Nebraska Act, put forth by Sen. Stephan Douglas, who proposed that the issue be decided by popular...
Other
Freedom on the Move: Traveling Back
In this lesson, students will read and analyze ads written from 1850 to 1860 and make a timeline of the ads. They will consider important historical events, people, and literature from those years and build a timeline in their classroom...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Operating the Underground Railroad
Read about the necessity for a loose organization such as the Underground Railroad. Click on "List of Sites" to find out about Underground Railroad stations across the north.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Slavery in America
People enslaved Africans for their enforced labor from before America's founding until the end of the Civil War. Learn about the history of slavery, its effects on a budding nation, and the fight to abolish it. This collection includes...
Library of Congress
Loc: The Civil War: The Nation Moves Toward War
Examine the causes of the Civil War using primary source documents. This lesson plan gives background on the Civil War, includes a timeline, and a bibliography for further reading. Primary source documents include music, newspapers,...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: America in 1850: Henry Clay: Review of the Debate on the Compromise Bills
Henry Clay's speech in the Senate in support of the Compromise of 1850 and the importance of preserving the Union.
White Pine Pictures
White Pine Pictures: Breaking the Ice: The Mary Ann Shadd Story
Mary Ann Shadd was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1823. She emigrated to Windsor, Upper Canada and was a leader in advocating for integrated schools at a time when most Canadians believed segregated schools should predominate. This web...
Other
American Anthropological Association: 1800 1850s: Expansion of Slavery in the Us
Outlines the political events prior to the Civil War as the United States expanded its territories to include new states and conflicts arose over the issue of slavery.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Identifying Bias
This lesson explains how to identify an author's bias. This tutorial lesson shares a short slideshow with the lesson's content. An additional link is also provided to supplement this lesson on bias.
Digital History
Digital History: The Impending Crisis: Conclusion
A concise review of the ways the issue of slavery split the country from the Missouri Compromise to eventual secession of the southern states.
Other
Course Notes: Us History: 1840 1877: Expansion and Slavery
A list with short descriptions of the issues and events that impacted the expansion of the frontier, with slavery being the most significant issue.