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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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Worksheet
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman Warns "Kill the Snake Before It Kills You"

For Students 8th - 12th
Harriet Tubman developed a rich extended metaphor for slavery and the imperative for Lincoln to abolish it in this dictated letter from 1862. Young historians read the original document and interpret Tubman's allegory with a pair of...
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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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Worksheet
Curated OER

History of the Americas: Causes of the Civil War

For Students 8th - 12th
For this American Civil War worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages about the causes of the war and then respond to 35 short answer questions about how the war began.
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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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Active Viewing: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Young historians consider the cause and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation. They use handouts, response sheets, and class discussion to build an opinion about the subject after viewing the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln:...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Slavery: Word Search

For Students 4th - 5th
For this slavery word search, students identify terms relating to slavery and the Civil War era. A list of 21 words is given. An answer sheet is provided.
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Pre-1861: Disunion

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Nat Turner, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln all played a key role in the run-up to the bloody American Civil War. Using a PowerPoint, timeline activity, and essay prompt, young historians consider the roles of these men and more to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Attitudes about Slavery and Women's Abolitionism as Seen through Antislavery Fairs

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students examine attitudes of children from the North growing up during the time of slavery. Using documents, they discover how abolitionists tried to change people's ideas of using slaves. They explore how women used antislavery fairs...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Nation Divided: Why Couldn't They Just Get Along?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine both perspectives of the Civil War as related to the differing economies. In this nation divided lesson, 4th graders view primary sources, examine paper money and a political chart, and review recruitment posters. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedmen's Bureau

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the African American experience after they received their freedom after the Civil War. They complete a Mind Map, read and analyze a poem, and write a paragraph using key vocabulary words. They analyze the impact of the...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Newscast on the Battles of the Ironclad Ships

For Teachers 5th Standards
Fifth graders create multi-media newscasts based on their knowledge of Civil War battles of the ironclad ships.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Before Brother Fought Brother: People and Places in the North and South

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners use census records to research and compare the population and economies in two counties within the same valley (Franklin Country Pennsylvania (North) and Augusta County, Virginia (South) in the pre Civil War era.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty and Secession

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars read and discuss background material on several key decisions that played a role in the Civil War including the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dredd Scott Decision. They create a timeline and write an...

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