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Primary
Yale University

The Avalon Project: Declaration of the State of Texas to Secede From the Union

For Students 9th - 10th
Text of the causes which impel the State of Texas to secede from the Federal Union.
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Handout
Other

American Revolution: Those Glorious "Principles of 1776": Confederate Perspective

For Students 9th - 10th
This site explains the Southern perspective on the voluntary union of states and the justification for the South seceding from the Union.
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Southern Secession: The Secession Crisis

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the events leading up to the secession of the Upper South and the formation of the Confederate States of America, including the attack on Fort Sumter.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: Secession of the South, 1861

For Students 9th - 10th
A map of the Southern States during Secession, showing the states which first seceded (before April 15, 1861), and those which followed after the outbreak of the American Civil War.
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Handout
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Secession of the Southern States

For Students 9th - 10th
Scroll through this article to "Secession in the Upper South" to find out what was happening in southern states that had not yet seceded before April, 1861, and what convinced these states to secede. From an article by William L. Barney...
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Website
Siteseen

Siteseen: Civil Conflict: Secession

For Students 9th - 10th
Site with outline information on the beginning stages of the Civil War when southern states seceded and rebelled against the Union.
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Website
Other

Crisis at Fort Sumter

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed background information is provided to assist users in solving the dilemmas facing President Lincoln in the events surrounding the fall of Fort Sumter.
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Website
Other

Dilemmas of Compromise: Secession Stalls

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief description of how the movement to secede from the Union was stalled by the state of Virginia. Click on "Dilemmas of Compromise" to understand this site in context.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: First Defenses of the South During the American Civil War, 1860 1865

For Students 9th - 10th
A map from 1920 of the Southeastern States showing the South's first line of defenses during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The map is color-coded to show the eastern Confederate States (indicating the States seceding before and...
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Secession

For Teachers 6th - 8th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart describes events leading to secession, including John Brown's Raid, Lincoln's election, and South Carolina's break with the Union. It also includes information on the first states to...
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Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Southern Secession

For Students 9th - 10th
Article with primary source secession resolutions from three states including, South Carolina, Virginia and Mississippi. Each declaring intent to secede from the Union and outlining reasons for doing so.
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Did You Hear the News?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
After studying about the differences between the North and South prior to the Civil War and how Alabama decided to secede from the Union, learners will write a newspaper article on this important decision. They will go back in time and...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

Virginia Memory: Virginia Ordinance of Secession

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students learn what the Virginia Ordinance of Secession declared.
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Us History: Election of 1860: Lincoln Elected

For Students 9th - 10th
Looks at the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and the divisions between North and South that resulted. Shortly after the election, a group of Southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. The animosity between...
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Primary
The History Place

The History Place: Great Speeches: William Lloyd Garrison on Death of John Brown

For Students 9th - 10th
A speech delivered by William Lloyd Garrison after John Brown was hanged for leading the slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry in 1859. In his speech, Garrison advocates for taking a stand against slavery by seceding the North from the South.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: The United States Secession, 1860 1861

For Students 9th - 10th
A map showing the secession of the Confederate States from the Union, from the secession of South Carolina (December 20, 1860) to the secession of Tennessee (June 8, 1861). The map is color-coded to show the Federal States and territory...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: Francis Wilkinson Pickens

For Students 9th - 10th
Francis Wilkinson Pickens (April 7, 1805 - January 25, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Governor of South Carolina when the state seceded from the United States during the American Civil War.